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Posts Tagged ‘GALAXY’

Samsung announces Galaxy Z Flip, S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra smartphones

12 Feb

Samsung took the stage at its Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event to unveil its latest Galaxy smartphone lineup, which includes the Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra.

Galaxy Z Flip

Before diving into the more standard S20 lineup from Samsung, let’s first take a look at the Galaxy Z Flip, a second-generation folding phone from Samsung. Unlike the Galaxy Fold, which opened up side-to-side like a book, the Galaxy Z Flip opens up vertically, similar to clamshell-style phones of yesteryear.

However, instead of a keyboard at the bottom and a screen at the top as was standard nearly a decade ago, the Galaxy Z Flip features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display, which folds along the hinge of the phone. What’s interesting is that instead of the plastic being used for the screen, Samsung is instead using an ultra-thin glass—this should help to make the screen much more durable than its predecessor, which quickly gained a bad reputation for scratching easily. The outside of the device also features a 1.06-inch secondary display that can display the current time, show the battery status, show notifications and even be used as a screen for taking selfies using the exterior camera.

Beneath the screen is an array of components that, as noted by Android Authority, are almost identical to those found inside the Galaxy S10e. Specifically, the phoen is powered by a Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC, 8GB of RAM, 256GB UFS 3.0 storage and a 3,300mAh battery (2,000mAh more than the S10e).

The pair of cameras on the rear of the device include a standard 12-megapixel camera and an ultra-wide 12-megapixel camera, while the front-facing selfie camera is 10-megapixels. The device also features 15W wired charging, 9W wireless charging and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The Galaxy Z Flip will be available in Mirror Purple, Mirror Black and Mirror Gold (in select countries) starting February 14, 2020 for $ 1,380.

Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra

With the flagship flip phone out of the way, let’s talk about the new S20 lineup. Similar to in the past, Samsung’s S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra smartphones all vary in size and specifications, with increasing screen sizes and capabilities, respectively.

Before diving into the differences though, let’s take a look at what all of the devices share. The first thing you’ll notice is the familiar design, with the S20 lineup constructed of glass on the front and back with an aluminum alloy metal band around the edges. Aside from a slight bump up in weight and height compared to the S10 lineup, the only major visual difference from the device’s respective predecessors is a new camera bump that’s now rectangular in design.

Each of the new devices features a 120Hz OLED display, currently putting them at the front of the pack in terms of refresh rates (for OLEDs, at least). The S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra all have the same resolution (3200×1440 pixels), but the screen sizes across the devices do differ: 6.2-inches, 6.7-inches and 6.92-inches, respectively.

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Moving onto the cameras, the S20 devices drop the dual-front-facing camera the S10 series had and opts for a single 10-megapixel camera on the S20 and S20+, while the S20 Ultra gets a ridiculous 40-megapixel front-facing camera. On the back of the devices, you’ll notice each model features increasingly-larger camera units, with more modules available on the larger models. The S20 has a 12-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 64-megapixel 3x telephoto camera.

Below is a video breakdown from Android Central showing how the new camera systems work on the S20 lineup:

The S20+ has all of those cameras as well as a time-of-flight (ToF) camera for depth data. As you might expect, the S20 Ultra takes the entire setup to a whole other level; it offers a 108-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, a 48-megapixel 10x telephoto (which is being marketed as a 100x ‘Space Zoom’ camera thanks to a unique combination of optical and digital zoom with a little AI magic tossed in there for good measure) and a ToF camera. All of the phones feature 8K video recording.

The S20 models are all IP68 water-resistant, include wireless charging and feature an in-screen ultrasonic fingerprint reader. Oh, and the headphone jack is gone.

The S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra are set to ship in the United States for $ 1000, $ 1,200 and $ 1,400, respectively.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Rumor: Samsung Galaxy S11+ sensor to use Nonacell technology

20 Dec

Yesterday we posted a story about the technology in Samsung’s 108MP ISOCELL Bright HMX image sensor and said the chip was likely to make an appearance in the Korean manufacturer’s upcoming Galaxy S11 series.

It looks like this might not be entirely correct. According to a tweet by infamous mobile industry leakster Ice Universe the Galaxy S11+ will use a customized version of the chip that uses a technology that Samsung calls Nonacell.

The standard sensor comes with the company’s tetracell technology, also known as Quad-Bayer, that uses pixel merging for better detail and lower noise levels in low light. Nonacell follows the same concept but instead of four combines — you guessed it — nine pixels into one.

The sensor is said to be called ISOCELL Bright HM1 and will be the successor to the HMX variant that we’ve seen in the Xiaomi Mi Note 10. On the latter four 0.8µm pixels are combined into one 1.6µm effective pixel. On the new sensor the effective pixel size would increase to 2.4µm, theoretically allowing for significantly improved low light performance at a still more than acceptable 12MP output size.

