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HP Smart Tank 580 Wireless All-in-One Printer Review!

Read our comprehensive review of the HP Smart Tank 580, and find out if this is the all-in-one colour printer for you!

HP Smart Tank 580 All-in-One Printer

Designed for homes and small businesses, the HP Smart Tank 580 is an all-in-one printer with scan and copy capabilities, and wireless connectivity. It has four separate ink tanks which can be topped up independently.

The HP Smart Tank 580 comes with a set of four ink bottles, allowing it to print up to 18,000 pages of black, and 6,000 pages of colour. Assuming you only print 150 pages a month, even the included ink bottles will last you nearly three years. Thereafter, you can simply buy ink bottles to refill the Smart Tank 580.

Thanks to the ink tank design, the cost of printing is also low at just 0.004 cents per page, regardless of whether it’s black or colour!

Together with support for wired USB printing, the HP Smart Tank 580 also supports wireless printing through Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct.

Here are some online purchase options (we may receive a commission from your purchase):

MY : RM380 |RM383 | RM385
SG : S$188 | S$188 | S$199

HP Smart Tank 580 Specifications

Here are the key specifications of the HP Smart Tank 580 printer:

Specifications	HP Smart Tank 580
Key Functions	Print, copy, scan
Print Technology	HP Thermal Inkjet
Print Resolution	Black : Up to 1200 x 1200 dpi Colour : Up to 4800 x 1200 dpi
Print Speed	Black : Up to 12 ppm (A4) Colour : Up to 5 ppm (A4)
Print Duty Cycle	Up to 3,000 pages (A4) per month
Recommended Volume	400 to 800 pages per month
Processor Speed	980 MHz
Memory	64 MB DDR
Display	33 segments + 1.2-inch iCON LCD display
Connectivity	USB 2.0 port Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct
Wireless Capability	802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz)
Paper Input Tray	100 sheets maximum
Paper Output Tray	30 sheets maximum
Paper Sizes	A4, B5, A6, DL envelope, Legal
Paper Weights	Plain paper : 60 to 90 grams/m2 Envelopes : 75 to 90 grams/m2 Cards : Up to 200 grams/m2 Photo paper : Up to 300 grams/m2
Borderless Printing	Yes, up to 210 x 297 mm
Duplex Printing	Manual
Scanner Type	Flatbed
Scan Technology	Contact Image Sensor (CIS)
Scan Resolution	Up to 1200 dpi, 24-bit
Scan Size	Up to 216 x 297 mm
Copy Resolution	Up to 600 dpi
Copy Speed	Black : Up to 10 cpm Colour : Up to 2 cpm
Copy Limit	Up to 99 copies
Power Consumption	Off : 0.109 watts Sleep : 1.096 watts Ready : 3.023 watts
Dimensions	434.6 mm wide 361.53 mm deep 259.37 mm high
Weight	5.03 kg
Warranty	One Year, or 30,000 pages (whichever is earlier)

HP Smart Tank 580 Box Contents

The HP Smart Tank 580 comes as a complete kit, with everything you will need inside the box. Once you unbox it, these are the items you should find inside:

HP Smart Tank 580 printer
One set of printheads (Black, Tri-Colour)
One set of ink bottles (GT53XL Black, GT52 Cyan, GT52 Magenta, GT52 Yellow)
One set of three power cables with different plugs
USB cable

The provided set of ink bottles is enough to print 18,000 pages of black, and 6,000 pages of colour. However, this may vary according to country, and region.

But if your region offers this complete kit, then you can get printing very quickly, as installation and setting up takes less than half an hour.

Next Page > Features + Performance

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HP Smart Tank 580 Features + Performance

Now, let us go through the key features of the HP Smart Tank 580, and share with you our experience using it…

Spill-Free Ink Tanks

Like Epson EcoTank printers, the HP Smart Tank 580 uses an ink tank design, with four separate colours – Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow.

By using permanent printheads and allowing for the refill of ink, such ink tank printers cut down on waste, and offer much cheaper printing – just 0.004 cent per page with the HP Smart Tank 580!

It is easy to fill and refill the HP Smart Tank 580, because it uses a spill-free design. However, the nozzles of its ink tanks, and its ink bottles, are generic in design and not “keyed”. So it is possible for you to fill the wrong ink tank with the wrong ink!

In that respect, Epson EcoTank printers (like the L3150/ET-2710) have a better design – their keyed ink bottle and ink tank nozzles prevent the wrong ink from being filled into the wrong ink tank.

Low-on-ink Sensors

To ensure you don’t run out of ink, the HP Smart Tank 580 not only lets you visually eyeball the amount of ink left in its four ink tanks, they also have low-on-ink sensors.

This is much better than the Epson EcoTank L3150/ET-2710 for example, which lacks low-on-ink sensors, and requires you to visually monitor the ink levels in its ink tanks.

USB + Wireless Connectivity

Like other printers, the HP Smart Tank 580 can be connected to your computer using a USB cable. However, it is not even necessary to use the cable.

The HP Smart Tank 580 has WiFi-N connectivity built-in, so you can just plug in the power cable, and print wirelessly from your computer, or even a smartphone or tablet!

And I have to point out that its Wi-Fi connectivity appears to be much more stable and reliable than the Epson EcoTank L3150, which can fail midway, causing a print error.

HP also provides both desktop and mobile apps to help you setup your printer wirelessly, as well as print your photos directly from your computer or mobile devices.

Plain Paper Printing Performance

The HP Smart Tank 580 supports plain paper of between 60 to 90 grams per square meter (16 to 24 lb), with a recommendation to use 75 grams (20 lb).

It can print up to 12 black / grayscale pages per minute at a maximum resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi, and up to 5 colour pages per minute at a maximum resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi. The speed of its printing, of course, depends highly on the amount of detail in the page, and the type of paper used.

In this video, we tested its plain paper printing performance using two photos. The less complex photo of an American flag at Alcatraz island took 1.5 minutes to complete, while the more complex photo of the Golden Gate Bridge took a minute longer.

Needless to say – plain paper printing delivers a duller, flatter look in photos. You should restrict colour printing on plain paper to flatter graphics like posters.

Please note that by default, the print driver defaults to Letter size, so you need to change it before printing. It also defaults to Borderless printing, which is not supported with plain paper printing. But what’s really odd is that the print driver cannot detect the portrait orientation of the Golden Gate Bridge photo, so you will need to manually select the correct orientation.

Photo Paper Printing Performance

If you intend to print photos, please make sure you use photo paper. The HP Smart Tank 580 supports photo paper of up to 300 grams per square meter (80 lb).

You don’t have to splurge on premium HP Photo Paper. Any kind of photo paper would produce far better results than plain paper when it comes to photos.

In this video, we tested its photo paper printing performance using the same two photos as we did in the earlier video.

The HP print driver defaults to plain paper printing, so make sure you select one of the Photo Paper options before printing. You should also make sure to check the orientation, because the print driver defaults to landscape, and cannot seem to detect photos in the portrait orientation.

By default, Borderless printing is enabled for photo paper printing. However, the photo appears to be cropped at the four edges, even more than with borderless printing disabled!

With photo paper printing, both photos took 3.5 minutes. Far slower than the “up to 5 pages per minute” specification, but the output was fabulous.

The HP Smart Tank 580 can print at up to 4800 x 1200 dpi – less than the Epson EcoTank L3150, but you can’t really tell their prints apart, even if you compare them side-by-side. The resolution on photo paper is really good.

The colours are also vivid, with accurate colour reproduction. Needless to say – we highly recommend you use photo paper whenever you use the HP Smart Tank 580 to print photos.

Colour Scanning + Copying

Flip open the top cover, and you will find a high resolution colour scanner, which can scan at up to 1200 dpi, with a 24-bit colour depth.

You can use the HP Smart Tank 580 to make black and white, or colour photocopies, albeit only at a lower scan and print resolution of 600 dpi.

Low Printing Cost

According to HP, the printing cost for the Smart Tank 580 printer is dirt cheap at just 0.004 cents per page, regardless of whether it’s black and white, or colour.

That’s because the large GT53XL black ink bottle (135 ml) can print up to 18,000 pages, while the three GT52 colour ink bottles (50 ml each) can print up to 6,000 pages.

Next Page > HP Smart, Summary + Verdict

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HP Smart Software : Biggest Stumbling Block

The HP Smart software is an app for desktop and mobile devices, that is designed to make it easier for you to setup and use their printers.

After setting up the Smart Tank 580 printer, you will need to install and run the HP Smart software on your computer, or mobile device, to connect to it wirelessly. Then you can start printing, or scanning.

The setup process using the HP Smart software is easy, and makes it pretty effortless even for non-techies to quickly setup and use the Smart Tank 580 printer. That said, the HP Smart software leaves much to be desired in other aspects…

For one thing – the HP Smart app requires you to create a HP account, just to print your documents or photos through the app! This is really ridiculous.

I can understand if you need to create an account to print via the cloud – printing a photo or a document on your printer at home, while you are overseas, for example. However, it is ridiculous if you need to create an account before you can print your photos or documents on your own local network!

So fine – I created a HP account, only to discover that the HP Smart software does not support the modern HEIC files using the High Efficiency Image File Format!

Whenever I select HEIC photos, it will give me the error message – “This file type is not supported“. I could only select photos using the older JPEG format.

This is a big problem because HEIC files have been in common use for many years now, becoming the standard for iPhones in 2017, with Android devices supporting it since 2019. It is unthinkable that any modern app would still not support the High Efficiency Image File Format!

On top of that, the HP Smart app only supported simple photo printing – just one photo at a time. You can change its orientation, crop it, rotate or flip it, add a border, but that’s about it. You cannot, for example, select multiple photos and print two or four of them in one page (2-Up / 4-Up printing).

Fortunately, you do not need to use the HP Smart app beyond setting up the printer. You can use other photo editing apps to create 2-Up, 4-Up images to print. I wouldn’t waste my time registering a HP account to use its extremely basic printing features.

HP Smart Tank 580 Review Summary + Verdict

The HP Smart Tank 580 is an impressive colour printer with scanning and copying capabilities, and wireless connectivity. It produced excellent print-outs, with outstanding results on photo paper.

It is also extremely cheap to use – as low as 0.004 cent per page, regardless of whether it’s black and white, or colour.

Of course, the cost will be higher when you print on photo paper, but it is still very cheap even if it uses 10X as much ink. In fact, the photo paper will certainly cost far more than the ink you use to print.

In any case, you won’t need to worry about refilling the HP Smart Tank 580 for some time. It comes with a full set of ink bottles that will last some three years, if you print an average of 5 pages per day / 150 pages per month!

When the time comes to refill the ink tanks, you must be extra careful as the ink bottles and ink tanks are not keyed. People have, and will continue, to wrongly fill the ink tanks with the wrong ink.

I also like how easy it is to setup the printer, and get printing, using the HP Smart software. Unfortunately, that’s about all the HP Smart software is good for. It has extremely basic printing features, and cannot even support the HEIC file format. Fortunately, you can simply ignore the HP Smart software, and just use any other photo editing, or printing app you want.

I am a little annoyed with the HP print driver, which always reverts to Letter, Plain Paper printing, and Landscape, even after I set my preferences. HP should definitely look into these usability issues. It’s not a deal-breaker, just annoying.

But if you can ignore those niggling issues, the HP Smart Tank 580 is an affordable colour printer that does a great job printing, scanning, and copying photos, with a very low cost of printing. If you run a small business, or just need a cheap and easy-to-use printer with scanning, you should definitely consider the HP Smart Tank 580.

Here are some online purchase options (we may receive a commission from your purchase):

MY : RM380 |RM383 | RM385
SG : S$188 | S$188 | S$199

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 A55 Hands-On + First Impressions!

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Samsung just launched the Galaxy A55 smartphone, and here is our hands-on video and our first impressions!

Samsung Galaxy A55 Hands-On + First Impressions!

The Galaxy A55 is Samsung’s latest mid-range smartphone, and here is our hands-on video and our first impressions!

Same Design, Slightly Larger Display

Samsung retained the same design as last year’s Galaxy A54. It is slightly larger, thanks to its slightly larger 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display, which now supports a maximum brightness of 1000 nits.

Otherwise, the display has the same Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz for smoother graphics.

Better Protection

The first thing you will notice when you pick it up is the heft. It’s quite a thick and solid-feeling phone, with a thick metal frame wrapping all around the sides.

The display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, which is tougher and more damage-resistant. The back is likely protected by Gorilla Glass 5 like in the Galaxy A54, although Samsung never explicitly revealed what glass it’s using.

Samsung also retained the IP67 dust- and water-resistance, from last year’s Galaxy A54.

Samsung Exynos 1480 5G Mobile Platform

The Samsung Galaxy A55 is built around the new 4nm Samsung Exynos 1480 mobile platform, which is fabricated on Samsung’s own 4 nm EUV process technology.

It comes with a Samsung Xclipse 530 GPU, an improved 6K MAC NPU, as well as eight CPU cores arranged in two performance clusters:

four Arm Cortex-A78 high-performance cores, and
four Arm Cortex-A55 low-power cores.

The Samsung Exynos 1480 has an integrated 5G modem that supports Sub-6GHz and mmWave standards, as well as LTE Cat.18 uploads and downloads for current 4G networks.

It also supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, as well as the four main GPS networks – GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo.

32 MP Front Camera

Hidden in its display is a punch hole camera, with a 32 MP sensor and an f/2.2 aperture. As far as I can tell, it’s the same camera as Galaxy A54, with an 80˚ field of view.

This front camera takes 12 MP photos by default, for better low-light performance. But you can switch it to 32 MP if you need the higher resolution. I recommend you stick with 12 MP though.

This front camera can record 4K (UHD) videos with video stabilisation, albeit at just 30 fps. If you want smoother videos though, you can record 1080p (FHD) videos with video stabilisation at 60 fps.

