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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review : Tech ARP Editor’s Choice!

Read our comprehensive review of the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and find out why it won our Editor’s Choice Award!

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra : Model + Colour Options

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is available in four main colours:

  • Titanium Black
  • Titanium Gray
  • Titanium Violet, and
  • Titanium Yellow

Here are the official launch prices for the three available storage capacities:

  • 256 GB : US$1,299.99 | £1,249 | A$2,199 | S$1,928 | RM6,299
  • 512 GB : US$1,419.99 | £1,349 | A$2,399 | S$2,128 | RM6,799
  • 1 TB : US$1,659 | £1,549 | A$2,799 | S$2,428 | RM7,799

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Colour Options Compared!

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra : Specifications Compared!

I created this table to compare the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s specifications to last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra!

Specifications Galaxy S24 Ultra Galaxy S23 Ultra
Display Size 6.8 inch
Display Type Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Display
Resolution
1440 x 3120 pixels
Refresh Rate Adaptive Refresh (1 to 120 Hz)
Protection Gorilla Armour
Titanium Frame
Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Armour Aluminium
Dust + Water
Resistance
IP68
Platform Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Memory 12 GB
Storage Options 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 12 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Camera 200 MP Adaptive Pixel camera, f/1.7
Zoom Cameras 50 MP 5x camera, f/3.4
10 MP 3x camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x camera, f/4.9
10 MP 3x camera, f/2.4
Ultra-Wide Camera 12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
Laser Sensor Laser auto-focus sensor None
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 7
Ultra-Wideband (UWB)
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB Type C
Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Ultra-Wideband (UWB)
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB Type C
S Pen Yes, IP68-rated
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh
Charging 45 watt wired
15 watt wireless
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 79.0 mm wide
162.3 mm tall
8.6 mm thick
78.1 mm wide
163.4 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
Weight 233 grams (mmW)
232 g (Sub6)
234 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra : What’s Inside The Box?

We got our hands on the new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone right after its official launch. Let’s take a quick look at the box before we check out what’s inside!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra : What’s Inside The Box!

Once you fully unbox the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, this is what you will find inside:

  • the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone
  • a Quick Start Guide in two languages, and a warranty card
  • a USB Type C to USB Type C data and charging cable
  • a SIM tray extraction pin

That’s it! While the Galaxy S24 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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Key Features

 

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Key Features

Now, let us go through its key features, and show you why the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is worthy of our Editor’s Choice Award!

Boosted Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Performance!

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered exclusively by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy in all regions of the world. It comes with a slightly overclocked prime core.

  • 1 x Arm Cortex-X4 core (3.39 GHz, instead of 3.3 GHz)
  • 3 x Arm Cortex-A720 cores
  • 2 x Arm Cortex-A720 cores
  • 2 x Arm Cortex-A520 cores

This mobile SoC also comes with the Qualcomm Adreno 750 GPU which supports ray-tracing, an improved Hexagon NPU, and the Snapdragon X75 5G modem that supports Sub-6Ghz and mmWave connectivity.

Improved Cooling

To ensure that the processor remains cool, the Galaxy S24 Ultra sports a 90% larger vapour chamber. This should allow it to better sustain peak performance during intense gaming sessions or AI photo / video editing,

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S24 Models + Specifications Compared!

200 MP Main Camera

The Galaxy S24 Ultra sports the same 200 MP Adaptive Pixel main camera, which was first introduced in last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra.

It is built around the Samsung ISOCELL HP2 (S5KHP2) sensor, which is a large 1/1.3-inch sensor with 200 million pixels, each of which is 0.6 μm in size. The Galaxy S24 Ultra camera can combine up to 16 pixels to form a single large pixel for much better low-light performance.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra can also record 8K videos at 30 frames per second, instead of just 24 fps in the Galaxy S22 Ultra. 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°.

50 MP Telephoto Camera

The main camera upgrade in the Galaxy S24 Ultra is its new 50 MP telephoto camera, with a 5X optical zoom. It is said to be built around the Sony IMX854 sensor, which is a 1/2.52″ sensor with 0.7 μm pixels.

While its optical zoom reach has halved from 10X, a combination of its higher resolution sensor, and deep learning AI algorithms, allow Samsung to deliver better digital zoom. This new zoom camera also has the advantage of a wider f/3.4 aperture (compared to just f/4.9), which should improve its low-light performance.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra reuses the same 3X zoom and 12 MP ultra-wide angle cameras from the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

12 MP Selfie Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra also reuses the Galaxy S23 Ultra‘s 12 MP camera, with the same f/2.2 aperture. This is a Dual Pixel camera, which allows for faster and more accurate auto-focus.

SIM Tray Without SD Card Slot

The Samsung Galaxy S24 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.

S Pen

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with the same S Pen as the Galaxy S23 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 S24 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 bidirectional Type C port, which is now the EU standard.

Read more : EU Orders All Brands To Use USB-C, Including Apple!

Corning Gorilla Armour

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is protected in the front by Corning Gorilla Armour glass, which is not only tougher against scratches, but also reduces reflection by up to 75%.

Titanium Frame

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the first Samsung smartphone to feature a titanium frame, which is not only tougher, but also allows for a thinner chassis.

5,000 mAh Fast-Charging Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S24 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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Battery + Charging

 

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Battery Life Comparison!

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, which has held steady for the last few generations – S23 Ultra, S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra.

To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, to fix the brightness level and make sure the screen brightness does not change as the ambient brightness changes.

We also set its display brightness to 50%, which is slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day.

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 the Standard and Adaptive refresh rates :

Look at that! The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra lasted almost 14 hours with the Adaptive refresh mode enabled, and lasted almost 16.5 hours with the Standard refresh mode!

This is a 6-7% improvement in battery life over last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra – approximately an extra hour of battery life, at the same battery capacity. Very nice!

Now, let’s compare its battery life at 60 Hz and 120 Hz, against the Z Flip5, the S23 Ultra, and the S22 Ultra smartphones.

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra naturally has the best battery life with the refresh rate set to 60 Hz (Standard) – lasting just under 16.5 hours.

Even though it runs on powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is more power-efficient than Samsung’s older flagship devices like the Z Flip5, the S23 Ultra, and the S22 Ultra.

Work 3.0 S24 Ultra S23 Ultra S22 Ultra
Z Flip 5
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,700 mAh
Battery Life 16 hrs 25 mins 15 hrs 18 mins 14 hrs 15 mins 11 hrs 4 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.06 mAh 4.36 mAh 4.68 mAh 4.46 mAh

Adaptive Refresh Rate (120 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Adaptive refresh rate is so efficient, it lasts almost 14 hours. Even so, the higher refresh rate uses a significant amount of power.

Even with the same battery capacity and similar Adaptive Mode enabled, the Galaxy S24 Ultra uses 6% less power than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and 23% less power than the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Work 3.0 S24 Ultra S23 Ultra S22 Ultra Z Flip 5
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,700 mAh
Battery Life 13 hrs 49 mins 13 hrs
0 mins
10 hrs
38 mins
9 hrs
9 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.83 mAh 5.13 mAh 6.27 mAh 5.39 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Battery Recharging Speed!

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra supports up to 45 watts of wired fast charging, but unfortunately, does not come with the charger in-the-box.

So we tested it using the standard 15 watt and 25 watt Samsung fast chargers that shipped with their previous smartphones, which is what we believe most users will end up doing.

S22 Ultra S24 Ultra S23 Ultra S24 Ultra Z Flip 5 Z Flip 5
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,700 mAh 3,700 mAh
Charger Output 15 watts 25 watts 15 watts 15 watts 25 watts 15 watts
Charging Time 64.5 min 68 min 88.8 min 106.5 min 105 min 129.5 min
Charging Speed
(per minute)
62.0 mAh 58.8 mAh 45.0 mAh 37.6 mAh 28.2 mAh 22.9 mAh

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra charges really fast with a 15 watt charger, and even faster with a 25 watt charger. It basically needs just over 1.75 hours to fully recharge with a 15 watt charger, and just over one hour with a 25 watt charger.

This gives us a battery life to recharging time ratio of about 7.8:1 (15 watt), or 12.2:1 (25 watt), which is good. You basically get about an hour’s worth of battery life for every 8 minutes you recharge at 15 watts, or 5 minutes at 25 watts.

If you prefer to get faster charging, you should purchase the optional 25 watt USB-C super fast charger. It will cut your charging time by a considerable 38.5 minutes for a full recharge:

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Performance Summary

There is no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offers top-notch performance, thanks to its use of a slightly overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, and a 90% larger vapour chamber.

It shows in the benchmarks – the Galaxy S24 Ultra topped all of the benchmarks, except for work performance. It is particularly strong in 3D graphics and ray tracing performance. With gaming performance like this, dedicated gaming smartphones seem rather pointless.

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Work Performance

We first tested the Galaxy S24 Ultra using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Work 3.0 S23
Ultra
S24
Ultra
Z Flip
5
Z Flip
4
S23 FE
Mobile Platform SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8 Gen 3 SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8+
Gen 1
Exynos
2200
Performance Score 16408 14931 14655 14429 13971
Web Browsing 15680 11663 11404 12097 11664
Video Editing 7879 6474 7943 7387 7369
Writing 22257 20333 19525 17593 18138
Photo Editing 35533 34350 324420 31762 27060
Data Manipulation 12171 14070 11788 12523 12616

Interestingly, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 was much slower than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 used in last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra, and just barely faster than the SD 8 Gen 2 used in the Galaxy Z Flip5.

I should point out that these are peak performance results. The truth is – you won’t be able to actually tell the difference between all these flagship-class mobile processors in normal usage. They are all really fast.

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Storage Performance

PCMark also has an Android Storage 2.0 benchmark that measures the smartphone’s storage I/O performance.

Storage 2.0 Z Flip
5
S23
Ultra
S24
Ultra
S23 FE Z Flip
4
Mobile Platform SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 2
SD 9
Gen 3
Exynos
2200
SD 8+
Gen 1
Storage Score 48435 41647 33005 31839 27271
Sequential Read (MB/s) 2676.53 2592.42 2907.37 1584.66 1350.51
Random Read (MB/s) 49.95 38.25 60.98 31.25 33.94
Sequential Write (MB/s) 2631.38 603.29 3084.95 510.16 256.81
Random Write (MB/s) 76.66 81.44 106.34 81.13 50.29

Samsung appeared to be using faster flash storage in the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, its overall storage score was lower than the S23 Ultra and Z Flip5, due to much slower database read and write speeds.

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the Galaxy S24 Ultra using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark S24
Ultra
S23
Ultra
Z Flip
5
Z Flip
4
S23 FE
Mobile Platform SD 8
Gen 3
SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8+
Gen 1
Exynos
2200
Solar Bay Unlimited 8576 NA 5481 NA 4570
Wild Life Extreme
Unlimited
5020 3814 3705 2636 2233
Wild Life Unlimited 20534 14554 14823 11144 8671
Sling Shot Extreme
Unlimited
19653 13904 13558 6912 9484
Sling Shot Unlimited 22656 16344 16661 10690 11348

Where the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra really shines is in its gaming performance. Its Adreno 750 GPU not only supports ray tracing, it does a fantastic job of delivering top-notch 3D graphics performance.

Not only does it have a faster GPU, the Samsung S24 Ultra also has a 90% larger vapour chamber that allows it to better sustain peak performance during intense gaming sessions.

Although ray tracing games are far and few in between for now, the new Solar Bay benchmark shows that the Galaxy S24 Ultra delivers 56% better 3D with ray tracing performance than the Galaxy Z Flip5, and 88% better performance. than the Galaxy S23 FE!

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy S24 Ultra using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu S24
Ultra
S23
Ultra
Z Flip
5
S23 FE Z Flip
4
Device SD 8
Gen 3
SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 2
Exynos
2200
SD 8+
Gen 1
AnTuTu Score 1826776 1212174 1187296 1166868 856357
CPU 456400 261886 393404 329078 205939
GPU 682555 538823 282780 425455 362669
Memory 380519 236163 291048 193981 135707
UX 307302 175302 220064 218354 152042

Will you look at that? The AnTuTu benchmark shows that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a solid 50% faster than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 5 – both powered by last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Very nice!

But note that its temperature jumped by almost 12°C! At peak performance, the Galaxy S24 Ultra can get really toasty!

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Camera Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Camera Performance

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra boasts a super-high resolution 200 MP main camera, built around the 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.

This 200 MP camera can combine up to 16 pixels to form a single large pixel for much better low-light performance. It can also record 8K videos at 30 frames per second, instead of just 24 fps in the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

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 some photo samples I took using the 200 MP main camera in its standard 12 MP mode, at 4000 x 3000 pixels. Its standard JPEG file size is between 4 MB and 8 MB, but to save space, I highly recommend that you enable HEIF – the High Efficiency Image Format, to halve the amount of storage space required for each photo.

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.

Of course, the 200 MP capability is not there for marketing purposes. The Samsung Galaxy S24 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!

Instead of using the new 50 MP telephoto camera, you can use faraway shots at night using the 200 MP mode, to take advantage of its wide f/1.7 aperture. Then you zoom in, and crop out the section of the photo you want.

Take a look at this 200 MP photo that I took at the Marina Bay Sands using last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra. 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 S24 Ultra Camera Performance Summary

If you want the best smartphone cameras for photo and video money can buy, you should definitely consider the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Please ignore the 200 MP marketing spiel. In everyday use, it has pretty limited use cases – best used for taking night shots of distance objects IMHO. 99.9% of the time, you are not going to be using this camera in its 200 MP mode.