The Galaxy S11 series is scheduled to launch in February 2020, so hopefully, we’ll be able to have a closer look at then sensor and its performance then.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung Galaxy A80 teardown reveals complex camera swivel mechanism

29 Nov

The Samsung Galaxy A80 is a Snapdragon 730-powered mid-range phone that would not stand out much from the crowd if it weren’t for its pretty unique camera swivel mechanism. Like the Asus ZenFone 6 and other swivel phones the A80 only has only one camera that can be used as both a main shooter and selfie camera.

Youtuber JerryRigEverything has now put the A80 through a detailed teardown process and discovered that the swivel mechanism is quite a complex piece of engineering that uses a stepper motor with a threaded shaft for raising and lowering the camera module.

At the peak of the extension the rotation of the camera is triggered through a clever gearing system. The camera ‘carriage’ is also running on rails at the side of the phone for smooth movement.

The camera module itself features a 48 MP main camera with 1/2″ sensor, a 12mm-equivalent ultra-wide and a depth-sensing time-of-flight camera for bokeh simulation.

JerryRigEverything concludes that the A80 is one of the most over-engineered phones he has seen but that it’s quite difficult to take apart, and especially to put back together again, with many more screws to remove and reinsert than on more conventional devices.

No matter your opinion on the swivel design, it’s quite amazing to see how much engineering can be squeezed into the tiny body of a smartphone these days.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Olloclip releases new lens and clip system with iPhone 11 and Samsung Galaxy S10 support

20 Nov

Mobile photography company Olloclip has released a new lens and clip system that includes support for the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10e smartphone models.

Olloclip is offering its new system with the Olloclip StartPack, MacroProPack and ElitePack, a trio of kits offering various lens bundles with the customer’s choice of clip. As well, the company has launched a new Pocket Telephoto 2X Essential lens, relaunched the Macro 10X Essential lens, and updated its Starter Kit to include the Pivot Grip stabilizer, an ultra-light tripod and the BSR Bluetooth Shutter Release.

With this new lens system, according to Olloclip, any of the lenses can be used with any clip, including a new one that’ll be released in December for the iPhone 7 through the iPhone 8 Plus models.

The Olloclip ElitePack retails for $ 129.99; it includes the applicable clip for the Samsung Galaxy S10 or iPhone 11 model, as well as the Pocket Telephoto 2X Essential lens and the two-in-one Fisheye / 15X Macro Essential lens. The Olloclip StartPack, meanwhile, retails for $ 79.99 and the MacroProPack starts at $ 199.99, each respectively offering Start lens models and various macro lenses.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung code hints at 8K video for Galaxy S11 smartphone

20 Nov

The team at XDA Developers has been doing its thing again and discovered several hints at new camera features, that are likely to make an appearance on the Galaxy S11 next spring, while digging into the code of the latest version of the Samsung camera app.

Among the hidden software features there are special modes called Director’s View, Single Take Photo and Night Hyperlapse as well as vertical panoramas, custom filters, and more.

Most potential S11 buyers will likely be more interested in the hints at 8K video, though. There is evidence that suggests the upcoming Samsung flagship will be capable of recording 8K footage at 30 frames per second.

We’ve already heard rumors about Xiaomi working on an 8K smartphone and Samsung’s top-end chipsets have supported 8K video for a while now. The same is expected from Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 865 chipset, so it’s unlikely the new Samsung will be the only 8K-enabled phone in 2020.

The APK-code also reaffirmed the use of a 108MP Samsung ISOCELL sensor in the primary camera which had been rumored previously. We’ve already seen some devices launched with this sensor, for example the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro, so the S11 launching with the same sensor, or an improved variant, would not be much of a surprise.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung’s Galaxy S10 #SpaceSelfie satellite left hanging from tree on Michigan farm

31 Oct

Samsung’s campaign to promote its new Galaxy S10 5G smartphone came down to Earth with a crash this week when the high-altitude weather balloon central to the #SpaceSelfie promotion dropped out of the sky and was left dangling from a tree in Michigan.

The company had set up a microsite that allowed fans to post their selfies to a Galaxy S10 5G floating at the edge of the atmosphere. A picture of the phone displaying the selfie, overlaid on a real-time view of the Earth, would then be sent back to the sender for them to post on social media using the #SpaceSelfie hashtag. According to Samsung however, ‘weather conditions’ forced the balloon supporting the camera to drop back to Earth a little earlier than intended, where it ended up caught in a tree on a farm in Gratiot County, Michigan.