Triple Camera System

At the back, the Samsung Galaxy A55 sports a triple camera system, that consists of:

a 50 MP main camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture, and
a 5 MP macro camera, with f/2.4 aperture

By default, the main camera takes 12 MP photos – combining four pixels into one larger pixel for better low-light performance. You can switch it to the full 50 MP, but unless you need the higher resolution, you are better off sticking with the default 12 MP mode.

Like the front camera, the rear cameras record 4K (UHD) videos with video stabilisation at just 30 fps. I recommend you stick with 1080p (FHD) video recording with video stabilisation enabled, at 60 fps.

Large 5,000 mAh Battery

The Samsung Galaxy A55 is powered by a large 5,000 mAh battery, which supports up to 25 watt fast charging.

It does not come with an in-box USB charger, but it comes with a USB cable that supports up to 45 watt fast charging.

Hybrid SIM + microSD Tray

The Samsung Galaxy A55 comes with a hybrid tray that supports two nano SIM cards, or one nano SIM card and a microSD card (of up to 1 TB in capacity).

It also supports an eSIM, so it is possible to use two phone numbers using a nano SIM and an eSIM, as well as a microSD card.

Samsung Knox Vault

You may not know this, but the Samsung Galaxy A55 comes with Samsung Knox Vault, which helps to protect your sensitive information like your PIN, password, and security patterns.

You can also store sensitive data and files in the encrypted Samsung Knox Vault storage, which is completely isolated and separate from the main operating system.

Samsung Guarantee

Finally, Samsung guarantees up to 4 generations of OS upgrades, and 5 years of security updates, as well as 2 years of warranty for the Galaxy A55!

Samsung Galaxy A55 : Specifications

Here are the Samsung Galaxy A55’s key specifications:

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy A55
Display	6.6-inch Super AMOLED – 1080 x 2340 pixels (390 ppi) – 60 Hz / 120 Hz refresh rate
Protection	Corning Gorilla Victus+ (front) Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (back)
Water Resistance	IP67
OS	One UI 6.1 (Android 14)
Platform	Samsung Exynos 1480
CPU	4 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.75 GHz) 4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU	Samsung Xclipse 530
Memory	8 GB
Storage Options	128 GB / 256 GB
External Storage	Hybrid microSD slot (up to 1 TB)
Front Camera	32 MP camera, f/2.2, 80˚ FOV
Main Cameras	50 MP wide angle camera, f/1.8 12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2 5 MP macro camera, f/2.4
Connectivity	Up to 5G Sub6 FDD/TDD Dual SIM (hybrid) capability Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6 (dual-band) Bluetooth : BT 5.3 USB : USB 2.0 Type C
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS	GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC	Yes
Battery	5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging	25 watt wired charging
Dimensions	77.4 mm wide 618.1 mm tall 8.2 mm thick
Weight	213 grams

Samsung Galaxy A55 : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy A55 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and either 128 GB or 256 GB of storage, with the option to add a microSD card in the hybrid SIM tray. It is covered by a 2-year warranty, with the following launch prices:

8 GB + 128 GB : £439 / A$699 / S$618
8 GB + 256 GB : RM1,999 / £489 / S$698

Surprisingly, Samsung decided not to bring the Galaxy A55 to the United States, and suggested that customers consider the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 FE instead. However, it is possible to purchase Latin American unlocked devices in the US (see below).

There are four colour options, which are not available in all countries – Awesome Iceblue, Awesome Lilac, Awesome Lemon, and Awesome Navy.

Here are online purchase options (we may get commission from your purchase) :

MY : 4 colours | 4 colours | 4 colours | 4 colours
SG : 4 colours | 4 colours | 4 colours | 4 colours
US : Awesome Iceblue | Awesome Lilac
UK : Iceblue | Lemon | Lilac | Navy
AU : Awesome Lilac | Awesome Navy

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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 Models + Specifications Compared!

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Samsung just launched the new Galaxy S24 series of flagship smartphones, and here is our comparison of all three models, and their key specifications!

Samsung Galaxy S24 Series : 3 Different Models!

Samsung just launched the new Galaxy S24 series, and there are three models with different specifications:

Galaxy S24 Ultra, with a large 6.8-inch display, and five cameras,
Galaxy S24 Plus (S24+), which is almost as large at 6.7-inch, but with only four cameras, and
Galaxy S24, which has a 6.2-inch display, and four cameras too.

Here is a quick summary of their key features, and how they stack up against each other.

Flagship-Class Performance

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

However, that cannot be said for the two smaller Galaxy S24 models. Depending on region, the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus (S24+) are either powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, or Samsung’s own Exynos 2400 mobile SoC.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is an 8-core mobile SoC, while the Exynos 2400 has 10 CPU cores. Here’s a quick comparison:

Specifications	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy	Exynos 2400
CPU Clusters	4	4
CPU Cores	1 x Cortex-X4 (3.39 GHz) 3 x Cortex-A720 (up to 3.1 GHz) 2 x Cortex-A720 (up to 2.9 GHz) 2 x Cortex-A520 (up to 2.2 GHz)	1 x Cortex-X4 (3.2 GHz) 2 x Cortex-A720 (up to 2.9 GHz) 3 x Cortex-A720 (up to 2.6 GHz) 4 x Cortex-A520 (up to 1.95 GHz)
GPU	Qualcomm Adreno 750	Samsung Xclipse 940

Improved Cooling

To ensure that the processor remains cool, the Galaxy S24 smartphones sport larger vapour chambers:

Galaxy S24 Ultra : 90% larger than Galaxy S23 Ultra
Galaxy S24+ : 60% larger than Galaxy S23+
Galaxy S24 : 50% larger than Galaxy S23

As a result, the Galaxy S24 series smartphones sold have better sustained performance during intense gaming sessions or AI photo or video editing,

Slight Changes To Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra sports the same 200 MP Adaptive Pixel camera from last year, but introduces a new 50 MP telephoto camera, with 5X optical zoom. This camera allows for better night photography through the use of 60% larger pixels (when combined), and the wider f/3.4 aperture.

The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ models though retained the same rear cameras from last year. All three models also retain the same 12 MP front camera as well.

However, Samsung said that its deep-learning AI algorithms now allow for much better quality digital zoom. The faster processor also allows for better quality video zooming through Video Super Resolution.

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. It is also protected in the front by Corning Gorilla Armour glass, which is not only tougher against scratches, it also reduces reflection by up to 75%.

The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+, on the other hand, retains the Armour Aluminium frame, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Series : Specifications Comparison

Here is our comparison of the key specifications of the three Samsung Galaxy S24 models:

Specifications	Galaxy S24 Ultra	Galaxy S24+	Galaxy S24
Display Size	6.8 inch	6.7 inch	6.2 inch
Display Type	Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Display Resolution	1440 x 3120		1080 x 2340
Refresh Rate	Adaptive Refresh (1 to 120 Hz)
Protection	Corning Gorilla Armour Titanium Frame	Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Aluminium Frame
Dust + Water Resistance	IP68
Platform	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, or Samsung Exynos 2400
Memory	12 GB		8 GB
Storage Options	256 GB 512 GB 1 TB	256 GB 512 GB	128 GB 256 GB 512 GB
External Storage	NA
Front Camera	12 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras	200 MP camera, f/1.7 50 MP 5x zoom camera, f/3.4 10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4 12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2 Laser auto-focus sensor	50 MP camera, f/1.8 10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4 12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
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	None
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors	Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Light, Proximity
GPS	GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass
NFC	Yes
Battery	5,000 mAh	4,900 mAh	4,000 mAh
Charging	45 watt wired 15 watt wireless Wireless PowerShare		25 watt wired 15 watt wireless Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions	79.0 mm wide 162.3 mm tall 8.6 mm thick	75.9 mm wide 158.5 mm tall 7.7 mm thick	70.6 mm wide 147.0 mm tall 7.6 mm thick
Weight (mmW)	233 grams	197 grams	168 grams
Weight (Sub6)	232 grams	196 grams	167 grams
Colour Options	Titanium Black Titanium Gray Titanium Violet Titanium Yellow Titanium Green Titanium Orange Titanium Blue	Onyx Black Marble Gray Cobalt Violet Amber Yellow Jade Green Sandstone Orange Sapphire Blue

Samsung Galaxy S24 Series : Price + Colour Options

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes in seven colour options:

Titanium Black
Titanium Gray
Titanium Violet, and
Titanium Yellow
Titanium Green (online only)
Titanium Orange (online only)
Titanium Blue (online only)

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

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus (S24+) comes in these seven colour options:

Onyx Black
Marble Gray
Cobalt Violet
Amber Yellow
Jade Green (online only)
Sandstone Orange (online only)
Sapphire Blue (online only)

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

256 GB : US$ 999.99 | £999 | A$1,699 | S$1,528 | RM4,899
512 GB : US$ 1,199.99 | £1,099 | A$1,899 | S$1,728 | RM5,399

The Samsung Galaxy S24 comes in these seven colour options:

Onyx Black
Marble Gray
Cobalt Violet
Amber Yellow
Jade Green (online only)
Sandstone Orange (online only)
Sapphire Blue (online only)

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

256 GB : US$799.99 | £799 | A$1,399 | S$1,288 | RM4,099
512 GB : US$859.99 | £859 | A$1,599 | S$1,458 | RM4,599

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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.

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Review : Entry-Level IP68 Tablet!

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In our in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, we will share with you everything you need to know about this affordable Fan Edition tablet.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Smaller Fan Edition Tablet

Samsung is offering two Tab S9 Fan Edition models – the Tab S9 FE with a 10.9-inch display, and the Tab S9 FE+ with a 12.4-inch display.

They both run on the same Samsung Exynos 1380 mobile platform, featuring four high-speed Cortex-A78 cores, and four low-power Cortex-A55 cores, and a Mali-G68 MP5 GPU.

Surprisingly, they both come with an S Pen stylus, like their pricier brethren. Their displays also support a dynamic refresh rate of up to 90 Hz.

The unit we are looking at today is the Galaxy Tab S9 FE, which is currently the smallest and most affordable Fan Edition variant of the Galaxy Tab S9 family of Android tablets.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Price + Availability

This Fan Edition tablet comes with colour options of Mint, Lavender, Gray and Silver. It comes with two RAM and storage options:

6 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices:

6 GB + 128 GB : US$449.99 / £549 / A$749 / RM2,099
8 GB + 256 GB : US$519.99 / £619 / A$899 / RM2,399

Here are some online per-order and purchase options:

United States : Amazon
United Kingdom : Amazon | Amazon | Amazon
Malaysia : Shopee | Shopee | Shopee

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Specifications

Here are the key specifications for this Fan Edition tablet :

Specifications	Galaxy Tab S9 FE (WiFi)
Display	10.9-inch IPS Display – 1440 x 2304 pixels (249 ppi) – 60 Hz / 90 Hz refresh rate
Protection	Gorilla Glass 5
Water Resistance	IP68
Platform	Samsung Exynos 1380
CPU	4 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz) 4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU	Arm Mali-G68 MP5 (950 MHz)
Memory + Storage	6 GB + 128 GB 8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage	microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera	12 MP camera
Main Camera	8 MP camera
Connectivity	Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth : BT 5.3 USB : USB 2.0 Type C
S Pen	Yes
Samsung DeX	Not supported
Audio	Dual speakers tuned by AKG
Fingerprint Sensor	Integrated Into Power Button
Other Sensors	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Hall, Light
GPS	GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC	No
Battery	8,000 mAh
Charging	45 watt super fast charging 15 watt reverse fast charging
Dimensions	254.3 mm wide 165.8 mm tall 6.5 mm thick
Weight	523 grams

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Unboxing

Because this is an entry-level tablet, it comes with the bare minimum. Inside the box, you will find these items:

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE smartphone
Set of documents – quick start guide in two languages, and a warranty card
EP-DN980 (3A PD) USB Type C to Type C cable
SIM card extractor pin

Even though the Galaxy Tab S9 FE supports 45 W super-fast charging, it does not come with any charger. Neither does it come with a case, like the more premium Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.

In case you are thinking of buying a 45 watt super fast charger, please note that the bundled EP-DN980 cable can only support 3A PD charging, which is good enough for 25 watt, but not for 45 watt.

Next Page > Galaxy Tab S9 FE Key Features

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Key Features

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is an entry-level model which will not appeal to some. However, it has some surprises, so let’s take a closer look at its key features.

10.9-inch Display

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is a smaller sized, entry-level model, and comes with a 10.9-inch TFT display. It has a WQXGA resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, with a wider DCI-P3 colour gamut.

It supports a dynamic refresh rate of up to 90 Hz, which is limited to switching between three refresh rates – 30 Hz, 60 Hz, and 90 Hz.

Mid-Range Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE runs on the Exynos 1380 mobile platform, which comes with an Arm Mali-G68 MP5 GPU, as well as eight processor cores in a dual-cluster architecture :

four Arm Cortex-A78 high-performance cores, and
four Arm Cortex-A55 low-power cores

The Samsung Exynos 1380 also has an neural processing unit (NPU) with a processing capacity of 4.9 TOPS, as well as an integrated 5G modem that supports download speeds up to 3.79 Gbps, and upload speeds of up to 1.28 Gbps.

RAM + Storage Options

Samsung is offering this tablet with two RAM and storage options :

6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
8 GB RAM + 256 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.

Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE comes with a 12 MP front camera, and an 8 MP rear camera. Both cameras can record videos at up to 4K resolution (30 fps).

Pretty Tough

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is protected by a tough aluminium frame all around its edges, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on its display.

IP68 Water Resistance

Even though this is an entry-level tablet, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE is IP68 rated for dust- and water-resistance!

While Samsung does not recommend it for beach or pool use, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE is rated to withstand submersion in up to 1.5 metres of freshwater for up to 30 minutes.

S Pen Stylus

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE also comes with a stylus, which is also IP68-rated for dust and water resistance.