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. Just look at the photo samples – everything looks much better when taken with this camera!

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Summary + Award

 

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Summary + Award

It is getting really tough for Samsung to introduce radical improvements in its flagship smartphones. So it’s not surprising that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is an evolutionary upgrade of the excellent Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Samsung didn’t even bother to hide that, reusing the same design almost to the millimetre! It even reused the same S Pen from last year. Its improvements were almost entirely internal.

Its display, for example, is the “same” as the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s display on paper. But it is brighter and offers improved power efficiency. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor not only offers really excellent performance, it is also more power-efficient, which helps to significantly improve its battery life.

Even though it comes with the same battery capacity as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the new Galaxy S24 Ultra boasts 6%-7% longer battery life! That’s an extra hour of battery life on average!

Aside from its Galaxy AI features (which will filter down to older models), the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with a new 50 MP telephoto camera. While its optical zoom has been halved, its higher resolution sensor and deep-learning AI algorithms allow you to take better quality photos with digital zoom. It also offers better low-light performance, thanks to its wider aperture.

This builds upon Samsung’s legacy of offering the very best photographic and video recording capabilities in its flagship Galaxy S-series, especially when it comes to low-light photography. If you really love photography, and especially like taking photos at night, or in low-light conditions, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will surely impress you.

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is even tougher this year. It is protected by a Titanium frame for the first time, as well as the new Gorilla Armour glass in the front. As a bonus, Gorilla Armour really is less reflective.

For these reasons, we gladly award the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra our Editor’s Choice Award! Great work, Samsung!

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra : Price + Colour Options

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is available in four main colours:

  • Titanium Black
  • Titanium Gray
  • Titanium Violet, and
  • Titanium Yellow

Here are the official launch prices for the three available storage capacities:

  • 256 GB : US$1,299.99 | £1,249 | A$2,199 | S$1,928 | RM6,299
  • 512 GB : US$1,419.99 | £1,349 | A$2,399 | S$2,128 | RM6,799
  • 1 TB : US$1,659 | £1,549 | A$2,799 | S$2,428 | RM7,799

Recommended : Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Unboxing : What’s Inside?

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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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.

 

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Battery Life + Charging Review!

Take a look at the battery recharging speed of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and find out how its two refresh rate options affect battery life!

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Refresh Rate Affects Battery Life!

The new Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra  offers two refresh rate options (Settings > Display > Motion smoothness) for its display:

  • Adaptive : Get smoother animation and scrolling by automatically adjusting your screen refresh rate up to 120 Hz
  • Standard : Get longer battery life by automatically adjusting your screen refresh rate up to 60 Hz

By default, the Galaxy S24 Ultra uses the Adaptive mode for smoother graphics, but you can choose to switch to the Standard mode for a longer battery life.

While the display may be capable of going as low as 1 Hz, it never went that low. When I tested the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s display in multiple apps, this was what both refresh rate options did:

  • Adaptive : The display dynamically switches between 24 Hz, and 120 Hz (occasionally 60 Hz, and 80 Hz).
  • Standard : The display dynamically switches between 24 Hz, and 60 Hz

In the next section, we will look at how the two refresh rate options affect the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s battery life.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S24 Series : All Colour Options Compared!
Read more : Samsung Galaxy S24 Models + Specifications Compared!

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Battery Life Comparison!

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, which has held steady for the last few generations – S23 Ultra, S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra.

To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, to fix the brightness level and make sure the screen brightness does not change as the ambient brightness changes.

We also set its display brightness to 50%, which is slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day.

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 the Standard and Adaptive refresh rates :

Look at that! The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra lasted almost 14 hours with the Adaptive refresh mode enabled, and lasted almost 16.5 hours with the Standard refresh mode!

This is a 6-7% improvement in battery life over last year’s Galaxy S23 Ultra – approximately an extra hour of battery life, at the same battery capacity. Very nice!

Now, let’s compare its battery life at 60 Hz and 120 Hz, against the Z Flip5, the S23 Ultra, and the S22 Ultra smartphones.

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra naturally has the best battery life with the refresh rate set to 60 Hz (Standard) – lasting just under 16.5 hours.

Even though it runs on powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is more power-efficient than Samsung’s older flagship devices like the Z Flip5, the S23 Ultra, and the S22 Ultra.

Work 3.0 S24 Ultra S23 Ultra S22 Ultra
Z Flip 5
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,700 mAh
Battery Life 16 hrs 25 mins 15 hrs 18 mins 14 hrs 15 mins 11 hrs 4 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.06 mAh 4.36 mAh 4.68 mAh 4.46 mAh

Adaptive Refresh Rate (120 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Adaptive refresh rate is so efficient, it lasts almost 14 hours. Even so, the higher refresh rate uses a significant amount of power.

Even with the same battery capacity and similar Adaptive Mode enabled, the Galaxy S24 Ultra uses 6% less power than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and 23% less power than the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Work 3.0 S24 Ultra S23 Ultra S22 Ultra Z Flip 5
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,700 mAh
Battery Life 13 hrs 49 mins 13 hrs
0 mins
10 hrs
38 mins
9 hrs
9 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.83 mAh 5.13 mAh 6.27 mAh 5.39 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Battery Recharging Speed!

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra supports up to 45 watts of wired fast charging, but unfortunately, does not come with the charger in-the-box.

So we tested it using the standard 15 watt and 25 watt Samsung fast chargers that shipped with their previous smartphones, which is what we believe most users will end up doing.

Charging Speed S22 Ultra S24 Ultra S23 Ultra S24 Ultra Z Flip 5 Z Flip 5
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,700 mAh 3,700 mAh
Charger Output 15 watts 25 watts 15 watts 15 watts 25 watts 15 watts
Charging Time 64.5 min 68 min 88.8 min 106.5 min 105 min 129.5 min
Charging Speed
(per minute)
62.0 mAh 58.8 mAh 45.0 mAh 37.6 mAh 28.2 mAh 22.9 mAh

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra charges really fast with a 15 watt charger, and even faster with a 25 watt charger. It basically needs just over 1.75 hours to fully recharge with a 15 watt charger, and just over one hour with a 25 watt charger.

This gives us a battery life to recharging time ratio of about 7.8:1 (15 watt), or 12.2:1 (25 watt), which is good. You basically get about an hour’s worth of battery life for every 8 minutes you recharge at 15 watts, or 5 minutes at 25 watts.

If you prefer to get faster charging, you should purchase the optional 25 watt USB-C super fast charger. It will cut your charging time by a considerable 38.5 minutes for a full recharge:

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra : Price + Colour Options

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is available in four main colours:

  • Titanium Black
  • Titanium Gray
  • Titanium Violet, and
  • Titanium Yellow

Here are the official launch prices for the three available storage capacities:

  • 256 GB : US$1,299.99 | £1,249 | A$2,199 | S$1,928 | RM6,299
  • 512 GB : US$1,419.99 | £1,349 | A$2,399 | S$2,128 | RM6,799
  • 1 TB : US$1,659 | £1,549 | A$2,799 | S$2,428 | RM7,799

Recommended : Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Unboxing : What’s Inside?

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Review : Tech ARP Editor’s Choice!

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!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Colour Options Compared!

Here are the official launch prices for the three available storage capacities:

  • 256 GB : RM5,699 (about US$1,336 / £1,083 / A$1,888 / S$1,755)
  • 512 GB : RM6,199 (about US$1,453 / £1,179 / A$2,052 / S$1,910)
  • 1 TB : RM7,199 (about US$1,688 / £1,369 / A$2,388 / S$2,218)

Here are online purchase options for your convenience:

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Specifications Compared!

I created this table to compare the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s specifications to last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra!

Specifications Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S22 Ultra
Display 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
– 1440 x 3088 pixels (500 ppi)
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate (1~120 Hz)
– 1750 nits peak brightness
Protection Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Gorilla Glass Victus+
Water Resistance IP68
Platform Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU 1 x Cortex-X3 (3.36 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A715 (2.8 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A710 (2.8 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A510 (2.0 GHz)
1 x Cortex-X2 (3.0 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)
GPU Adreno 740 Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
12 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 512 GB
12 GB + 1 TB
8 GB + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 512 GB
12 GB + 1 TB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 12 MP camera, f/2.2 40 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 200 MP Adaptive Pixel camera, f/1.7
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9
108 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Ultra-Wideband (UWB)
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB Type C
Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
15 watt wireless charging
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 78.1 mm wide
163.4 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
77.9 mm wide
163.3 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
Weight 234 grams 229 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : What’s Inside The Box?

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!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : What’s Inside The Box!

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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Key Features

 

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Key Features

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.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Colour Options Compared!

200 MP Main Camera

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.

Read more : EU Orders All Brands To Use USB-C, Including Apple!

SIM Tray Without SD Card Slot

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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Battery + Charging

 

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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.

Work 3.0 S23 Ultra
(120 Hz)
S22 Ultra
(120 Hz)
S21 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 10 hrs
38 mins
10 hrs
26 mins
6 hrs
44 mins
Utilisation
per min.
5.13 mAh 6.27 mAh 6.39 mAh 6.53 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Battery Recharging Speed!

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.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Battery Life + Charging Speed!

Work 3.0 S21 Ultra S22 Ultra S23 Ultra Z Flip 3
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 3,300 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,300 mAh
Charger Output 25 watts 15 watts 15 watts 15 watts
Battery Life 64 minutes 64.5 minutes 88.8 minutes 88.5 minutes
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
62.5 mAh 62.0 mAh 45.0 mAh 29.8 mAh

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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Performance Summary

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.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Performance Examined!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Work Performance

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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Camera Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Camera Performance

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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Summary + Award

 

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Summary + Award

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!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Price + Pre-Order Offer!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in four main colours – Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, and Cream.

Sadly, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will be significantly more expensive than last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra!

Here are the official launch prices for the three available storage capacities:

  • 256 GB : RM5,699 (about US$1,336 / £1,083 / A$1,888 / S$1,755)
  • 512 GB : RM6,199 (about US$1,453 / £1,179 / A$2,052 / S$1,910)
  • 1 TB : RM7,199 (about US$1,688 / £1,369 / A$2,388 / S$2,218)

While the increased price may be disappointing, Samsung is offering some great pre-order offers:

  • you get a free upgrade to the next storage option!
  • if you buy from the Samsung Online Store, you get an RM400 e-Voucher
  • you get 30% off Samsung accessories, Samsung Care+, Galaxy tablets, Watch, and Buds earphones!
  • you get to save up to RM600 more when you trade in!

Here are online purchase options for your convenience:

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : What’s Inside The Box!

We got our hands on a golden sample of the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone, so let’s take a look at what’s inside the box!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : A Quick Primer!

Samsung just launched the Galaxy S23 Ultra, with a 200 MP camera, and here is a quick summary of its key features!

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)

200 MP Main Camera

Arguably 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 will be able to 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°.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Hands-On Preview!

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!

Colour Options

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphones will come in four colour options:

  • Phantom Black
  • Green
  • Lavender
  • Cream

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Colour Options Compared!

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!

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 : What’s Inside The Box?

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.

Here are some photos I took earlier in my hotel room in Singapore:

Do note that this is a golden sample – the first examples of the final, customer-approved device manufactured at the Samsung factory. While the device itself is “final”, there may be some differences in its packaging.

For example, in the video above and the following photos below, you will see that the box was not sealed. Rather the two security stickers are inside the box.

In addition, the box lacks the usual label at the back which lists a summary of its key specifications, as well as the storage capacity of the device inside.

The actual retail box in your country may also include additional pamphlets, although you should not count on getting any additional accessories.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Prices + Pre-Order Offer!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in four main colours – Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, and Cream.

Sadly, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will be significantly more expensive than last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra!

Here are the official launch prices for the three available storage capacities:

  • 256 GB : RM5,699 (about US$1,336 / £1,083 / A$1,888 / S$1,755)
  • 512 GB : RM6,199 (about US$1,453 / £1,179 / A$2,052 / S$1,910)
  • 1 TB : RM7,199 (about US$1,688 / £1,369 / A$2,388 / S$2,218)

While the increased price may be disappointing, Samsung is offering some great pre-order offers:

  • you get a free upgrade to the next storage option!
  • if you buy from the Samsung Online Store, you get an RM400 e-Voucher
  • you get 30% off Samsung accessories, Samsung Care+, Galaxy tablets, Watch, and Buds earphones!
  • you get to save up to RM600 more when you trade in!

Here are online purchase options for your convenience:

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus : All 4 Colours Compared!

Samsung just launched the new Galaxy S23 Plus smartphone, and here is our comparison of all four main colours!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus : 4 Main Colours Compared!

Samsung just launched the new Galaxy S23 Plus smartphone, and it will be available in four main colours with a matte finish :

  • Phantom Black
  • Green
  • Lavender
  • Cream

Ahead of the Galaxy S23 Plus’ 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 Plus smartphone in all four colour options. Take a look at all four colours, and let us know which you prefer!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Colour Options Compared!
Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Colour Options Compared!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus : 4 Special Colours!

In addition to the four main colours, Samsung will also make these four special colours available exclusively through online orders on the Samsung.com website:

  • Lime
  • Sky Blue
  • Graphite
  • Red

However, I have no idea if these four special colours are readily available for the pre-order, or will be held back until after the pre-order period.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus : Same Price For All Colours!

