In Sunday’s segment on Sky News Australia (Weekend Edition with Tim Gilbert) we explained how the foldable flip phone has gone from novelty gadget to serious smartphone category in just a few years.
Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the latest entry and its bigger outside display allows more tasks to be performed without opening the phone. Samsung calls it the 3.4″ Flex Window but whatever it’s called … the outside display is much bigger.
It needed to be bigger to combat impressive outside displays from OPPO and Motorola foldables in 2023. We show them side-by-side in this segment and explain why this category is popular.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 5G 512GB during pre-order is worth $1649.
Official Release date: 18 Aug 23
The competition:
- Motorola Razr 40 Ultra 5G 256GB = $1499
- OPPO Find N2 Flip 5G 256GB + $1499
SAMSUNG TAB S9
While Android tablets aren’t for everyone this new Galaxy Tab S9 Series is certainly worth a look for a couple of reasons.
Let’s start with the display; it’s an absolute knockout. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X HDR10+ ensures scene-by-scene, frame-by-frame tone optimisation with a wide range of colours and brightness. The dynamic refresh rate of the Galaxy Tab S9 series automatically calibrates from 60 to 120Hz to balance smooth responsiveness with optimised battery efficiency. Eye Comfort also helps to reduce eye strain with low blue light, reduced by more than 70 percent.
Every device is equipped with the flagship Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, the same lightning-fast mobile processor in Samsung’s latest smartphones. For the first time on a Galaxy tablet, advanced vapour chamber technology helps power streaming, gaming or video editing marathons, so users will also benefit from optimised large-screen gaming experiences.
Every premium Galaxy Tab S9 device comes with the Galaxy S Pen.
Offering a pen-on-paper-like experience, Galaxy Tab S9 series and S Pen are now both IP68 rated for water and dust resistance.
The other big feature in my opinion …. is the pro-level LumaFusion video editing app which makes work easier when creating sharable content. Images and videos — even large files — taken on your Galaxy smartphone camera can be easily shared to Galaxy Tab S9 series with Quick Share. LumaFusion takes full advantage of Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra’s expansive screen and extra displays if needed. This is Android’s best video editing setup I’ve seen on a tablet.
Tab S9 starts at $1299 up to $2949 for the top Tab S9 Ultra.
SONY’S WF-1000XM5 TRULY WIRELESS EARBUDS
I’m still reviewing the WF-1000XM5 truly wireless earbuds but what I’ve heard so far has blown me away.
Announced last week with an improved glossy texture and a more luxurious feel, these earbuds fit comfortably in your ears while keeping out external sounds. By downsizing the headphone body and optimising the placement of the components, the earbud is now approximately 25% smaller and 20% lighter than the WF-1000XM4. Sony also reduced the size of the charging case.
Noise Isolation Earbud Tips feature a unique polyurethane foam material which reduces noise in the high-frequency range. Soft and elastic, they maximise the contact area between the earbud tip and the ear canal, insulating your sound and reducing noise. It also improves adhesion to the ear canal for a more secure, stable fit.
- Key Features
- Class leading Noise Cancelling* Headphones
- Compact and comfortable design
- HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN2e – blocks more noise, in more situations
- Integrated Processor V2, for reliable connectivity and high-quality sound
- Dynamic Driver X- deeper bass and better audio detail
- Up to 8 hours music per charge, or 24 hours when including the charging case
- Qi® wireless and USB Type-C, with quick charge (3mins charge = 1 hour music)
- Be heard with Sony’s best ever call quality, via precise voice pickup technology
- Speak-to-Chat mode, speak to pause your music- no button press required
- Headtracking for immersive spatial audio and optional head-gesture control¹
- IPX4 rated – everyday protection from sweat and splashing water²
- case is not water resistant
- What’s in the box?
- Noise isolation ear tips (4 sizes)
SRP $499.95 AUD – already reduced to $419 for pre orders.
Release date is August 1st.