Samsung just launched the Galaxy A55 smartphone, and here is our hands-on video and our first impressions!
Samsung Galaxy A55 Hands-On + First Impressions!
The Galaxy A55 is Samsung’s latest mid-range smartphone, and here is our hands-on video and our first impressions!
Same Design, Slightly Larger Display
Samsung retained the same design as last year’s Galaxy A54. It is slightly larger, thanks to its slightly larger 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display, which now supports a maximum brightness of 1000 nits.
Otherwise, the display has the same Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz for smoother graphics.
Better Protection
The first thing you will notice when you pick it up is the heft. It’s quite a thick and solid-feeling phone, with a thick metal frame wrapping all around the sides.
The display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, which is tougher and more damage-resistant. The back is likely protected by Gorilla Glass 5 like in the Galaxy A54, although Samsung never explicitly revealed what glass it’s using.
Samsung also retained the IP67 dust- and water-resistance, from last year’s Galaxy A54.
The Samsung Galaxy A55 is built around the new 4nm Samsung Exynos 1480 mobile platform, which is fabricated on Samsung’s own 4 nm EUV process technology.
It comes with a Samsung Xclipse 530 GPU, an improved 6K MAC NPU, as well as eight CPU cores arranged in two performance clusters:
four Arm Cortex-A78 high-performance cores, and
four Arm Cortex-A55 low-power cores.
The Samsung Exynos 1480 has an integrated 5G modem that supports Sub-6GHz and mmWave standards, as well as LTE Cat.18 uploads and downloads for current 4G networks.
It also supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, as well as the four main GPS networks – GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo.
32 MP Front Camera
Hidden in its display is a punch hole camera, with a 32 MP sensor and an f/2.2 aperture. As far as I can tell, it’s the same camera as Galaxy A54, with an 80˚ field of view.
This front camera takes 12 MP photos by default, for better low-light performance. But you can switch it to 32 MP if you need the higher resolution. I recommend you stick with 12 MP though.
This front camera can record 4K (UHD) videos with video stabilisation, albeit at just 30 fps. If you want smoother videos though, you can record 1080p (FHD) videos with video stabilisation at 60 fps.
Triple Camera System
At the back, the Samsung Galaxy A55 sports a triple camera system, that consists of:
a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture, and
a 5 MP macro camera, with f/2.4 aperture
By default, the main camera takes 12 MP photos – combining four pixels into one larger pixel for better low-light performance. You can switch it to the full 50 MP, but unless you need the higher resolution, you are better off sticking with the default 12 MP mode.
Like the front camera, the rear cameras record 4K (UHD) videos with video stabilisation at just 30 fps. I recommend you stick with 1080p (FHD) video recording with video stabilisation enabled, at 60 fps.
Large 5,000 mAh Battery
The Samsung Galaxy A55 is powered by a large 5,000 mAh battery, which supports up to 25 watt fast charging.
It does not come with an in-box USB charger, but it comes with a USB cable that supports up to 45 watt fast charging.
Hybrid SIM + microSD Tray
The Samsung Galaxy A55 comes with a hybrid tray that supports two nano SIM cards, or one nano SIM card and a microSD card (of up to 1 TB in capacity).
It also supports an eSIM, so it is possible to use two phone numbers using a nano SIM and an eSIM, as well as a microSD card.
Samsung Knox Vault
You may not know this, but the Samsung Galaxy A55 comes with Samsung Knox Vault, which helps to protect your sensitive information like your PIN, password, and security patterns.
You can also store sensitive data and files in the encrypted Samsung Knox Vault storage, which is completely isolated and separate from the main operating system.
Samsung Guarantee
Finally, Samsung guarantees up to 4 generations of OS upgrades, and 5 years of security updates, as well as 2 years of warranty for the Galaxy A55!
Samsung Galaxy A55 : Specifications
Here are the Samsung Galaxy A55’s key specifications:
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy A55
Display
6.6-inch Super AMOLED
– 1080 x 2340 pixels (390 ppi)
– 60 Hz / 120 Hz refresh rate
The Samsung Galaxy A55 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and either 128 GB or 256 GB of storage, with the option to add a microSD card in the hybrid SIM tray. It is covered by a 2-year warranty, with the following launch prices:
8 GB + 128 GB : £439 / A$699 / S$618
8 GB + 256 GB : RM1,999 / £489 / S$698
Surprisingly, Samsung decided not to bring the Galaxy A55 to the United States, and suggested that customers consider the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 FE instead. However, it is possible to purchase Latin American unlocked devices in the US (see below).
There are four colour options, which are not available in all countries – Awesome Iceblue, Awesome Lilac, Awesome Lemon, and Awesome Navy.
Here are online purchase options (we may get commission from your purchase) :
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Read our comprehensive review of the Samsung Galaxy A54 smartphone, and find out why it won our Editor’s Choice Award!
Samsung Galaxy A54 : Colour Options
The new Samsung Galaxy A54 smartphone is available in three main colours with a glossy finish :
Awesome Graphite
Awesome Violet
Awesome Lime
Samsung also offers an Awesome White colour option in certain countries.
In the following video, I will show you the three main colour options, and give you a closer look at the Galaxy A54 in the Awesome Graphite, Awesome Violet and Awesome Lime colours. Do let us know which you prefer!
The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage, with the option to add a microSD card in the hybrid SIM tray. It is covered by a 2-year warranty, with the following launch prices:
Now, let us go through its key features, and show you why the Samsung Galaxy A54 is worthy of our Editor’s Choice Award!
Samsung Exynos 1380 5G Mobile Platform
The Samsung Galaxy A54 is built around the Samsung Exynos 1380 mobile SoC, which is fabricated with Samsung’s own 5 nm EUV process technology.
It comes with an Arm Mali-G68 MP5 GPU, and an NPU, as well as eight CPU cores arranged in two performance clusters:
4 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
The Samsung Exynos 1380 has an integrated 5G modem that supports Sub-6GHz and mmWave standards, as well as LTE Cat.18 uploads and downloads for current 4G networks.
It also supports Wi-Fi 802.11ax (2×2 MIMO) with triple-band capability, as well as Bluetooth 5.3. It supports the four main GPS networks – GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo.
6.4-inch Super AMOLED Display
The Samsung Galaxy A54 boasts a large 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels.
This display defaults to a 60 Hz refresh rate, but supports a 120 Hz refresh rate that offers smoother graphics at the expense of higher power consumption.
Unlike higher-end smartphones like the new Galaxy S23 Ultra, the display does not dynamically changes its refresh rate. It either runs at 60 Hz or 120 Hz.
32 MP Front Camera
The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with a high-resolution 32 MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture. Instead of hiding it in a discreet punch hole, it has a stainless steel ring.
This camera defaults to 8 MP by default, combining four pixels into one much larger pixel for better image quality and low-light performance.
This 32 MP camera is capable of recording 1080p video at 30 fps or 60 fps, as well as 4K video at 30 fps.
50 MP Main Camera
The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with a triple camera system at the back that consists of:
a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture, and
a 5 MP macro camera, with f/2.4 aperture
The 50 MP camera is a “downgrade” in megapixels from the Galaxy A53’s 64 MP camera, but its image quality is better because it is built around the Sony IMX766 image sensor used in phones like the realme 9 Pro+ and Xiaomi 12.
The Sony IMX766 is a larger 1/1.56″ sensor, which offers a 25% larger pixel size of 1.0 µm (compared to 0.8 µm). The larger pixel size is important as it means each pixel can receive 25% more light, delivering better images, especially in low-light conditions.
In fact, that is why the Galaxy A54 defaults to the 12.5 MP resolution, combining four pixels into a much larger 2 µm “bucket” to collect more light. The 64 MP camera in last year’s Galaxy A53 also does the same thing, combining four pixels in one to deliver 16 MP photos.
This 50 MP camera supports PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus), and its lens has a wide f/1.8 aperture for better light intake. If you like to record videos, you will be glad to know that it features VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilisation) and improved OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) offering a wider OIS angle.
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
The Samsung Galaxy A54 is protected in the front and in the back by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. While this was introduced back in July 2016, it still offers considerable protection.
In lab tests, it can survive drops on hard, rough surface from a height of up to 1.2 metres. It also offers 2X better scratch protection compared to its competitors.
IP67 Dust + Water Resistance
The Samsung Galaxy A54 is IP67 rated against the ingress of dust and water. This means it can withstand being immersed in up to 1 metre of water for at least 30 minutes.
Hybrid SIM + micro SD Tray
The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with a hybrid tray that supports up to two physical SIM cards, or a physical SIM card as well as a single micro SD card of up to 1 TB in capacity
The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with the bidirectional Type C port, which is now the EU standard.
5,000 mAh Fast-Charging Battery
The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with a large 5,000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, which supports 25 watt fast wired charging. It does not support wireless charging, or reverse charging.
To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, and set its display brightness to 50%.
Why 50%? That is actually slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day, and is what we usually use in all our mobile battery life tests.
It is important to fix the brightness level, to make sure the screen brightness does not change as the ambient brightness changes.
We then ran the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test until its battery capacity dropped to 20% several times, and this was the best result we obtained with 60 Hz and 120 Hz refresh rates :
Not bad at all! The Samsung Galaxy A54 has a battery life of 12.5 hours with Adaptive refresh rate enabled, and almost 14 hours with the Standard refresh rate. That’s equal to the Galaxy S22 Ultra at the Standard refresh rate, and 16.7%better at the Adaptive refresh rate.
But let’s also compare its battery life at 60 Hz and 120 Hz, against the S23 Ultra, S22 Ultra and Z Flip 3 smartphones.
Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)
The Samsung Galaxy A54 lasted almost 14 hours with the refresh rate set to 60 Hz. But it isn’t quite as efficient as the new S23 Ultra, or even last year’s S22 Ultra.
Work 3.0
S23 Ultra
(60 Hz)
S22 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Galaxy A54
(60 Hz)
Z Flip 3
(60 Hz)
Battery Capacity
5,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
3,300 mAh
Battery Life
15 hrs 18 mins
14 hrs 15 mins
13 hrs 57 mins
8 hrs 11 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.36 mAh
4.68 mAh
4.78 mAh
5.38 mAh
Adaptive Refresh Rate (120 Hz)
Will you look at that! The Samsung Galaxy A54 was about 13.6% more efficient than the S22 Ultra with the Adaptive refresh rate enabled, coming within 8% of the power efficiency of the S23 Ultra.
Based on what we see here, I definitely recommend turning on the Adaptive Refresh Rate on the Galaxy A54, unless you absolutely need the extra 1.5 hours of battery life.
Work 3.0
S23 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Galaxy A54
(120 Hz)
S22 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Z Flip 3
(120 Hz)
Battery Capacity
5,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
3,300 mAh
Battery Life
13 hrs
0 mins
12 hrs 25 mins
10 hrs
38 mins
6 hrs
44 mins
Utilisation
per min.
5.13 mAh
5.52 mAh
6.27 mAh
6.53 mAh
Samsung Galaxy A54 : Battery Recharging Speed!
The Samsung Galaxy A54 supports up to 25 watts of wired fast charging, but unfortunately, does not come with the charger in-the-box.
So we relied on the standard 15 watt Samsung fast charger than shipped with their previous smartphones – something we believe most users will end up doing.