Regardless of the colour you prefer, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus will only vary in price according to storage capacity.

Here are the official launch prices for the two available storage capacities.

  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM4,699 (about US$1,102 / £894 / A$1,561 / S$1,448)
  • 8 GB + 512 GB : RM5,199 (about US$1,219 / £989 / A$1,725 / S$1,602)

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : All 4 Colours Compared!

Samsung just launched the new Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone, and here is our comparison of all four main colours!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : 4 Main Colours Compared!

Samsung just launched the new Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone, and it will be available in four main colours with a matte finish :

  • Phantom Black
  • Green
  • Lavender
  • 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!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus Colour Options Compared!
Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Colour Options Compared!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : 4 Special Colours!

In addition to the four main colours, Samsung will also make these four special colours available exclusively through online orders on the Samsung.com website:

  • Lime
  • Sky Blue
  • Graphite
  • Red

However, I have no idea if these four special colours are readily available for the pre-order, or will be held back until after the pre-order period.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Same Price For All Colours!

Regardless of the colour you prefer, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will only vary in price according to storage capacity.

Here are the official launch prices for the three available storage capacities:

  • 256 GB : RM5,699 (about US$1,336 / £1,083 / A$1,888 / S$1,755)
  • 512 GB : RM6,199 (about US$1,453 / £1,179 / A$2,052 / S$1,910)
  • 1 TB : RM7,199 (about US$1,688 / £1,369 / A$2,388 / S$2,218)

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

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Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy S23 : All 4 Colours Compared!

Samsung just launched the new Galaxy S23 smartphone, and here is our comparison of all four main colours!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 : 4 Main Colours Compared!

Samsung just launched the new Galaxy S23 smartphone, and it will be available in four main colours with a matte finish :

  • Phantom Black
  • Green
  • Lavender
  • Cream

Ahead of the Galaxy S23’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 smartphone in all four colour options. Take a look at all four colours, and let us know which you prefer!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Colour Options Compared!
Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus Colour Options Compared!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 : 4 Special Colours!

In addition to the four main colours, Samsung will also make these four special colours available exclusively through online orders on the Samsung.com website:

  • Lime
  • Sky Blue
  • Graphite
  • Red

However, I have no idea if these four special colours are readily available for the pre-order, or will be held back until after the pre-order period.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 : Same Price For All Colours!

Regardless of the colour you prefer, the Samsung Galaxy S23 will only vary in price according to storage capacity.

Here are the official launch prices for the two available storage capacities.

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM3,899 (about US$914 / £742 / A$1,294 / S$1,200)
  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM4,199 (about US$984 / £799 / A$1,393 / S$1,294)

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy S23 : Everything You Need To Know!

Samsung just launched the Galaxy S23, and here is everything you need to know about its latest compact flagship smartphone!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 : Everything You Need To Know!

Samsung just launched the Galaxy S23 smartphone, and here is everything you need to know about its latest flagship smartphone!

Boosted Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

The Samsung Galaxy S23 will use 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)

Here is a quick comparison between the boosted Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC used in the Galaxy S22:

Specifications Galaxy S23 Galaxy S22
Mobile SoC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU Clusters 4 3
CPU Cores 1 x Cortex-X3 (3.36 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A715 (2.8 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A710 (2.8 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A510 (2.0 GHz)
1 x Cortex-X2 (3.0 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 740 Qualcomm Adreno 730

Same Rear Cameras From Galaxy S22

The Samsung Galaxy S23 uses the same rear cameras as last year’s Galaxy S22.

  • 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

12 MP Selfie Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S23, however, gets an upgrade in the front, with a new 12 MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture.

This should be the same 12 MP front camera used in the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which I managed to test in an exclusive media preview session in Singapore, and found to be significantly better than the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s front camera!

Colour Options

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus smartphones will come in four colour options:

  • Phantom Black
  • Green
  • Lavender
  • Cream

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Colour Options Compared!

Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

The Samsung Galaxy S23 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!

3,900 mAh Fast-Charging Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S23 comes with a large 3,900 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, which is 200 mAh larger than the Galaxy S22.

In addition, it also supports 45 watt fast wired charging, and 15 watt fast wireless charging.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 : Specifications!

I created this table to quickly share with you the Galaxy S23’s key specifications!

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S23
Display 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate (48~120 Hz)
– 240 Hz touch sampling rate (Game Mode)
– 1750 nits peak brightness
Protection Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (front and back)
Water Resistance IP68
OS One UI 5.1 (Android 13)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
CPU 1 x Arm Cortex-X3 core (3.36 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)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 740
Memory 8 GB
Storage Options 128 GB / 256 GB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 12 MP camera, f/2.2, 80˚ FOV
Main Cameras 50 MP camera, f/1.8, 85˚ FOV
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2, 120˚ FOV
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4, 36˚ FOV
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB Type C
S Pen No
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass
NFC Yes
Battery 3,900 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
15 watt wireless charging
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 70.9 mm wide
146.3 mm tall
7.6 mm thick
Weight 168 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 : Prices + Pre-Order Offer!

Sadly, the Samsung Galaxy S23 will be significantly more expensive than last year’s Galaxy S22!

Here are the official launch prices for the two available storage capacities.

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM3,899 (about US$914 / £742 / A$1,294 / S$1,200)
  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM4,199 (about US$984 / £799 / A$1,393 / S$1,294)

While the increased price may be disappointing, Samsung is offering some great pre-order offers:

  • you get a free upgrade to the next storage option!
  • if you buy from the Samsung Online Store, you get an RM400 e-Voucher
  • you get 30% off Samsung accessories, Samsung Care+, Galaxy tablets, Watch, and Buds earphones!
  • you get to save up to RM600 more when you trade in!

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy S23 Series : All The Leaks So Far!

Take a look at the key details and specifications that has leaked ahead of the official launch of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series smartphones!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Series : All The Leaks So Far!

Ahead of the official launch of the Galaxy S23 series, key details and specifications of Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphones have leaked!

Boosted Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

The Samsung Galaxy S23 smartphones will use 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)

Here is a quick comparison between the boosted Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC used in the Galaxy S22 series:

Specifications Galaxy S23 Series Galaxy S22 Series
Mobile SoC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU Clusters 4 3
CPU Cores 1 x Cortex-X3 (3.36 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A715 (2.8 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A710 (2.8 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A510 (2.0 GHz)
1 x Cortex-X2 (3.0 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 740 Qualcomm Adreno 730

200 MP Main Camera

Arguably the biggest upgrade in the Galaxy S23 Ultra is its new 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 will be able to combine up to 16 pixels to form a single large pixel – a pixel binning technique called Tetra2pixel.

The number of pixels binned will vary according to the photography conditions. In low-light conditions, up to 16 pixels can be combined to create a large 2.4 μm pixel, for a 12.5 MP photo.

On top of that, the new Samsung ISOCELL HP2 sensor also offers better auto-focus performance in low-light conditions through Super QPD autofocus. By using all 200 million pixels, which are physically grouped as four pixels under a single microns, the sensor can detect patterns in both vertical and horizontal directions for faster low-light focusing.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Everything Leaked So Far!

Similar Telephoto + Wide-Angle Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S23 series will reuse the same 3X and 10X zoom cameras from the Galaxy S22 series, 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.

Colour Options

The Samsung Galaxy S23 series smartphones will come in four colour options:

  • Botanic Green
  • Cotton Flower
  • Misty Lilac
  • Phantom Black

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Specifications Leaked So Far!

French specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (SM-918B) smartphone have leaked!

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Display 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
– 1440 x 3088 pixels (500 ppi)
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate (1~120 Hz)
– 1750 nits peak brightness
Protection Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (front and back)
Water Resistance IP68
OS One UI 5.1 (Android 13)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
CPU 1 x Arm Cortex-X3 core (3.36 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)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 740
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 128 GB / 256 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 12 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 200 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.7
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
10 watt wireless charging
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 78.1 mm wide
163.4 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
Weight 233 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Series : Prices + Offers Leaked So Far!

Higher Prices

This is the only dampener amongst the leaks – be prepared to pay more for the Galaxy S23 smartphones! Here are the leaked prices for Europe:

Models Variant Launch
Prices
Premium Over
S22 Models
Galaxy S23 8 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB
€949/959
€1019
+ €99/109
+ €119
Galaxy S23+ 8 GB + 256 GB
8 GB + 512 GB
€1209
€1329
+ €159
+ €229
Galaxy S23 Ultra 8 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 512 GB
€1399/1409
€1589
NA
+ €139

Pre-Order Offer

While the increased price may be disappointing, Samsung will potentially boost pre-order sales by offering a free upgrade to the next storage variant.

For example, if you pre-order the Galaxy S23 with 128 GB storage, you will get the 256 GB variant instead. This is based on a leak on the Samsung UK Business portal that states:

Pre-order from Samsung.com by 16.02.23. Operates as a price discount:

Pre-order the larger storage variant (S23 256GB, 523+ 512GB, 523 Ultra 512GB) by 16.02.23 and pay the future price of the smaller storage variant (523 128GB, S23+ 256GB, S23 Ultra 256GB).

This free upgrade will only be offered for the pre-order period, and is essentially a 10% discount on the price of the higher-capacity model.

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Everything Leaked So Far!

Take a look at the key details and specifications that has leaked ahead of the official launch of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Everything Leaked So Far!

Ahead of the official launch of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, key details and specifications of Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone have leaked!

Boosted Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will use 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)

Here is a quick comparison between the boosted Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC used in the Galaxy S22 Ultra:

Specifications Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S22 Ultra
Mobile SoC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU Clusters 4 3
CPU Cores 1 x Cortex-X3 (3.36 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A715 (2.8 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A710 (2.8 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A510 (2.0 GHz)
1 x Cortex-X2 (3.0 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 740 Qualcomm Adreno 730

200 MP Main Camera

Arguably the biggest upgrade in the Galaxy S23 Ultra is its new 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 will be able to combine up to 16 pixels to form a single large pixel – a pixel binning technique called Tetra2pixel.

The number of pixels binned will vary according to the photography conditions. In low-light conditions, up to 16 pixels can be combined to create a large 2.4 μm pixel, for a 12.5 MP photo.

On top of that, the new Samsung ISOCELL HP2 sensor also offers better auto-focus performance in low-light conditions through Super QPD autofocus. By using all 200 million pixels, which are physically grouped as four pixels under a single microns, the sensor can detect patterns in both vertical and horizontal directions for faster low-light focusing.

Similar Telephoto + Wide-Angle Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will reuse 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.

Colour Options

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphones will come in four colour options:

  • Botanic Green
  • Cotton Flower
  • Misty Lilac
  • Phantom Black

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Series : All The Leaks So Far!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Specifications Compared!

The specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (SM-918B) smartphone have leaked, and in this table, we compare it to last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra!

Specifications Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S22 Ultra
Display 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
– 1440 x 3088 pixels (500 ppi)
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate (1~120 Hz)
– 1750 nits peak brightness
Protection Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Gorilla Glass Victus+
Water Resistance IP68
Platform Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU 1 x Cortex-X3 (3.36 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A715 (2.8 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A710 (2.8 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A510 (2.0 GHz)
1 x Cortex-X2 (3.0 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)
GPU Adreno 740 Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 512 GB / 1 TB
8 GB + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 12 MP camera, f/2.2 40 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 200 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.7
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9
108 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Ultra-Wideband (UWB)
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB Type C
Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
10 watt wireless charging
Wireless PowerShare
45 watt wired charging
15 watt wireless charging
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 78.1 mm wide
163.4 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
77.9 mm wide
163.3 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
Weight 233 grams 229 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Prices + Offers Leaked So Far!

Sadly, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will be significantly more expensive than last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra!. Here are the leaked prices for Europe:

Models Variant Launch
Prices
Premium Over
S22 Models
Galaxy S23 Ultra 8 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 512 GB
€1399/1409
€1589
NA
+ €139

While the increased price may be disappointing, Samsung will potentially boost pre-order sales by offering a free upgrade to the next storage variant.

For example, if you pre-order the Galaxy S23 Ultra with 256 GB storage, you will get the 512 GB variant instead. This is based on a leak on the Samsung UK Business portal that states:

Pre-order from Samsung.com by 16.02.23. Operates as a price discount:

Pre-order the larger storage variant (S23 256GB, 523+ 512GB, 523 Ultra 512GB) by 16.02.23 and pay the future price of the smaller storage variant (523 128GB, S23+ 256GB, S23 Ultra 256GB).

This free upgrade will only be offered for the pre-order period, and is essentially a 10% discount on the price of the higher-capacity model.

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 Performance Examined!

Take a look at the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, and find out why it is a foldable computing + gaming powerhouse!

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 : Flagship Class Performance!

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 runs on the most powerful mobile SoC available for Android devices – the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.

Fabricated on the latest 4nm Samsung process technology, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 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 3.2 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.

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is a higher-binned version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC that powers the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Its Cortex-X2 prime core runs at 3.2 GHz, instead of 3 GHz, while its Adreno 730 GPU runs at 800 MHz, instead of 720 MHz.

On paper, this is about as powerful as it gets in 2022, but let’s take a look at how it actually performs!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 Battery Life + Charging Speed!