Large Battery

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE comes with a large 8,000 mAh battery, which supports 45 watt super fast charging. It even supports 15 watt reverse fast charging.

However, it does not come with any bundled charger, and the bundled USB cable can only support 25 watt fast charging.

AKG Tuned Speakers

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE does not come with quad speakers like its more expensive brethren. However, its dual AKG-tuned speakers do a pretty good job.

No Support For Samsung DeX

This may be a deal breaker for power users or travellers – the Galaxy Tab S9 FE does not support Samsung DeX.

For one thing – it only has a USB 2.0 port, so it cannot output video through a USB to HDMI dongle. On top of that, it doesn’t support wireless DeX either.

Next Page > Battery Life + Recharging Performance

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Battery Life Comparison!

This Fan Edition tablet comes with a large 8,000 mAh 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 the standard, and the adaptive refresh rates :

Not bad! The Galaxy Tab S9 FE lasted almost 10 hours on the Standard refresh rate, and just over 9 hours on the Adaptive refresh rate.

With such results, it makes sense to just leave the Tab S9 FE on its default setting of Adaptive refresh. After all, it only saps its battery life by 8% (46 minutes).

Let’s compare its battery life against the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus and Galaxy S8 Ultra tablets.

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

This Fan Edition tablet delivered the best battery life with the Standard refresh rate of 60 Hz.

Thanks to its power-efficient Exynos 1380 processor and smaller display, it sips power compared to the other two larger and more powerful tablets.

Work 3.0	Tab S9 FE (60 Hz)	Tab S7 Plus (60 Hz)	Tab S8 Ultra (60 Hz)
Display Size	10.9-inch	12.4-inch	14.6-inch
Battery Capacity	8,000 mAh	10,090 mAh	11,200 mAh
Battery Life	9 hrs 49 mins	7 hrs 55 mins	8 hrs 3 mins
Utilisation per min.	10.87 mAh	16.99 mAh	18.55 mAh

Adaptive Refresh Rate (90 Hz / 120 Hz)

Switching on the Adaptive refresh rate allowed the display to switch between 30 Hz, 60 Hz and 90 Hz, and only cut down its battery life by 46 minutes (8%).

But as my evaluation shows – the Galaxy Tab S9 FE uses considerably less power than the two larger and more powerful tablets. In fact, it uses just over half as much as the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra!

Work 3.0	Tab S9 FE (90 Hz)	Tab S7 Plus (120 Hz)	Tab S8 Ultra (120 Hz)
Display Size	10.9-inch	12.4-inch	14.6-inch
Battery Capacity	8,000 mAh	10,090 mAh	11,200 mAh
Battery Life	9 hrs 3 mins	6 hrs 11 mins	6 hrs 38 mins
Utilisation per min.	11.79 mAh	21.76 mAh	22.51 mAh

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Battery Recharging Speed!

This tablet surprisingly supports up to 45 watts of wired fast charging, but unfortunately, does not come with the charger in-the-box. On top of that, its bundled cable only supports 25 watt fast charging.

So we tested it on the standard 15 watt Samsung fast charger, and the optional 25 watt Samsung super fast charger.

Recharging Speed	Tab S8 Ultra	Tab S7 Plus	Tab S9 FE (25W)	Tab S9 FE (15W)
Display Size	14.6-inch	12.4-inch	10.9-inch	10.9-inch
Battery Capacity	11,200 mAh	10,090 mAh	8,000 mAh	8,000 mAh
Charger Output	15 watts	15 watts	25 watts	15 watts
Battery Life	86.5 mins	86 mins	90.5 mins	145.5 mins
Recharging Speed (per minute)	103.6 mAh	93.9 mAh	70.7 mAh	44.0 mAh

Well, isn’t that interesting? Even with a more powerful 25W super fast charger, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE recharges slower than the Tab S7 Plus or the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using the standard 15W charger!!

The 15W charger took almost 2.5 hours to fully recharge its 8,000 mAh battery from 20% to 100%. Upgrading to the 25W charger cut that down to just 1.5 hours, shaving off almost a full hour.

The good news is that the Galaxy Tab S9 FE sips power, so you won’t need to recharge it quite so often.

Next Page > Work + Gaming Performance

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Work Performance

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

Work 3.0	Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra	Galaxy Tab S7+	Galaxy Tab S9 FE	Galaxy Tab S7 FE
Mobile Platform	SD 8 Gen 1	SD 865+	Exynos 1380	SD 778G
Performance Score	12351	12348	11650	9747
Web Browsing	9696	11864	9028	7355
Video Editing	6194	7664	6193	6028
Writing	14411	12659	15302	10512
Photo Editing	31774	26230	27122	22188
Data Manipulation	10449	9511	9248	8505

The Samsung Exynos 1380 did well in this test, delivering performance close – within 6% – to that of older flagship-class processors like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 865+. Interestingly, the Exynos 1380 did better in the Galaxy A54, delivering a score of over 13.5K.

In any case, the Exynos 1380 is fast enough, even if we did not run this test – Galaxy Tab S9 FE did not feel slow at any app we tried.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Gaming Performance

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

3DMark	Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra	Galaxy Tab S7+	Galaxy Tab S7 FE	Galaxy Tab S9 FE
Mobile Platform	SD 8 Gen 1	SD 865+	SD 778G	Exynos 1380
Wild Life Extreme Unlimited	2221	–	–	826
Wild Life Unlimited	9838	–	–	2997
Sling Shot Unlimited	10728	8793	6688	6223

Where the Samsung Exynos 1380 really falls is in gaming performance. Even in the easy Sling Shot Unlimited benchmark, it was 7% slower than the mid-range Snapdragon 778G, which is 2.5 years old.

That doesn’t mean the Galaxy Tab S9 FE is useless at games. It runs 2D games and simple 3D games like Roblox perfectly fine. It’s the more strenuous 3D games that it will struggle in.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy Tab S9 FE using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu	Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra	GGalaxy Tab S9 FE	Galaxy Tab S7+	Galaxy Tab S7 FE
Mobile Platform	SD 8 Gen 1	Exynos 1380	SD 865+	SD 778G
AnTuTu Score	950630	591126	577726	508008
CPU	213689	193122	161243	157465
GPU	417669	136759	230859	155115
Memory	161903	118456	98269	79972
UX	157369	142789	87355	115456

The AnTuTu benchmark showed that this Fan Edition tablet performs at around the same level as the Snapdragon 865+, which is a flagship-class mobile SoC, albeit from 2020.

As you can see, its CPU is particularly fast, while its GPU is slow. In other words, this entry-level tablet will do great in work applications and simple games, but don’t rely on it for high-end 3D games!

Next Page > Verdict, Price + Availability

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Verdict + Award

The Galaxy Tab S9 FE is Samsung’s entry-level Android tablet, built around a mid-range mobile platform, and a 10.9-inch display with a refresh rate that goes up to 90 Hz.

Even though it’s “just” an entry-level tablet, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is IP68-rated against dust and water. It also comes with an IP68-rated S Pen stylus!

It has decent performance, with a strong focus on work performance. And it offers a long battery life, thanks to its 8,000 mAh battery, and more power-efficient display and processor.

In other words – this Fan Edition tablet is not sexy, but it gets the job done.

If there is a major turn-off for some potential buyers, it will be the lack of Samsung DeX. There is no support for wireless DeX, or video output via its USB port. But of course – this limitation only concerns those who want to use Samsung DeX.

Otherwise, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is a decent package of features and capabilities in a tough, and water-resistant tablet.

If you are looking for an affordable Android tablet for work or study, you really can’t go wrong with the Galaxy Tab S9 FE.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Price + Availability

This Fan Edition tablet comes with colour options of Mint, Lavender, Gray and Silver. It comes with two RAM and storage options:

6 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices:

6 GB + 128 GB : US$449.99 / £549 / A$749 / RM2,099
8 GB + 256 GB : US$519.99 / £619 / A$899 / RM2,399

Here are some online per-order and purchase options:

United States : Amazon
United Kingdom : Amazon | Amazon | Amazon
Malaysia : Shopee | Shopee | Shopee

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Specifications

Here are the key specifications for this Fan Edition tablet :

Specifications	Galaxy Tab S9 FE (WiFi)
Display	10.9-inch IPS Display – 1440 x 2304 pixels (249 ppi) – 60 Hz / 90 Hz refresh rate
Protection	Gorilla Glass 5
Water Resistance	IP68
Platform	Samsung Exynos 1380
CPU	4 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz) 4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU	Arm Mali-G68 MP5 (950 MHz)
Memory + Storage	6 GB + 128 GB 8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage	microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera	12 MP camera
Main Camera	8 MP camera
Connectivity	Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth : BT 5.3 USB : USB 2.0 Type C
S Pen	Yes
Samsung DeX	Not supported
Audio	Dual speakers tuned by AKG
Fingerprint Sensor	Integrated Into Power Button
Other Sensors	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Hall, Light
GPS	GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC	No
Battery	8,000 mAh
Charging	45 watt super fast charging 15 watt reverse fast charging
Dimensions	254.3 mm wide 165.8 mm tall 6.5 mm thick
Weight	523 grams

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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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Synology DiskStation DS223j 2-Bay NAS Review!

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In this review, we are going to take a close look at the Synology DiskStation DS223j – its latest 2-bay NAS system, and find out how well it performs!

Synology J Series NAS Systems

The Synology J Series are its entry-level NAS systems – offering an affordable way to get networked storage for backup, or personal storage. They also have a more consumer look, with a white chassis.

The Synology J series comes in below the Value series, and lacks hot-swappable drives, and front USB ports. However, it has most of its key features, including support for the Btrfs file system.

Synology currently has two J series models – the 2-bay DS223j, and the single-bay DS120j.

Synology DiskStation DS223j Price

As its entry-level 2-bay NAS system, the Synology DiskStation DS223J comes at an affordable price point.

It has a suggested retail price of US$189.99 (diskless), but you can get some pretty good deals online, with or without bundled drives:

MY : Shopee | Lazada
US : Diskless | 8TB Bundle | 12TB Bundle | 16 TB Bundle
UK : Diskless | 8TB Bundle
AU : Diskless | 8TB Bundle

Synology DiskStation DS223j Specifications

Here are the key specifications of the Synology DiskStation DS223j 2-bay NAS system:

Specifications	Synology DiskStation DS223j
CPU	Realtek RTD1619B 4 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores @ 1.7 GHz Hardware Encryption Engine
Memory	1 GB DDR4 (non-ECC)
Drive Bays	2
Drive Compatibility	3.5-inch SATA 2.5-inch SATA (with optional adaptor)
Hot Swappable	No
Internal File System	Btrfs / EXT4
NAS Features	Power Recovery Scheduled Power On/Off Wake on LAN / WAN
Front Ports	None
Rear Ports	1 x RJ-45 1GbE LAN port 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
Internal Fan	Yes, 92 mm
Noise Level	18.2 dB(A)
Thermal Output	55.62 BTU/hour (active access) 13.64 BTU/hour (HDD hibernation)
Power Consumption	16.31 W (active access) 4 W (HDD hibernation)
Power Supply	60 W power adaptor
Power Input	100 V to 240 V DC power input 50/60 Hz, single phase
Operating Temperature	0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)
Storage Temperature	-20°C to 60°C (-5°F to 140°F)
Size	165 mm high 100 mm wide 225.5 mm deep
Weight	0.88 grams
Warranty	2 Year Hardware Warranty

Synology DiskStation DS223j Box Contents

The Synology DiskStation DS223j comes in a large cardboard box, with a label to let you know exactly what’s inside the box. On opening the box, you will find the following items:

Synology DiskStation DS223j NAS system
3.5-inch drive bay bracket
Pack of 10 drive screws
Pack of 3 chassis screws
Pack of 3 bracket screws
60 watt power adaptor
AC power cord
RJ-45 LAN cable
Quick installation guide

Next Page > Synology DS223 Performance

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Synology DiskStation DS223j Performance

We tested three NAS systems, with these settings:

WD MyCloud EX4100

4 x 6TB WD Red drives
RAID 1 with EXT4 file system

Synology DS223j

2 x 4TB Synology Plus drives
RAID 1 with Btrfs file system

Synology DS214+

2 x 4TB WD Red drives
RAID 1 with EXT4 file system

We then compared their read and write performance to a 1TB SDD, using a Gigabit LAN connection, and these two file sets:

Large File : Movie with a 9.3 GB file size
Small Files : 2193 photos with a 9.48 GB file size

Large File Read Speed

When it comes to transferring very large files like a movie, the Synology DS223j did very well, offering an average read speed of just over 100 MB/s!

Even the much older DS214+ model did very well, almost delivering 100 MB/s of throughput, and beating out 4-bay MyCloud EX4100 by 23%!

Large File Write Speed

However, when it comes to writing files to the NAS, the number of bays, and the drive speeds are what counts.

The 4-bay MyCloud EX4100 is far ahead, because it’s able to write to two drives at the same time (in RAID 1).

The faster 4TB Synology Plus drives used in the DS223j allowed it to pull ahead of the DS214+ by 16%.

Small Files Read Speed

This is quite a surprising result. For some reason, the Synology DS214+ did very well in this test, beating even the 4-bay MyCloud EX4100 by almost 30%!

And the Synology DS223j, which is much faster in every way, delivered a much lower speed of just under 48 MB/s.

Small Files Write Speed

That’s completely flipped when it came to write speed – copying small files to the NAS systems.

Again, the 4-bay MyCloud EX4100 has the advantage here, because it can write to two drives at the same time.

But the Synology DS223j did very well here, coming within 23% of the MyCloud EX4100. This is likely due to its faster 4TB Synology Plus drives.

Next Page > Synology DS223j Verdict + Award

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Synology DiskStation DS223j Verdict + Award

The Synology DiskStation DS223j is a cheap but solid 2-bay NAS system. Its plastic chassis feels cheap, but it packs all of the key features most home users would need.