Work 3.0
S22 Ultra
S23 Ultra
Galaxy A54
Z Flip 3
Battery Capacity
3,300 mAh
5,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
3,300 mAh
Charger Output
15 watts
15 watts
15 watts
15 watts
Battery Life
64.5 minutes
88.8 minutes
120.7 minutes
88.5 minutes
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
62.0 mAh
45.0 mAh
33.1 mAh
29.8 mAh
The Samsung Galaxy A54 fully recharges from 20% to 100% in just over 2 hours with the standard 15 watt Samsung charger. Oddly enough, this is significantly (36%) slower than the S23 Ultra.
I have no idea whether this was an intentional design decision to reduce the Galaxy A54’s thermal output while charging, or to further differentiate it from the much pricier Galaxy S23 Ultra.
In any case, the Galaxy A54 has a good battery life : recharging ratio of 7:1. As a rule of thumb, for every hour of battery life, you only need to recharge it for 8.5 minutes.
Built around the Samsung Exynos 1380, the Galaxy A54 smartphone has a very fast CPU, but a relatively weak GPU.
What that means is that it offers snappy performance for most part – web browsing, work applications, casual gaming, etc.
It only has trouble delivering high frame rates for graphics-intensive 3D games, and AI or 3D apps may take longer to process in comparison to flagship devices.
But that’s what you need to keep in mind – the Exynos 1380 is a mid-range mobile platform, not a flagship-class. And it is a fast one.
Samsung Galaxy A54 : Work Performance
We first tested the Galaxy A54 Ultra using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
Work 3.0
S23
Ultra
Galaxy
A54
S22
Ultra
S21
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Mobile Platform
SD 8
Gen 2
Exynos
1380
SD 8
Gen 1
Exynos
2100
SD
750G
Performance Score
16408
13523
12860
12535
7874
Web Browsing
15680
10659
10442
10185
7021
Video Editing
7879
7363
7444
6336
5693
Writing
22257
17485
15471
15247
7454
Photo Editing
35533
28805
30177
37847
15812
Data Manipulation
12171
11443
9691
8310
6424
Will you look at that?! The Samsung Exynos 1380 that powers the Galaxy A54 actually beat Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 which powered the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
It was also just 17.5% slower than the latest flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile SoC that powers the new Galaxy S23 Ultra flagship smartphone!
For gaming, we tested the Galaxy A54 using 3DMark, with these results :
3DMark
S23
Ultra
S22
Ultra
Z Flip
3
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A54
Device
SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 1
SD
888
Exynos
990
Exynos
1380
Sling Shot Unlimited
16344
11094
9248
8026
6195
Wild Life Unlimited
14554
9106
3952
4504
2860
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
3814
2220
1174
1387
799
This is where the Samsung Galaxy A54’s Exynos 1380 falls short – it is just not very good at gaming!
It was 23% to 42% slower than the Exynos 990, and 28% to 32% slower than the Snapdragon 888!
That does not mean it’s bad for gaming. It can certainly handle most games. It just won’t be able to deliver high frame rates in graphically-demanding 3D games like Genshin Impact, Black Desert Mobile, etc.
Samsung Galaxy A54 : Overall Performance
We then tested the Galaxy A54 using AnTuTu, yielding these results :
AnTuTu
S23
Ultra
S22
Ultra
S21
Ultra
Galaxy
A54
Galaxy
A52
Device
SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 1
Exynos
2100
Exynos
1380
SD
750G
AnTuTu Score
1212174
889167
624411
522411
341908
CPU
261886
203090
166290
153230
105098
GPU
538823
402617
258995
149596
88068
Memory
236163
146002
120805
86578
60642
UX
175302
137458
78321
133007
88100
According to the AnTuTu benchmark, the Samsung Galaxy A54 is about 53% faster than the Galaxy A52, and only 16% slower than the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
What’s important to note is that the Exynos 1380’s CPU is fast, coming within 8% of the Exynos 2100. However, it has a relatively weak GPU, and slower memory than the flagship-class mobile platforms in this comparison.
The Samsung Galaxy A54’s 50 MP camera takes 12.5 MP photos by default, with a resolution of 4080 x 3060 pixels. Each JPEG photo using the High Efficiency Image File (HEIF) format, each photo is about 2.5 MB to 5 MB in size.
Without HEIF, the file sizes are much larger, so please remember to turn on the HEIF file format to save space.
Open the Camera app
Go to Settings > Advanced picture options
Turn on High efficiency pictures.
As this photo sample shows, the 50 MP main camera of the Samsung Galaxy A54 offers a nice bokeh, thanks to its wide f/1.8 aperture.
However, that wide aperture presents a problem too – a narrow depth of field, as this sample photo of star anise shows.
If multiple objects are present at different distances from the camera, only some of them will remain in focus, while the others will be out-of-focus.
That makes for nice portraits, but if you do not tap on the area or subject you want to be in focus, the camera may auto-focus on the wrong area or subject, and you will end up with an out-of-focus shot.
As this shot of pineapples show, only a small area of the right edge of the pineapple on the left is in focus. That’s because I intentionally tapped on that part.
Otherwise, the camera would naturally focus on the nearest part of the pineapple (its centre, which is located to the far left of the photo) and this photo would look really out-of-focus.
In most cases, the colour reproduction is pretty accurate, even if it’s indoors.
But in some cases, you can end up with pretty dull-looking photos under artificial light.
You need to be careful with close-up shots though. This isn’t a macro camera, and so it has trouble focusing if the subject is too close.
The problem is – the Samsung camera app does not warn you if the 50 MP camera cannot focus properly on the subject. It may look like it is focused properly in the camera app, but when you open it up later, you will see that it’s completely out-of-focus.
I definitely recommend you tapping on the subject to “force” the camera app to visibly try to focus. If it fails, you know that you are much too close. It’s also a good habit to tap to focus anyway, as this 50 MP camera has a narrow depth-of-field.
There is no need to worry about the “loss” in resolution from 64 MP to 50 MP. In most cases, you probably won’t even realise that the camera defaults to just 12.5 MP!
Even at 12.5 MP, there is more than enough detail in the photos that the Galaxy A54’s 50MP camera delivers, even if you want to zoom in.
But that does not mean that its 50 MP sensor is pure marketing. You can use it to take 50 MP shots, but you will have to live with significantly larger file sizes.
The full 50 MP resolution isn’t needed for 90% of the photos that most people take, but it is useful for long-distance shots. The Samsung Galaxy A54 does not have a telephoto camera, so taking photos in 50 MP effectively gives you a 4X zoom capability.
For example, if you need to take a faraway shot of a bell tower, you can switch to 50 MP before taking the photo. Then you can zoom into the 50 MP photo you took and crop out a much closer looking shot of that bell tower without using software or digital zoom.
Samsung Galaxy A54 : Camera Performance Summary
I’m glad Samsung switched from the 64 MP camera to a 50 MP camera in the Galaxy A54. The “loss” in megapixels is more than made up by the larger and better Sony IMX766 image sensor, with 25% larger pixels.
This improved 50 MP main camera performed well in our tests, generally delivering good photos with accurate colours in most cases. It has a good level of detail, even at 12.5 MP.
The biggest problem I have with it is its minimum focus distance. The camera seems to work best with subjects that are at least 50 cm away, or so. If I get too close to the subject, the shot ends up out-of-focus, especially if I tried to let the camera auto-focus by itself.
This is not readily apparent in the camera app, so you need to tap to focus. That triggers the camera to seek a better focus. That’s when you can see whether it can really focus properly. Even then, I sometimes end up with out-of-focus shots, because I was simply too close to the subject.
For most people, this won’t a problem if you are taking the usual photos – people standing at a distance, landscapes and buildings at a distance, etc. Just keep this in mind if you are taking close shots of products or food, etc.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 is proof that you don’t need to pay top dollar to get a great smartphone. For less than half the cost of a flagship smartphone, it offers most of the features that you need, in a well-protected device.
It comes with a large, excellent Super AMOLED display which supports 120 Hz refresh rate, and is protected on both front and rear by Gorilla Glass 5. It is also IP67-rated against the ingress of dust and water.
Built around the 5 nm Samsung Exynos 1380 mobile platform, the Galaxy A54 offers excellent performance in work apps, offering the equivalent performance as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
However, it falters when it comes to gaming. Its weaker Arm Mali-G68 MP5 GPU just cannot keep up with the better GPUs used in flagship-class smartphones. That doesn’t mean you can’t game on it. You can – it can certainly handle most games. It just won’t do as well as flagship-class smartphones in graphics-intensive games.
When it comes to photography, it comes with high-resolution 32 MP front camera, as well as a new 50 MP Sony IMX766 camera at the back, and an ultra-wide-angle camera, and a macro camera.
The 50 MP main camera is generally excellent, except under certain indoor lighting where the photos appear washed out. It also has trouble focusing at closer distances, which is probably why Samsung added the macro camera, which would normally be a waste of time for most users.
While I miss the telephoto camera which is a fixture in flagship smartphones, the 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera is arguably a better trade-off – most people would prefer to use it for landscape and group shots, rather than take long-distance shots with the telephoto camera.
The Galaxy A54 takes pretty good videos too, but there are some limitations :
it can support 30/60 fps @ 1080p, but only 30 fps for 4K video recording,
it is limited to 30 fps, regardless of resolution, when using its ultra-wide angle camera.
it can only support video image stabilisation at 30 fps, but not 60 fps
If you really love taking videos at 4K especially at 60 fps or higher, then these limitations will be a deal breaker. Video recording is where flagship devices like the Galaxy S23 Ultra shines.
But for many people, the Samsung Galaxy A54 offers an excellent combination of features and capabilities at a far lower cost. On top of that, you get two years of warranty, three years of Android updates, and four years of security updates.
For these reasons, we gladly award the Samsung Galaxy A54 our Editor’s Choice Award! Great work, Samsung!
Samsung Galaxy A54 : Price + Availability
The Samsung Galaxy A54 smartphone is available in three main colours with a glossy finish :
Awesome Graphite
Awesome Violet
Awesome Lime
The Samsung Galaxy A54 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage, with the option to add a microSD card in the hybrid SIM tray. It is covered by a 2-year warranty, with the following launch prices:
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Read our comprehensive review of the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and find out why it won our Editor’s Choice Award!
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Model + Colour Options
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in four main colours – Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, and Cream.
Ahead of the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s official launch, we were given special access to all four main colours it will be offered through retail stores, including Samsung Experience Stores.
So I was able to record this video comparing the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone in all four colours. Take a look at all four colours, and let us know which you prefer!
We got our hands on a golden sample of the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone at the official launch in Singapore. Let’s take a quick look at the box before we check out what’s inside!
Once you fully unbox the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, this is what you will find inside:
the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone
a Quick Start Guide
a USB Type C to USB Type C data and charging cable
a SIM tray extraction pin
That’s it! While the Galaxy S23 Ultra supports 45 watt fast charging, it does not come with the charger. You will need to purchase it separately. Neither does it come with a TPU bumper case to tide you over until you get a better one.
Now, let us go through its key features, and show you why the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is worthy of our Editor’s Choice Award!
Boosted Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Performance!