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 : Work Performance

We first tested the Galaxy Z Flip4 using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Work 3.0 Z Flip 4 Z Flip 3 S22 Ultra S21 Ultra Note20
Ultra
Mobile Platform SD 8+ Gen 1 SD 888 SD 8
Gen 1
Exynos
2100
Exynos
990
Performance Score 14429 13317 12860 12535 10523
Web Browsing 12097 11637 10442 10185 8865
Video Editing 7387 7762 7444 6336 6232
Writing 17593 15316 15471 15247 11112
Photo Editing 31762 25357 30177 37847 30789
Data Manipulation 12523 11938 9691 8310 6825

Unsurprisingly, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is about 8% faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 used in the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and the Snapdragon 888 used by the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

It’s a nice boost, but you won’t actually notice the difference. For certain, 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 Z Flip4 : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the Galaxy Z Flip4 using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark Z Flip 4 S22
Ultra
Z Flip 3 Note20
Ultra
Note
10+
Device SD 8+
Gen 1
SD 8
Gen 1
SD 888 Exynos
990
Exynos
9825
Sling Shot Unlimited 10690 11094 9248 8026 3327
Wild Life Unlimited 11144 9106 3952 4504 3288
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
2636 2220 1174 1387 528

When it comes to less strenuous games (Sling Shot), the higher-clocked Adreno 730 GPU had no effect, but when we switched to Wild Life, we saw a 19% to 22% boost in performance.

For certain, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will crush any game you throw at it, but the Galaxy Z Flip4’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 gives you more performance headroom.

It also shows that you don’t really need expensive “gaming smartphones”. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 will easily handle any game you want to play.

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy Z Flip4 using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu S22 Ultra Z Flip 4 Z Flip 3 S21 Ultra Note20
Ultra
Device SD 8 Gen 1 SD 8+ Gen 1 SD
888
Exynos
2100
Exynos
990
AnTuTu Score 889167 856357 696767 624411 522735
CPU 203090 205939 206228 166290 146783
GPU 402617 362669 242573 258995 215205
Memory 146002 135707 133586 120805 89376
UX 137458 152042 114380 78321 71371

The AnTuTu benchmark tells a slightly different story. The higher-clocked Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 pretty much performs as fast as the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – with a slight 3.7% performance difference.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 is about 23% faster than the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and a whopping 37% faster than  the Galaxy S21 Ultra!

But note that its temperature jumped by over 10°C! At peak performance, the Galaxy Z Flip4 can get quite toasty!

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 : Performance Summary

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 is a svelte smartphone when unfolded, and yet super compact when folded. You would not expect performance to be a key selling point.

In fact, I expect Samsung to tune down the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 for better battery life. But somehow, Samsung kept its performance high, while improving its battery life in the Z Flip4!

In other words – you can have your cake and eat it too. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 is not just a fashion statement in your hands, it’s a computing and gaming powerhouse in a compact form factor.

It is no surprise why the Galaxy Z Flip4 is arguably the hottest smartphone Samsung introduced in 2022!

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 comes in four colour options, as well as a special Bespoke Edition :

  • Graphite – legacy colour
  • Pink Gold – new colour
  • Blue – new colour
  • Bora Purple – their signature colour this year

These are the available models and launch prices for the Z Flip 4 :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM4,099 (about US$920 / £760 / A$1,319 / S$1,267)
  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM4,399 (about US$987 / £816 / A$1,415 / S$1,359)
  • 8 GB + 256 GB Bespoke Edition : RM4,599 (about US$1,032 / £853 / A$1,479 / S$1,421)
  • 8 GB + 512 GB : RM4,899 (about US$ 1,099 / £909 / A$1,576 / S$1,514)

The Bespoke Edition is only available on the Samsung website, and requires 3-4 weeks to deliver, as each unit is custom-made.

Here are online purchase options :

Read more : Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 : Colour Comparison!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

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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.

 

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 : What You Need To Know!

Samsung just launched the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and here is everything you need to know about its latest foldable smartphone!

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 : Evolution Of A Matured Design

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 builds upon the excellent Galaxy Z Fold 3 from last year, offering an improved version of the multitasking powerhouse.

Most of the changes are internal – a more powerful processor and an upgraded 50 MP camera. Externally, it looks very similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Hence, Samsung is focused on highlighting what you can do with its foldable design and its massive 7.6-inch Infinity Flex display, and its large 6.2-inch Cover Display.

7.6-inch Foldable Display

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 retains the Z Fold 3‘s excellent 7.6-inch Infinity Flex display, with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel that has a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1812 x 2176 pixels.

This display has an adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz, offering a balance between silky-smooth graphics and longer battery life.

6.2-inch Cover Display

In the front, it has the same 6.2-inch Cover Display with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a resolution of 904 x 2316 pixels.

This Cover Display allows you to use the Galaxy Z Fold 4 like a regular candy bar device, without flipping open its large foldable display.

Performance + Storage

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is built around the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 5G mobile platform, which makes it one of the most powerful smartphones in the world.

It comes with 12 GB of memory, and internal storage options of 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB. It only supports a single SIM card and an eSIM, with no microSD card tray, so there is no option to increase storage.

Cameras

Samsung retained the same cover camera and under-display camera as the Z Fold 3:

  • 10 MP cover camera with f/2.2 aperture
  • 4 MP under display camera with f/1.8 aperture

However, they changed the triple camera system at the back, which now consists of :

  • 50 MP wide angle camera, f/1.8 aperture
  • 12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2 aperture
  • 10 MP telephoto camera, f/2.4 aperture

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 : Specifications

Here are the key specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 smartphone :

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 5G
Main Display 7.6-inch Infinity Flex Display
Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel
1768 x 2208 pixels, 374 ppi
120 Hz refresh rate
900 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak)
Cover Display 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display
816 x 2260 pixels, 387 ppi
120 Hz refresh rate
1000 nits (HBM), 1500 nits (peak)
Gorilla Glass Victus protection
Protection IPX8 Water Resistance
No Dust Resistance
OS Android 12 with One UI 4.1.1
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 5G (SM8350)
CPU 1 x Cortex-X2 core (3.0 GHz )
3 x Cortex-A710 cores (2.5 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A510 cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory 12 GB
Storage 256 GB / 512 GB UFS 3.1
Cover Camera 10 MP camera, f/2.2 aperture
Front Camera 4 MP under-display camera (f/1.8)
Main Cameras 50 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8
10 MP 2X telephoto camera, f/2.4
12 MP ultrawide camera, f/2.2
Audio Stereo speakers tuned by AKG
Surround sound with Dolby Atmos
UHQ 32-bit and DSD64/128 support
Connectivity Network : 5G / 4G / 3G
Wi-Fi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB-C 3.2
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Side-Mounted
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Proximity, Light
GPS GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS
NFC Yes
Battery 4,400 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging Wired : 25 watt
Wireless : 11 watt
Reverse wireless : 4.5 watt
Folded
Dimensions
67.1 mm wide
155.1 mm tall
14.2 mm to 15.8 mm thick
Unfolded
Dimensions
130.1 mm wide
155.1 mm tall
6.3 mm thick
Weight 263 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 comes in three main colour options, as well as a special Burgundy colour :

  • Graygreen – their signature colour this year
  • Beige
  • Phantom Black
  • Burgundy – only available on the Samsung website

These are the available models and launch prices for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 smartphone :

  • 12 GB + 256 GB : RM6,799 (about US$1,525 / £1,262 / A$2,189 / S$2,103)
  • 12 GB + 512 GB : RM7,299 (about US$ 1,638 / £1,355 / A$2,350 / S$2,257)
  • 12 GB + 1 TB : RM8,299 (about US$ 1,862 / £1,541 / A$2,672 / S$2,567)

The Burgundy colour option, as well as the 1TB storage option, are only available on the Samsung website.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 : Colour Comparison!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Review : A Complete Package!

In our in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, we will share with you everything you need to know about this premium tablet.

Find out why we are so impressed with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet, that we gave it our Editor’s Choice Award!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Flagship Tablet

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a premium tablet built around the most powerful mobile SoC available for Android devices – the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

It boasts a massive 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display, quad AKG speakers and a large 11,200 mAh battery – all packed into a compact chassis that weighs just 726 grams!

In this review, we will check out its key features, and show you why it is really the best Android tablet you can buy in 2022!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Display 14.6-inch Super AMOLED Display
– 2960 x 1848 pixels
– 60 Hz or 120 Hz refresh rate
Protection Gorilla Glass 5 (Front + Back)
Armor Aluminium
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)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
Options
8 GB RAM + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
External Storage microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera 12 MP main camera, f/2.2
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.4
Main Cameras 12 MP main camera, f/2.0
6 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.2 Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC No
Audio Quad speakers tuned by AKG
Battery 11,200 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
Dimensions 326.4 mm wide
208.6 mm tall
5.5 mm thick
Weight 726 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Unboxing : A Complete Package

What we really like about the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 tablet is that it comes as a complete package.

Unlike competing tablets, it comes with an awesome keyboard cover and S Pen in the package. There is no need to pay extra for either. Everything you need is in the box. Well, almost everything.

Once you fully unbox it, this is what you will find inside the box :

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Book Cover Keyboard
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra S Pen
  • Set of Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 documents
  • USB Type A to Type A data and power cable
  • microSD tray ejector pin

The only thing missing is the charger. The package does not include the 45 watt power adaptor. Not even a standard 15 watt Samsung charger.

But that’s how most of the brands are rolling these days, in the name of reducing digital waste, so we won’t hold it against them.

Next Page > Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Key Features

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Key Features

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is arguably the largest and most powerful tablet you can buy in 2022, so let’s take a closer look at its key features.

14.6-inch Super AMOLED Display

This first thing that you will notice when you see the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra for the first time, is just how large and beautiful its display really is.

That is a 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display you are looking at – larger than the display on most laptops; with a WQXGA+resolution of 2960 x 1848 pixels, and support for two fixed refresh rates :

  • High : Get smoother animations and scrolling with a 120 Hz screen refresh rate
  • Standard : Get longer battery life with a 60 Hz screen refresh rate

This large, high-resolution display allows you to fit multiple windows, and open different apps at the same time, for greater productivity.

This display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and also by the bundled Keyboard Cover when it’s not in use.

Flagship Class Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 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.

Those eight processor cores are paired with a powerful Qualcomm Adreno 730 graphics processor.

Performance is not only the key advantage of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Built on the latest 4 nm process technology, it also offers lower battery consumption.

We will show you just how fast it runs in the benchmarks, and how efficient it is, later in this review.

RAM + Storage Options

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with a variety of RAM and storage options :

  • 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
  • 12 GB RAM + 256 GB / 512 GB storage
  • 16 GB RAM + 256 GB / 512 GB storage

You don’t have to worry too much about running out of storage, as it comes with a microSD card slot, allowing you to add up to 1 TB of additional storage.

Two Front Cameras

Catering to the new hybrid workspace reality today, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with two cameras in the front.

Both 12 MP cameras, one has a wider f/2.2 aperture for better low-light performance, while the other supports a wider angle – to fit more people in the same photo / video call.

Two Rear Cameras

This is a really large and hefty tablet, so you wouldn’t expect photography to be a focus. However, it still comes with two cameras at the back.

The main camera has a 12 MP sensor, with a wide f/2.0 aperture for better low-light performance.

It also comes with an ultra-wide camera at the back, but oddly enough, only with a 6 MP sensor.

Next Page > S Pen, Book Cover Keyboard, Speakers, Battery

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : S Pen, Book Cover, Speakers, Battery

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is more than just a tablet, because it comes with both an S Pen stylus, and a Book Cover Keyboard.

Ultra-Low Latency S Pen

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with a new S Pen with ultra-low latency of just 2.8 milliseconds!

This is a full-size stylus that feels like a typical pen or pencil, letting you draw and doodle with up to 4,096 pressure levels!

You can also write naturally with the S Pen, and turn your handwriting into text in Samsung Notes.

The S Pen magnetically locks onto a glass strip at the back, which acts as a recharging dock. The S Pen automatically recharges whenever you place it on this glass strip.

Don’t worry about losing it with the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, because it comes with a Book Cover Keyboard that has a special cover for the S Pen!

Book Cover Keyboard

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!

You don’t just get a full-size keyboard with the Book Cover Keyboard, you also get a large touch pad! This really gives you a laptop-like working experience.

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.

 

Quad AKG-Tuned Speakers

Another premium Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra feature that Samsung does not really speak much of is the quad speaker system tuned by AKG.

They are not only powerful, they deliver really crisp sound from this tablet. They are also positioned to radiate from both sides with the Book Cover Keyboard installed.

Large Battery

To power all that, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with a large 11,200 mAh lithium-ion battery.

It supports 45 watt fast recharging, but as pointed out earlier – it doesn’t come with any charger, so your mileage in this sense really depends on the charger you have.

In the next section, we will show you just how long this battery lasts, and how long it takes to recharge this massive battery!

Next Page > Battery Life + Recharging Speed

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Battery Life Comparison!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with a massive 11,200 mAh battery, which is more than the size of the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s battery!

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 :

Astoundingly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra only has a battery life of 6.5 hours with High refresh rate enabled, and a more acceptable 8 hours with the Standard refresh rate!

This is a slight improvement over last year’s Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. There is no doubt that its much larger 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display is a significant drain on battery life.

Let’s compare its battery life against the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone which uses the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC.

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra delivers the best battery life with the Standard refresh rate of 60 Hz.

The Tab S8 Ultra appears to use 9% more power than the Tab S7 Plus, but I have to point out that it has a 39% larger display.

Fortunately, the battery life deficit is “covered” by its 11% larger battery.