The Gratiot Country Herald reports that Nancy Welke heard a crash at around 8:45am, just as she and her husband were about to go outside to check on their horses. Upon going out to investigate they discovered the remains of the solar-powered apparatus in their field, with a parachute tangled in the branches of a tree. The balloon, which when inflated was half the size of a basketball court, was found a little further away caught in overhead power lines.

The Space Selfie campaign was launched on October 23 and was designed to demonstrate that the Galaxy S10 5G is so ruggedness it can be sent into space (almost). The balloon was sent to 65,000 feet above the Earth and actress and model Cara Delevingne was the first to ping a picture and have her face on the screen of the phone in ‘space’.

Of her 44 million Instagram followers 5m watched Delevingne’s teaser video of a spaceman delivering her phone, and at the time of writing 267,698 people had liked the resultant picture. The campaign was supposed to run to the end of this month, but on the loss of the critical device to make it all happen the Samsung/Spaceselfie microsite is now down too.

The #SpaceSelfie still managed to attract well over 6000 images on Instagram, though not all the pictures that appear under the hashtag are strictly related. According to Marketing Dive, the agency that ran the campaign for Samsung, the system used a combination of human and automated moderation to ensure no inappropriate images got through, though inevitably there are some random shots of a cup of coffee in the mix.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung is getting ready to test the Galaxy S11 periscope tele camera

08 Oct

The South Korean tech publication The Elec reports that Samsung will soon receive test sockets for periscope-style tele camera that is expected to make its debut in at least one of the Galaxy S11 models early next year.

The test sockets are used for final hardware-checks before shipping the components and are manufactured by fellow Korean company MecaTech Systems which also produces smartphone camera and time-of-flight (ToF) modules.

Test socket produced by MecaTech Systems, image: The Elec

MecaTech has been in the module-testing industry for the past 15 years and has been gaining recognition as smartphone manufacturers have increased reliability testing of their modules which is particularly key for multi-cam modules with multiple lenses and zoom capability.

According to rumors the upcoming Samsung flagship will feature a 5x optical tele lens, matching the current king of zoom Huawei P30 Pro. The main camera will allegedly come with a 108MP Quad-Bayer sensor, with the module manufactured by Samsung Electro-Mechanics.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: Samsung Galaxy S11 to come with 5x telescopic zoom and 108MP main camera

26 Sep

Huawei with the P30 Pro and OPPO with the Reno are still the only manufacturers to offer folded-tele-optics in their respective smartphone camera systems. According to South Korean technology publication The Elec they might soon be joined by Samsung, though.

The company started mass production of a 5x optical zoom camera module back in May. In in its report, The Elec claims the new tele camera will debut in the next generation Galaxy S11 device and will be accompanied by a 108MP main camera.

Like other recent high-resolution smartphone sensors, the 108MP juggernaut will likely not be designed to output full resolution images but instead deliver image data that can be subjected to all sorts of computational imaging trickery, resulting in better detail, lower noise, a wider dynamic range and better zoom performance among others.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics has released a video which shows the new lens design and how it works in detail. The module is only 5mm tall which means it fits even in thin smartphone bodies without protruding too much. Light is diverted onto the sensor via a prism. The latter is tilting to provide image stabilization which makes a lot of sense for the lens long maximum focal length.

Samsung launched the Note 10 flagship series with a more conventional camera not too long ago but we should be able to see the new design in the S11 models which are expected to launch sometime next spring.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 hands-on

11 Aug

Hands on with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+

On Wednesday, Samsung announced the latest generation of its Galaxy Note series and for the first time, the Note is offered in two sizes: the 6.8″ Note 10+ and the 6.3″ Note 10. If you want everything the Note offers but don’t love a massive phone, you now have the option of a slightly less massive phone!

We had the opportunity to get our hands on the new phones at Samsung’s launch event in New York. Take a look at what’s new in the Note series.

Triple cameras for all!

Both the Note 10 and Note 10+ share a nearly-identical rear triple camera array with the S10 series. That’s a 12MP main camera with F1.5/F2.4 dual apertures and a 27mm equivalent field-of-view, a 12mm equivalent ultra-wide 16MP F2.2 camera and a 52mm equivalent 12MP tele camera with F2.1 aperture – slightly faster than the F2.4 tele lens in the S10 series. Both the main and tele rear cameras are optically stabilized. While the main camera has a dual pixel sensor design for fast AF, the tele lens utilizes masked phase-detect pixels, which we’ve found on prior Samsung models to offer a sub-par autofocus experience.

The Note 10 (above) lacks one key camera feature Note 10+ offers: a Time-of-Flight camera for better depth-mapping and live bokeh effects in video mode (more on that later), and presumably better augmented reality experiences.