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is powered by a specially-boosted variant of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile SoC, which features a quad-cluster architecture:
1 x Arm Cortex-X3 core (3.36 GHz, instead of 3.2 GHz)
2 x Arm Cortex-A715 cores (2.8 GHz)
2 x Arm Cortex-A710 cores (2.8 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A510 cores (2.0 GHz)
The new processor feels very snappy, and appears to be more power efficient – the Galaxy S23 Ultra last longer than our Galaxy S22 Ultra on typical use.
The biggest upgrade in the Galaxy S23 Ultra is its new Adaptive Pixel main camera, which is built around the 200 MP Samsung ISOCELL HP2 (S5KHP2) sensor, and features a slightly wider f/1.7 aperture.
This is a large 1/1.3-inch sensor with 200 million pixels, each of which is 0.6 μm in size. The Galaxy S23 Ultra camera can combine up to 16 pixels to form a single large pixel for much better low-light performance.
Video capabilities also got an upgrade, thanks to this new sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra can now record 8K videos at 30 frames per second, instead of just 24 fps previously.
It also boasts better Adaptive VDIS capability, and improved optical image stabilisation (OIS), delivering silky smooth videos by doubling the angle to ±3°, from the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s camera‘s ±1.5°.
Similar Telephoto + Wide-Angle Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra reuses the same 3X and 10X zoom cameras from the Galaxy S22 Ultra, right down to their Sony IMX754 sensors.
The ultra-wide angle camera gets a newer sensor – the Sony IMX564, which appears to be an incremental upgrade of the S22 Ultra’s IMX563.
12 MP Selfie Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra also features another camera upgrade in the front. Instead of a 40 MP sensor in the Galaxy S22 Ultra, it now features a new 12 MP camera, with the same f/2.2 aperture.
While this may seem to be a downgrade, it is actually an upgrade as the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 40 MP sensor defaults to 10 MP. On top of that, it features a Dual Pixel sensor for faster and more accurate auto-focus!
We tried using the front camera, and found that it was superior to the front camera of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. More of this later in our review.
Buttons
The only buttons on Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are all located on the right side – volume control buttons and a Power switch.
S Pen
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with the same S Pen as the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It too boasts a very quick 2.8 ms latency.
We tried swapping them and both S Pens appear to fit both devices. From what we can tell – they are physically and functionally similar, if not exactly the same.
USB Type C Port
At the bottom of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, you will find a SIM card tray, next to the USB port, as well as the S Pen in its slot.
The USB port is, of course, the new bidirectional Type C port, which is now the EU standard.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra supports two physical SIM cards, as well as a single eSIM. The SIM tray is located at the bottom, next to the USB port.
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is protected in the front and in the back by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is not just tougher, it is also made from 22% pre-consumer recycled content!
Armoured Aluminium
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is also protected on all four sides by an Armoured Aluminium frame.
5,000 mAh Fast-Charging Battery
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a large 5,000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, which supports 45 watt fast wired charging, and 15 watt fast wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Battery Life Comparison!
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a 5,000 mAh battery, which is the same size as Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, and set its display brightness to 50%.
Why 50%? That is actually slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day, and is what we usually use in all our mobile battery life tests.
It is important to fix the brightness level, to make sure the screen brightness does not change as the ambient brightness changes.
We then ran the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test until its battery capacity dropped to 20% several times, and this was the best result we obtained with 60 Hz and 120 Hz refresh rates :
Will you look at that!
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a battery life of 13 hours with Adaptive refresh rate enabled, and a whopping 15.3 hours with the Standard refresh rate – 24% and 7.5% better respectively than the S22 Ultra!
But let’s also compare its battery life at 60 Hz and 120 Hz, against the S21 Ultra and Z Flip 3 smartphones.
Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra really shines with the refresh rate set to 60 Hz. It used 7% less power per minute, which delivered 7% longer battery life than the S22 Ultra.
Work 3.0
S23 Ultra
(60 Hz)
S22 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Z Flip 3
(60 Hz)
S21 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Battery Capacity
5,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
3,300 mAh
5,000 mAh
Battery Life
15 hrs 18 mins
14 hrs 15 mins
8 hrs 11 mins
11 hrs 22 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.36 mAh
4.68 mAh
5.38 mAh
5.87 mAh
Adaptive Refresh Rate (120 Hz)
While the Galaxy S23 Ultra certainly used less power than the S22 Ultra, that advantage was greatly diminished with the Adaptive refresh rate enabled.
This is where we see the greatest improvement in the power efficiency of the S23 Ultra. Its display used 18% less power per minute, and delivered 22% (almost 1.5 hours) longer battery life than the S22 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra supports up to 45 watts of wired fast charging, but unfortunately, does not come with the charger in-the-box.
So we relied on the standard 15 watt Samsung fast charger than shipped with their previous smartphones – something we believe most users will end up doing. But we used the 25 watt charger for the S21 Ultra, because it came with that charger.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra fully recharges from 20% to 100% in just under 1.5 hours hour with the standard 15 watt Samsung charger. Oddly enough, this is significantly (38%) slower than the S22 Ultra.
It’s hard to know whether this was an intentional design decision to reduce the thermal output while charging, or to drive the adoption of the 45 watt chargers (sold separately).
Fortunately, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a significantly better battery life, which should offset the slower recharging speed. Frankly, I don’t see a real need to splurge on a new 45 watt fast charger.
Samsung has done it again – raised the performance bar yet again with the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Built around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy – a boosted variant of the fastest mobile SoC that exists for Android devices – it offers a tremendous boost in GPU performance, which should make gamers and mobile content creators happy.
The benchmark results amply demonstrates that you can count on the Galaxy S23 Ultra to easily handle anything and everything you throw at it.
We first tested the Galaxy S23 Ultra using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
Work 3.0
S23 Ultra
S22 Ultra
S21 Ultra
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Mobile Platform
SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 1
Exynos
2100
Exynos
990
SD
750G
Performance Score
16408
12860
12535
10523
7874
Web Browsing
15680
10442
10185
8865
7021
Video Editing
7879
7444
6336
6232
5693
Writing
22257
15471
15247
11112
7454
Photo Editing
35533
30177
37847
30789
15812
Data Manipulation
12171
9691
8310
6825
6424
Will you look at that! The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is 27.5% faster than Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 from last year.
That’s a surprisingly significant boost in performance that people upgrading from the Galaxy S22 Ultra or the S21 Ultra will notice.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Gaming Performance
For gaming, we tested the Galaxy S23 Ultra using 3DMark, with these results :
3DMark
S23 Ultra
S22 Ultra
Z Flip 3
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
Note10+
Device
SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 1
SD 888
Exynos
990
Exynos
9825
Sling Shot Unlimited
16344
11094
9248
8026
3327
Wild Life Unlimited
14554
9106
3952
4504
3288
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
3814
2220
1174
1387
528
Look at that! The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was a head above the competition when it comes to gaming!
It was 47% to 72% faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and 77% to 468% faster than the Snapdragon 888!
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is undoubtedly the gaming smartphone to beat!
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Overall Performance
We then tested the Galaxy S23 Ultra using AnTuTu, yielding these results :
AnTuTu
S22
Ultra
S22
Ultra
S21
Ultra
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Device
SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 1
Exynos
2100
Exynos
990
SD 750G
AnTuTu Score
1212174
889167
624411
522735
341908
CPU
261886
203090
166290
146783
105098
GPU
538823
402617
258995
215205
88068
Memory
236163
146002
120805
89376
60642
UX
175302
137458
78321
71371
88100
The AnTuTu benchmark confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is truly a performance beast in every way!
The new Galaxy S23 Ultra is 36% faster than the S22 Ultra, and a whopping 94% faster than the S21 Ultra!
Its CPU was 29% faster, and its GPU was 33% faster than the S22 Ultra. When compared against the S21 Ultra, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 57% faster CPU and 2X faster GPU.
Thanks to its improved cooling system, its temperature jumped by about 7°C. That is noticeable, but significantly lower than the 10°C we saw with the S22 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a super-high resolution 200 MP main camera, built around a new ISOCELL HP2 sensor.
This is a large 1/1.3-inch sensor with 200 million pixels, each of which is 0.6 μm in size. The Galaxy S23 Ultra camera can combine up to 16 pixels to form a single large pixel for much better low-light performance.
Video capabilities also got an upgrade, thanks to this new sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra can now record 8K videos at 30 frames per second, instead of just 24 fps previously.
It also boasts better Adaptive VDIS capability, and improved optical image stabilisation (OIS), delivering silky smooth videos by doubling the angle to ±3°, from the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s camera‘s ±1.5°.
Here are six shots I took in Singapore, using the 200 MP main camera, and the 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera.
They are 4000 x 3000 pixels in size, with a JPEG file size of between 4 MB and 8 MB – it all depends on the amount of detail in the picture. To save space, I definitely recommend that you enable HEIF – the High Efficiency Image Format.
By default, the 200 MP camera takes 12 MP photos, combining sixteen pixels into one super-large pixel. Coupled with the improved lens and wider aperture, the final photos are not only much brighter, but have significantly lower noise.
Here are six night shots to show you just how bright the Galaxy S23 Ultra photos are, taken at night handheld without flash.
Here are six shots to show you the incredible amount of detail you can capture at just 12 MP. If you need greater detail, you can always increase the resolution to the full 200 MP, but frankly – these pictures should show you that you don’t really need to.
Of course, the 200 MP capability is not there for marketing purposes. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra can truly take 200 MP photos, with a resolution of 16,320 pixels x 12,240 pixels, with each file at about 13-15 MB!
To demonstrate both the 200 MP capability and its ability to take bright photos at night, I took this 200 MP photo at Marina Bay Sands.
From that single photo, I could zoom in to make out individuals within the dome-shaped Apple Store hundreds of metres away – all unbeknownst that they were being captured on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra at night!
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Camera Performance Summary
If you want the best cameras on a smartphone money can buy, you should definitely consider the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Don’t put too much stock into the 200 MP marketing spiel. Yes, the Samsung Galaxy S23 is breaking new resolution groups with its 200 MP photography capability. But most of us will probably never use it, except in special circumstances.
What you are really getting is an awesome 12 MP camera with super-large pixels for really great noise-free images, and better low-light photos.
I am especially impressed with its low-light night photography capabilities. The photos I took in Singapore look like they were well-lit by moonlight. That was not the case at all, and it was all the more impressive because I took it handheld.
The photos turned out great – bright, sharp and with much less noise than I dared to hope! There is no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has some of the best smartphone cameras I’ve tried this year.
It is tough for Samsung to keep touting radical improvements in smartphone technology every year, so I was not surprised that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is an evolutionary upgrade of the excellent Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Samsung didn’t even bother to hide that, reusing the same design almost to the millimetre! It even reuses the same S Pen from last year. Its improvements are almost entirely internal or at least not readily visible to the user.
Its display, for example, is the “same” as the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s display on paper. But improvements in its design makes it a more efficient display, improving battery life.
Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU and GPU are not only significantly faster than last year’s Gen 1 CPU and GPU, they are also more efficient, again improving battery life.
Even though it comes with the same battery capacity as the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the new Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts 22% longer battery life with its Adaptive Refresh mode enabled!
Samsung added a new 12 MP front camera, which offers better image quality at a higher resolution than the Galaxy S22 Ultra‘s 40 MP shooter that defaults to 10 MP).
