Samsung presents new Folds, headphones and a watch

This year's, third generation of folded Samsung smartphones brings a lot of novelties. It can be said that phones with flexible displays and foldable covers have finally reached maturity. We no longer think of them as almost conceptual devices - but as a normal product, still quite expensive, but no longer arousing great sensation. In the third generation of Samsung folders, there are many elements that have been missing so far. The most important thing is - in my opinion - the tightness of the housings. Protection against liquid, but above all against the ingress of dust into the housing, will definitely affect the practicality and durability of the new devices. Another significant change is the introduction of S Pen stylus support in Galaxy Z Fold 3. This will make this smartphone an even better tool for work than previous generations. The last detail worth paying attention to is the under-screen selfie camera. Samsung used it for the first time this year, but certainly not the last. The next generation of this solution, free from the disadvantages of "childhood", has already gone out into the world. This is another piece of the puzzle that describes the "maturity" of products.

New Samsung models straight from the launch video: GSMchoice.com via YouTube

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 looks much better than the model from the previous generation. It gained a slightly slimmer casing and, moreover, a larger screen on its outer side. The display already has an extremely narrow bezel and a diagonal of 6.2 inches. The matrix has an unusual resolution of 2268x1768 px, resulting from the "narrowed" aspect ratio of the screen, but the display is much more practical and allows you to comfortably operate most of the smartphone's functions without opening the housing. The matrix was made in Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology, adding its refresh rate up to 120 Hz. The internal, flexible display with a new, harder UTG coating also offers all the advantages of the Dynamic AMOLED 2X matrix and a high refresh rate, plus - a large work surface (7.6 inches with a resolution of 2208x1768 px) and support for the S Pen stylus. Unfortunately, this stylus must be purchased separately, preferably together with a special case that protects the phone and includes a pocket for the stylus.

In the interface, we find solutions that use the potential of the folding screen, known from Galaxy Z Fold 2, of course, enriched with a few extras using a stylus. The ingenious split screen options, i.e. Flex Mode, have been kept. When the housing halves are not fully opened, we can easily divide the text/work area and the preview window - whether it is the text being entered or the movie being watched. Intelligent software recognizes whether we want to use the full screen or its division, adjusting the interface depending on the degree of part of the housing. The smartphone can be set up like a small laptop and enjoy a large, comfortable on-screen keyboard or a convenient video call without having to hold the phone in your hand. The screen can be divided up to three applications, which - alternatively - can operate in the form of floating windows. As in previous models, the smartphone has the function of moving applications between screens - when we close the housing, what we watched on the big screen will appear on the external display - and vice versa.

The heart of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the Snapdragon 888 processor, supported by 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 internal memory offered in 256 or 512 GB versions - unfortunately, without the option of expanding with a microSD card. The smartphone powers a two-piece battery with a total capacity of 4400 mAh, with 25 W fast charging, as well as the option of wireless (10 W) and reverse charging. Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the first smartphone in which Samsung has used a sub-screen selfie camera. This camera hit the surface of a large, flexible display and due to the rather low resolution (4 Mpx with 2 micrometers pixels and f/1.8 aperture) it is rather dedicated to video communication. A "real" selfie camera with a 10 Mpx matrix (f/2.2) can be found in a hole made in a smaller, external display. The main rear camera is similar to the previous model. It has three 12-megapixel sensors. The basic one, it works with an OIS lens with an f/1.8 aperture, while the other one - with a telephoto lens with a two-fold lossless zoom, also equipped with OIS Optical Image Stabilization. The last matrix works with a wide-angle lens, with an aperture of f/2.2 and a field of view of 123 degrees. The smartphone is equipped with a side fingerprint reader and dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. The housing is protected from the outside with Gorilla Glass Victus glass, and cameras are covered with Gorilla Glass DX. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is available in three color variants (black, silver and green) and costs EUR 1899-1999 (PLN 8299-8799), depending on the selected internal memory.

Samsung Galaxy S Pen Pro and S Pen Fold Edition

Samsung Galaxy S Pen Pro is longer and thicker than the stylus known from the Galaxy Note series. The stylus is equipped with an internal rechargeable battery for wireless communication with the phone. It serves, inter alia, to handle gestures performed with a stylus in the air, used to control selected phone functions, e.g. triggering the camera shutter. The new S Pen Pro stylus recognizes 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity and is also compatible with earlier smartphone and tablet models that support the S Pen. It even has a special key to switch the device it is supposed to work with at the moment. In addition, a simpler and smaller stylus S Pen Fold Edition was also presented, designed specifically for a folded smartphone. This stylus does not have Bluetooth, so it only supports basic functions.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is the third (although actually, given the similarities between the 4G and 5G variants of the previous model, we should talk about the second) generation of the Samsung flip smartphone. Like the previous release, Galaxy Z Flip 3 combines compact dimensions with the comfort of using a large screen when you open the casing. Like the Galaxy Z Fold model, Z Flip also received this year the top Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and LPDDR5 and UFS 3.1 memory with a capacity of 8+128/256 GB. The internal, foldable Super AMOLED 2x display of the new Flip has a Full HD + resolution and a diagonal of 6.7 inches - which is the same as before. However, the image refresh rate was increased to 120 Hz, of course adding the function of automatic adjustment of this parameter to ensure the reduction of energy consumption from the 3300 mAh battery with 15 W fast charging and 10 W wireless charging.

The external display of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 has grown to 1.9 inches and with a resolution of 260x512 px it is definitely more practical than the microscopic screen known from previous generations. Yes, the Galaxy Z Flip has three cameras so far. A single 10 Mpx f/2.4 for selfies is placed in a hole made in the internal display, while the other two, 12 Mpx each, are placed on the outer side of the housing, next to the other display. The main lens has an f/1.8 aperture and Optical Image Stabilization, while the additional one is wide-angle, with an aperture of f/2.2 and a field of view of 123 degrees. The cameras are protected by Gorilla Glass DX. The equipment is completed by, among others NFC, DualSIM (using eSIM) and a side fingerprint reader and stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. The housing, based on a metal frame and covered with Gorilla Glass Victus glass, is offered in four colour versions: black, green, beige and lavender. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, depending on the capacity of the flash memory, costs 1049 or 1149 euros.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic

This year's edition of the Samsung smartwatch received a round AMOLED display protected by Gorilla Glass DX. The watch body meets the military durability standard MID STD 810G and the requirements of the IP68 tightness class. The heart of the watch is the Exynos W920 processor, created in 5 nm lithography and supported by 1.5 GB of RAM and 16 GB of memory for files. The equipment also includes Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 2.4/5 GHz, NFC and GPS, Glonass, Beidou and Galileo communication modules. The Galaxy Watch 4 models are also equipped with a barometer, accelerometer and gyroscope, as well as a microphone and a loudspeaker, allowing for voice calls. Smartwatches also have sensors that allow you to measure blood pressure and heart rate, as well as the saturation of the body with adipose tissue. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is offered in two styles. In addition to the basic model, we also have the Classic version, with a slightly larger housing, with a rotating ring around the display to navigate the interface. In this role, we have One UI Watch 3.5, working based on the Wear OS 3 system. Of course, due to the different sizes, the displays of the watches differ in diameter and resolutions. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is offered in sizes 40 and 44 mm, with a screen of 1.19" 396x396 px and 1.36" 450x450 px respectively. Battery capacity also depends on the size and amounts to 247 and 361 mAh. The watches weigh about 30 g. In turn, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic model is 42 and 46 mm in size and weighs 46.5 or 52 g. The screen sizes and resolutions are the same as in the basic model.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2