You get an affordable RAID 1 backup solution, with fast Gigabit LAN connectivity, and two USB 3.0 (rebranded as USB 3.2 Gen 1) ports at the back for when you need to copy files to or from a USB flash drive or portable HDD.

It also gives you access to the excellent Synology DiskStation Manager operating system, as well as hundreds of add-on packages which you can use to add capabilities to your NAS.

Synology updates its DiskStation Manager regularly, which is great, because it fixes bugs that may cause considerable grief. For example, when I started testing the DS223j, I encountered a problem accessing it on macOS with a VPN enabled.

No matter what I did, the Mac computer simply could not “see” or “locate” the DiskStation on the network. The only way was to disable the VPN. Fortunately, the problem “magically” went away a few updates later. *

Mac users will also be happy to know that it supports Time Machine backup. While it requires some simple setting up, it works perfectly… which is not something I can say about the MyCloud EX4100!

Prosumers might want to spend a bit extra to upgrade to the non-J version – the DiskStation DS223 from the Value series. Not only does it come with a front USB port (for more convenient use), it allows you to hot swap drives.

If any drive fails on the DS223j, you will need to power it down and open it up to swap out the drive. On the non-J version, you can simply slide out the old drive and replace it with a new one without even powering down the DS223 NAS. But of course – this is a nice feature that most home users probably won’t need.

Performance-wise – the DS223j runs on the same Realtek RTD1619B process as the non-J model. Its four Arm Cortex-A55 cores is more than fast enough for transferring files. Its CPU usage is usually less than 50%. Even when I ran data scrubbing, its CPU usage was around 15% on average.

And if you are wondering about whether you can live with just 1 GB of RAM on the DS223j, yes, you can. The RAM usage is usually less than 20% on our DS223j.

Generally, if you want something cheap and good from Synology, you can’t go wrong with the DiskStation DS223j. For these reasons, we think it deserves our Reviewer’s Choice Award!

* It would have lost the award if Synology did not manage to fix the accessibility problem for macOS.

Synology DiskStation DS223j : Where To Buy?

As its entry-level 2-bay NAS system, the Synology DiskStation DS223J comes at an affordable price point.

It has a suggested retail price of US$189.99 (diskless), but you can get some pretty good deals online, with or without bundled drives:

MY : Shopee | Lazada
US : Diskless | 8TB Bundle | 12TB Bundle | 16 TB Bundle
UK : Diskless | 8TB Bundle
AU : Diskless | 8TB Bundle

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 FE Review : Hits The Sweet Spot!

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Here is my comprehensive review of the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE smartphone!

Find out why this Fan Edition smartphone hits the sweet spot for many people!

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Colour Options + Price

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE comes with colour options of Mint, Lavender, Gray and Silver, with two exclusive colours on their website – Tangerine and Indigo. They are all offered with two RAM and storage options:

6 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices for the Galaxy S23 FE :

8 GB + 128 GB : RM2,999 (approx. US$633 / £519 / A$998)
8 GB + 256 GB : RM3,299 (approx. US$699 / £571 / A$1,098)

Here are some online purchase options for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE:

United States : Amazon | Amazon
United Kingdom : Amazon
Australia : Amazon | Amazon |Amazon
Malaysia : Shopee | Shopee

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Specifications

Here are the key specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE smartphone :

Specifications	Galaxy S23 FE
Display	6.3-inch Display – Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel – 1080 x 2340 pixels (403 ppi) – 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate – 1450 nits peak brightness
Protection	Gorilla Glass 5
Water Resistance	IP68
Platform	Samsung Exynos 2200
CPU	1 x Cortex-X2 (2.8 GHz) 3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz) 4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)
GPU	Xclipse 920
Memory + Storage	8 GB + 128 GB 8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage	NA
Front Camera	10 MP camera, f/2.4
Main Cameras	50 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2 8 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
Connectivity	Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth : BT 5.3 USB : USB Type C
S Pen	None
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors	Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Light, Proximity
GPS	GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass
NFC	Yes
Battery	4,500 mAh
Charging	25 watt wired charging 15 watt wireless charging Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions	76.5 mm wide 158.0 mm tall 8.2 mm thick
Weight	209 grams

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Unboxing + Contents!

In our unboxing video, you can see that the Galaxy S23 FE package is sparse, and only consists of:

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE smartphone
Set of documents – quick start guide in two languages, and a warranty card
USB Type C to Type C cable
SIM card extractor pin

As the unboxing video shows, the Galaxy S23 FE does not come with any charger, or earphones. Not even a TPU case to hold you over until you get a better case.

Next Page > Galaxy S23 FE Key Features

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Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Key Features!

6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE comes with a 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels.

Interestingly, this display is slightly larger than the 6.1-inch display on the Galaxy S23, but you won’t be able to tell the difference. In fact, its display looks pretty much like the Galaxy S23 – large, and beautiful, with excellent resolution, colour gamut, and brightness.

The display ostensibly changes its refresh rate according to your needs automatically, but I found that the Galaxy S23 FE’s display only switches between the 60 Hz and 120 Hz refresh rates. While that may not be quite so optimal for extended battery life, but you will glad to know that its battery life is actually really good with the adaptive refresh rate mode enabled!

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy S23 runs on Samsung’s best in-house mobile chip – the Exynos 2200, which is fabricated on the 4 nm process technology.

Launched in January 2022, this is a flagship-class mobile SoC (System-on-a-Chip) designed to compete with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It has eight processor cores with a tri-cluster architecture:

a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 2.8 GHz,
three Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz, and
four Cortex-A510 cores running at up to 1.8 GHz.

This mobile SoC also comes with the Samsung Xclipse 920 GPU, a dual-core NPU, and DSPs to support 8K video decoding at up to 60 fps, and camera resolutions up to 200 MP.

The Samsung Exynos 2200 also has a built-in 5G modem that supports Sub-6Ghz and mmWave connectivity, as well as LTE Cat.24 download and LTE Cat.22 upload speeds.

RAM + Storage

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE comes with 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and supports extended memory (RAM Plus) which uses 2 GB / 4 GB / 6 GB / 8 GB of your storage as virtual memory.

But frankly speaking – there is no need to even enable RAM Plus. 8GB of memory is more than enough to run multiple apps, and even the most memory-intensive games!

Samsung offers storage options of either 128 GB or 256 GB. It is important that you select the storage option that best fits your requirements, as the Galaxy S23 FE does not support storage expansion through a microSD card.

Dual SIM Support

The Galaxy S23 FE has a SIM card tray that supports two nano SIM cards. It also supports an eSIM, so technically, you can use up to three SIMs, but only two can be used at the same time.

Buttons

The only buttons you will find are on the upper right side of the Galaxy S23 FE – the Volume control buttons and the Power button, which doubles as the fingerprint sensor.

Pressing the Power button twice activates the Quick Shot mode, which lets you take selfies using the rear cameras with the Flex Window for preview and control.

Only One Port

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE comes with a USB Type C port, which supports USB 3.2 connectivity. It does not come with a 3.5 mm audio jack, or a USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter in the box.

Protection

The Galaxy S23 FE is IP68 dust and water-resistant. That means it will withstand immersion in up to 1.5 metres of freshwater for up to 30 minutes.

In addition, it has a thick aluminium frame all around, and is protected on both the front and rear aspects by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, instead of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 in the Galaxy S23.

Battery + Charging

Powering all that is a 4,500 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, which is actually 600 mAh (15%) larger than the Galaxy S23‘s 3,900 mAh battery.

The Galaxy S23 recharges at up to 45 watts, while the Fan Edition only supports 25 watt fast charging, but that is fast enough for most users.

It also supports 15 watt wireless charging, and can even wireless recharge other devices, albeit at just 4.5 watts. However, it does not come with an in-box charger. So you will have to use your old charger, or buy a new one.

Next Page > S23 FE Cameras + Photo Samples

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Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Cameras

Front Camera

In the front, the Galaxy S23 FE has a 10 MP punch hole camera, with an f/2.4 aperture. It’s decent, but nothing to shout about.

The pricier Galaxy S23 comes with a 12 MP camera in the front, with a slightly wider f/2.2 aperture, so you can expect it to perform slightly better in low-light conditions.

But I’m glad to report that this camera can also record video at up to 4K resolution at 60 fps, just like the Galaxy S23‘s front camera.

Triple Camera System At The Back

At the back, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE has a triple camera system, which consists of:

a 50 MP Dual Pixel camera, with f/1.8 aperture,
a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, with f/2.2 aperture, and
an 8 MP telephoto camera, with 3X optical zoom, and f/2.4 aperture

The main camera is built around the Samsung ISOCELL GN3 (S5KGN3) sensor, which has a small 1.0 µm pixel size. Hence, it defaults to 12.5 MP photos, which allows it to combine four pixels into a large 1.0 µm “virtual pixel”. Combined with a wide f/1.8 aperture, this allows for excellent low-light photographic capabilities.

I cannot find out what sensor the ultra-wide angle camera uses, but it has a 12 MP sensor, and a wide aperture of f/2.2.

Its telephoto camera though is built around the SK hynix Hi-847 image sensor. This is rather old sensor from February 2019, with a small 1.0 µm pixel size.

The main camera is excellent, and the ultra-wide angle camera is good. But I can’t help feeling a bit shortchanged with the telephoto camera. It could be better.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Photo Samples

The Samsung Galaxy S23’s telephoto camera may be dated, but you will likely use its much newer 50 MP Dual Pixel main camera, and 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera.

Just make sure you enable (High Efficiency Image Format) so that the photos don’t take up so much space – the resulting HEIC photos are much smaller at between 2-3 MB in size.

Here are ten unedited photo samples for you to check out.

Next Page > Battery Life + Recharging

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Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE comes with a decent 4,500 mAh battery, which is actually 15% larger than the Galaxy S23‘s 3,900 battery.

To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, 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 :

Not bad! The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE lasted almost 10.5 hours with the Adaptive refresh mode enabled, and almost lasted 11 hours with the Standard refresh mode!

In other words – it does not make (battery) sense to switch to the Standard refresh mode. You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in battery life.

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

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE naturally has the best battery life with the refresh rate set to 60 Hz (Standard) – lasting just under 11 hours.

As this comparison shows, the Galaxy S23 FE isn’t quite as efficient as Samsung’s flagship devices like the Z Flip5, S23 Ultra, and S22 Ultra. But it’s close enough.

Work 3.0	S23 Ultra	S22 Ultra	Z Flip 5	S23 FE
Battery Capacity	5,000 mAh	5,000 mAh	3,700 mAh	4,500 mAh
Battery Life	15 hrs 18 mins	14 hrs 15 mins	11 hrs 4 mins	10 hrs 57 mins
Utilisation per min.	4.36 mAh	4.68 mAh	4.46 mAh	5.48 mAh

Adaptive Refresh Rate (120 Hz)

But its Adaptive refresh rate is surprisingly so efficient, it actually uses (slightly) less power than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip5 smartphones. With a slightly larger battery, it actually lasted more than an hour longer than the Galaxy Z Flip5!

In fact, it’s so efficient that it almost matches the battery life of the S22 Ultra, which has a 28% larger battery!

Needless to say – we are highly recommending you stick with the Adaptive refresh mode for the Galaxy S23 FE!

Work 3.0	S23 Ultra	S22 Ultra	S23 FE	Z Flip 5
Battery Capacity	5,000 mAh	5,000 mAh	4,500 mAh	3,700 mAh
Battery Life	13 hrs 0 mins	10 hrs 38 mins	10 hrs 20 mins	9 hrs 9 mins
Utilisation per min.	5.13 mAh	6.27 mAh	5.81 mAh	5.39 mAh

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Battery Recharging Speed!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE 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.

Work 3.0	S22 Ultra	S23 FE	S23 Ultra	S23 FE	Z Flip 5	Z Flip 5
Battery Capacity	3,300 mAh	4,500 mAh	5,000 mAh	4,500 mAh	3,700 mAh	3,700 mAh
Charger Output	15 watts	25 watts	15 watts	15 watts	25 watts	15 watts
Battery Life	64.5 min	73 min	88.8 min	96 min	105 min	129.5 min
Recharging Speed (per minute)	62.0 mAh	49.3 mAh	45.0 mAh	37.5 mAh	28.2 mAh	22.9 mAh

Not bad! The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE chargers really fast with a 15 watt charger, and even faster with a 25 watt charger. It basically needs just over 1.5 hours to fully recharge with a 15 watt charger, and just under one hour and 15 minutes with a 25 watt charger.

This gives us a battery life to recharging time ratio of about 6.5:1, which is pretty good. You get about an hour’s worth of battery life for every 9.25 minutes you recharge.

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 23 minutes, and give you an hour of battery life for every 8.5 minutes you recharge:

Buy in US : Charger only | Charger + cable
Buy in UK : Charger + cable | Charger + cable
Buy in SG : Charger only | Charger only | Charger only
Buy in MY : Charger only | Charger only | Charger only

Next Page > Work + Gaming Performance

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Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Work Performance

We first tested the Galaxy S23 FE using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Work 3.0	S23 Ultra	Z Flip 5	Z Flip 4	S23 FE	S22 Ultra
Mobile Platform	SD 8 Gen 2	SD 8 Gen 2	SD 8+ Gen 1	Exynos 2200	SD 8 Gen 1
Performance Score	16408	14655	14429	13971	12860
Web Browsing	15680	11404	12097	11664	10442
Video Editing	7879	7943	7387	7369	7444
Writing	22257	19525	17593	18138	15471
Photo Editing	35533	324420	31762	27060	30177
Data Manipulation	12171	11788	12523	12616	9691

Not bad! The Exynos 2200 is certainly no match for the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but it actually beat the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 by 9%, and came within 3.3% of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1!