But the killer feature this year is arguably the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Adaptive Pixel main camera, which not only boasts a new 200 MP sensor but also improved lens, a slightly wider f/1.7 aperture, and better optical image stabilisation.
While its ability to take great photos in good light carries on from the Galaxy S22 Ultra‘s 108 MP Dual Pixel camera, where it really shines is in low-light, night photography. As my photo samples show, they are truly amazing.
If you really love photography, and especially like taking photos at night, or in low-light conditions, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will surely impress you.
Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is tougher this year. It has the same Armor Aluminium frame, but is protected in the front and back by best-in-class Gorilla Victus 2 glass.
For these reasons, we gladly award the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra our Editor’s Choice Award! Great work, Samsung!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 will soon be available in the Bora Purple colour option! Here is what you need to know!
Samsung Galaxy S22 Bora Purple : What You Need To Know!
Samsung is introducing a new colour option called Bora Purple for the Samsung Galaxy S22 – its baby flagship of the Galaxy S family!
Bora is Korean for purple, and Samsung chose to introduce this pastel colour to “evoke joy, spark creativity and embrace individuality”
6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Bora Purple comes with a large 6.1-inch display, with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel.
Its wide colour gamut of 100% DCI-P3, a peak brightness of 1300 nits, and a contrast ratio of 2 million:1 will guarantee the best possible image quality, whether indoors or outdoors.
Gamers will love its high dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, with a touch sampling rate of up to 240 Hz.
4nm Flagship Mobile Platform
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Bora Purple is built around the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC, which is fabricated on the latest 4nm Samsung process technology.
Together with a powerful Adreno 730 GPU, it has eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :
a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz, and
four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.8 GHz.
Memory + Storage Options
Samsung will be offering just two memory and storage options :
8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage
Cameras Galore!
As a Samsung flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S22 comes with a smorgasbord of cameras!
In the front, it has a 10 MP camera, with a wide f/2.2 aperture.
In the back, it has a triple-camera system that consists of :
a 50 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 aperture,
a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, f/2.2 aperture, and
a 10 MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture
Built To Last
The Samsung Galaxy S22 has a tough Armor Aluminium frame, and is protected in the back and front by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+.
On top of that, it is IP68-rated against dust and water ingress. That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.
Battery + Charging
The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes with a 3,700 mAh battery, which supports wired charging at up to 25 watts, and wireless charging at up to 15 watts.
It also supports Wireless PowerShare, allowing you to recharge other smartphones and wearables like the Galaxy Buds2.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Bora Purple : Price + Availability
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Bora Purple will be available globally starting August 10, 2022.
We do not have a hands-on video of the Bora Purple, but here is our hands-on video of the earlier four colour options – Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Green and Pink Gold.
Note : Samsung only allowed us to use digital cameras, so the video is not stabilised as it would be with smartphones that I generally use.
Samsung did not reveal the price for the Galaxy S22 Bora Purple, but it should be priced the same as earlier colour options :
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Unboxing Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : What’s Inside Its Box?
Samsung just combined their Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series into the Galaxy S22 Ultra – their latest flagship smartphone.
Not only does it adopt the blockier industrial design language of the Galaxy Note series, it also comes with the S Pen built-in!
Despite being the biggest model in the Galaxy S22 family, the S22 Ultra comes in a slim cardboard box. Here’s an interesting fact – the colour of the S on the box shows you the colour of the Galaxy S22 Ultra inside!
In this video, we take a quick look at the box, before showing you exactly what you will find inside!
Here is everything you will find inside the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s box :
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone
Set of Galaxy S22 series documents
USB data and power cable (Type C to Type C)
SIM card tray extraction pin
Sadly, the Galaxy S22 Ultra does not come with a 45 watt charger in-the-box. You can reuse your old 15 watt charger, but you would be losing out on a key S22 Ultra feature.
Now, let us go through its key features, and show you why the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is worthy of our Editor’s Choice Award!
6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a massive 6.8-inch display, with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel.
Its wide colour gamut of 100% DCI-P3, a peak brightness of 1750 nits, and a contrast ratio of 3 million:1 will guarantee the best possible image quality, whether indoors or outdoors.
Gamers will love its high dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, with a touch sampling rate of up to 240 Hz.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra offers two refresh rate options (Settings > Display > Motion smoothness) :
Adaptive : Get smoother animation and scrolling by automatically adjusting your screen refresh rate up to 120 Hz
Standard : Get longer battery life with a 60 Hz screen refresh rate
Last year’s Galaxy S21 Ultra also has an Adaptive mode, which dynamically refreshes between 10 Hz and 120 Hz
The new Galaxy S22 Ultra improves on that, with an Adaptive mode that dynamically refreshes between 1 Hz and 120 Hz.
By default, the Galaxy S22 Ultra uses the Adaptive mode, for smoother graphics, but you can choose to switch to the Standard mode for longer battery.
4nm Flagship Mobile Platform
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is built around the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC, which is fabricated on the latest 4nm Samsung process technology.
Together with a powerful Adreno 730 GPU, it has eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :
a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz, and
four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.8 GHz.
Memory + Storage Options
Samsung will be offering four memory and storage options, but not all of them are available globally :
8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage
12 GB RAM + 512 GB storage
12 GB RAM + 1 TB storage
Cameras Galore!
As the premiere Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a smorgasbord of cameras!
In the front, it has a 40 MP camera, with a wide f/2.2 aperture, and the ability to combine pixels for better low-light performance.
In the back, it has a quad-camera system that consists of :
a 108 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 aperture
a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, f/2.2 aperture
a 10 MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture, and
a 10 MP periscope camera with 10X optical zoom, f/4.9
Ultra-Low Latency S Pen
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the only model in the Galaxy S22 family to come with the S Pen.
Just like the Galaxy Note series, it has a dedicated S Pen slot, so you will never have to worry about dropping the S Pen.
This is an improved S Pen, with ultra-low latency of just 2.8 ms – down from 9 ms in the previous generation. This gives it an instantaneous feel, just like writing an actual pen on paper.
Built To Last
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is protected in the back and front by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+.
On top of that, it is IP68-rated against dust and water ingress. That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.
Battery + Charging
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, which offers a very long battery life.
On top of that, it can support wired charging at up to 45 watts, with wireless charging supported at up to 15 watts.
It also supports Wireless PowerShare, allowing you to recharge other smartphones and wearables like the Galaxy Buds2.
The only downside – Samsung is not providing the 45 watt charger in-the-box.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Battery Life Comparison!
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a larger 5,000 mAh battery, which is the same size as last year’s Galaxy S21 Ultra.
To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, and set its display brightness to 50%.
Why 50%? That is actually slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day, and is what we usually use in all our mobile battery life tests.
It is important to fix the brightness level, to make sure the screen brightness does not change as the ambient brightness changes.
We then ran the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test until its battery capacity dropped to 20% several times, and this was the best result we obtained with 60 Hz and 120 Hz refresh rates :
Will you look at that!
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a battery life of 10.5 hours with Adaptive refresh rate enabled, and a whopping 14.25 hours with the Standard refresh rate!
But let’s compare its battery life at 60 Hz and 120 Hz, against the S21 Ultra and Z Flip 3 smartphones.
Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra really shines with the refresh rate set to 60 Hz.
The S22 Ultra used 20% less power per minute, which delivered 25% longer battery life than the S21 Ultra.
Work 3.0
S22 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Z Flip 3
(60 Hz)
S21 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Battery Capacity
5,000 mAh
3,300 mAh
5,000 mAh
Battery Life
14 hrs
15 mins
8 hrs 11 mins
11 hrs 22 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.68 mAh
5.38 mAh
5.87 mAh
Adaptive Refresh Rate (120 Hz)
While the Galaxy S22 Ultra certainly used less power than the S21 Ultra, that advantage was greatly diminished with the Adaptive refresh rate enabled.
The S22 Ultra used just 2% less power per minute, which delivered 2% (12 minutes) longer battery life than the S21 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra supports up to 45 watts of wired fast charging, but unfortunately, does not come with the charger in-the-box.
So we relied on the standard 15 watt Samsung fast charger than shipped with their previous smartphones – something we believe most users will end up doing.
But we used the 25 watt charger for the S21 Ultra, because it came with that charger.
Work 3.0
S21 Ultra
S22 Ultra
Z Flip 3
Battery Capacity
5,000 mAh
5,000 mAh
3,300 mAh
Charger Output
25 watts
15 watts
15 watts
Battery Life
64 minutes
64.5 minutes
88.5 minutes
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
62.5 mAh
62.0 mAh
29.8 mAh
Interestingly, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra recharged as quickly with a standard 15 watt charger, as the S21 Ultra with its more powerful 25 watt charger!
In fact, the Galaxy S22 Ultra recharged itself twice as fast as the Galaxy Z Flip 3, even though they both used the same 15 watt charger!
This is really good news. It means that Galaxy S22 Ultra owners need not worry too much about its recharging speed with the older 15 watt chargers.
In fact, you don’t really need to splurge on a new 45 watt fast charger. The Galaxy S22 Ultra fully recharges from 20% to 100% in just over an hour with the standard 15 watt Samsung charger!
We first tested the Galaxy S22 Ultra using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
Work 3.0
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
S21 Ultra
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Mobile Platform
SD 888
SD 8
Gen 1
Exynos
2100
Exynos
990
SD
750G
Performance Score
13317
12860
12535
10523
7874
Web Browsing
11637
10442
10185
8865
7021
Video Editing
7762
7444
6336
6232
5693
Writing
15316
15471
15247
11112
7454
Photo Editing
25357
30177
37847
30789
15812
Data Manipulation
11938
9691
8310
6825
6424
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Get 1 was surprisingly slightly slower than the Snapdragon 888 used by the Galaxy Z Flip 3, but the difference is just 5%, which means you won’t actually notice the difference.
For certainly, it will easily handle anything you throw at it, whether it’s just posting your latest Instagram pictures or editing a 4K video.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Gaming Performance
For gaming, we tested the Galaxy S22 Ultra using 3DMark, with these results :
3DMark
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
Note10+
Device
SD 8
Gen 1
SD 888
Exynos
990
Exynos
9825
Sling Shot Unlimited
11094
9248
8026
3327
Wild Life Unlimited
9106
3952
4504
3288
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
2220
1174
1387
528
Look at that! The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was a head above the competition when it comes to gaming!
It was 20% to 130% faster than the Snapdragon 888, and 38% to 102% faster than the Exynos 990!
For certain, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will crush any game you throw at it.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Overall Performance
We then tested the Galaxy S22 Ultra using AnTuTu, yielding these results :
AnTuTu
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
S21 Ultra
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Device
SD 8 Gen 1
SD
888
Exynos
2100
Exynos
990
SD 750G
AnTuTu Score
889167
696767
624411
522735
341908
CPU
203090
206228
166290
146783
105098
GPU
402617
242573
258995
215205
88068
Memory
146002
133586
120805
89376
60642
UX
137458
114380
78321
71371
88100
The AnTuTu benchmark confirme that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a veritable beast of a performer, beating even the very fast Galaxy Z Flip 3 by 28%, and the last-generation Galaxy S21 Ultra by 42!
Its GPU performance was, in particular, spectacular, delivering 66% better performance than the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and 55% better performance than the Galaxy S21 Ultra!
But note that its temperature jumped by over 10°C! At peak performance, the Galaxy S22 Ultra can get quite toasty!