Front-facing camera

Both the Note 10 and 10+ use a hole punch-style front-facing camera. There’s no dual selfie camera on either model (the S10+ and S10 5G models had accompanying RGB depth and ToF flight cameras, respectively), just a 10MP 26mm equiv. lens with F2.2 aperture. This camera does not feature optical stabilization, but the sensor is a dual pixel design for fast autofocus.

Video recording

The Note 10 and 10+ are capable video shooters as well. The rear camera can record 4K UHD video at up to 60 fps with optical stabilization only, and up to 4K/30p with optical lens stabilization and electronic image stabilization (for very steady footage). The rear camera can shoot HDR10+ video for playback on HDR TVs; however, there’s no mention of HDR capture in video. The AMOLED displays on both Note 10 devices are HDR10+ certified, which isn’t surprising given the high contrast ratio, brightness and wide (P3) color gamut of Samsung OLED displays.

Both devices are capable of super slow motion video, with 960 fps capability in 720p mode, and 240 fps capability in 1080p.

Live focus video

The Note 10 and 10+ offer something first introduced by the S10 5G: live shallow depth-of-field effects for video recording. Users can change focus between background and foreground on the fly, and adjust the level of blur to taste.

We’ll be curious to test if the Note 10+ has a better implementation of live focus video thanks to its ToF camera.

Video depth-of-field effects

Not only can you blur the background behind your subject, you can add a few different effects like black-and-white backgrounds, out-of-focus highlight overlays, and this red/blue stereoscopic treatment. Maybe 3D cameras aren’t dead after all?

Still photo depth-of-field effects

Background blur effects are also available for still photos – a feature introduced in the S10 and recently added to the S9 series via software update. As in the S10, the Note 10 and 10+ provide the ability to add effects as you’re shooting or after-the-fact.

S Pen, headphone jack and other curiosities

Other highlights on the new phones include the ability to control certain functions by gesture via the updated S Pen. Samsung will open up its ‘Air actions SDK’ to invite third party developers to make use of this way of interacting with the phone. And sadly, the 3.5mm headphone jack has left the building – the USB-C connector will allow for wired audio connections.

The Galaxy Note 10 starts at $ 950; the Note 10+ starts at $ 1100.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung launches triple-camera Galaxy Note 10 series

08 Aug

With its latest Galaxy Note generation, Samsung gives potential buyers the option to choose from two sizes. The flagship Galaxy Note 10+ comes with a massive 6.8″ display for those who want maximum screen size in a smartphone. At 6.3″ the display of the standard Note 10 falls much more in line with the Galaxy S10 series, which is traditionally smaller than the Notes.

Both displays are of the AMOLED variant and support HDR10+ with Dynamic Tone Mapping. However, the Plus model comes with a 1440p+ resolution while the smaller model offers a 1080p+ resolution.

Both phones come with the same triple-camera setup but the 10+ adds a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor which can be used to create 3D models with a scanning app and should also benefit the simulated bokeh effect.

The 12MP main camera comes with a 1/2.55″ sensor and a 27mm equivalent lens with variable aperture (F1.5-2.4). Dual-pixel AF and optical image stabilization are on board as well. The 12MP tele uses a smaller 1/3.6″ sensor and offers a stabilized 52mm equivalent lens with F2.1 aperture which is slightly faster than on the tele-equipped S10 models. The ultra-wide angle offers a higher 16MP pixel count and a 12mm equivalent focal length.

The 10MP front camera is hidden under a ‘punch hole’ and features a 26mm equivalent lens with F2.2 aperture. Front and rear cameras can record 4K video, and a new ‘Live Focus Video’ mode allows for shallow depth-of-field effects in real-time. Other special effects, like simulated out-of-focus highlights or black-and-white backgrounds, can also be added in real-time to video. Software features include a new and more advanced video editor and a special version of Adobe Premiere Rush which is available as a free download.

Like previous Galaxy Notes the 10th generation comes with Samsung’s S-Pen stylus which now features both an accelerometer and a gyroscope, allowing it to be used as a motion controller. The phone can be controlled at a distance using the gestures app and Samsung says it will make an SDK available to third-party app developers as well.

Depending on region the Note 10 will be powered by either Samsung’s new Exynos 9825 chipset or the Snapdragon 855 and users can choose from 256 or 512GB storage options. The Plus model also comes with a microSD card slot.

In terms of audio output you get stereo speakers and a pair of USB-C headphones but no conventional audio jack. Battery sizes differ between models, with the Plus version offering a 4,300mAh unit versus the standard model’s 3,500mAh variant.

Both models will be available as 5G versions for those lucky enough to live in an area with 5G coverage. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ will be available from August 23. Pricing starts at $ 949 for the Note 10 with 256GB. The Plus version will be $ 1,099 for the 256GB model and $ 1,199 for the 512GB variant.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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