Work 3.0 S22 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Tab S7 Plus
(60 Hz)
Tab S8 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Display Size 6.8-inch 12.4-inch 14.6-inch
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 10,090 mAh 11,200 mAh
Battery Life 14 hrs 15 mins 7 hrs 55 mins 8 hrs
3 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.68 mAh 16.99 mAh 18.55 mAh

High Refresh Rate (120 Hz)

Switching on the High refresh rate of 120 Hz cut its battery life by 17.6% – almost 1.5 hours!

But the data shows that its larger 14.6-inch display only used 3.4% more power than the Tab S7 Plus.

Work 3.0 S22 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Tab S7 Plus
(120 Hz)
Tab S8 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Display Size 6.8-inch 12.4-inch 14.6-inch
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 10,090 mAh 11,200 mAh
Battery Life 10 hrs
38 mins
6 hrs
11 mins
6 hrs
38 mins
Utilisation
per min.
6.27 mAh 21.76 mAh 22.51 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Battery Recharging Speed!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 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 and tablets – something we believe most users will end up doing.

Recharging Speed Tab S8 Ultra Tab S7 Plus S22 Ultra
Display Size 14.6-inch 12.4-inch 6.8-inch
Battery Capacity 11,200 mAh 10,090 mAh 5,000 mAh
Charger Output 15 watts 15 watts 15 watts
Battery Life 86.5 mins 86 mins 64.5 mins
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
103.6 mAh 93.9 mAh 62.0 mAh

Interestingly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra recharged faster with a standard 15 watt charger, than the Tab S7 Plus or even the Galaxy S22 Ultra!

This is really good news. It means that Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra owners need not worry too much about its recharging speed with the older 15 watt chargers.

In fact, you don’t need to splurge on a new 45 watt fast charger. The Tab S8 Ultra fully recharges its massive battery from 20% to 100% in just under 1.5 hours with the standard 15 watt Samsung charger!

Next Page > Work + Gaming Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Work Performance

We first tested the Galaxy Tab S8 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 Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy Tab
S7 FE
Mobile Platform SD 888 SD 8 Gen 1 SD 8
Gen 1
SD 865+ SD
778G
Performance Score 13317 12860 12351 12348 9747
Web Browsing 11637 10442 9696 11864 7355
Video Editing 7762 7444 6194 7664 6028
Writing 15316 15471 14411 12659 10512
Photo Editing 25357 30177 31774 26230 22188
Data Manipulation 11938 9691 10449 9511 8505

Surprisingly, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Get 1 was slightly slower than the Snapdragon 888 used by the Galaxy Z Flip 3, but the difference was just 7%, 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 Tab S8 Ultra : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark Galaxy
Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Device SD 8
Gen 1
SD 8 Gen 1 SD 888 SD 865+ SD 778G
Sling Shot Unlimited 10728 11094 9248 8793 6688
Wild Life Unlimited 9838 9106 3952
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
2221 2220 1174

Look at that! The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was a head above the competition when it comes to gaming!

It was 16% to 150% faster than the Snapdragon 888, and 22% faster than the Snadragon 865+!

For certain, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will crush any game you throw at it.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Device SD 8 Gen 1 SD 8 Gen 1 SD 888 SD 865+ SD 778G
AnTuTu Score 950630 889167 696767 577726 508008
CPU 213689 203090 206228 161243 157465
GPU 417669 402617 242573 230859 155115
Memory 161903 146002 133586 98269 79972
UX 157369 137458 114380 87355 115456

The AnTuTu benchmark confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a veritable beast of a performer, beating even the very fast Galaxy Z Flip 3 by 36%.

Its GPU performance was, in particular, spectacular, delivering 72% better performance than the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and 81% better performance than the Galaxy Tab S7+!

Interestingly, it was 7% faster than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which uses the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. This is likely due to better cooling – its temperature only increased by 0.3°C, whereas the S22 Ultra’s temperature spiked by over 10°C!

Next Page > Verdict + Award, Price + Availability

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Verdict + Award

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra was meant to be the ultimate Samsung tablet for 2022, and it does not disappoint.

The display is a magnificently large and beautiful 14.6-inch Super AMOLED panel, which offers an expansive amount of space to play and work with.

Built around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – the fastest mobile SoC that exists for Android devices – you can count on the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra to easily handle anything and everything you throw at it.

It also has surprisingly good battery life – delivering over 8 hours of non-stop use at 60 Hz, and over 6.5 hours at 120 Hz; despite sporting such a large display.

It also offers very good recharging speed, even using the standard 15 watt fast charger. So you don’t really need to invest in expensive 45 watt chargers.

But beyond those hardware features, what I really like is how the Samsung offer a complete experience by bundling the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with not just the S Pen, but also the Book Cover Keyboard.

The ultra-low latency S Pen gives you the premium pen-on-paper like experience working on a tablet, while the Book Cover Keyboard gives you a laptop experience. You literally have the best of both worlds in a single box!

If you want the best-possible Android tablet money can buy, you can’t do wrong with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.

In fact, we like this premium tablet so much, we are giving it our Editor’s Choice Award!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Display 14.6-inch Super AMOLED Display
– 2960 x 1848 pixels
– 60 Hz or 120 Hz refresh rate
Protection Gorilla Glass 5 (Front + Back)
Armor Aluminium
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)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
Options
8 GB RAM + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
External Storage microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera 12 MP main camera, f/2.2
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.4
Main Cameras 12 MP main camera, f/2.0
6 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.2 Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC No
Audio Quad speakers tuned by AKG
Battery 11,200 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
Dimensions 326.4 mm wide
208.6 mm tall
5.5 mm thick
Weight 726 grams

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy A73 Performance Review!

Take a look at the performance of the Samsung Galaxy A73, and find out how well it performs against the competition!

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 : How Fast Is It?

The Samsung Galaxy A73 Ultra runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G – a premium mid-range mobile SoC announced on May 19, 2021.

Fabricated on the 6 nm process technology, the Snapdragon 778G boasts a powerful Adreno 642L GPU, as well as eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :

  • a Kryo 670 Prime core running at up to 2.4 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance Kryo 670 Gold cores running at up to 2.2 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient Kryo 670 Silver cores running at 1.8 GHz

While the Snapdragon 778G isn’t a new mobile SoC, you will be surprised by how fast it is in the Galaxy A73…

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 : Work Performance

We first tested the Galaxy A73 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
A73
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Mobile Platform SD 888 SD 8
Gen 1
SD 778G Exynos
990
SD
750G
Performance Score 13317 12860 12522 10523 7874
Web Browsing 11637 10442 11736 8865 7021
Video Editing 7762 7444 7082 6232 5693
Writing 15316 15471 14796 11112 7454
Photo Editing 25357 30177 26340 30789 15812
Data Manipulation 11938 9691 9502 6825 6424

Amazingly, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G is as fast as the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in work applications!

When it comes to basic stuff like web browsing, video and photo editing, the Galaxy A73 is as fast as the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and 19% faster than the Galaxy Note20 Ultra!

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the Galaxy A73 using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy Z
Flip 3
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A73
Galaxy
Note10+
Device SD 8
Gen 1
SD 888 Exynos
990
SD 778G Exynos
9825
Sling Shot Unlimited 11094 9248 8026 6620 3327
Wild Life Unlimited 9106 3952 4504 2487 3288
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
2220 1174 1387 689 528

For older / simpler 3D games, the Sling Shot benchmark showed that the Snapdragon 778G was only 17.5% slower than the Exynos 990, but 40% slower than the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

But when it came to more strenuous games, flagship smartphones like Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 were 2X to 3X faster than the Galaxy A73.

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy A73 using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy A73 Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Device SD 8 Gen 1 SD 888 SD 778G Exynos
990
SD 750G
AnTuTu Score 889167 696767 523209 522735 341908
CPU 203090 206228 159238 146783 105098
GPU 402617 242573 159364 215205 88068
Memory 146002 133586 88705 89376 60642
UX 137458 114380 115902 71371 88100

The AnTuTu benchmark confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy A73 is really quite a powerful smartphone, matching the performance of the Galaxy Note20 Ultra.

Even though Galaxy A73 costs less than half that of the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip 3, it was only 41% and 25% slower.

The Snapdragon 778G also ran cool, increasing its temperature by just 1.2°C. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, in comparison, saw its temperature jumped by over 10°C in the same test!

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 : Performance Summary

The Galaxy A73 is the premium mid-range Samsung smartphone for 2022, and it does not disappoint.

Built around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, it offers excellent work performance, equivalent to the best flagship smartphones for basic tasks as well as photo and video editing.

Its gaming performance is not flagship-class, as the benchmarks show, but it was no slouch. It will readily handle most games just fine, even AAA games.

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 Colour + Availability!

Here in Malaysia, the Galaxy A73 smartphone is available in three colour options :

  • Awesome White
  • Awesome Mint
  • Awesome Gray

There is only one variant, at this price point :

  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM 2,099 (about US$499 / £379 / A$679 / S$679)

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Performance Review!

Take a look at the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, and find out how well this ultra-premium tablet performs!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Flagship Class Performance!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra runs on the most powerful mobile SoC available for Android devices – the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

Fabricated on the latest 4nm Samsung process technology, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 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 2.5 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.8 GHz.

On paper, this is about as powerful as it gets in 2022, but let’s take a look at how it actually performs!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Work Performance

We first tested the Galaxy Tab S8 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 Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy Tab
S7 FE
Mobile Platform SD 888 SD 8 Gen 1 SD 8
Gen 1
SD 865+ SD
778G
Performance Score 13317 12860 12351 12348 9747
Web Browsing 11637 10442 9696 11864 7355
Video Editing 7762 7444 6194 7664 6028
Writing 15316 15471 14411 12659 10512
Photo Editing 25357 30177 31774 26230 22188
Data Manipulation 11938 9691 10449 9511 8505

Surprisingly, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Get 1 was slightly slower than the Snapdragon 888 used by the Galaxy Z Flip 3, but the difference was just 7%, 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 Tab S8 Ultra : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark Galaxy
Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Device SD 8
Gen 1
SD 8 Gen 1 SD 888 SD 865+ SD 778G
Sling Shot Unlimited 10728 11094 9248 8793 6688
Wild Life Unlimited 9838 9106 3952
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
2221 2220 1174

Look at that! The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was a head above the competition when it comes to gaming!

It was 16% to 150% faster than the Snapdragon 888, and 22% faster than the Snadragon 865+!

For certain, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will crush any game you throw at it.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Device SD 8 Gen 1 SD 8 Gen 1 SD 888 SD 865+ SD 778G
AnTuTu Score 950630 889167 696767 577726 508008
CPU 213689 203090 206228 161243 157465
GPU 417669 402617 242573 230859 155115
Memory 161903 146002 133586 98269 79972
UX 157369 137458 114380 87355 115456

The AnTuTu benchmark confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a veritable beast of a performer, beating even the very fast Galaxy Z Flip 3 by 36%.

Its GPU performance was, in particular, spectacular, delivering 72% better performance than the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and 81% better performance than the Galaxy Tab S7+!

Interestingly, it was 7% faster than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which uses the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. This is likely due to better cooling – its temperature only increased by 0.3°C, whereas the S22 Ultra’s temperature spiked by over 10°C!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Performance Summary

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra was meant to be the ultimate Samsung tablet 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 Tab S8 Ultra to easily handle anything and everything you throw at it.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > MobileTech ARP

 

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Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy A73 Battery Life + Recharging Speed!

Take a look at the Samsung Galaxy A73 smartphone’s battery recharging speed, and find out how its two refresh rate options affect its battery life!

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 : Refresh Rate Options Affect Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy A73 smartphone offers two refresh rate options (Settings > Display > Motion smoothness) :

  • High : Get smoother animations and scrolling with a 120 Hz screen refresh rate
  • Standard : Get longer battery life with a 60 Hz screen refresh rate

You may think that this is similar to the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 120 Hz display, but you would be wrong.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has an Adaptive mode that dynamically refreshes between 1 Hz and 120 Hz for better battery life.

The 120 Hz refresh rate option in the Galaxy A73 is fixed at 120 Hz. This guarantees you an ultra-smooth 120 Hz refresh rate all the time, at the expense of battery life.

In the next section, we will look at how the two refresh rate options affect the Galaxy A73 smartphone’s battery life.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Review : Our Editor’s Choice!
Read more : Samsung Galaxy A73 Unboxing + Hands-On Preview!

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 : Battery Life Comparison!

The Samsung Galaxy A73 comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, which is the same size as the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s battery!

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 :

Look at that! The Samsung Galaxy A73 has a long battery life of 10.75 hours with High refresh rate enabled, and lasts 13 hours with the Standard refresh rate!

That means it has the same battery life as the Galaxy S22 Ultra with the 120 Hz refresh rate, but one hour shorter battery life at 60 Hz.

That’s the advantage of the S22 Ultra’s more efficient 4nm processor, but then again – the S22 Ultra costs a lot more than the A73!

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy A73 delivers the best battery life with the Standard refresh rate of 60 Hz, offering just over 13 hours of non-stop use.

The Galaxy A73 consumed 13% less power than the S21 Ultra, but 9% more power than the S22 Ultra.

Work 3.0 S22 Ultra
(60 Hz)
A73 (60 Hz) S21 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Display Size 6.8-inch 6.7-inch 6.8-inch
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh
Battery Life 14 hrs 15 mins 13 hrs 4 mins 11 hrs 22 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.68 mAh 5.10 mAh 5.87 mAh

High Refresh Rate (120 Hz)

Switching on the High refresh rate of 120 Hz cut its battery life by 18% – almost 2.5 hours!