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Performance Summary
The Galaxy S22 Ultra was meant to be the ultimate Samsung smartphone for 2022, and it does not disappoint.
Built around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – the fastest mobile SoC that exists for Android devices – it offers a tremendous boost in GPU performance, which should make gamers and mobile content creators happy.
The benchmark results amply demonstrates, you can count on the Galaxy S22 Ultra to easily handle anything and everything you throw at it.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Video Recording Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s super-high resolution 108 MP main camera can take up to 8K videos, if you want to. But in reality – most people are not going to bother with 8K video recording, at least for now.
Very few televisions and devices support 8K video playback, and even the S22 Ultra will downsample the 8K video when playing back on its 3K display.
1080p and 4K videos are what the Galaxy S22 Ultra does best, thanks to its support for 60 fps recording and combination of optical image stabilisation and advanced electronic image stabilisation.
1080p Video Sample : Concubine Lane @ Ipoh
This video sample was taken at the famous Concubine Lane in Ipoh, which is crowded and really great to test the camera out.
In this video sample, you can see just how smooth and stable the video is at 60 fps, even with so much shaking and jostling.
4K Video Sample : Concubine Lane @ Ipoh
When we switched to 4K, the video was remarkably stable, even while we walk through the crowd, and pan around Concubine Lane.
You should also note the lack of wind noise, which is fantastic. You won’t need to use a third-party microphone with a dead cat with this phone!
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Video Zoom Capability
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra also supports multiple zoom levels – up to 20X zoom at 1080p, and up to 10X zoom at 4K.
Its ultra-wide camera lets you record with a wider 0.6X zoom, while its 3X zoom and 10X zoom cameras allow for extended optical zoom capabilities.
1080p Zoom Demonstration
At 1080p, you can record videos from 0.6X zoom up to 20X zoom – which offers much wider range than competing smartphones.
The best image quality was seen at up to 10X zoom, while image stabilisation was best at up to 4X zoom, and still pretty good at 10X zoom.
While 20X zoom has pretty decent image quality, it is not as sharp as at 10X or lower zoom. Colours also appear more washed out at 20X.
4K Zoom Demonstration
You can record 4K videos from 0.6X zoom up to 10X zoom. – which is narrower than recording 1080p video.
For best image quality, limit your zoom up to 3X while recording 4K video. While image stabilisation was pretty good at 10X zoom, the image isn’t sharp and colours appear washed out.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Video Recording Performance Summary
If you ignore the 8K hype, you will realise that the Galaxy S22 Ultra offers truly excellent 4K and 1080p video recording capabilities.
You should buy the Galaxy S22 Ultra for its advanced optical and electronic image stabilisation for super-stable recording on-the-move.
You should also buy the Galaxy S22 Ultra for its wide zoom range of 0.6X to 10X when recording 1080p videos, or 0.6X to 3X when recording 4K videos.
These are the critical video recording features that will give you greater flexibility and super stable videos, without the need to use a gimbal.
While not showcased in our videos, the Galaxy S22 Ultra also supports Audio Zoom, focusing the audio recording as you zoom into a scene. That can be really helpful in isolating audio from the subject from background noise.
These features are not new – they have been part of the Samsung Galaxy S and Note series for a few years now. Samsung just keeps improving them, which is why we keep using Galaxy S smartphones as our primary video recording device.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra boasts a super-high resolution 108 MP main camera, built around the same ISOCELL HM3 sensor used in the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
However, this camera features improved AI optimisations. Thanks to the improved performance of its GPU and NPU, it now runs approximately 60 new AI models through its Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to optimise the final output.
Here are six shots I took around Ipoh Old Town, using the 108 MP main camera, and the 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera.
They are 4000 x 3000 pixels in size, with a JPEG file size of between 4 MB and 15 MB – it all depends on the amount of detail in the picture. To save space, I definitely recommend that you enable HEIF – the High Efficiency Image Format.
By default, the 108 MP camera takes 12 MP photos, combining nine pixels into one super-large 2.4 µm pixel. Coupled with the new AI models, the final photo is not only much brighter, but has significantly lower noise.
When you take shots at night, the Galaxy S22 Ultra combines images taken using both the 108 MP main camera, and the 12 MP ultra-wide camera. The 12 MP camera provides the rough details, while the fine details are provided by the 108 MP camera.
Here are four shots to show you the incredible amount of detail you can capture at just 12 MP. If you need greater detail, you can always increase the resolution to the full 108 MP, but frankly – these pictures should show you that you don’t really need to.
Its digital zoom has also been improved by the new AI models and the faster processor. For images taken above 30X digital zoom, the camera actually takes 10-20 shots at once, and processes them to improve the details in the final photo.
Finally, the Galaxy S22 Ultra features a new AI portrait model that uses two cameras to accurately differentiate the depth between the person and the background.
This is critical because the 108 MP camera has a very wide f/1.8 aperture, which makes for very narrow depth-of-field (DOF). If you do not accurately focus on the subject, you could end up with a blurry photo even though it looks sharp on the phone.
In these four shots, you can see just how narrow of depth of field you have to work with. This makes for better photos – you just need to make sure the subject is really in focus.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Photography Summary
If you want the best cameras on a smartphone money can buy, you should definitely consider the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Ignore the 108 MP marketing hoohah. What you are really getting is an awesome 12 MP camera with super-large pixels for really great noise-free images, and better low-light photos.
You may be wary about Samsung reusing the ISOCELL HM3 sensor from last year, but it has better photographic capabilities, thanks mostly to software and AI improvements.
For one thing, I noticed that it is now much better at accurately focusing on the subject, resulting in far fewer wrongly-focused shots.
It also does a better job of correcting for disparate lighting conditions, although some of you may find the photos oversaturated.
But there is no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has some of the best smartphone cameras I’ve tried this year.
It is really quite hard for flagship smartphones to really differentiate themselves from last year’s flagships, but Samsung somehow pulled it off with the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Most of the improvements may not be readily apparent to the user though.
Thanks to Samsung’s decision to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC, it has significantly better GPU and NPU performance.
Even its Dynamic AMOLED 2X display has been quietly improved. It is now 250 nits brighter and has a minimum refresh rate of just 1 Hz, allowing for better battery life.
If you don’t mind using the standard 60 Hz refresh rate, you will be pleasantly surprised by a 25% longer battery life than last year’s S21 Ultra!
Even its S Pen was upgraded. It may look like last year’s S Pen, but it has a much lower latency of just 2.8 ms – down from 9 ms in the previous generation.
Samsung reused the Galaxy S21 Ultra‘s excellent quad-camera system, but you may not know that it features improved AI optimisations. Powered by the much faster Snapdragon processor’s NPU, it now runs approximately 60 new AI models to optimise the final output.
This may not sound like much, but you will realise just how much has improved if you compare the videos and photos taken with the S22 Ultra against the S21 Ultra. Its AI optimisations have taken out most of the hard work of making sure that each picture comes out looking great, while its video stabilisation is truly best-in-class.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is not cheap, but if you want the best possible Android smartphone that is powerful and takes excellent photos and videos, this is as good as it gets!
On top of that, it boasts the best-in-class Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection on both front and rear aspects, and is IP68 dust- and water-resistant.
For these reasons, we gladly award the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra our Editor’s Choice Award! Great work, Samsung!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Samsung just sent us the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – their largest and most powerful tablet, with a massive 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display!
As you will see in this video – this is a really large tablet, and it is pretty hefty too at 726 grams. But it is very solidly built, and weighs half as much as a typical laptop.
It also comes with a new full-size S Pen with an ultra-low latency of just 2.8 milliseconds.
The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra runs on the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform boasts a powerful Adreno 730 GPU as well as eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :
a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, and
four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.7 GHz.
Powering all that is a massive 11,200 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, with 45 watt fast charging capability!
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Book Cover Keyboard : Hands-On!
This year, Samsung included the really awesome Book Cover Keyboard with every Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet.
This cover not only provides really solid protection for the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, it also converts it into a 2-in-1 tablet with a kickstand!
In addition, the Book Cover Keyboard has a special S Pen cover that prevents your precious S Pen from falling and getting lost.
As I shared in my Galaxy Tab S7 Book Cover Keyboard review last year, this is a must-have accessory, and I’m really glad Samsung included it as part of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra package.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Specifications
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Display
14.6-inch Super AMOLED Display
– 60 Hz or 120 Hz refresh rate
Protection
Gorilla Glass 5 (Front + Back)
OS
One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU
1 x Arm Cortex-X2 core (3.0 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A710 cores (2.4 GHz) 4 x Arm Cortex-A510 cores (1.7 GHz)
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Let’s unbox the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, and see what we find inside!
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Flagship Class Performance!
Samsung just launched the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – their largest and most powerful tablet, with a massive 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display!
It runs on the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform, which boasts a powerful Adreno 730 GPU as well as eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :
a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, and
four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.7 GHz.
Powering all that is a massive 11,200 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, with 45 watt fast charging capability!
If you want the biggest and most powerful Android tablet, this is the ultimate choice!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Samsung combined their Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series into the Galaxy S22 Ultra – their latest flagship smartphone.
Not only does it adopt the blockier industrial design language of the Galaxy Note series, it also comes with the S Pen built-in!
Here is our hands-on experience of the new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone!
6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a massive 6.8-inch display, with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel.
Its wide colour gamut of 100% DCI-P3, a peak brightness of 1750 nits, and a contrast ratio of 3 million:1 will guarantee the best possible image quality, whether indoors or outdoors.
Gamers will love its high dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, with a touch sampling rate of up to 240 Hz.
4nm Flagship Mobile Platform
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is built around the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC, which is fabricated on the latest 4nm Samsung process technology.
Together with a powerful Adreno 730 GPU, it has eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :
a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz, and
four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.8 GHz.
Memory + Storage Options
Samsung will be offering four memory and storage options, but not all of them are available globally :
8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
12 GB RAM + 256 GB storage
12 GB RAM + 512 GB storage
12 GB RAM + 1 TB storage
Cameras Galore!
As the premiere Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a smorgasbord of cameras!
In the front, it has a 40 MP camera, with a wide f/2.2 aperture, and the ability to combine pixels for better low-light performance.
In the back, it has a quad-camera system that consists of :
a 108 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 aperture
a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, f/2.2 aperture
a 10 MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture, and
a 10 MP periscope camera with 10X optical zoom, f/4.9
Ultra-Low Latency S Pen
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the only model in the Galaxy S22 family to come with the S Pen.
Just like the Galaxy Note series, it has a dedicated S Pen slot, so you will never have to worry about dropping the S Pen.
This is an improved S Pen, with ultra-low latency of just 2.8 ms – down from 9 ms in the previous generation. This gives it an instantaneous feel, just like writing an actual pen on paper.
Built To Last
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is protected in the back and front by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+.
On top of that, it is IP68-rated against dust and water ingress. That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.
Battery + Charging
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, which offers a very long battery life.
On top of that, it can support wired charging at up to 45 watts, with wireless charging supported at up to 15 watts.
It also supports Wireless PowerShare, allowing you to recharge other smartphones and wearables like the Galaxy Buds2.
The only downside – Samsung is not providing the 45 watt charger in-the-box.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Samsung just launched their Galaxy S22 flagship smartphone, and here is everything you need to know!