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

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : 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	S23 FE	S22 Ultra	Z Flip 4
Mobile Platform	SD 8 Gen 2	SD 8 Gen 2	Exynos 2200	SD 8 Gen 1	SD 8+ Gen 1
Storage Score	48435	41647	31839	27808	27271
Sequential Read (MB/s)	2676.53	2592.42	1584.66	1457.68	1350.51
Random Read (MB/s)	49.95	38.25	31.25	37.73	33.94
Sequential Write (MB/s)	2631.38	603.29	510.16	856.21	256.81
Random Write (MB/s)	76.66	81.44	81.13	47.20	50.29

Samsung appeared to have used slower flash storage to reduce the cost of the Galaxy S23 FE. Its storage performance is much closer to last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra, than the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Interestingly, its random write performance was exceptional, matching the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and almost double that of the Galaxy S22 Ultra,

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the Galaxy S23 FE using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark	Z Flip 5	S23 Ultra	Z Flip 4	S22 Ultra	S23 FE
Mobile Platform	SD 8 Gen 2	SD 8 Gen 2	SD 8+ Gen 1	SD 8 Gen 1	Exynos 2200
Solar Bay Unlimited	5481	NA	NA	NA	4570
Wild Life Extreme Unlimited	3705	3814	2636	2220	2233
Wild Life Unlimited	14823	14554	11144	9106	8671
Sling Shot Unlimited	16661	16344	10690	11094	11348

The Samsung Exynos 2200 powering the Galaxy S23 FE is almost identical in performance to the Galaxy S22 Ultra‘s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – the difference between their performance is less than 0.7%!

Like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the Galaxy S23 FE will have no problem handling most games. Only when it comes to more strenuous games (as tested by the Wild Life benchmark) does it lag significantly behind the Galaxy S23 Ultra‘s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.

But the good news is that the new Solar Bay ray-tracing benchmark shows that the Exynos 2200 is able to hold its own – it is just 17% slower than the Galaxy Z Flip5, which is powered by the Snapdragon Gen 2 for Galaxy processor.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy S23 FE using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu	S23 Ultra	Z Flip 5	S23 FE	S22 Ultra	Z Flip 4
Device	SD 8 Gen 2	SD 8 Gen 2	Exynos 2200	SD 8 Gen 1	SD 8+ Gen 1
AnTuTu Score	1212174	1187296	1166868	889167	856357
CPU	261886	393404	329078	203090	205939
GPU	538823	282780	425455	402617	362669
Memory	236163	291048	193981	146002	135707
UX	175302	220064	218354	137458	152042

The AnTuTu benchmark tells a slightly different story. According to its tests, the Galaxy S23 FE is about 31% faster than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and 36% faster than the Galaxy Z Flip 4. Not bad!

The Galaxy S23 actually came within 2% of the Galaxy Z Flip 5‘s performance, at least in the AnTuTu Benchmark. In fact, it was only 3.7% slower than the Galaxy S23 Ultra!

But note that its temperature jumped by almost 12°C! At peak performance, the Galaxy S23 FE can get quite toasty!

Next Page > A Quick Wrap, Verdict + Award!

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Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : A Quick Wrap

Let’s do a quick wrap of what I really like, and don’t like, about the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE.

Hits Most Of The Sweet Spots

Think of the Fan Edition of any Samsung smartphone as its “Value For Money” variant. That is what the Galaxy S23 FE really is – a Galaxy S23 variant that offers much better value for your money.

It isn’t powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but its Exynos 2200 is no slouch either. It’s fast in work applications, and handles itself well in games. And of course – it also has a fast 5G modem built-in.

Like the Galaxy S23, the Fan Edition also comes with 8 GB of LPDDR5 memory and up to 256 GB of flash storage. But it actually ups the ante with a larger 4,500 mAh battery.

Even in the camera department, it comes with a 50 MP Dual Pixel main camera, and likely the same 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera. Only its telephoto camera uses an older and lower-resolution sensor.

It may not be protected by Armor Aluminium and Gorilla Glass Victus 2, but its thick aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass 5 protection is, frankly, “good enough” for most users.

Samsung gave it only 25 watt fast charging, instead of 45 watt fast charging, but unless you are forking out extra money for the super fast charger (sold separately), this is a moot point.

Larger + Heavier

If there is something I don’t quite like, it’s that the Galaxy S23 FE is quite chunky. It has a slightly larger display, but its thicker bezel makes it quite a bit much larger.

On top of that, it is noticeably thicker and heavier. You may like the “solid” feel, or you may dislike the weight. Older smartphone gimbals, for example, may not support its weight.

Lower Power Efficiency

This is, frankly, only of interest to techies like me, and probably pointless to most users – compared to the more premium Galaxy S23 models, the Galaxy S23 FE has lower power efficiency.

That’s probably why Samsung gave it a larger (and heavier) 4,500 mAh battery, which allows the Galaxy S23 FE to almost get 11 hours of battery life. So it’s ultimately a trade-off – you pay less for cheaper electronics and a larger battery.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : My Verdict + Award

At first glance, the Galaxy S23 FE may not look as polished as the Galaxy S23. The Fan Edition model has a shiny glass back which attracts fingerprint smears, instead of the stylish matte finish of the regular Galaxy S23. It also looks and feels chunkier and heavier when you compare them both.

However, if you can get past those superficialities and really look at what they both offer, you will realise what I realised – the Galaxy S23 FE offers much better value for money.

As my review has already shown, the Galaxy S23 FE hits most of the sweet spots for most users. In fact, it’s practically a no-brainer for most people considering the Galaxy S23 – the Galaxy S23 FE is a better deal.

This is why we believe it deserves nothing less than our Editor’s Choice Award! Great job, Samsung!

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Where To Buy

6 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices for the Galaxy S23 FE :

8 GB + 128 GB : RM2,999 (approx. US$633 / £519 / A$998)
8 GB + 256 GB : RM3,299 (approx. US$699 / £571 / A$1,098)

Here are some online purchase options for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE:

United States : Amazon | Amazon
United Kingdom : Amazon
Australia : Amazon | Amazon |Amazon
Malaysia : Shopee | Shopee

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 FE Unboxing + First Impressions!

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Samsung just sent me their new Galaxy S23 FE – Fan Edition smartphone, and here is my unboxing video, as well as my first impressions!

Samsung Galaxy S23 Unboxing : What’s In The Box?

I managed to get my hands on the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Fan Edition) smartphone BEFORE it actually ships! Take a look at my unboxing video, and share it out!

In our unboxing video, you can see that the Galaxy S23 FE package is sparse, and only consists of:

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE smartphone
Set of documents – quick start guide in two languages, and a warranty card
USB Type C to Type C cable
SIM card extractor pin

As the unboxing video shows, the Galaxy S23 FE does not come with any charger, or earphones. Not even a TPU case to hold you over until you get a better case.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : My First Impressions!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Fan Edition) is meant to be a more affordable version of the Samsung Galaxy S23 smartphone, released early this year.

It uses the same design as the Samsung Galaxy S23, with a shiny glass back and a matte aluminium frame, instead of a matte glass back, and a shiny aluminium frame.

But the most apparent thing would be its size – the Galaxy S23 FE is a decidedly larger and bulkier phone than the Galaxy S23. The Fan Edition is also heavier at 209 grams.

The Galaxy S23 FE is larger and heavier because it comes with a slightly larger 6.3-inch display, and a larger 4,500 mAh battery. But that does not mean that it is superior to the original Galaxy S23 smartphone.

For one thing – the Galaxy S23 is powered by the faster (and pricier) Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile SoC, while the Fan Edition runs on the Samsung Exynos 2200. They both have a 50 MP main camera, but the Fan Edition has a lower-resolution zoom camera, and a lower resolution front camera.

The larger Fan Edition may have a larger 4,500 mAh battery, but it is limited to 25 watt charging, while the original Galaxy S23 supports up to 45 watt fast charging.

The SIM card tray, which supports two nano SIM cards is located at the top, together with a microphone port. It also supports an eSIM. However, you are limited to a maximum of two SIM numbers.

At the bottom, you will find the USB Type C port, as well as the speaker and microphone ports. The Power button and the Volume control buttons are located on the right side.

In the front, the Galaxy S23 FE has a 10 MP camera in a punch hole. At the back, it has a 50 MP main camera (with a Samsung S5KGN3 sensor), a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, and an 8 MP telephoto camera, with 3X optical zoom.

Like the Galaxy S23, the Fan Edition has an under-display fingerprint sensor. It appears to use the EGISTEC EL721 fingerprint sensor.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is protected on the front and back by Gorilla Glass 5 (instead of Gorilla Glass Victus 2), with an aluminium frame.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Specifications

Here are the key specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE smartphone :

Specifications	Galaxy S23 FE
Display	6.3-inch Display – Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel – 1080 x 2340 pixels (403 ppi) – 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate – 1450 nits peak brightness
Protection	Gorilla Glass 5
Water Resistance	IP68
Platform	Samsung Exynos 2200
CPU	1 x Cortex-X2 (2.8 GHz) 3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz) 4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)
GPU	Xclipse 920
Memory + Storage	8 GB + 128 GB 8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage	NA
Front Camera	10 MP camera, f/2.4
Main Cameras	50 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2 8 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
Connectivity	Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth : BT 5.3 USB : USB Type C
S Pen	None
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors	Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Light, Proximity
GPS	GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass
NFC	Yes
Battery	4,500 mAh
Charging	25 watt wired charging 15 watt wireless charging Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions	76.5 mm wide 158.0 mm tall 8.2 mm thick
Weight	209 grams

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Price + Availability

6 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices for the Galaxy S23 FE :

6 GB + 128 GB : RM2,999 (approx. US$633 / £519 / A$998)
8 GB + 256 GB : RM3,299 (approx. US$699 / £571 / A$1,098)

Here are some online per-order and purchase options for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE:

United States : Amazon | Amazon
United Kingdom : Amazon
Australia : Amazon | Amazon |Amazon
Malaysia : Shopee | Shopee

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!

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Hands-On Preview!

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We got our hands on the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, so here are our hands-on preview, and our first impressions!

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Hands-On Preview!

Samsung just launched the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and here is our hands-on preview and first impressions of this flagship smartphone with a 200 MP camera!

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. We will have battery benchmarks up shortly!

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 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°.

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.

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.

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 : 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:

United States : $1,199 | $1379.99 | $1,495 | $1,495
United Kingdom : £1,249 | £1,399 | £1,399 | £1,399
Malaysia : RM5,699 | RM5,699 | RM5,699 | RM5,699
Singapore : $1,599 | S$2,098 | S$2,098

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.

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 : All You Need To Know!

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Samsung just launched the Galaxy S23 Ultra, with a 200 MP camera, and here is everything you need to know about its latest flagship smartphone!

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Everything You Need To Know!

Samsung just launched the Galaxy S23 Ultra, with a 200 MP camera, and here is everything you need to know about its latest flagship smartphone!

Boosted Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

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)

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.

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. Samsung is calling this sensor an Adaptive Pixel sensor.

This new Adaptive Pixel 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.

I had the opportunity to test its 200 MP camera’s Nightography capabilities before the launch, and came away very impressed. Forget about the 200 MP number. Its night photography capabilities is where it really shines!

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.

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.

I recently tested the front camera in an exclusive media preview session in Singapore, and found it to be significantly better than the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s front camera!

Colour Options

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

Phantom Black
Green
Lavender
Cream

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 : 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 : Prices + Pre-Order Offer!

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!

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.

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 You Need To Know!

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

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus : Everything You Need To Know!

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

Boosted Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus 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 Plus:

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 Plus

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

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 Plus, 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

Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus 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!

4,700 mAh Fast-Charging Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus comes with a large 4,700 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, which is 200 mAh larger than the Galaxy S22 Plus.

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

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus : Specifications!

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

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus
Display	6.6-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	256 GB / 512 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 10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9, 11˚ 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	4,700 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging	45 watt wired charging 15 watt wireless charging Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions	76.2 mm wide 157.8 mm tall 7.6 mm thick
Weight	196 grams

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

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

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)

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.

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!

Leave a reply

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.

Colour Options

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

Phantom Black
Green
Lavender
Cream

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.

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 Series : All The Leaks So Far!

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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.

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 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.

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 : Everything Leaked So Far!

Leave a reply

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.

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.

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

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.

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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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Galaxy Z Flip4 vs Z Flip3 : How Different Are They?

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If you are using the Galaxy Z Flip3, you may be wondering – how different is the new Galaxy Z Flip4 smartphone?

In this article, I will share with you the key differences… and similarities between the two foldable smartphones!

Galaxy Z Flip4 vs Z Flip3 : How Different Are They?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 builds upon the excellent Galaxy Z Flip3 from last year, offering an improved version of the compact foldable smartphone.

If you are comparing both devices side-by-side, it’s really hard to tell them apart… because Samsung essentially retained the same design.

When folded, the Galaxy Z Flip4 is slightly (1.5 mm) shorter, and imperceptibly (0.3 mm) narrower than the Galaxy Z Flip3.

When unfolded, the Galaxy Z Flip4 is even more alike the Flip3 – just 0.8 mm shorter and 0.3 mm narrower. If you don’t compare them closely, you might not be able to tell them apart!

They both have very similar weights too – the Galaxy Z Flip4 coming in 4 grams heavier at 187 grams, instead of 183 grams for the Galaxy Z Flip3. Again, you can’t really tell them apart.

Most of the upgrades in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 are internal… and out-of-the-box.

4nm Processor

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 naturally has a newer and more powerful processor than the Galaxy Z Flip3.

Manufactured on the more efficient 4nm process technology, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is the fastest processor money can buy in 2022.

But the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 used in the Galaxy Z Flip3 is no slouch, and you would be hard-pressed to tell their performance apart, outside of benchmark scores.

Main Camera Changes

Samsung retained the same 10 MP front camera, and the same dual camera setup at the back from the Galaxy Z Flip3 :

a 12 MP Dual Pixel camera, with f/1.8 aperture, and
a 12 MP ultra-wide camera, with f/2.2 aperture

Larger Capacity

Samsung is also offering a larger 512 GB internal storage capacity option for the Galaxy Z Flip4. This will be useful for those who need additional storage for photos, videos or documents.

