Mishaal Rahman and FragmentedChicken are in South Korea for Samsung Unpacked!
It’s weird with time zones but they’ll be on for the next hour or so. They’re juggling on-the-ground stuff at the press conference so post any questions here and they’ll respond once they can!
Edit: We’ve left the hands-on area, but feel free to continue posting your questions. We’ll continue to answer them if we can, and might have another opportunity with some of the devices.
For articles about Samsung’s latest announcements, see the Megathread sticky at [email protected].
Thanks for joining us here in our new home, so happy to have big names help to validate it!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the watches, it feels like the 5 was kind of an incremental upgrade, and it’s looking like 6 might be similar, anything that’s not captured on the spec sheet that makes it a worthwhile upgrade?
What are you thinking of upgrading from? I’ve seen a lot of people say a similar thing about the Fold 5 versus the Fold 4 but it’s worth noting that most people don’t upgrade their devices every year so the target audience likely isn’t people like us.
For sure! I’m actually just in the market for watches in general, I love the ticwatch dual display (but don’t love that my tichwatch pro 3’s software is… collecting dust on the proverbial shelf…) but the samsung watches always seemed so spiffy and clean! So you’d say overall we’re still pretty incremental then in terms of meaningful changes from the watch 4?
I also actually daily drive the TicWatch Pro 3! I know Mobvoi is working on a Wear OS 3 update for the watch, but it’s still in private beta and probably won’t roll out soon for regular users.
I’m personally interested in the Watch 6 because it runs Wear OS 4 based on Android 13 out of the box and thus has access to a bunch of Wear OS apps I currently can’t get on my TicWatch lol.
Questions to both (or either)
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Does any device presented today feel like a meaningful upgrade? I can’t remember the last time everything was so incremental. Even the bigger outer screen on the Flip 5 is just that, bigger screen. It’s still a limited set of widgets, only this time bigger. How much difference does that make?
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Is the s-pen case for the Fold 5 actually something that’s usable? Or does it make the whole device an unwieldy brick?
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Does the dock with up to 4 recent apps on the Fold 5 feel more useful and convenient, or rather overwhelming and cluttered?
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What color variants do you see there for all those devices? Which do you like the most?
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Through the Multistar Good Lock module you’ll be able to run any app on the cover screen, so I would say the Flip 5 cover screen is indeed a big upgrade. (If you’re the kind of person to use Lemmy then you’re probably comfortable with installing/sideloading Good Lock.)
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Didn’t get to get this but will ask tomorrow if we can get our hands on it
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My first impression is that the taskbar felt cluttered with 4 recents apps but fortunately in settings you can choose how many recents to show.
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Didn’t really get a chance to appreciate the colors, sorry! Was more focused on stuff like the hinge, crease, software, etc
Appreciate the answers, and can definitely understand colors were the least of your interest haha. But since you did mention “hinge, crease, software”, I’m going to ask about that (if you don’t mind). In MKBHD’s video I noticed the foldable a don’t really open fully flat. More like 179.5°. Is that camera distortion, or maybe a faulty device that Marques had a hands-on with? Or is it just a drawback of the hinges with teardrop creasing display, just like is the case with the Pixel Fold?
It definitely looks like it opens completely flat to me, like 180 degrees.
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To a certain extent, all phones these days are arguably just incremental upgrades. It’s up to you to determine whether those upgrades make a difference for you. It’s also worth noting sometimes the upgrades aren’t immediately reflected in the design, and you might need to dig deeper to see the changes and improvements. For example last year, I feel like both the Fold4 and Flip4 got meaningful upgrades. The Fold4 got the GN3 50 MP primary sensor, the Flip4 got a larger battery, and both got the 2nd gen Eco OLED display along with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Coming from the Snapdragon 888 on the Fold3 and Flip3, that’s already a major upgrade for efficiency (battery life) and performance. All of this was coupled with the software addition allowing you to set the performance profile to light, which supposedly gives you the performance of the 8 Gen 1 and further increases efficiency (and thus battery life). For me, that meant I could make it through the day on the Fold4, while I couldn’t on the Fold3. The larger outer display on the Flip5 could mean using the inner display less, depending on whether you will actually be able to run any app on it. Apparently you will be able to with a future update to Multistar, a Good Lock module. Why would you want to use the inner display less? Maybe you prefer using a more compact device. Maybe you want to use your phone less, and the act of unfolding the phone encourages you to use it more. In that case, a fully functional outer display might help discourage needless use. Maybe you want better battery life, assuming that display consumes less power compared to the inner display.
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I only took pictures of the case on my way out. It looks reasonable to me. I’ll update you if I get my hands on it.
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In addition to Mishaal’s reply, you could also just turn the whole thing off. I never used it with the Fold4, and will probably never use it if I get another foldable. Just my preference.
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I only saw all of the Fold5 variants, minus the exclusives. The blue is really doing it for me, followed by the cream with that subtle hint of gold.
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Would love to see a detailed response especially to #1.
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Here are some of my observations:
-The crease on the Fold5 has improved a lot. The Fold4 crease had noticeable depth, while the Fold5 is subtle. That being said, I wouldn’t let the crease be the deciding factor in purchasing any foldable. It really does disappear while you’re looking at it straight on.