Samsung Galaxy S22 : What You Need To Know!
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is the baby flagship of the Galaxy S family, and it comes at a great price point!
Take a look at its key features, and find out if this is the smartphone for you!
6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes with a large 6.1-inch display, with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel.
Its wide colour gamut of 100% DCI-P3, a peak brightness of 1300 nits, and a contrast ratio of 2 million:1 will guarantee the best possible image quality, whether indoors or outdoors.
Gamers will love its high dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, with a touch sampling rate of up to 240 Hz.
4nm Flagship Mobile Platform
The Samsung Galaxy S22 is built around the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC, which is fabricated on the latest 4nm Samsung process technology.
Together with a powerful Adreno 730 GPU, it has eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :
a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz, and
four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.8 GHz.
Memory + Storage Options
Samsung will be offering just two memory and storage options :
8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage
Cameras Galore!
As a Samsung flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S22 comes with a smorgasbord of cameras!
In the front, it has a 10 MP camera, with a wide f/2.2 aperture.
In the back, it has a triple-camera system that consists of :
a 50 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 aperture,
a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, f/2.2 aperture, and
a 10 MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture
Built To Last
The Samsung Galaxy S22 has a tough Armor Aluminium frame, and is protected in the back and front by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+.
On top of that, it is IP68-rated against dust and water ingress. That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.
Battery + Charging
The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes with a 3,700 mAh battery, which supports wired charging at up to 25 watts, and wireless charging at up to 15 watts.
It also supports Wireless PowerShare, allowing you to recharge other smartphones and wearables like the Galaxy Buds2.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Samsung just launched their Galaxy S22 Plus smartphone, and here is everything you need to know!
Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus : What You Need To Know!
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is the latest iteration of the Samsung Galaxy S family, targeting photography enthusiasts.
Lacking the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s new S Pen, this is the Samsung flagship smartphone for those who don’t need it.
6.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus comes with a massive 6.6-inch display, with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel.
Its wide colour gamut of 100% DCI-P3, a peak brightness of 1750 nits, and a contrast ratio of 3 million:1 will guarantee the best possible image quality, whether indoors or outdoors.
Gamers will love its high dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, with a touch sampling rate of up to 240 Hz.
4nm Flagship Mobile Platform
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus is built around the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC, which is fabricated on the latest 4nm Samsung process technology.
Together with a powerful Adreno 730 GPU, it has eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :
a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz, and
four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.8 GHz.
Memory + Storage Options
Samsung will be offering just two memory and storage options :
8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage
Cameras Galore!
As a Samsung flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S22 Plus comes with a smorgasbord of cameras!
In the front, it has a 10 MP camera, with a wide f/2.2 aperture.
In the back, it has a triple-camera system that consists of :
a 50 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 aperture,
a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, f/2.2 aperture, and
a 10 MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture
Built To Last
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus has a tough Armor Aluminium frame, and is protected in the back and front by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+.
On top of that, it is IP68-rated against dust and water ingress. That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.
Battery + Charging
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus comes with a large 4,500 mAh battery, which offers a very long battery life.
On top of that, it can support wired charging at up to 45 watts, with wireless charging supported at up to 15 watts.
It also supports Wireless PowerShare, allowing you to recharge other smartphones and wearables like the Galaxy Buds2.
The only downside – Samsung is not providing the 45 watt charger in-the-box.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Parents are looking for great but affordable laptops for their kids, and the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 may just hit the sweet spot!
Take a look at my review of this MIL-STD-rated convertible laptop, and find out why it’s great for students!
Acer Chromebook Spin 713 : Fast + Tough
The 2021 Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-3W) is the world’s first Intel Evo platform-verified Chromebook, guaranteeing snappy performance out-of-the-box.
As an Intel Evo-verified laptop, it comes with an 11th Gen Intel Core processor with Intel Iris Xe Graphics, built-in Wi-Fi 6 and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, and is designed to wake up in less than a second!
Even though it is a convertible laptop, it is MIL-STD-810H rated for drops of up to 122 cm, and MIL-STD-810F rated against ingress of sand and dust!
So you now have a basic idea of why we think it’s great for students!
Acer Chromebook Spin 713 : Price + Availability
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is available in Malaysia with a retail price of RM3,799.
Here are some online purchase options in Malaysia :
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is a convertible laptop, with a 13.5-inch display with a resolution of 2256 x 1504 pixels.
The display can flip completely around, letting you use it in the laptop mode, tent mode or the tablet mode – very useful for presentations and collaboration in school.
As this is a Chromebook, it runs on Google Chrome OS, but otherwise, appears and works like any other laptop.
It is quite thin at just under 17 mm at its thickest point, and weighs only 1.37 kg. It will have no problem fitting into schoolbags.
13.5-inch Touchscreen Display
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 comes with a 13.5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2256 x 1504 pixels – much higher than most Chromebook laptops.
This is a touchscreen display, which is the main input method in tent and tablet modes. Even so, you will find it very useful in the laptop mode as well.
You will be glad to know that the display is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass, so it is resistant to scratches.
720p Webcam
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 comes with a 720p webcam at the top of its display, with two microphones to pick up your voice.
It would be be nice if Acer included a 1080p webcam, but hey, even the Dell XPS 13 (9300) came with a 720p webcam!
Available Ports
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 comes with a range of useful ports. On the left side, you will find :
two of the latest USB Type C / Thunderbolt 4 ports!
a full-size HDMI port
a 3.5 mm audio port
On the right side, you will find a physical Volume control button, with a microSD card reader, a USB 3.0 Type A port and the Power button.
Speakers
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 has two downward-firing speakers on the underside (in laptop mode).
They are pretty loud and bright, and seem optimised for voice – which may appear to be what they are targeting.
But they will sound hollow and lack dynamism and bass, so music and movies are less enjoyable.
Keyboard + Touchpad
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 comes with a full-size keyboard, with a large touchpad.
The keys are backlit, which is fantastic in low-light conditions, and have decent key travel.
Our Acer Chromebook Spin 713 laptop was powered by the Intel Core i5-1135G7, which is a 4-core, 8-thread processor that runs at up to 4.2 GHz.
It comes with integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and is paired with 8 GB of RAM and 256 of PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
Battery Life
The Chromebook Spin 713 comes with a 3-cell 56 Whr lithium-ion battery, that Acer says all last up to 10 hours.
To test its battery life, we set its display to 50% and ran the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test, until its battery capacity dropped to 20%, repeating several times.
Unfortunately, we could not get 10 hours – the best we could do was just under 7.5 hours. But please note that this is a stress test that involves non-stop running work applications.
In real life, you will likely see longer usage times. And it is certainly more than long enough for a full day at school!
Battery Recharging Speed
The Chromebook Spin 713 comes with a 45 watt fast charger, that Acer says will give you 4 hours of battery life in just under 30 minutes.
Look at that! It only took 1 hour 31.5 minutes to fully recharge the Chromebook Spin 713 from 20% to 100%!
That gives it a battery life : recharging ratio of almost 5:1. A general rule of thumb – for one hour of battery life, you will need to charge it for 12 minutes.
Work Performance : PCMark Work 3.0
As this laptop runs on Chrome OS, we can only compare it to mobile SoCs.
Its PCMark Work 3.0 score puts it firmly in between the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ and the Samsung Exynos 990.
As the Chromebook Spin 713 runs on Chrome OS, you can Android apps on it. Yes, that includes games that your kids are already playing on your Android phone. 😉
Its graphics performance is really good, coming in more than TWICE AS FAST as Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ and the Samsung Exynos 990.
In other words, you won’t have to worry about running any mobile games on this laptop. It will have no problem handling them.
Acer Chromebook Spin 713 : Verdict + Award
People often think of Chromebook laptops as cheap throwaway devices that you only resort to when you have “no other choice”.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 puts paid to that perception, offering a sleek convertible design with high-end features like :
Intel Evo and MIL-STD-810 certifications
2K touch display with Gorilla Glass protection
Powerful Intel Core i5 processor with Intel Xe Graphics
Two USB Type C / Thunderbolt 4 ports
What you get is a truly versatile laptop with snappy work and gaming performance, with an excellent high-resolution display.
If you are a parent looking for a good and sturdy laptop that your child will have a hard time breaking, you really can’t go wrong with the Acer Chromebook Spin 713.
That’s why we have no qualms giving it our Reviewer’s Choice Award! Great job, Acer!
Acer Chromebook Spin 713 : Where To Buy?
The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is available in Malaysia with a retail price of RM3,799.
Here are some online purchase options in Malaysia :
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Acer introduced SIX new Chromebook models in 2021, offering a wide selection of affordable laptops with long battery life.
Here is what YOU need to know about the six new Acer Chromebook laptops!
2021 Acer Chromebook Laptops : What You Need To Know!
Acer introduced SIX new Chromebook models in 2021, in a variety of sizes and form factors with long battery life.
14-inch Acer Chromebook 314
17.3-inch Acer Chromebook 317
14-inch Acer Chromebook 514
14-inch Acer Chromebook Enterprise 514
13.5-inch Acer Chromebook Spin 713
13.5-inch Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 713
In this article, we are going to take a look at the six 2021 Acer Chromebook laptops, to see what they offer, and how they compare with each other!
2021 Acer Chromebook 314
Weighing only 1.5 kg, the 2021 Acer Chromebook 314 (CB314-2H/CB314-2HT) is an ultra-portable laptop designed for students.
Its 14-inch IPS display has a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and optional touch controls. It supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and comes with a 720p HDR webcam.
Powered by the MediaTek MT8183 octa-core processor, it can provide up to 15 hours of battery life.
2021 Acer Chromebook 317
The 2021 Acer Chromebook 317 (CB317-1H) is targeted at users who want a large display for multitasking and streaming content.
It has a large 17.3-inch display with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and anti-glare coating. It also comes with a large keyboard (with optional backlighting) with a numeric keypad and a large touchpad.
There is also space for two full-sized upward-facing speakers to give you a more immersive audio experience.
The 2021 Chromebook 317 is built around the latest Intel Celeron processors with Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and up to 10 hours of battery life.
2021 Acer Chromebook 514
The 2021 Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-1W/CB514-1WT) is built around the 11th Gen Intel core processors, with up to 10 hours of battery life.
Thanks to its metal top cover and reinforced design, it is MIL-STD810H rated for military-grade durability. On top of that, its touchpad is protected against scratches and corrosion with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass.
It supports the latest Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless connectivity, and comes with two full-function USB Type C ports with Thunderbolt 4, and a backlight keyboard with an optional embedded fingerprint reader.
2021 Acer Chromebook Enterprise 514
The 2021 Acer Chromebook 514 (CB514-1W/CB514-1WT) is built around the 11th Gen Intel core processors, and MIL-STD810H rated for military-grade durability. On top of that, its touchpad is protected against scratches and corrosion with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass.
It supports the latest Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless connectivity, and comes with two full-function USB Type C ports with Thunderbolt 4, a HDMI port and a backlight keyboard with an optional embedded fingerprint reader.
It also features a Full HD MIPI webcam, and speakers powered by a Smart Amplifier, with support for DTS Audio.
Its Chrome Enterprise operating system features integrated manageability features to help your company cut costs, streamline operations and reduce security risks by letting you deploy, update and manage all your devices remotely.