Bespoke Edition

Samsung will also offer a special Bespoke Edition for those who want to customise their Galaxy Z Flip4 smartphone.

The Bespoke Edition is only available with 256 GB of internal storage on the Samsung website, and requires 3-4 weeks to deliver, as each unit is custom-made.

Samsung Care+

The biggest upgrade, I would argue, is the new Samsung Care+ warranty, which you can purchase or obtain for free as part of the pre-order offer.

With Samsung Care+, you get 2 years of device warranty including THREE (3) protective film replacements for the Main Display.

The device warranty itself covers repairs for accidental damage (including liquid damage), as well as device replacement if it cannot be repaired. Talk about peace of mind!

Galaxy Z Flip4 vs Z Flip3 : Specification Comparison

Here is a table I created to make it easier for you to compare the two models:

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3
Main Display	6.7-inch Infinity Flex Display Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel 1080 x 2640 pixels, 425ppi 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate
Cover Display	1.9-inch Super AMOLED display 260 x 512 pixels
Protection	IPX8 Water Resistance No Dust Resistance
Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
CPU	1 x Cortex-X2 (3.2 GHz) 3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz) 4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)	1 x Kryo 680 Prime (2.84 GHz) 3 x Kryo 680 Gold (2.42 GHz) 4 x Kryo 680 Silver (1.8 GHz)
GPU	Qualcomm Adreno 730	Qualcomm Adreno 660
Memory	8 GB
Storage	128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB	128 GB / 256 GB
Front Camera	10 MP camera (f/2.4)
Main Cameras	12 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 12 MP ultra-wide 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	3,700 mAh Li-Po battery	3,300 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging	Wired : 20 watt Wireless : 10 watt Reverse wireless : 4.5 watt	Wired : 15 watt Wireless : 10 watt Reverse wireless : 4.5 watt
Folded Dimensions	71.9 mm wide 84.9 mm tall 15.9 mm to 17.1 mm thick	72.2 mm wide 86.4 mm tall 15.9 mm to 17.1 mm thick
Unfolded Dimensions	71.9 mm wide 165.2 mm tall 6.9 mm thick	72.2 mm wide 166.0 mm tall 6.9 mm thick
Weight	187 grams	183 grams

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 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 Flip4 :

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.

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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Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Z Fold3 : How Different Are They?

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If you are using the Galaxy Z Fold3, you may be wondering – how different is the new Galaxy Z Fold4 smartphone?

In this article, I will share with you the key differences… and similarities between the two foldable smartphones!

Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Z Fold3 : How Different Are They?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 builds upon the excellent Galaxy Z Fold 3 from last year, offering an improved version of the multitasking powerhouse.

If you are comparing both devices side-by-side, it’s really hard to tell them apart… because Samsung essentially retained the same design.

When folded, the Galaxy Z Fold4 is slightly (3.1 mm) shorter, and imperceptibly thinner (0.1 to 0.2 mm) than the Galaxy Z Fold3.

When unfolded, the Galaxy Z Fold4 is slightly wider and shorter, by 2 mm and 3.1 mm respectively; and 0.1 mm thinner.

Both have comparable heft, with the Galaxy Z Fold4 coming in just 8 grams lighter at 263 grams, instead of 271 grams for the Galaxy Z Fold3.

Most of the upgrades in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 are internal… and out-of-the-box.

4nm Processor

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 naturally has a newer and more powerful processor than the Galaxy Z Fold3.

Manufactured on the more efficient 4nm process technology, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is the fastest processor money can buy in 2022.

But the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 used in the Galaxy Z Fold3 is no slouch, and you would be hard-pressed to tell their performance apart, outside of benchmark scores.

Main Camera Changes

Samsung retained the same triple camera setup from the Galaxy Z Fold3 with the same design and lenses, but changed two of their sensors.

Samsung upgraded the 12 MP main camera with a 50 MP sensor, while reducing the 12 MP telephoto camera to just a 10 MP sensor.

Larger Capacity

Samsung is also offering a larger 1TB internal storage capacity option for the Galaxy Z Fold4, albeit only on their website.

This will be useful for those who need additional storage for photos, videos or documents.

Samsung Care+

The biggest upgrade, I would argue, is the new Samsung Care+ warranty, which you can purchase or obtain for free as part of the pre-order offer.

With Samsung Care+, you get 2 years of device warranty including THREE (3) protective film replacements for the Main Display.

The device warranty itself covers repairs for accidental damage (including liquid damage), as well as device replacement if it cannot be repaired. Talk about peace of mind!

Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Z Fold3 : Specification Comparison

Here is a table I created to make it easier for you to compare the two models:

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3
Main Display	7.6-inch Infinity Flex Display Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel
Main Display Specfications	1812 x 2176 pixels 1~120 Hz refresh rate	1768 x 2208 pixels, 1~120 Hz refresh rate
Cover Display	6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display
Cover Display Specifications	904 x 2316 pixels, 48~120 Hz refresh rate Gorilla Glass Victus protection	816 x 2260 pixels, 48~120 Hz refresh rate Gorilla Glass Victus protection
Protection	IPX8 Water Resistance, No Dust Resistance
Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
CPU	1 x Cortex-X2 (3.0 GHz) 3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz) 4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)	1 x Kryo 680 Prime (2.84 GHz) 3 x Kryo 680 Gold (2.42 GHz) 4 x Kryo 680 Silver (1.8 GHz)
GPU	Qualcomm Adreno 730	Qualcomm Adreno 660
Memory	12 GB
Storage	256 GB / 512 GB / 1TB	256 GB / 512 GB
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	12 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 12MP 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	67.1 mm wide 158.2 mm tall 14.4 mm to 16.0 mm thick
Unfolded Dimensions	130.1 mm wide 155.1 mm tall 6.3 mm thick	128.1 mm wide 158.2 mm tall 6.4 mm thick
Weight	263 grams	271 grams

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 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.

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 Z Flip 4 : What You Need To Know!

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

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 : Evolution Of A Matured Design

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 builds upon the excellent Galaxy Z Flip 3 from last year, offering an improved version of the popular foldable clamshell form factor.

Most of the changes are internal – a more powerful processor and a larger battery. Externally, it looks very similar to the Galaxy Z Flip3, albeit with a slimmer hinge and straightened edges, as well as contrasting hazed back glass and a glossy metal frame.

Hence, Samsung is focused on highlighting what you can do with its foldable design and its large 6.7-inch Infinity Flex display.

6.7-inch Foldable Display

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 retains the Z Flip3‘s excellent 6.7-inch Infinity Flex display, with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel that has a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1080 x 2640 pixels.

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

1.9-inch Cover Display

In the front, it has the same 1.9-inch Cover Display with a Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 260 x 512 pixels.

This Cover Display allows you to view notifications and messages without opening the Galaxy Z Flip 4. You will be able to check your schedule, the weather, and your daily step count with the Cover Screen widgets.

Performance + Storage

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 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 8 GB of memory, and internal storage options of 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB. 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 cameras from the Z Flip 3 :

In the front, it has a 10 MP camera, with an f/2.4 aperture
In the back, it has a 12 MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture, and a 12 MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 : Specifications

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

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 5G
Main Display	6.7-inch Infinity Flex Display Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel 1080 x 2640 pixels, 425ppi 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate 900 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak)
Cover Display	1.9-inch Super AMOLED display 260 x 512 pixels, 302 ppi 935 nits (HBM)
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	8 GB
Storage	128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB UFS 3.1
Front Camera	10 MP camera (f/2.4)
Main Cameras	12 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 12 MP ultra-wide 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	3,700 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging	Wired : 20 watt Wireless : 10 watt Reverse wireless : 4.5 watt
Folded Dimensions	71.9 mm wide 84.9 mm tall 15.9 mm to 17.1 mm thick
Unfolded Dimensions	71.9 mm wide 165.2 mm tall 6.9 mm thick
Weight	187 grams

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 : 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 Galaxy Z Flip 4 smartphone :

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.

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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Apple Silicon M1 Series vs. M2 Comparison!

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Apple just launched the M2 – their second-generation M-series system-on-a-chip (SoC) for Mac computers!

Let’s compare the new M2 against the last-generation M1 series SoCs!

Apple Silicon M1 vs. M2 Comparison

On 6 June 2022, Apple unveiled their second-generation M-series system-on-a-chip (SoC) for Mac computers – the Apple Silicon M2!

Built on an improved 5 nm process technology, the Apple M2 has 20 billion transistors – 25% more transistors than the M1.

All those transistors allow the Apple M2 to deliver better performance than the last-generation M1 :

Faster Performance cores with a larger cache
18% faster CPU performance
35% more powerful GPU at max. power
40% faster Neural Engine
50% more memory bandwidth
up to 24 GB of unified memory
a new image signal processor (ISP) for better image noise reduction

The new M2 no doubt offers a significant boost in performance and capabilities over the M1.

On top of that, it partially addressed the limited Unified Memory capacity offered by the M1, by offering a 24 MB option.

The new M2 will debut in the 2022 MacBook Air, and the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 laptops.

To give you a better idea of how they compare, here is our direct comparison b between the Apple M1 and the Apple M2 :

Specifications	M1	M2	Difference
Fab Tech	5nm (N5)	5 nm (N5P)	–
Transistor Count	16 billion	20 billion	+25%
Die Size	120 mm²	NA	–
CPU Cores (Performance)	4 x Firestorm @ 3.2 GHz	4 x Avalanche cores @ NA GHz	–
CPU Cores (Efficiency)	4 x Icestorm cores @ 2.06 GHz	4 Blizzard cores @ NA GHz	–
L2 Cache	P-core : 12 MB E-core : 4 MB	P-core : 16 MB E-core : 4 MB	P-core : +33%
SLC	16 MB	32 MB	+100%
GPU Cores	7 / 8 cores 1278 MHz	8 / 10 cores NA MHz	+1 / +2 cores
Neural Engine	16 cores (11 TOPS)	16 cores (15.8 TOPS)	+44%
Memory Options	8 GB / 16 GB	8 GB / 16 GB / 24 GB	–
Memory Type	LPDDR4X	LPDDR5	–
Memory Speed	2133 MHz	3200 MHz	+50%
Memory Bus	128-bit	128-bit	–
Memory Bandwidth	68.2 GB/s	102.4 GB/s	50%

Apple Silicon M1 Series vs. M2 Comparison

While the M2 may offer significant improvements over the M1, Apple has been careful in not letting it cannibalise sales of the higher-performing M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips.

Even without testing the new M2, its specifications show that it slots in between the M1 and the M1 Pro.

M2 has 8 cores like M1, with 2-4 fewer Performance cores than the M1 Pro.
Its Performance cores have L2 cache size of 16 MB, right between M1 (8 MB) and M1 Pro (24 MB).
Its 8-10 GPU core count is right between M1 (7-8 cores) and M1 Pro (14-16 cores).
Its maximum Unified Memory option is 24 GB, right between M1 (16 GB) and M1 Pro (32 GB).
It retains the M1’s narrower 128-bit memory bus, but uses the M1 Pro’s faster LPDDR5 memory.

To show you what I mean, here is a table I created comparing the key specifications of the M1 series against the new M2 :

Specifications	M1	M1 Pro	M1 Max	M1 Ultra	M2
Fab Tech	5nm (N5)				5 nm (N5P)
Transistor Count	16 billion	33.7 billion	57 billion	114 billion	20 billion
Die Size	120 mm²	245 mm²	432 mm²	864 mm²	NA
CPU Cores (Performance)	4 cores (Firestorm) 3.2 GHz	6 / 8 cores (Firestorm) 3.23 GHz	8 cores (Firestorm) 3.23 GHz	16 cores (Firestorm) 3.23 GHz	4 cores (Avalanche) NA GHz
CPU Cores (Efficiency)	4 cores (Icestorm) 2.06 GHz	2 cores (Icestorm) 2.06 GHz	2 cores (Icestorm) 2.06 GHz	4 cores (Icestorm) 2.06 GHz	4 cores (Blizzard) NA GHz
L2 Cache	P-core : 12 MB E-core : 4 MB	P-core : 24 MB E-core : 4 MB		P-core : 48 MB E-core : 8 MB	P-core : 16 MB E-core : 4 MB
SLC	16 MB	32 MB	64 MB	128 MB	32 MB
GPU Cores	7 / 8 cores 1278 MHz	14 / 16 cores 1296 MHz	24 / 32 cores 1296 MHz	48 / 64 cores 1296 MHz	8 / 10 cores NA MHz
Neural Engine	16 cores			32 cores	16 cores
Memory Options	8 / 16 GB	16 / 32 GB	32 / 64 GB	64 / 128 GB	8 / 16 / 24 GB
Memory Type	LPDDR4X	LPDDR5
Memory Speed	2133 MHz	3200 MHz
Memory Bus	128-bit	256-bit	512-bit	1024-bit	128-bit
Memory Bandwidth	68.2 GB/s	204.8 GB/s	409.6 GB/s	819.2 GB/s	102.4 GB/s

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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HUAWEI P50 + P50 Pro Deals For Malaysia!

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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

Malaysia : RM2,999 | RM2,999 | RM2,999 | RM2,999

HUAWEI P50

Malaysia : RM3,699 | RM3,699 | RM3,399 | RM3,399
US : $1,079 | $1,079

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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 980 Pro : Why It’s Now A Fast + Affordable SSD!

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The Samsung 980 Pro is still the epitome of a fast gaming SSD that will let you boot up instantly, and load massive games quickly.

Find out why it is still the favourite SSD for discerning gamers all over the world!

Samsung 980 Pro : Super Fast Gaming SSD!

When it was launched back in September 2020, the Samsung 980 Pro was amongst the best and fastest gaming SSD money could buy.