But Galaxy A73 has pretty much the same battery life as the S22 Ultra, and last year’s S21 Ultra.

Work 3.0 A73 (120 Hz) S22 Ultra
(120 Hz)
S21 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Display Size 6.7-inch 6.8-inch 6.8-inch
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh
Battery Life 10 hrs 42 mins 10 hrs 38 mins 10 hrs 26 mins
Utilisation
per min.
6.23 mAh 6.27 mAh 6.39 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 : Battery Recharging Speed!

The Samsung Galaxy A73 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 and tablets – something we believe most users will end up doing.

Recharging Speed S21 Ultra S22 Ultra A73
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh
Charger Output 25 watts 15 watts 15 watts
Battery Life 64 minutes 64.5 minutes 85 minutes
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
62.5 mAh 62.0 mAh 47.0 mAh

Despite having the same capacity battery as the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and using the same recycled 15 watt charger, the Galaxy A73 recharged about 25% slower.

That shows that even though their batteries have the same capacities, they are built differently, allowing for faster charging on the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

That said – the Galaxy A73 was no slouch, taking less than 1.5 hours to fully recharge from 20% to 100%.

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 Colour + Availability!

Here in Malaysia, the Galaxy A73 smartphone is available in three colour options :

  • Awesome White
  • Awesome Mint
  • Awesome Gray

It will be offered in only one variant, at this price point :

  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM 2,099 (about US$499 / £379 / A$679 / S$679)

Here are some online purchase options :

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > MobileTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

HUAWEI P50 + P50 Pro Deals For Malaysia!

The HUAWEI P50 is now available for pre-order in Malaysia, and the P50 Pro is now cheaper!

Take a look at the HUAWEI P50 and P50 Pro deals for Malaysia!

 

HUAWEI P50 + P50 Pro : Ultimate Photography Smartphones

The P50 and P50 Pro are HUAWEI’s latest photography-oriented P-series flagship smartphones. Let’s take a quick look at their key features!

True-Chroma Displays

The HUAWEI P50 Pro comes with a large 6.6-inch True-Chroma display, with a resolution of 1228 x 2700 pixels. The P50 has a slightly smaller 6.5-inch True-Chroma display, with the same resolution.

They both use an OLED panel with a wide P3 colour gamut, with a higher maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz (P50 Pro) or 90 Hz (P50), and a maximum touch sampling rate of 300 MHz.

These True-Chroma displays also boast a 1440 Hz PWM dimming control, to reduce eyestrain, and allow for comfortable viewing experience in low-light conditions.

Protected From Water!

Both HUAWEI P50 and P50 Pro smartphones are IP68 water-resistant, so they are safe from water splashes and immersion in up to 1.5 metres of water for up to 30 minutes.

Flagship Performance!

Both HUAWEI P50 and P50 Pro smartphones are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G mobile SoC, which is kept cool by a 3D Graphene Liquid Cooling System.

Cameras Delight!

Both HUAWEI P50 and P50 Pro smartphones come with a 13 MP punch hole camera in the front. It has a decent f/2.4 aperture.

The HUAWEI P50 Pro’s key selling point is its massive quad camera setup that consists of :

  • a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
  • a 40 MP monochrome camera, with f/1.6 aperture,
  • a 64 MP 3.5X periscope telephoto camera, with f/3.5 aperture, and
  • a 13 MP wide-angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture.

The 40 MP monochrome camera complements the 50 MP camera by adding detail to the images it captures – what HUAWEI calls XD Optics with enhanced XD Fusion Pro technology.

The HUAWEI P50 has a triple camera setup that consists of :

  • a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
  • a 12 MP 3.5X periscope telephoto camera, with f/3.4 aperture, and
  • a 13 MP wide-angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture.

66W HUAWEI SuperCharge Capable Battery!

Both smartphones support 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge technology for really fast charging, while the Pro version also supports 50 watt wireless charging, as well as Wireless PowerShare.

Stereo Speakers With Histen Technology

Both smartphones come with stereo speakers, with HUAWEI Histen technology which allows you to customise sound effects for different scenarios.

 

HUAWEI P50 + P50 Pro : Specifications Compared!

Specifications HUAWEI P50 Pro HUAWEI P50
Display 6.6-inch OLED 6.5-inch OLED
Display Resolution 1228 x 2700 pixels
Display
Features
120 Hz refresh rate
300 Hz touch sampling rate
1440 Hz PWM dimming
90 Hz refresh rate
300 Hz touch sampling rate
1440 Hz PWM dimming
Water Resistance IP68
OS EMUI 12
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G
CPU 1 x Kryo 680 Prime core (2.84 GHz)
3 x Kryo 680 Gold cores (2.42 GHz)
4 x Kryo 680 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 660
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 512 GB
8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 13 MP camera (f/2.4)
Main Cameras 50 MP OIS main camera, f/1.8
40 MP B/W camera, f/1.6
64 MP telephoto camera, f/3.5
13 MP wide-angle camera, f/2.2
50 MP OIS main camera, f/1.8
13 MP wide-angle camera, f/2.2
12 MP telephoto camera, f/3.4
Connectivity Network : 4G / 3G
Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, In-Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity,
Compass, Barometer, Colour Spectrum
GPS GPS, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS
NFC Yes
Battery 4,360 mAh Li-Po battery 4,100 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 66 watt wired
50 watt wireless
Wireless PowerShare
66 watt wired
Dimensions 72.8 mm wide
158.8 mm tall
8.5 mm thick
73.8 mm wide
156.5 mm tall
7.92 mm thick
Weight 195 grams 181 grams

 

HUAWEI P50 + P50 Pro : Colour Comparison

The HUAWEI P50 is available in the Golden Black and Cocoa Gold colours, while the Pro version is available in Silver Blue, Golden Black and Cocoa Gold colours.

Prior to launch, HUAWEI only provided us access to the Golden Black and Cocoa Gold colour options. Take a look at this colour comparison, and tell us which colour you prefer!

 

HUAWEI P50 + P50 Pro : Price + Deals

The HUAWEI P50 is priced at RM 2,999 (about US$682 / £546 / A$962 / S$935), with pre-order freebies of worth RM1,000 :

  • HUAWEI FreeBuds Lipstick
  • HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS) Rewards

The HUAWEI P50 Pro was originally priced at RM 4,199, but was just reduced to RM 3,699 (about US$842 / £674 / A$1,186 / S$1,153). Every purchase will come with a free HUAWEI Band 6 worth RM219!

Here are some online purchase options for your convenience :

HUAWEI P50

HUAWEI P50

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 Pre-Order Details For Malaysia!

HUAWEI just launched the Mate Xs 2 foldable smartphone in Malaysia! Here is what you need to know!

 

HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 Coming Soon To Malaysia!

The HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 was just launched in Malaysia, and will be here shortly! Here is what you need to know about HUAWEI’s latest flagship foldable smartphone!

Ultra-Thin, Ultra-Flat Foldable Device!

The HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 uses industry-first lightweight materials to achieve a lighter and thinner body that only weighs 255 g and just 5.4 mm thick.

Thanks to its New Falcon Wing Design, the HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 offers an ultra-flat form factor for a foldable smartphone. Using the industry’s first Double-rotating Falcon Wing Hinge, the hinge’s movement and screen are precisely synchronised through the fixed-length linkage control.

Tougher Foldable Smartphone!

The HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 employs their first 3D Fibreglass Design, giving it excellent strength and fracture toughness.

It also adopts the industry’s first Composite Screen, as well as unspecified high-performance materials, offering a shock absorption barrier that protects against drops, crushing or impact.

True-Chroma Camera System

The HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 features a new True-Chroma Camera System that comprises of :

  • a 50MP True-Chroma camera,
  • a 13 MP ultra-wide angle camera, and
  • an 8 MP telephoto camera.

Its cameras uses the HUAWEI XD Fusion Pro True-Chroma Image Engine to capture true-to-life colours in P3 full colour gamut, together with the 10-channel Multi-Spectrum Sensor.

Smart Multi-Window

The HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 offers an improved interactive experience, thanks to the new dynamic folding visual effect and upgraded Smart Multi-Window capability.

Its Split-screen Function lets you maximise its large display with multitasking capabilities, enabling collaboration and interaction between different apps.

You can use two apps in parallel, and it even comes with a Swipe Gesture for easier access and control of floating windows.

66W HUAWEI SuperCharge!

The HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 features the new 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge capability, letting you recharge its battery to 90% in just 30 minutes!

In addition to the higher power input, its battery has a parallel charging structure to allow for 15% faster charging speed for its slim 4600 mAh battery!

 

HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 Specifications In Malaysia

Specifications HUAWEI Mate Xs 2
Display OLED panel
– 6.5 inches folded, 1176 x 2480 pixels
– 7.8 inches unfolded, 2200 x 2480 pixels
– up to 120 Hz refresh rate
– up to 240 Hz touch sampling rate
– 1440 Hz PWM dimming
Protection NA
OS EMUI 12
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G
CPU 1 x Kryo 680 Prime core (2.84 GHz)
3 x Kryo 680 Gold cores (2.42 GHz)
4 x Kryo 680 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 660
Memory + Storage 8 GB RAM + 512 GB
External Storage NM Card (up to 256 GB)
Front Camera 10.7 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 50 MP True-Chroma camera, f/1.8
13 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
8 MP telephoto camera, f/2.4 OIS
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.1Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Gravity, Infrared, Hall, Barometric,
Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient Light,
Proximity, Colour Temperature
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC Yes
Audio HUAWEI Histen
Battery 4,600 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 66 watt wired charging
Folded
Dimensions
75.5 mm wide
156.5 mm tall
11 mm thick
Unfolded
Dimensions
139.3 mm wide
156.5 mm tall
5.4 mm to 11 mm thick
Weight 255 grams

 

HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 Colour + Pre-Order Details For Malaysia!

HUAWEI is offering the Mate Xs 2 in two colour options – Black, with crosshatch leather texture, and White, with a natural leather texture.

It will retail for RM 7,999 – about US$1,822 / £1,450 / A$2,570 / S$2,500.

Those who pre-order the HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 from 3 June to 23 June, 2022 will receive freebies worth RM1,400!

  • HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro smartwatch
  • Exclusive HUAWEI Mobile Services rewards

So make sure you grab one during the pre-order!

 

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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.

 

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How To Setup Your Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Tablet!

In this guide, we will show you how to setup your new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra for the first time!

 

How To Setup Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : A Video Guide!

We have the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet with us, and soon you will get yours too.

Let us show you how to setup the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra for the first time, as a new device!

The process is very easy as our video shows, so you will be able to enjoy using it within minutes!

 

How To Setup Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Step-By-Step Instructions

It is very easy to setup the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra as a new device.

This should take no more than 10 minutes, will be much longer if you are transferring data from an older tablet.

  1. Press the Power button to start up your Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet.
    It will take 23 seconds to boot up for the first time.
  2. Click Start to begin the setup process.
  3. The first thing you need to do is select a language.
  4. Next, you will need to select your country or region.
  5. Then, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra will reboot – a process that takes about 32 seconds.
  6. After it boots up again, you will be asked to agree to the EULA (End User Licence Agreement) and the Privacy Policy.
    You can skip sending Samsung your Diagnostic Data.
  7. In the next screen, you will have the opportunity to turn off certain Samsung apps and services.
    These are all key features that will greatly impact your use of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, so I recommend that you leave them all enabled.
  8. Next, you will be allowed to log into your Wi-Fi network for Internet connectivity.
    Select your Wi-Fi network and key in the password to connect.
  9. Once your Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra connects to the Wi-Fi network, it will automatically look for updates, and prepare the device.
    It can take a few minutes to finish, so don’t fret.
  10. Next, you will be given the option to transfer apps and data from your old tablet.
    This is a long process, which you can do now, or do it later after setting up the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.
    To do it later, or set it up as a new device, simply click on Don’t copy.
  11. Now you will be asked to log into your Google Account, or create a new one.
    To skip for now and do it after setting up the tablet, click on Skip.
    But you will lose access to certain Google services until you log in.
  12. Next, you will be given the option of disabling certain Google services.
    Generally, I would recommend leaving them enabled, except sending Google your usage and diagnostic data.
  13. Now you will be asked to protect your Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra by selecting a preferred login method – Face recognition, Fingerprint, Pattern, PIN or Password.
  14. If you select the Face Recognition or Fingerprint option, you will need to select a secure screen lock method using Pattern, PIN or Password.
  15. Next, you will need to go through the Face Recognition / Fingerprint training process
  16. After that, you will be asked to log into your Samsung account, or create a new one.
    To skip for now and do it after setting up the tablet, click on Skip.
    But you will lose access to certain Samsung services until you log in.

That’s it! You have successfully setup the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra as a new device! Enjoy!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review : Tech ARP Editor’s Choice!

Samsung recently sent us the new Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone, and here is our comprehensive review!

Find out why the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra won our Editor’s Choice Award!

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy S22 Ultra in four colour options – Burgundy, Green, Phantom Black and Phantom White.

I had the opportunity to attend an exclusive Samsung preview event, to check out all four colours for ourselves.

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.