2021 Acer Chromebook Spin 713
The 2021 Acer Chromebook Spin 713 (CP713-3W) is the world’s first Intel Evo platform-verified Chromebook.
It features a premium aluminium chassis that is MIL-STD 810H rated for military-grade durability, in a convertible form factor. Its 13.5-inch VertiView display has a resolution of 2256 x 1504, giving you 18% more vertical screen space.
Built around the 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, it only weighs 1.37 kg and is less than 17 mm thick. Its fast-chargeable battery lasts up to 10 hours, and can get 4 hours of battery life with a quick 30 minute charge!
2021 Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 713
The 2021 Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 713 (CP713-3W) is the world’s first Intel Evo platform-verified Chromebook with Chrome Enterprise manageability built-in.
It features a premium aluminium chassis that is MIL-STD 810H rated for military-grade durability, in a convertible form factor. Its 13.5-inch VertiView display has a resolution of 2256 x 1504, giving you 18% more vertical screen space.
Built around the 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, it only weighs 1.37 kg and is less than 17 mm thick. Its fast-chargeable battery lasts up to 10 hours, and can get 4 hours of battery life with a quick 30 minute charge!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
If you like our work, you can help support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Acer just released new and updated Swift, Aspire and TravelMate laptops, just in time for Christmas 2020!
Take a look at the new slew of Acer Swift, Aspire and TravelMate laptops that you can buy now!
Acer Swift 3 : New December 2020 Model!
The Acer Swift 3 is a 14-inch laptop designed for the young, and comes in three colour options – Blue, Pink and Silver.
It has a 14-inch slim bezel IPS LED display with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, in a chassis that is just under 16 mm thick, and weighs just 1.2 kg.
Built around the new 11th Gen Intel Core processor, and Intel Iris Xe Graphics, it comes with up to 16 GB of onboard LPDDR4X memory, and 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
The new December 2020 Acer Swift 3 model has a rated battery life of 11 hours, and supports fast charging to give you 4 hours of video playback with a 30-minute charge.
In addition, the December 2020 model of Acer Swift 3 comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019.
Acer Swift 3X : New December 2020 Model!
The Acer Swift 3X is a 14-inch laptop designed for both games and creative apps, with its new Iris Xe Max discrete graphics.
It has a 14-inch slim bezel IPS LED display with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, in a chassis that is just under 18 mm thick, and weighs just 1.37 kg.
Built around the new 11th Gen Intel Core processor, and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, it comes with up to 16 GB of onboard LPDDR4X memory, and 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
The new December 2020 Acer Swift 3 model has a rated battery life of 17 hours, and supports fast charging to give you 4 hours of video playback with a 30-minute charge.
In addition, the Acer Swift 3X comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019.
Acer Swift 5 : New December 2020 Model!
The Acer Swift 5 is a 14-inch ultra-light Intel Evo-certified laptop, that is just under 15 mm thick, and weighs only 1.05 kg!
It has a 14-inch IPS LED touch display with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and 100% sRGB colour gamut. This touch display is protected by Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass.
Built around the new 11th Gen Intel Core processor, and Intel Iris Xe Graphics, it comes with up to 16 GB of onboard LPDDR4X memory, and 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
The new December 2020 Acer Swift 5 model has a rated battery life of 15 hours, and supports fast charging to give you 4 hours of video playback with a 30-minute charge.
In addition, the December 2020 model of Acer Swift 5 comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019.
Acer Aspire 5 : New December 2020 Model!
The December 2020 Acer Aspire 5 comes in 14-inch or 15.6-inch display options, with an all-metal chassis.
The 14-inch Aspire 5 is 15.6 mm thick, and weighs 1.45 kg; while the 15.6-inch Aspire 5 is 17.9 mm thick and weighs just 1.65 kg.
Built around the new 11th Gen Intel Core processor, and Intel Iris Xe Graphics, they both with up to 16 GB of onboard LPDDR4X memory (upgradable to 20 GB), and 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
Acer also offers an NVIDIA GeForce MX350 discrete graphics option for both models.
Both 14-inch and 15-inch models have a rated battery life of 13 hours, and supports fast charging to give you 4 hours of video playback with a 30-minute charge.
In addition, they both come pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019.
Acer TravelMate P2 : New December 2020 Model!
The Acer TravelMate P2 is a rugged laptop designed for business executives, with handy business features and advanced connectivity options.
Built to comply with MIL-STD-810G standards, the Travelmate P2 has a spill-resistant keyboard, and shock-absorbent corners to survive bumps and drops.
It also comes with Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 protection, a fingerprint reader and Windows Hello for secure authentication, to safeguard sensitive data while working away from the office.
Built around the new 11th Gen Intel Core processor, and Intel Iris Xe Graphics, it comes with up to 32 GB of onboard LPDDR4X memory, and 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage or a 1 TB hard disk drive.
The new December 2020 Acer TravelMate P2 model has a rated battery life of 13 hours, and supports fast charging to give you 4 hours of video playback with a 30-minute charge.
If you like our work, you can help support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Just before the official launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note20 smartphones, an AT&T video leaked…
Take a look at the leaked video… and check out the key features and specifications of the Note20 and Note20 Ultra smartphones!
Samsung Galaxy Note20 | Galaxy Note20 Ultra Video Leaked!
This AT&T video of the Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Note20 Ultra smartphones leaked ahead of the official launch, confirming earlier leaked information.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+
The US market will receive the super-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ in their Galaxy Note20 / Note20 Ultra devices.
The Plus version offers a faster Prime core (3.1 GHz, instead of 2.84 GHz), and a 10% faster Adreno 650 GPU.
The Snapdragon 865+ also adds Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 capability, although it’s likely that Samsung may lock it at regular Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 for “consistency”.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The new Dell Latitude 9510 is an ultralight 15-inch laptop that boasts an incredible 30 hours of battery life, and comes in two form factors!
Find out why the Dell Latitude 9510 is one of the most intriguing Dell professional laptop this year!
Dell Latitude 9510 : Ultralight With 30 Hr Battery Life!
The Dell Latitude 9510 is the first in the Dell 9000 ultra-premium line, and is crafted from precision-cut aluminium, with diamond-cut edges and a hairline brushed finish.
Dell went to great lengths to make it incredibly thin and small, squeezing a 15-inch InfinityEdge display (100% sRGB) into a 14-inch form factor that weighs only 1.5 kg.
You can configure it to use the latest 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, with up to 16 GB LPDDR3 SDRAM, and a PCIe NVMe SSD with up to 1 TB of storage. Dell also offers a 6-cell battery that will give it over 30 hours of battery life!
It also boasts AI-based technologies that are designed to adapt to your work habits :
ExpressSign-in uses a proximity sensor to automatically wake up and log you in via its IR camera and Windows Hello, and locks the screen when you walk away.
ExpressResponse with Intel Adaptix Technology launches your frequently-used applications quicker, and improves overall application performance based on your user preference and machine learning.
ExpressCharge Boost lets you recharge the Latitude 9510 by 35% in just 15 minutes, while ExpressCharge gets you up to 80% in an hour.
Intelligent Audio lets you hear and be heard better on conference calls, by eliminating echoes and background noise, even if you are walking around.
Designed for the professional on-the-go, the Dell Latitude 9510 also comes with work-related features like :
Quad microphones, with top-firing speakers and a powerful amp to ensure clear conference calls
Intel Wi-Fi 6 with VOIP prioritisation for better network performance and call quality
Qualcomm 5G / LTE capability with eSIM and a SIM slot to keep you always-connected
A camera shutter option for the security-conscious
Dell Latitude 9510 : Specifications
The Dell Latitude 9510 is available in two form factors :
Laptop : non-touch display, 1.4 kg
2-in-1 : touch display with Gorilla Glass 6 DX protection and active pen support, 1.5 kg
Specifications
Latitude 9510 (Laptop)
Latitude 9510 (2-in-1)
OS Options
Windows 10 Professional
Windows 10 Home Ubuntu
Windows 10 Professional
Windows 10 Home
Display Options
15-inch Full HD display
– 1920 x 1080 pixels
– 100% sRGB, 400 nits
15-inch Full HD display
– 1920 x 1080 pixels
– 100% sRGB, 400 nits – 10 finger touch panel
– Corning Gorilla Glass 6 DX
Processor Options
Up to Intel Core i7 vPro
Memory Options
Up to 16 GB LPDDR3-2133
Graphics
Intel UHD Graphics
Storage Options
PCIe NVMe SSD (M.2 Class 35) – Up to 1 TB
PCIe NVMe SED SSD (M.2 Class 35) – Up to 256 GB
Multimedia
Mechanical Privacy Shutter
IR Camera + Proximity Sensor
4 x Top-Firing Speakers
4 x Noise Cancelling Microphones
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A (PowerShare)
2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C)
1 x HDMI 2.0
1 x external uSIM tray (optional)
1 x microSD 4.0 card reader
1 x SmartCard reader (optional)
4-Cell, 52 WHr ExpressCharge
6-Cell, 88 WHr ExpressCharge
4-Cell, 52 WHr Long Life Cycle
Charging Options
65 W USB Type C Adapter
90 W USB Type C Adapter
Dimensions
340.2 mm wide
215.8 mm deep
8.23 ~ 13.99 mm thick
Weight
Starting from 1.4 kg
Starting from 1.5 kg
Dell Latitude 9510 Price + Availability
The Dell Latitude 9510 has a starting price of US$1,899 (about £1,502 / A$2,718 / S$2,642 / RM 8,094), with global availability from 26 March, 2020 onwards.
Its arrival in Malaysia was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but is available starting 7 July 2020, with a starting price of RM 7,926 (about US1,856 / £1,475 / A$2,673 / S$2,585).
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Here is everything you need to know about the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 smartwatch – the four models, features, and specifications!
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 is a new active lifestyle smartwatch. Available in two sizes, it comes with a slew of healthcare and activity monitoring features. Let’s check out what’s new…
Four Different Designs
To cater to different lifestyles, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 comes in two sizes – 44 mm and 40 mm, and in two styles :
lightweight aluminium, with a casual Fluoroelastomer (FKM) band
premium solid stainless steel, with a leather strap
They can be further personalised with a range of stylish straps and watch face options.
Match Your Outfit!
You can now customise your Galaxy Watch Active2 face to your outfit of the day, using the My Style colour extraction algorithm.
Simply use the Galaxy Wearable app to take a photo of your outfit, and choose from five different colour patterns to change to a matching watch face!
Digital Touch Bezel
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 features a digital touch bezel. Directly turn the digital bezel on the curved display edge in either directions!
Your Wellness Compansion
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 is designed to provide actionable insights into your health.
It automatically tracks seven types of workouts – running, walking, cycling, swimming, rowing, elliptical and dynamic, with more than 30 other workouts you can manually track.
It can also track your real-time stress levels through Samsung Health, and better analyse your sleep patterns at night.
Stay Connected!
Designed for a connected lifestyle, the Galaxy Watch Active2 keeps you connected on-the-go.
You can access social media content, and even video clips from your wrist. And if you are travelling, it supports real-time voice and text translations in over 16 languages!
[adrotate group=”2″]
Through Samsung’s partnership with Spotify, you can now enjoy listening to music and podcasts on-the-go using your Samsung account!
Galaxy Synergy
You can use its Watch Camera Controller app to remotely control your Samsung smartphone’s camera – to take photos, record videos, switch between camera lenses and so on.