It boasted a brand new 8nm Samsung Elpis controller with a native PCIe 4.0 interface, as well as improved TurboWrite caching.

To keep it running at peak performance, the Elpis controller is nickel coated to improve heat dissipation. It also uses a heat spreader label to keep the NAND chips cool.

The 980 Pro SSD also uses Samsung’s latest V-NAND TLC flash memory, with storage capacities of up to 2 TB in an M.2 2280 form factor.

Each SSD comes with 512 GB to 2 GB of LPDDR4 cache, and uses some of its storage as a fast SLC cache of between 49 GB and 216 GB in size.

Thanks to this combination of both DRAM and SLC caching, the Samsung 980 Pro boasts sequential read speeds of 6.4 GB/s to 7.0 GB/s, and sequential write speeds of 2.7 GB/s to 5.1 GB/s.

Of course, once the write caches ran out, sustained write speed fell to 400 MB/s for the 250 GB model, 900 MB/s for the 500 GB model, and 1.7 GB/s for the 1 TB and 2 TB models. But this was generally not an issue for gaming PCs, where read speed is paramount.

Capacity	Fixed	Intelligent	Total	TurboWrite Speed	After TurboWrite
250 GB	4 GB	45 GB	49 GB	2.7 GB/s	0.4 GB/s
500 GB	4 GB	90 GB	94 GB	5.0 GB/s	0.9 GB/s
1 TB	6 GB	108 GB	114 GB	5.0 GB/s	1.7 GB/s
2 TB	6 GB	210 GB	216 GB	5.1 GB/s	1.7 GB/s

But note that TurboWrite requires you keeping approximately 20% of the drive’s storage capacity free or empty. If you fill up the drive beyond that, the Intelligent portion of TurboWrite will be reduced.

Also, to fully utilise the Samsung 980 Pro, your gaming PC should PCIe 4.0. It is backward compatible and will have no issues working with PCIe 3.0, but your drive will be limited to 3.5GB/s for sequential reads.

Samsung 980 Pro : Now A Fast SSD That Won’t Break The Bank!

When it was first released, the Samsung 980 Pro was not only expensive, it was much sought after and were consequently hard to come by.

The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t do us any favour, with computer part prices skyrocketing from a combination of increased demand and reduced production.

18 months later – the Samsung 980 Pro remains one of the better gaming SSDs money can buy, only it’s more affordable these days!

Of particular interest are the smaller 250GB and 500GB models. While they don’t offer that much storage space, they are much cheaper on a per GB basis.

Here is a look at the latest deals on the Samsung 980 Pro SSD globally :

Malaysia

250GB : RM323 | RM379 | RM383 | RM389 | RM390
500GB : RM619 | RM620 | RM659 | RM679 | RM683 | RM699
1TB : RM980 | RM1,083 | RM1,109 | RM1,149 | RM1,299
2TB : RM1,698 | RM1,999 | RM2,159 | RM2,187 | RM2,217 | RM2,359 |

Singapore

250GB : $100 | $108 | $109 | $109 | $109
500GB : $149 | $178 | $179 | $179 | $179
1TB : $255 | $277 | $277 | $277
2TB : $490 | $499 | $499 | $500

United States

250GB : $87
500GB : $109.99
1TB : $149.99
2TB : $289.99

United Kingdom

250GB : £63.93
500GB : £90.39
1TB : £147.99
2TB : £261

Australia

1TB : $227.11 | $258.60
2TB : $467.32

Samsung 980 Pro : Specifications

Specifications	Samsung 980 PRO
Form Factor	M.2 (2280)
Interface	PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.3c
Controller	Samsung Elpis (8 nm)
NAND Storage	Samsung 1xxL V-NAND TLC
Capacities	250 GB	500 GB	1 TB	2 TB
LPDDR4 Cache	512 MB		1 GB	2 GB
TurboWrite Cache	49 GB	94 GB	114 GB	216 GB
Sequential Read	6.4 GB/s	6.9 GB/s	7.0 GB/s
Sequential Write	2.7 GB/s	5.0 GB/s	5.0 GB/s	5.1 GB/s
Uncached Write	0.4 GB/s	0.9 GB/s	1.7 GB/s
Random Read	22,000 IOPS
Random Write	60,000 IOPS
Peak Random Read	500K IOPS	800K IOPS	1M IOPS
Peak Random Write	600K IOPS	1M IOPS
Endurance	150 TBW	300 TBW	600 TBW	1200 TBW
Security	AES 256-bit FDE, TCG / Opal v2.0, IEEE1667
TRIM	Yes
Garbage Collection	Yes
WNN	No
Dimensions	80.15 mm long 22.15 mm wide 2.38 mm thick
Weight	9.0 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.

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Samsung Galaxy A33 : Exclusive Hands-On Preview!

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We recently had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy A33 that was just launched, and here is our hands-on preview!

Samsung Galaxy A33 with 48 MP Quad Camera System!

Samsung just launched their Galaxy A33 mid-range smartphone, which boasts a 48 MP quad-camera system!

We had the exclusive opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Galaxy A33 smartphone recently, and here is our hands-on video experience!

6.4-inch Super AMOLED Display

The Samsung Galaxy A33 comes with a large 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display.

It has a Full HD+ resolution, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 90 Hz!

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy A33 runs on the new Samsung Exynos 1280 mobile platform, which has a dual-tier CPU architecture :

four sustained-performance ARM Cortex-A78 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, and
four energy-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at 2.0 GHz

It also comes with a ARM Mali-G68 GPU running at 1.0 GHz.

Memory + Storage Options

The Samsung Galaxy A33 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 128 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 A33 is targeted at those who love to take photos and videos.

In the front, it has a 13 MP camera, with an f/2.2 aperture, and in the back, it has a quad-camera system that consists of :

a 48 MP Dual Pixel camera with f/1.8 aperture
an 8 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture
a 5 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
a 2 MP depth camera with f/2.4 aperture

IP67 Dust + Water-Resistance!

You will also love the fact that the Galaxy A33 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 A33 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 A33 Specifications

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy A33
Display	6.4-inch Super AMOLED – 90 Hz dynamic refresh rate
Protection	IP67
OS	One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform	Samsung Exynos 1280
CPU	2 x ARM Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz) 6 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU	ARM Mali-G68 (1 GHz)
Memory + Storage	8 GB + 128 GB
External Storage	microSDXC
Front Camera	13 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras	48 MP OIS camera, f/1.8 8 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2 5 MP macro camera, f/2.4 2 MP depth camera, f/2.4
Connectivity	Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth : BT 5.1 USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Virtual Proximity
GPS	GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo
NFC	Yes
Battery	5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging	25 watt wired charging
Dimensions	74.0 mm wide 159.7 mm tall 8.1 mm thick
Weight	186 grams

Samsung Galaxy A33 Colour + Availability!

Here in Malaysia, the Galaxy A33 smartphone is available in four colour options :

Awesome Peach
Awesome Blue
Awesome White
Awesome Black

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

8 GB + 128 GB : RM 1,499 (about US$359 / £269 / A$487 / S$487)

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 A73 : Exclusive Hands-On Preview!

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

Samsung Galaxy A73 : All 3 Colour Options Compared!

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Check out the three colour options available for the new Samsung Galaxy A73 smartphone!

Samsung Galaxy A73 : Available In 3 Colour Options!

Samsung just launched their Galaxy A73 mid-range smartphone, and it is available in three pastel colours!

We had the exclusive opportunity to check out all three colour options for the Galaxy A73 smartphone recently.

In this video, you will be able to check out all three colour options for yourself. From left to right, they are :

Awesome White
Awesome Mint
Awesome Gray

Awesome Mint is, incidentally, an exclusive colour option for the Galaxy A73 smartphone. It is not available for the Galaxy A53 or the Galaxy A33 smartphones.

For your convenience, here is a comparison of its key specifications :

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy A73
Display	6.7-inch Super AMOLE+ – 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 all three colour options, starting 10 February 2022.

There are three variants, each with four colour options, at these price points :

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

You can now pre-order the 12 GB + 256 GB model from 10 February until 3 March 2022, to receive these freebies!

Samsung eVoucher worth RM800
Galaxy S22 Plus Silicone Cover with Strap worth RM 169
Galaxy Lucky Box (with wide strap) worth RM 79
Camera Filter Mount worth RM 169

Here are some online pre-order options : RM5,499 | RM5,499 | RM5,499 | RM5,499

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 A53 | A33 : All 4 Colour Options Compared!

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Check out the four colour options available for the new Samsung Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 smartphones!

Samsung Galaxy A53 | A33 : Available In 4 Colour Options!

Samsung just launched their Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 mid-range smartphones, and they are available in four pastel colours!

We had the exclusive opportunity to check out all four colour options for the Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 smartphones recently.

In this video, you will be able to check out all four colour options for yourself. From left to right, they are :

Awesome Peach
Awesome Blue
Awesome White
Awesome Black

Awesome Peach is, incidentally, an exclusive colour option for the Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 smartphones. It is not available for the Galaxy A73 smartphone.

For your convenience, here is a comparison of their key specifications :

Specifications	Galaxy A53	Galaxy A33
Display Size	6.5-inch	6.4-inch
Display Type	Super AMOLED
Dynamic Refresh Rate	120 Hz	90 Hz
Protection	IP67
OS	One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform	Samsung Exynos 1280
CPU	2 x ARM Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz) 6 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU	ARM Mali-G68 (1 GHz)
Memory	8 GB
Storage	256 GB	128 GB
External Storage	microSDXC
Front Camera	32 MP, f/2.2	13 MP, f/2.2
Main Cameras	64 MP OIS, f/1.8 12 MP ultra-wide, f/2.2 5 MP macro, f/2.4 5 MP depth, f/2.4	48 MP OIS, f/1.8 8 MP ultra-wide, f/2.2 5 MP macro, f/2.4 2 MP depth, f/2.4
Connectivity	Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth : BT 5.1 USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Virtual Proximity
GPS	GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo
NFC	Yes
Battery	5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging	25 watt wired charging
Dimensions	74.8 mm wide 159.6 mm tall 8.1 mm thick	74.0 mm wide 159.7 mm tall 8.1 mm thick
Weight	189 grams	186 grams

Samsung Galaxy A53 | A33 Colour Availability!

Here in Malaysia, the Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 smartphones are available in four colour options :

Awesome Peach
Awesome Blue
Awesome White
Awesome Black

The Samsung Galaxy A53 will be offered in only one variant, at this price point :

8 GB + 256 GB : RM 1,849 (about US$439 / £336 / A$599 / S$599)

The Samsung Galaxy A33 will be offered in only one variant, at this price point :

8 GB + 128 GB : RM 1,499 (about US$359 / £269 / A$487 / S$487)

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 S22 Ultra : Our Hands-On Experience!

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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 :

Malaysia : RM5,499 | RM5,499 | RM5,499 | RM5,499
Singapore : S$1,858
United States : US$1,199 | US$1,199
United Kingdom : £1,149 | £1,149 | £1,249 | £1,249
Australia : A$1,999

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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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vivo V23e 5G Mirage Gold Preview : Take A Look!

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The new vivo V23e 5G Mirage Gold smartphone is here, offering a new elegant colour option for selfie-lovers!

Find out if the vivo V23e 5G Mirage Gold is what you have been waiting for!

vivo V23e Mirage Gold : For Photography Enthusiasts!

The new vivo V23e 5G Mirage Gold smartphone is designed for photography enthusiasts, offering really great front and rear cameras at an affordable price point.

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

6.44-inch Display

The vivo V23e 5G Mirage Gold comes with a massive 6.44-inch display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.

It uses an AMOLED panel, which delivers much better colour gamut and brightness than regular LCD displays.

High-Performance Mobile SoC

The MediaTek Dimensity 810 is a new and faster mid-range mobile SoC, with an integrated 5G modem, and :

two high-performance Arm Cortex-A76 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz,
six power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores, and
an Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU to accelerate 2D and 3G graphics

It also features a Multi-Turbo software that intelligently optimises network speed, heat dissipation, AI and gaming performance.

RAM + Storage

The vivo V23e Mirage Gold 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 128 GB internal storage is plenty enough for a multitude of games and apps. And if you run out, you can top up storage through a microSD card!

44 MP Selfie Camera

When it comes to photography, the vivo V23e Mirage Gold offers both great selfie shots from its 44 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!

You can also take photos in really dark conditions using its Front Camera AI Extreme Night feature, which uses multi-frame noise reduction to combine multiple shots into one bright and clear shot!

It also supports Steadiface Selfie Video, which ensures that your face remains stable and clear, no matter how you move.

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 8 MP wide-angle camera, and a 2 MP macro camera for really close-up shots (as close as 4 cm).

The main camera supports Double Exposure, allowing you to take two different photos and combine them for a unique double-exposed shot!

5G Connectivity

While 5G connectivity is still not available in Malaysia, and sparse around the world, the integrated 5G modem means you’re future-proofed.

More importantly though are its other connectivity options. It comes with support for dual-band WiFi-AC, Bluetooth 5.1 and a reversible USB Type C port.

Sleek + Light

The vivo V23e Mirage Gold features a premium glass-covered chassis, with a smooth anti-fingerprint finish.

It has a sleek profile that is just under 7.5 mm thick, and weighs just 172 grams.

Large Fast Charging Battery

To power all that, the V23e Mirage Gold comes with a large 4,050 mAh battery, which gives you a full day of usage and then some!