Here in Malaysia, it is available starting 10 February 2022 in three variants, at these price points :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM 5,099 (about US$1,219 / £899 / A$1,699 / S$1,629)
  • 12 GB + 256 GB : RM 5,499 (about US$1,314 / £969 / A$1,829 / S$1,759)
  • 12 GB + 512 GB : RM 5,899 (about US$1,409 / £1,039 / A$1,959 / S$1,889)

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Key Features

 

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Key Features

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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Battery + Charging

 

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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.

Work 3.0 S22 Ultra
(120 Hz)
S21 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Z Flip 3
(120 Hz)
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,300 mAh
Battery Life 10 hrs
38 mins
10 hrs
26 mins
6 hrs
44 mins
Utilisation
per min.
6.27 mAh 6.39 mAh 6.53 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Battery Recharging Speed!

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!

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Work Performance

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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Video Performance

 

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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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Photography

 

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Photography Capability

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.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Summary + Award

 

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Summary + Award

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!

 

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Display 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate
– 240 Hz touch sampling (Game Mode)
– 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut
– 1750 nits peak brightness
– 3 million:1 contrast ratio
Protection Gorilla Glass Victus+ (front and back)
Water Resistance IP68
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 (2.5 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A510 cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 40 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 108 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
15 watt wireless charging
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 77.9 mm wide
163.3 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
Weight 229 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy S22 Ultra in four colour options – Burgundy, Green, Phantom Black and Phantom White.

I had the opportunity to attend an exclusive Samsung preview event, to check out all four colours for ourselves.

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.

Here in Malaysia, it is available starting 10 February 2022 in three variants, at these price points :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM 5,099 (about US$1,219 / £899 / A$1,699 / S$1,629)
  • 12 GB + 256 GB : RM 5,499 (about US$1,314 / £969 / A$1,829 / S$1,759)
  • 12 GB + 512 GB : RM 5,899 (about US$1,409 / £1,039 / A$1,959 / S$1,889)

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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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.

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Battery Life + Recharging Speed!

Take a look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra’s battery recharging speed, and how its two refresh rate options affect its battery life!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Two Refresh Rate Options

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet offers two refresh rate options (Settings > Display > Motion smoothness) :

  • High : Get smoother animations and scrolling with a 120 Hz screen refresh rate
  • Standard : Get longer battery life with a 60 Hz screen refresh rate

You may think that this is similar to the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 120 Hz display, but you would be wrong.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra has an Adaptive mode that dynamically refreshes between 1 Hz and 120 Hz for better battery life.

The 120 Hz refresh rate option in the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is fixed at 120 Hz. This guarantees you an ultra-smooth 120 Hz refresh rate all the time, at the expense of battery life.

In the next section, we will look at how the two refresh rate options affect the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra’s battery life.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Hands-On Experience!
Read more : Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Unboxing : What’s Inside?

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Battery Life Comparison!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with a massive 11,200 mAh battery, which is more than the size of the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s battery!

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 :

Astoundingly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra only has a battery life of 6.5 hours with High refresh rate enabled, and a more acceptable 8 hours with the Standard refresh rate!

This is a slight improvement over last year’s Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. There is no doubt that its much larger 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display is a significant drain on battery life.

Let’s compare its battery life against the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone which uses the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC.

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra delivers the best battery life with the Standard refresh rate of 60 Hz.

The Tab S8 Ultra appears to use 9% more power than the Tab S7 Plus, but I have to point out that it has a 39% larger display.

Fortunately, the battery life deficit is “covered” by its 11% larger battery.

Work 3.0 S22 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Tab S7 Plus
(60 Hz)
Tab S8 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Display Size 6.8-inch 12.4-inch 14.6-inch
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 10,090 mAh 11,200 mAh
Battery Life 14 hrs 15 mins 7 hrs 55 mins 8 hrs
3 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.68 mAh 16.99 mAh 18.55 mAh

High Refresh Rate (120 Hz)

Switching on the High refresh rate of 120 Hz cut its battery life by 17.6% – almost 1.5 hours!

But the data shows that its larger 14.6-inch display only used 3.4% more power than the Tab S7 Plus.

Work 3.0 S22 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Tab S7 Plus
(120 Hz)
Tab S8 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Display Size 6.8-inch 12.4-inch 14.6-inch
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 10,090 mAh 11,200 mAh
Battery Life 10 hrs
38 mins
6 hrs
11 mins
6 hrs
38 mins
Utilisation
per min.
6.27 mAh 21.76 mAh 22.51 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Battery Recharging Speed!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 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 and tablets – something we believe most users will end up doing.

Recharging Speed Tab S8 Ultra Tab S7 Plus S22 Ultra
Display Size 14.6-inch 12.4-inch 6.8-inch
Battery Capacity 11,200 mAh 10,090 mAh 5,000 mAh
Charger Output 15 watts 15 watts 15 watts
Battery Life 86.5 mins 86 mins 64.5 mins
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
103.6 mAh 93.9 mAh 62.0 mAh

Interestingly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra recharged faster with a standard 15 watt charger, than the Tab S7 Plus or even the Galaxy S22 Ultra!

This is really good news. It means that Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra owners need not worry too much about its recharging speed with the older 15 watt chargers.

In fact, you don’t need to splurge on a new 45 watt fast charger. The Tab S8 Ultra fully recharges its massive battery from 20% to 100% in just under 1.5 hours with the standard 15 watt Samsung charger!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy A73 Unboxing + Hands-On Preview!

Samsung just sent us their new Galaxy A73 smartphone, and here is our unboxing and hands-on preview!

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 : What’s Inside The Box!

Samsung just launched their Galaxy A73 mid-range smartphone, which boasts a 108 MP quad-camera system and a large Super AMOLED+ display, at an affordable price point!

They sent one to us to review, so let’s take a look at the box, and see what we find inside!

Once you fully unbox it, this is what you will find :

  • Samsung Galaxy A73 5G smartphone
  • Set of Galaxy A73 documents
  • Type C to Type C USB data and power cable
  • SIM tray extractor pin

Unfortunately, Samsung did not include a 25 watt charger, and the Type C to Type C cable will only support the newer Samsung chargers.

If you have the older Samsung charger, you will need to reuse the old Type A to Type C cable, or buy a new cable.

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 : Key Features!

Now, let’s take a closer look at the Samsung Galaxy A73’s key features, as well as our hands-on experience video!

6.7-inch Super AMOLED+ Display

The Samsung Galaxy A73 comes with a large 6.7-inch Super AMOLED+ display.

It has a Full HD+ resolution, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz!

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy A73 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, which has a triple-tier CPU architecture :

  • a Kryo 670 Prime core running at up to 2.4 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance Kryo 670 Gold cores running at up to 2.2 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient Kryo 670 Silver cores running at 1.8 GHz

It also comes with a Qualcomm Adreno 642L GPU running at 490 MHz.

Memory + Storage Options

The Samsung Galaxy A73 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of internal flash storage.

The memory capacity can be expanded through the RAM Plus feature, while storage can be expanded through a microSD card (up to 1 TB).

Cameras Galore!

The Samsung Galaxy A73 is targeted at those who love to take photos and videos.

In the front, it has a 32 MP camera with an 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 with f/1.8 aperture
  • a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture
  • a 5 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a 5 MP depth camera with f/2.4 aperture

IP67 Dust + Water-Resistance!

You will also love the fact that the Galaxy A73 is IP67-rated for dust and water-resistance! That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1 metre of fresh water for up to 30 minutes!

Battery + Charging

The Samsung Galaxy A73 comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, that supports up to 25 watts of fast charging.

The only downside – Samsung is not providing the 25 watt charger in-the-box.

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy A73
Display 6.7-inch Super AMOLED+
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate
Protection IP67
OS One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
CPU 1 x Kryo 670 Prime core (2.4 GHz)
3 x Kryo 670 Gold cores (2.2 GHz)
4 x Kryo 670 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 642L (490 MHz)
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage microSDXC
Front Camera 32 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 108 MP OIS camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
5 MP macro camera, f/2.4
5 MP depth camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic,
Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 25 watt wired charging
Dimensions 76.1 mm wide
163.7 mm tall
7.6 mm thick
Weight 181 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 Colour + Availability!

Here in Malaysia, the Galaxy A73 smartphone is available in three colour options :

  • Awesome White
  • Awesome Mint
  • Awesome Gray

It will be offered in only one variant, at this price point :

  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM 2,099 (about US$499 / £379 / A$679 / S$679)

Here are some online purchase options :

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Hands-On Experience!

Here is our hands-on look at the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet, its new low-latency S Pen and its Book Cover Keyboard!

Find out why this tablet will offer you a 2-in-1 laptop-like experience!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra + S Pen : Hands-On Experience!

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)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
Options
8 GB RAM + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
External Storage microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera 12 MP main camera, f/2.2
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.4
Main Cameras 12 MP main camera, f/2.0
6 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.2 Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC No
Audio Quad speakers tuned by AKG
Battery 11,200 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
Dimensions 326.4 mm wide
208.6 mm tall
5.5 mm thick
Weight 726 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Unboxing : What’s Inside?

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!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Unboxing : What’s Inside?

Samsung just sent us the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, which comes in a large and hefty box, with two security stickers.

Please check the label to make sure you have the right device, and that the two security stickers are intact.

Now, let’s take a look at the box, and see what we find inside!

Once you fully unbox it, this is what you will find inside the box :

  • Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet
  • Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra keyboard cover
  • Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra S Pen
  • Set of Galaxy Tab S8 documents
  • USB Type A to Type A data and power cable
  • microSD tray ejector pin

Unfortunately, the package does not include the 45 watt power adaptor, not even the standard 15 watt Samsung charger.

 

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)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
Options
8 GB RAM + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
External Storage microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera 12 MP main camera, f/2.2
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.4
Main Cameras 12 MP main camera, f/2.0
6 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.2 Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC No
Audio Quad speakers tuned by AKG
Battery 11,200 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
Dimensions 326.4 mm wide
208.6 mm tall
5.5 mm thick
Weight 726 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Tab S8 Ultra in four RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Performance Examined!

Take a look at the performance of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and find out how well it performs against the competition!

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Flagship Class Performance!

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra runs on the most powerful mobile SoC available for Android devices – the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

Fabricated on the latest 4nm Samsung process technology, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 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 2.5 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.8 GHz.

On paper, this is about as powerful as it gets in 2022, but let’s take a look at how it actually performs!

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Work Performance

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 Gen 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 certain, 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 confirmed 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 : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy S22 Ultra in four colour options – Burgundy, Green, Phantom Black and Phantom White.

I had the opportunity to attend an exclusive Samsung preview event, to check out all four colours for ourselves.

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.

Here in Malaysia, it is available starting 10 February 2022 in three variants, at these price points :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM 5,099 (about US$1,219 / £899 / A$1,699 / S$1,629)
  • 12 GB + 256 GB : RM 5,499 (about US$1,314 / £969 / A$1,829 / S$1,759)
  • 12 GB + 512 GB : RM 5,899 (about US$1,409 / £1,039 / A$1,959 / S$1,889)

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

vivo Y33T Smartphone Preview : What You Need To Know!

The new vivo Y33T smartphone is here, offering great features at an incredibly affordable price point!

Find out if the vivo Y33T is what you have been waiting for!

 

vivo Y33T Smartphone : What You Need To Know!

The new vivo Y33T is targeted at the youth, offering an all-rounder device with a fast processor, a sleek design and great photographic capabilities at a great price point.

Those are some of the most important characteristics many consumers are looking for in their smartphones during the pandemic.

6.58-inch Display

The vivo Y33T comes with a massive 6.58-inch display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2408 pixels.

Its display panel has a 90 Hz refresh rate, and boasts a wide colour gamut of 96% NTSC.

High-Performance Mobile SoC

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 is a mid-range mobile SoC, manufactured on the 6 nm process, offering

  • four high-performance Kryo 265 Gold (A75) cores running at up to 2.4 GHz,
  • four power-efficient Kryo 265 Silver (A55) cores running at up to 1.8 GHz, and
  • an Adreno GPU to accelerate 2D and 3G graphics

It also features the vivo Multi-Turbo 5.0 software that intelligently optimises network connectivity, processor speed, and power usage to keep it running cool at optimal performance.

RAM + Storage

The vivo Y33T comes with 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory, with an additional 4 GB of extended RAM, giving up to 12 GB of RAM – more than enough to handle multiple memory-hungry games and apps at the same time!

There’s also no need to worry about storage. Its fast UFS 2.1 internal flash memory has a capacity of 128 GB – enough for a multitude of games and apps.

And if you run out, you can top up storage through a microSD card – up to 1 terabyte!

16 MP Selfie Camera

When it comes to photography, the vivo Y33T offers great selfie shots from its 16 MP front camera, with a wide f/2.0 aperture for great selfies even in low light conditions.

The front camera automatically focuses on your eye area, to ensure that you are always in focus; with software enhancements to deliver a natural portrait look.

You can also opt for Multi-Style Portrait to create portraits in a variety of distinct styles!

50 MP Triple-Camera System

In the back, it has a 50 MP main camera with a wide f/1.8 aperture, together with an 2 MP bokeh camera, and a 2 MP macro camera for really close-up shots (as close as 4 cm).

The main camera supports Super Night Mode, combining multiple night shots into one photo with incredible clarity.

Large Fast Charging Battery

To power all that, the Y33T comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, which gives you a full day of usage and then some!

On top of that, the Y33T also supports reverse charging, letting you recharge your other mobile devices!