And you can use the Wireless PowerShare capability of Samsung smartphones like the Note10, S10+, S10 and S10e to wirelessly recharge your smartwatch!
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 Specifications
Specifications
Galaxy Watch Active2
(44 mm)
Galaxy Watch Active2
(40 mm)
Display
1.4-inch (34 mm) Super AMOLED
– 360 x 360 pixels
1.2-inch (30 mm) Super AMOLED
– 360 x 360 pixels
Display Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass DX+
Durability
5ATM + IP68
MIL-STD-810G
Operating System
Tizen
System Platform
Samsung Exynos 9110
Processor
2 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores @ 1.15 GHz
Graphics Processor
ARM Mali-T720MP1
Memory
4 GB RAM
Storage
768 MB flash storage
Connectivity
WiFi : 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 5.0 + NFC
GPS
GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
Sensor
Heart Rate (8 photodiodes)
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Accelerometer (up to 32G of force)
Gyroscope
Barometer
Ambient Light
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Acer just unveiled a new ultra-light, ultra-thin laptop – the 2019 Acer Swift 7!
Here is everything you need to know about the new Swift 7, including its price and key features!
The 2019 Acer Swift 7 Ultra-Light Laptop Revealed!
Let’s start with the launch briefing by Jeffrey Lai, Senior Product Manager of Acer Malaysia.
The 2019 Acer Swift 7 Ultra-Light Laptop
Designed with a minimalist concept, the 2019 Acer Swift 7 boasts clean, sleek lines with an ultra-thin and ultra-light finless design.
It is now 60% smaller than the average 14-inch laptop, and weighs just 890 g! Even so, it packs enough battery power to last up to 12 hours of non-stop use.
Thanks to its super-thin bezels, it has a 14-inch Full HD display with an impressive 92% screen-to-body ratio. This touch display boasts a wide colour gamut of 100% sRGB / 72% NTSC, and is protected by Gorilla Glass 6.
The new Swift 7 is powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core processor with 8 GB RAM and an NVMe PCIe SSD. And it comes with two USB Type C Gen 2 ports, and Gigabit WiFi with 2×2 MIMO technology.
It has a push-to-open camera that is hidden just above the keyboard, with a power button that doubles as a fingerprint sensor. To ensure durability, its touchpad is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The annual Acer Day is back! In addition to many great offers, Acer Malaysia also launched the Acer Swift 7 2018 – the world’s thinnest 4G LTE laptop! Check it out!
The Acer Swift 7 2018 – World’s Thinnest 4G LTE Laptop Revealed!
The Acer Swift 7 2018 is the world’s thinnest 4G LTE laptop at just 8.98 mm. Powered by a 7th Gen Intel Core processor with 8 GB of LPDDR3 memory, the Swift 7 2018 also comes with a 256 GB PCle SSD, and up to 10 hours of battery life.
2018
It boasts a 14-inch Full HD IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and narrow bezels, and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. Its HD webcam in the front supports HDR and 720p video recording. But arguably the most important feature it comes with is its built-in 4G LTE connectivity that will allow you to get connected and work on-the-road.
The Swift 7 2018 users also enjoy better security with ease thanks to the fingerprint reader and Windows Hello login capability. Further enhancing the security feature is the enterprise-grade Trusted Platform Module (TPM) to keep your critical workplace data secured.
Acer Swift 7 2018 Price + Availability
In conjunction with Acer Day 2018, Acer is offering a variety of offers and discounts.
2018
Customers who purchase the Acer Swift 7 2018 will also get a protective sleeve, a USB Type C to HDMI adapter and USB Type A adapter in the box!
The Acer Swift 7 2018 is priced at RM 6,399 / ~US$ 1,599 and is available for purchase immediately at all Acer Official Online Stores and authorized resellers nationwide.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Right after The Huawei P10 Plus, P10 & P10 Lite Product Briefing, we were also briefed on the new Huawei Watch 2. Huawei will be offering two different models – the Huawei Watch 2 (available in Bluetooth-only, or 4G-capable versions), and the Huawei Watch 2 Classic.
Like the new Huawei P10 family, the new Huawei smartwatches will be offered in a multitude of colour options. Let’s check out the full Huawei Watch 2 product briefing, and get their full specifications!
The Complete Huawei Watch 2 Product Briefing
In this video, Justin Zhang, Huawei’s Senior Director of Smartphone Product Line Marketing in Shanghai, briefed us on the Huawei Watch 2’s key features.
Here are some key points :
[adrotate banner=”4″]
All three models feature a ceramic bezel, with a dual crown design.
The watch faces of all three models are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.
All three models run on Android Wear 2.0 and are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100.
The 4G-capable model supports a single nano SIM / eSIM, and has a built-in speaker and noise-cancelling microphone.
All three models are IP68-rated for dust and water-resistance.
All three models have GPS navigation capability built-in (GPS + GLONASS).
The 4G model will be available in the Dynamic Orange and Carbon Black colours.
The Bluetooth model will be available in the Carbon Black and Concrete Grey colours.
The Classic model will be available only in the Titanium Grey colour.
The Huawei Watch 2 Specifications
Specifications
Huawei Watch 2
(Bluetooth Only)
Huawei Watch 2
(Mobile Capable)
Huawei Watch 2 Classic
Display
1.2" AMOLED
- 390 x 390 pixels, 326 ppi
- Gorilla Glass protection
1.2" AMOLED
- 390 x 390 pixels, 326 ppi
- Gorilla Glass protection
1.2" AMOLED
- 390 x 390 pixels, 326 ppi
- Gorilla Glass protection
420 mAh lithium-ion battery
- 2 day battery life (typical)
- 10 hours in training mode (GPS + real-time heart rate monitoring)
420 mAh lithium-ion battery
- 2 day battery life (typical)
- 10 hours in training mode (GPS + real-time heart rate monitoring)
420 mAh lithium-ion battery
- 2 day battery life (typical)
- 10 hours in training mode (GPS + real-time heart rate monitoring)
Watch Lug Width
20 mm
20 mm
22 mm
Watch Strap
Changeable sport strap
- 20 mm width, 140-210 mm in length
Changeable sport strap
- 20 mm width, 140-210 mm in length
Changeable leather strap
- 22 mm width, 140-210 mm in length
Dimensions
48.9 mm x 45 mm x 12.6 mm
48.9 mm x 45 mm x 12.6 mm
48.9 mm x 45 mm x 12.6 mm
Weight (without band)
40 g
42 g
47 g
Available Colours
Carbon Black, Concrete Grey
Dynamic Orange, Carbon Black
Titanium Grey
Support Tech ARP!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
OPPO is a fast-rising Chinese smartphone brand. In fact, it became the no. 1 smartphone brand in China when it surpassed Huawei, Apple and Xiaomi in June 2016 with a 22.9% market share. How did they accomplished that in the cutthroat smartphone business?
Their latest smartphone from their Selfie Expert series – the OPPO F1s (Amazon), may reveal the secret to their success. Let’s take a look…
Selfie Expert Series
Unlike most smartphones, the OPPO Selfie Expert series emphasize the performance of the front camera – the selfie camera.
Smartphones from the OPPO Selfie Expert series feature a higher resolution camera in the front, with a fast lens and flash support. They also feature the OPPO Beautify software, which automatically corrects for blemishes and uneven skin tones.
The OPPO F1s (Amazon) comes with a 16 MP front camera with f/2.0 lens, screen flash and OPPO Beautify 4.0 software.
OPPO F1s Specifications
Specifications
OPPO F1s
Model Number
OPPO A1601
Display
5.5" IPS display - 720 x 1280 pixels
Display Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 4 (with 2.5D curved edge)
Operating System
Android 5.1 Lollipop with ColorOS 3.0
System Platform
MediaTek MT6750
Processor
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.5 GHz)
4 x ARM Cortex-A53 (1.0 GHz)
The OPPO F1s (Amazon) smartphone comes with a very practical package. The clear TPU case may not be fancy, but it allows you to quickly protect the OPPO F1s out-of-the-box until you find a nicer case.
The same goes for the basic earphones. They will do the job until you get a nicer set.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The OPPO F1s Smartphone
The OPPO F1s (Amazon) is a 5.5″ smartphone but with a width of just 76 mm, fits well in our Asian-sized hands. It is slim, but not delicately so. With a weight of 160 g, it has a heft to it that imparts a solid feel.
The Volume buttons are located on the left, with the Power button and the SIM / microSD card tray on the right. The earphone port is located at the bottom, with the micro USB port.
Cameras
The OPPO F1s (Amazon) boasts the highest resolution sensor for any front camera in the market – 16 MP. Even top-of-the-line smartphones only come with a 5 MP front camera (e.g. HTC 10, Samsung Galaxy S7 edge). The front 16 MP camera has a fast f/2.0 lens and is supported by screen flash and the OPPO Beautify 4.0 software.
The rear camera is no slouch though, with a 13 MP sensor and f/2.2 lens. It is supported by an LED flash. OPPO also used a larger 1/3.06″ sensor with larger pictures to increase light sensitivity and reduce noise.
[adrotate banner=”5″]
Fingerprint Sensor
The OPPO F1s (Amazon) boasts a fast fingerprint sensor built into the Home button. The sensor is a mere 0.1 mm thick, and it can detect your fingerprint in just 0.22 seconds.
The OPPO F1s (Amazon) uses a self-learning algorithm that helps it improve its accuracy over time. You can even set it to activate up to 5 frequently-used apps or features (like the camera)!
SIM & microSD Card Tray
The OPPO F1s (Amazon) comes with dual SIM, dual standby capability. It also supports a microSD card, allowing for additional storage of up to 128 GB.
Fortunately, the OPPO F1s (Amazon) is spacious enough to fit both nano SIM cards, together with a single microSD card. All three cards fit on the same tray.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Setting Up The OPPO F1s
The OPPO F1s (Amazon) runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop, which should be familiar to many Android users. It is very easy to setup. If you are setting it up as a new device, it should take you only 5 minutes to finish the setup process.
The fingerprint feature is not part of the setup process though. You will need to manually activate it in Settings after setting up the F1s.
It’s Alive!
The 5.5″ IPS display is bright and sharp, with a resolution of 720 x 1280. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 4, but it comes with a pre-applied screen protector for additional protection.
Even though it has a large 5.5″ display, it fits the hand quite well, thanks to the narrow bezel. However, single-handed operation is still a stretch.
[adrotate banner=”5″]
Available Memory & Storage
The OPPO F1s (Amazon) comes with 3 GB of memory. This is great, because the Android 5.1 operating system and background apps take up about 1.5 GB of memory. This leaves you with just over 1.5 GB of free memory to use.
The OPPO F1s (Amazon) also comes with 32 GB of internal flash storage – generous at this price point. It is expandable via a microSD card (up to 128 GB). Out of the box, the OPPO F1s has 23.69 GB of free space for you to use, excluding the system files and pre-installed apps.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Camera Performance – Photos
We are preparing a selfie comparison, but in the meantime, let’s take a look at the performance of the rear camera. The OPPO F1s (Amazon) has a 13 MP camera at the back, with a f/2.2 lens and an LED flash. The photos have a maximum resolution of 4160 x 3120 in the 4:3 format. The photos are about 4-5 MB in size.