On top of that, it supports 44 watt flash charging – a quick 30 minute flash charge will restore its battery life to 69%! Best of all – vivo included the charger in the box!

vivo V23e Mirage Gold : Specifications

Specifications	vivo V23e Mirage Gold
Display	6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED Display – 1080 x 2400 pixels
OS	Funtouch OS 12 (Android 11)
Platform	MediaTek Dimensity 810 (MT6873)
CPU	2 x Arm Cortex-A76 cores (2.4 GHz ) 6 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores
GPU	Arm Mali-G57 MC2
Memory	8 GB + 4 GB Extended RAM
Storage	128 GB microSD support
Front Camera	44 MP camera (f/2.0)
Main Cameras	50 MP main camera, f/1.8 8 MP wide-angle camera, f2.2 2 MP macro camera, f/2.4
Connectivity	Network : 5G / 4G / 3G Wi-Fi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth : BT 5.1 USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, In-Display
Other Sensors	Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Proximity, E-compass, Gyroscope
GPS	GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
NFC	No
FM Radio	Yes
Battery	4,050 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging	44 watt FlashCharge
Dimensions	74.28 mm wide 160.87 mm tall 7.36-41 mm thick
Weight	172 grams

vivo V23e 5G : Three Colour Options

The vivo V23e 5G was originally available in two colour options – Sunshine Coast on the left, and Cosmic Aurora on the right.

Take a look at how they compare against the new Mirage Gold colour (centre). Do let us know which you prefer!

vivo V23e 5G Mirage Gold : Price, Availability + Deals!

The vivo V23e 5G has a launch price of RM1,599 – approximately US$378 / £286 / A$532 / S$517.

For a limited time, every purchase will come with free gifts worth RM528 from now until 20 February 2022!

Limited Edition vivo x L’Oréal Paris Valentine’s Gift Box
1 Year Extended Warranty
1 Year Screen Crack Protection

From 21 until 28 February, every purchase will come with free gifts worth RM399 :

1 Year Extended Warranty
1 Year Screen Crack Protection

If you like the vivo V23e Mirage Gold, make sure you get it now!

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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vivo V23 5G Preview : What You Need To Know!

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vivo just launched their V23 5G smartphone, offering dual front cameras with dual LED spotlights for selfie-lovers!

Take a look at the new vivo V23 5G, and find out if this is the selfie pal you have been waiting for!

vivo V23 5G : For Selfie + Photography Enthusiasts!

The new vivo V23 5G smartphone is designed for selfie and photography enthusiasts, offering really great front and rear cameras at an affordable price point.

Let’s take a look at its key features, so you can figure out if this is the smartphone you have been waiting for!

6.44-inch Display

The vivo V23 5G smartphone comes with a massive 6.44-inch display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, and a 90 Hz refresh rate.

It uses an AMOLED panel, which delivers much better colour gamut and brightness than regular LCD displays.

Flagship-Class Mobile SoC

The MediaTek Dimensity 920 is a new and faster flagship-class mobile SoC, with an integrated 5G modem, and :

two high-performance Arm Cortex-A78 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz,
six power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores running at up to 2.0 GHz, and
an Arm Mali-G68 MC4 GPU to accelerate 2D and 3G graphics

RAM + Storage

The vivo V23 5G comes with two RAM and storage options :

8 GB of RAM + 128 GB of internal storage
12 GB of RAM + 256 GB of internal storages

Dual Selfie Cameras!

When it comes to photography, the vivo V23 5G offers expanded creativity with dual selfie cameras, supported by dual-tone LED spotlights!

For high-resolution portraits, you have an incredibly high-resolution 50 MP front camera, with a large f/2.0 aperture for great low-light performance.

But if you need to fit many people in, you can opt for the 105° super wide-angle 8 MP camera, with an f/2.28 aperture!

The dual-tone LED spotlights help to ensure even and adequate lighting, even in ultra low-light conditions!

64 MP Triple-Camera System

In the back, it has a 64 MP main camera with a wide f/1.89 aperture, together with an 8 MP wide-angle camera, and a 2 MP macro camera for really close-up shots (as close as 4 cm).

The main camera features the Samsung ISOCELL GW1 image sensor, which lets you take really great photos in low-light conditions by combining four pixels into one, through its Tetrapixel technology!

5G Connectivity

While 5G connectivity is still not available in Malaysia, and sparse around the world, the integrated 5G modem means you’re future-proofed.

More importantly though are its other connectivity options. It comes with support for dual-band WiFi-AC, Bluetooth 5.2 and a reversible USB Type C port.

Premium Colour Changing Glass Body!

The vivo V23 5G features a Fluorite AG glass-covered aviation aluminium chassis, with a layer of crystals that changes colour with the light!

The glass-aluminium body not only imparts a premium feel, it offers a sleek profile that is just under 7.6 mm thick, and weighs about 180 grams.

Large Fast Charging Battery

The V23 comes with a large 4,200 mAh battery to give you a full day of usage and then some!

On top of that, it supports 44 watt flash charging, and best of all – vivo included the charger in the box!

vivo V23 5G : Specifications

Specifications	vivo V23 5G
Display	6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED Display – 1080 x 2400 pixels – 90 Hz refresh rate
OS	Funtouch OS 12 (Android 11)
Platform	MediaTek Dimensity 920
CPU	2 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores (2.5 GHz ) 6 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU	Arm Mali-G68 MC4
Memory + Storage Options	8 GB + 128 GB 12 GB + 256 GB
External Storage	NA
Front Cameras	50 MP main camera (f/2.0) 8 MP wide-angle camera (f/2.28) Dual-tone LED spotlight
Main Cameras	64 MP main camera, f/1.89 8 MP wide-angle camera, f2.2 2 MP macro camera, f/2.4 Single LED flash
Connectivity	Network : 5G / 4G / 3G Wi-Fi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth : BT 5.2 USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes, In-Display
Other Sensors	Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Proximity, E-compass, Gyroscope
GPS	GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
NFC	Yes
FM Radio	No
Battery	4,200 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging	44 watt FlashCharge
Dimensions	74.42 mm wide 157.20 mm tall 7.39-55 mm thick
Weight	179-181 grams

vivo V23 5G : Colour Options

The vivo V23 5G is available in two colour options – Sunshine Gold on the left, and Stardust Black on the right.

vivo V23 5G : Launch Deals!

The vivo V23 5G has a launch price of RM2,099 – approximately US$502 / £367 / A$694 / S$675.

From 14-16 January 2022, every purchase will come with free gifts worth RM688:

vivo TWS 2e wireless earphones
1 Year Extended Warranty
1 Year Screen Crack Protection

From 14-16 January 2022, every purchase will come with free gifts worth RM558:

Wireless vacuum cleaner
1 Year Extended Warranty
1 Year Screen Crack Protection

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 S21 FE Preview : What You Need To Know!

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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.

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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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2021 Acer Aspire Vero : Green Laptop With 30% PCR Chassis

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Acer just launched the Aspire Vero – a new green laptop for environmentally-conscious consumers and companies!

Take a look at the 2021 Acer Aspire Vero, and find out how it differs from other laptops!

2021 Acer Aspire Vero : Green Laptop With 30% PCR Chassis

The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero is a new laptop, designed to meet the discerning requirements of environmentally-conscious consumers and companies.

Its chassis is made from 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic, while its keycaps contain 50% PCR plastic. This allows the Aspire Vero to save about 21% in CO2 emissions.

The Acer Aspire Vero is also designed to eliminate electronic waste by making it easy to disassemble, repair or upgrade – a far cry from some other brands.

https://youtu.be/U_6t8_JyIUQ

The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero also ships in a box made from 80-85% recycled paper pulp, and it swaps plastic bags for paper sleeves instead.

The single piece of plastic in the box – a thin protective sheet between the keyboard and screen – is made from 100% industrial recycled plastic.

All graphics on the box are also printed with soy ink, and Acer did away with any printing on the laptop chassis. On top of that, users can convert the 100% recyclable packaging into a DIY laptop stand!

The laptop comes with a 99% recyclable 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display, and is powered by the 11th Gen Intel Core i7 or Core i5 processor with Intel Iris Xe Graphics.

For greater energy efficiency and longer battery life, you can switch on the Eco+ mode in the Acer VeroSense software.

It features the latest connectivity capabilities – Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 5.1, and even an RJ-45 ethernet port, as well as two USB Type A ports, a USB Type C port, a HDMI port and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero runs on Windows 11, and comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2021

2021 Acer Aspire Vero : Specifications

Acer is offering two variants of the Aspire Vero laptop in 2021. For your convenience, I prepared this table comparing their key specifications :

Specifications	Acer Aspire Vero (Core i5)	Acer Aspire Vero (Core i7)
Model	AV15-51-522W	AV15-51-75SA
Display	15.6-inch IPS display Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080)
OS	Microsoft Windows 11 Home
Processor	Intel Core i5-1155G7	Intel Core i7-1195G7
Memory	8 GB LPDDR4X	16 GB LPDDR4X
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Storage	512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Networking	Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201 Bluetooth 5.1 RJ-45 Ethernet Port
Connectivity	1 x HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A (with power-off USB charging) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C 1 x 3.5 mm audio jack
Webcam	Acer HD webcam (1280 x 720)
Battery Life	Up to 7 hours
Dimensions	363.4 mm wide 238.5 mm deep 17.9 mm thick
Weight	1.8 kg
Price	RM3,399	RM4,299

2021 Acer Aspire Vero : Price + Availability

The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero is available for purchase with immediate effect, with these official launch prices :

Core i5 variant : RM3,399 (approx. US$816 / £609 / A$1,118 / S$1,101)
Core i5 variant : RM4,299 (approx. US$1,031 / £770 / A$1,414 / S$1,393)

From 11 to 19 November 2021, every purchase of an Acer Aspire Vero will be entitled to redeem free gifts worth RM500 :

Acer backpack
Acer Gateway Pro wireless headset
Touch ‘n Go eWallet credit, etc.

Here are some online purchase options in Malaysia :

Here are some online purchase options in Singapore :

Here are other online purchase options (prices accurate as of 11 November 2021) :

US : $899.99
UK : £649.99 | £849.99
Australia : A$1,625.92

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 Z Flip 3 Review : Darn Good Value!

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Here is my comprehensive review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable smartphone!

Find out why this foldable smartphone is darn good value for your money!

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 : Colour Options + Price

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 comes in four colour options (from left to right) : Green, Cream, Lavender and Phantom Black.

Samsung also directly offers three more exclusive colours in their online store – Gray, Pink and White.

Note : The model used for this review is the Phantom Black colour.

The 128 GB model is priced at US$999.99 / £949 / A$1,499 / S$1,357 / A$1,398 / RM3,999.

The 256 GB model is priced at US$1,049.99 / £999 / A$1,599 / S$1,4989 / A$1,398 / RM4,199.

Here are some online purchase options :

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 : Specifications

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G
Model	SM-F711B
Main Display	6.7-inch Infinity Flex Display Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel 1080 x 2640 pixels, 425ppi 120 Hz refresh rate 900 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak)
Cover Display	1.9-inch Super AMOLED display 260 x 512 pixels, 302 ppi 935 nits (HBM)
Protection	IPX8 Water Resistance No Dust Resistance
OS	Android 11 with One UI 3.1
Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (SM8350)
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
Storage	128 GB / 256 GB UFS 3.1
Front Camera	10 MP camera (f/2.4)
Main Cameras	12 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 12 MP ultra-wide 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	3,300 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging	Wired : 15 watt Wireless : 10 watt Reverse wireless : 4.5 watt
Folded Dimensions	72.2 mm wide 86.4 mm tall 15.9 mm to 17.1 mm thick
Unfolded Dimensions	72.2 mm wide 166.0 mm tall 6.9 mm thick
Weight	183 grams

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 : Unboxing + Contents!

The new Galaxy Z Flip 3 is Samsung’s third-generation Flip device, featuring not only a large foldable 6.7-inch display, but also IPX8 water resistance!

As a Samsung ultra-premium smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 comes in a premium two-tone black-grey box, with these items inside :

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 smartphone
Quick Start Guide
USB-C to USB-C data and power cable
SIM tray ejection pin

Unfortunately, it does not come with a fast charger in-the-box, or an USB-C to 3.5 mm audio adaptor. Not does it come with any USB-C earphones…

Next Page > Galaxy Z Flip 3 Key Features

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 : Key Features!

6.7-inch Foldable Display

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 boasts a large 6.7-inch Infinity Flex display, with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel that has a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1080 x 2640 pixels.

In case you are wondering – the crease is visible if you view it from an angle, and you can feel it if you run your finger over it. But after using it some time – you will forget it’s even there.

The display is large and really beautiful – with excellent resolution, colour gamut and brightness. And it folds into a really compact device about the size of a pager – if you are old enough to remember what that is!

Its foldable display has a new protective film made from stretchable PET, and newly-optimised display panel layers that are 80% more durable than the Z Fold2 display. It is now certified to withstand folding at least 200,000 times!

If you are new to foldable phones, you will be really tentative about folding it. But over time, it will become really natural – you won’t even think twice about folding it before shoving it down your pocket.

But while the Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) can withstand a lot more folding, you must still take care not to SCRATCH it. Avoid putting it together in your pocket or handbag with hard objects like coins, another phone, etc.

You also need to remember to fold it once you don’t need to use the main display. Don’t worry – even if you fold it a 100X a day, it should last 5.5 years!

1.9-inch Cover Display

In the front, it has a small 1.9-inch Cover Display with a Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 260 x 512 pixels.

This redesigned Cover Screen is 4X larger, making it easier to view notifications and messages without opening the Z Flip 3.

You will be able to check your schedule, the weather, and your daily step count with the new Cover Screen widgets. You can even coordinate its wallpaper with the new Galaxy Watch4 or Galaxy Watch4 Classic!

The Cover Display also serves as a camera preview display, letting you use both rear cameras for superior selfies! This is one of the Z Flip 3’s relatively unknown but truly useful feature.

Performance + Storage

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is built around the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G mobile platform, which makes it one of the most powerful smartphones in the world.

Our review sample came with 8 GB of memory, and 128 GB of fast UFS 3.1 storage. It is also available with 256 GB of storage.

It only supports a single SIM card, with no microSD card tray. There is no option to increase storage, but generally 128 GB of storage is more than enough for most people.