 

vivo Y33T : Specifications

Specifications vivo Y33T
Display 6.58-inch Display
– 1080 x 2408 pixels
– 90 Hz refresh rate
– 96% NTSC colour gamut
OS Funtouch OS 12 (Android 12)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 680
CPU 4 x Kryo 265 Gold cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x Kryo 265 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 610 (845 MHz)
Memory 8 GB LPDDR4X +
4 GB Extended RAM 2.0
Storage 128 GB UFS 2.1
External Storage microSD (up to 1 TB)
Front Camera 16 MP camera, f/2.0
Main Cameras 50 MP main camera, f/1.8
2 MP macro camera, f/2.4
2 MP depth camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Side Mounted
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Light, Proximity, E-compass
GPS GPS, Beidou, Glonass,
Galileo, QZSS
NFC No
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 18 watt wired charging
Supports reverse charging
Dimensions 76.08 mm wide
164.26 mm tall
8.0 mm thick
Weight 182 grams

 

vivo Y33T : Three Colour Options

The vivo Y33T is available in three colour options. From left to right, they are Mirror Black, Midday Dream, and Starry Gold!

Mirror Black features their latest double-layer coating technique, which intertwines black the elegant shade of black with a glossy sheen.

Midday Dream features an embossed AG texture with a frosted feel, and a liquid crystal coating that is fingerprint smear resistant.

Starry Gold features newly-upgraded fluorite glitter texture, with nano-grade gradient colour plating technology that creates a frosted golden surface with shiny lines.

Do let us know which you prefer!

 

vivo Y33T : Price, Availability + Deals!

The vivo Y33T has a launch price of only RM999 – approximately US$237 / £180 / A$310 / S$322.

For a limited time, every purchase will come with 1-year extended warranty worth RM159 from now until 17 April 2022!

If you like the vivo Y33T, make sure you grab it on the official vivo store!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

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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.

 

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Samsung Galaxy A73 : Exclusive Hands-On Preview!

We recently had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy A73 that was just launched, and here is our hands-on preview!

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 with 108 MP Quad Camera System!

Samsung just launched their Galaxy A73 mid-range smartphone, which boasts a 108 MP quad-camera system!

We had the exclusive opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Galaxy A73 smartphone recently, and here is our hands-on video experience!

6.7-inch Super AMOLED+ Display

The Samsung Galaxy A73 comes with a large 6.7-inch Super AMOLED+ display.

It has a Full HD+ resolution, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz!

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy A73 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, which has a triple-tier CPU architecture :

  • a Kryo 670 Prime core running at up to 2.4 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance Kryo 670 Gold cores running at up to 2.2 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient Kryo 670 Silver cores running at 1.8 GHz

It also comes with a Qualcomm Adreno 642L GPU running at 490 MHz.

Memory + Storage Options

The Samsung Galaxy A73 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of internal flash storage.

The memory capacity can be expanded through the RAM Plus feature, while storage can be expanded through a microSD card (up to 1 TB).

Cameras Galore!

The Samsung Galaxy A73 is targeted at those who love to take photos and videos.

In the front, it has a 32 MP camera with an 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 with f/1.8 aperture
  • a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture
  • a 5 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a 5 MP depth camera with f/2.4 aperture

IP67 Dust + Water-Resistance!

You will also love the fact that the Galaxy A73 is IP67-rated for dust and water-resistance! That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1 metre of fresh water for up to 30 minutes!

Battery + Charging

The Samsung Galaxy A73 comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, that supports up to 25 watts of fast charging.

The only downside – Samsung is not providing the 25 watt charger in-the-box.

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy A73
Display 6.7-inch Super AMOLED+
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate
Protection IP67
OS One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
CPU 1 x Kryo 670 Prime core (2.4 GHz)
3 x Kryo 670 Gold cores (2.2 GHz)
4 x Kryo 670 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 642L (490 MHz)
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage microSDXC
Front Camera 32 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 108 MP OIS camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
5 MP macro camera, f/2.4
5 MP depth camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic,
Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 25 watt wired charging
Dimensions 76.1 mm wide
163.7 mm tall
7.6 mm thick
Weight 181 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy A73 Colour + Availability!

Here in Malaysia, the Galaxy A73 smartphone is available in three colour options :

  • Awesome White
  • Awesome Mint
  • Awesome Gray

It will be offered in only one variant, at this price point :

  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM 2,099 (about US$499 / £379 / A$679 / S$679)

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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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.

 

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Our Hands-On Experience!

Samsung sent us their latest Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone, and here is our hands-on experience!

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Our Hands-On Experience!

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.

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Display 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate
– 240 Hz touch sampling (Game Mode)
– 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut
– 1750 nits peak brightness
– 3 million:1 contrast ratio
Protection Gorilla Glass Victus+ (front and back)
Water Resistance IP68
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 (2.5 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A510 cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 40 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 108 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
15 watt wireless charging
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 77.9 mm wide
163.3 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
Weight 229 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy S22 Ultra in four colour options – Burgundy, Green, Phantom Black and Phantom White.

I had the opportunity to attend an exclusive Samsung preview event, to check out all four colours for ourselves.

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.

Here in Malaysia, it is available starting 10 February 2022 in three variants, at these price points :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM 5,099 (about US$1,219 / £899 / A$1,699 / S$1,629)
  • 12 GB + 256 GB : RM 5,499 (about US$1,314 / £969 / A$1,829 / S$1,759)
  • 12 GB + 512 GB : RM 5,899 (about US$1,409 / £1,039 / A$1,959 / S$1,889)

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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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.

 

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HUAWEI P50 Pro Preview + Colour Comparison!

HUAWEI just unveiled their P50 Pro smartphone, and here is our hands-on preview and colour comparison!

Find out if this is the smartphone you have been waiting for!

 

HUAWEI P50 Pro : Hands-On Experience!

HUAWEI just introduced another photography-oriented P-series flagship smartphone – the P50 Pro!

In this preview, you will take a look at HUAWEI P50 Pro’s key features and a colour comparison…

6.6-inch True-Chroma Display

The HUAWEI P50 Pro comes with a large 6.6-inch True-Chroma display, with a resolution of 1228 x 2700 pixels.

Its OLED panel offers a wide P3 colour gamut, with a 120 Hz maximum refresh rate, and a maximum touch sampling rate of 300 MHz.

It also boasts a 1440 Hz PWM dimming control, to reduce eyestrain, and allow for comfortable viewing experience in low-light conditions.

Protected From Water!

The HUAWEI P50 Pro is IP68 water-resistant, so it is safe from water splashes and immersion in up to 1.5 metres of water for up to 30 minutes.

Flagship Performance!

The HUAWEI P50 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G mobile SoC, which is kept cool by a 3D Graphene Liquid Cooling System.

It also offers plenty of memory and storage, with two variants :

  • 8 GB of RAM with 256 GB of storage, or
  • 12 GB of RAM with 512 GB of storage.

The Power + Volume control buttons are on the right edge

Cameras Delight!

In the front, the HUAWEI P50 Pro has a 13 MP punch hole camera, with a f/2.4 aperture.

The front 13 MP punch hole camera

The HUAWEI P50 Pro’s key selling point though is at the back, where it has a massive quad camera setup that consists of :

  • a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
  • a 40 MP monochrome camera, with f/1.6 aperture,
  • a 64 MP 3.5X periscope telephoto camera, with f/3.5 aperture, and
  • a 13 MP wide-angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture.

The 40 MP monochrome camera complements the 50 MP camera by adding detail to the images it captures – what HUAWEI calls XD Optics with enhanced XD Fusion Pro technology.

Long Battery Life

The HUAWEI P50 Pro comes with a large 4,360 mAh battery, which promises to last a full day of use.

On top of that, it supports 66 watt wired fast charging, with 50 watt wireless charging. Very fast indeed!

Stereo Speakers With Histen Technology

The HUAWEI P50 Pro comes with stereo speakers, with HUAWEI Histen technology which allows you to customise sound effects for different scenarios.

 

HUAWEI P50 Pro : Specifications

Specifications HUAWEI P50 Pro
Model JAD-LX9
Display 6.6-inch OLED Display
– 1228 x 2700 pixels
– 120 Hz refresh rate
– 300 Hz touch sampling rate
Protection NA
Water Resistance IP68
OS EMUI 12
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
CPU 1 x Kryo 680 Prime core (2.84 GHz)
3 x Kryo 680 Gold cores (2.42 GHz)
4 x Kryo 680 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 660
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 512 GB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 13 MP camera (f/2.4)
Main Cameras 50 MP OIS main camera, f/1.8
40 MP B/W camera, f/1.6
64 MP 3.5x telephoto camera, f/3.5
13 MP
wide-angle camera, f/2.2
Connectivity Network : 4G / 3G
Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, In-Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity,
Compass, Barometer, Colour Spectrum
GPS GPS, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS
NFC Yes
Battery 4,360 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 66 watt wired
50 watt wireless
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 72.8 mm wide
158.8 mm tall
8.5 mm thick
Weight 195 grams

 

HUAWEI P50 Pro : Colour Comparison

The HUAWEI P50 Pro is available in four colour options – Golden Black, Cocoa Gold, Pearl White and Charm Pink.

However, prior to launch, HUAWEI only provided us access to the Golden Black and Cocoa Gold colour options.

Take a look at this colour comparison, and tell us which colour you prefer!

 

HUAWEI P50 Pro : Price + Availability

Malaysia is the first country, outside of China, where the HUAWEI P50 Pro is being made available.

It has the launch price of RM 4,199 (about US$1,003 / £713 / A$1,392 / S$1,357).

Pre-order start from 12 to 21 January 2022, with these freebies:

  • HUAWEI WATCH GT 2 Pro (worth RM1,199)
  • Accidental Damage Protection with 1 time screen replacement within 3 months (worth RM119)
  • HUAWEI Mobile Services Partner Vouchers worth up to RM725

Here is the HUAWEI Official Store’s online pre-order link in Malaysia!

It will be available for retail sale in Malaysia, starting 22 January 2022.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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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.

 

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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Preview : What You Need To Know!

Samsung just unveiled another Fan Edition smartphone – the Galaxy S21 FE (SM-G990)!

Take a look at the new Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, and find out why it’s such a great bargain!

 

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE : What You Need To Know!

Samsung just unveiled another Fan Edition smartphone – the Galaxy S21 FE (SM-G990), which promises to offer a great bargain for their fans!

It basically offers the best features of the Galaxy S21 series, with the same premium design, at a very attractive price point.

Let’s take a look!

120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display!

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE does not skimp on its display, which is an awesome Dynamic AMOLED 2X display!

It has a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, a 120 Hz refresh rate, and a 240 Hz touch sampling rate in its Game Mode.

Protected From Drops + Water!

Its Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus – the toughest glass ever used on a Galaxy smartphone!

On top of that, the Galaxy S21 FE is IP68 water-resistant, so it is safe from water splashes and immersion in up to 1.5 metres of water for up to 30 minutes.

Flagship Performance!

Samsung didn’t skimp on performance either – the Galaxy S21 FE is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G mobile SoC!

It comes with 8 GB of RAM, and either 128 GB or 256 GB of storage. Make sure you choose the storage option you need, because it does not support additional storage through microSD card.

Cameras Delight!

In the front, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has a high-resolution 32 MP selfie camera, with a wide f/2.2 aperture.

In the back, it has a triple camera setup that consists of :

  • a 12 MP main camera, with a Dual Pixel sensor, and f/1.8 aperture
  • a 12 MP wide-angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture, and
  • an 8 MP 3X telephoto camera, with f/2.4 aperture

Long Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE comes with a large 4,500 mAh battery, which supports 25 watt wired fast charging, and 15 watt wireless charging.

It also supports Wireless PowerShare, which allows it to recharge your wearables and other smartphones wirelessly.

 

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Model SM-G990
Display 6.4-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
– 1080 x 2400 pixels
– 120 Hz refresh rate
– 240 Hz touch sampling rate (Game Mode)
Protection Gorilla Glass Victus (front only)
Water Resistance IP68
OS One UI 4 (Android 12)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
CPU 1 x Kryo 680 Prime core (2.84 GHz)
3 x Kryo 680 Gold cores (2.42 GHz)
4 x Kryo 680 Silver cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 660
Memory 8 GB RAM
Storage 128 GB / 256 GB
No microSD support
Front Camera 32 MP camera (f/2.2)
Main Cameras 12 MP Dual Pixel OIS main camera, f/1.8
12 MP wide-angle camera, f/2.2
8 MP 3X telephoto camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Network : 5G / 4G / 3G
Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, In-Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall Sensor, Light, Proximity
GPS Yes, with A-GPS
NFC Yes
Battery 4,500 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 25 watt wired
15 watt wireless
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 74.5 mm wide
155.7 mm tall
7.9 mm thick
Weight 177 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is available in two variants, at these price points :

  • 8GB + 128GB : RM 2,899 (about US$691 / £510 / A$952 / S$937)
  • 8GB + 256GB : RM 3,099 (about US$739 / £545 / A$1,018 / S$1,002)

Samsung Malaysia is offering a special pre-order promotion from 6 January 2022 onwards:

  • RM350 discount
  • Samsung Care+ (additional 1 year free protection) worth RM220

Here are three online pre-order options in Malaysia : Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is available in four colour options, from left to right – Graphite, White, Olive and Lavender.

 

Please Support My Work!

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.

 

Recommended Reading

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Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!