-The Samsung logo that was previously carved out on the hinge has been replaced with no carving at all. That’s an improvement since the letters can collect dust, dirt, and oil, and actually also had stickers that could fall out, revealing what was left after they carved out the letters on the hinge.
Glad to see further improvements to the crease!
No
Excellent. Not sure how many folks are awake over on our end of the world! How’s the energy over there?
I thought it was pretty overwhelming with how many people there were. Everyone was just recording with their phone or camera, a bunch of flashes constantly going off. Apparently that’s business as usual for this type of thing.
Do they have any catering at those events? Post up venue photos!
Nice behind-the-scenes! What did you use to take these?
The S23 Ultra. It definitely proved itself in the battery department these past few days.
They had a bunch of desserts (different kinds of scones) and drinks.
I’m really interested in the tab s9 series. Anything stand out to you such as performance or screen quality? I really want to get another Android tablet to replace my old tab s6 but I really want something more performant for the money.
This is what I’m interested in too. I have a tab S7+ but would prefer a smaller form factor with a great screen.
We will probably have to wait until review units go out for performance, but I’m interested in hearing about their first impressions on touch responsiveness and display quality!
We mostly focused on the foldables, but I imagine the switch from 8 Gen 1 to 8 Gen 2 will make a big difference. The 8 Gen 1 is a hot inefficient mess of a chip, while the 8 Gen 2 is an ideal cool efficient chip. It will definitely do wonders for performance and battery life. The peak brightness for all the tablets have improved as well. They’re advertised with 750/650/930 nits for the Tab S9/S9+/S9 Ultra.
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Another question now, how do the hinges in the new foldables feel? We’ve had some good competition in that space so I’m hoping we see some refinement from Samsung this year. Which of the two would you most like to daily drive?
I played around with the hinges on the Fold5. It felt solid, but I never really had any issues with the Fold3 or Fold4 either.
I’d pick the Fold over the Flip any day because it unfolds into a tablet. That’s not to say that the Flip is bad, just my preference.
I’m also curious about this. I wonder whether there seem to be any noticeable durability improvements as well.
It’s going to be hard to answer this based only on a 1 hour demo period (split between all the different devices) but it’s something we can answer after getting to use the devices for a bit.
I hear the foldables are now also flavoured and lickable! Please confirm when you get the chance.
Wtf my phone won’t turn on anymore after I licked it wat do?
It looks like it’s just as durable in terms of fold testing (150k at 60°C, 200k at 25°C, and 30k at -20°C). No improvement, but passing the same tests as the Fold4 with a different hinge is notable.
Haven’t had the Fold 5 for long enough to really comment on the hinge durability but I’m not worried about hinge right now though.
As for which device I want to daily drive, I’m most looking forward to using the Z Fold 5 since I do a lot of work on my phone and I think I’ll take advantage of the multitasking capabilities.
Are there still pre-applied screen protectors on the foldables and can you still see the edge of the protector?
Yes and yes for the Flip5 and Fold5 inner displays. The outer displays for both didn’t have a screen protector, but that may not be indicative of what you’ll get with a retail unit. Also, IIRC, the Fold4 did away with the screen protector on the outer display.
Thx! Did you notice any difference in the texture of the display surface in the area covered by the screen protector? Does it feel like you could leave an indentation if pressing with your fingernail?
The screen protector feels like glass. It’s been improved ever since the Fold4. I used the Fold3 and Fold4 for around 6 months, and managed to keep the screen protector pristine. You can probably indent it if you try hard enough, but something like fingernail scrolling is fine.
Hmm didn’t check for that on the demo units but I’ll check the unit I’ll get and will ask about the other device as well.
I don’t see a screen protector on the outer display but there is one on the inner display (Fold 5)
Will Samsung ever rethink Knox and allow custom roms without losing warranty coverage and negatively affect resale value? What about allowing banking apps to work again if you go back to the default rom?
Highly unlikely. The root/ROM community has always been a small niche - and these days, it’s even smaller that it has ever been. Such a minor audience means nothing for Samsung.
It’s pretty unfortunate. I’d love to see some regulations put into place that would ensure the option for unlockable bootloaders. North American devices are stick without the option in the first place :(.
Unlockable bootloaders aren’t a big issue - you can buy devices with unlockable bootloaders in NA, depending on your carrier - the bigger problem these days is the likes of SafteyNet and KNOX, which makes it a pain to live with an unlocked bootloader. What we really need is a change in thinking that an unlocked bootloader doesn’t necessarily mean a device is insecure, and instead of not giving the user a choice and locking them out, they should pass on the responsibility to the user. Eg, a banking app could make a user accept an agreement that the bank will not be held responsible for any hacking related losses etc, instead of straight up prevent the app from running. For this, Google needs to take the lead - they were the ones who introduced SafteyNet and caused this whole mess in the first place. Once Google takes the lead, Samsung and other manufacturers could follow, and the dev ecosystem will follow too. But I’m afraid it’s all a bit too late now, the best one could do, as an individual, is to boycott apps which use the likes of SafteyNet, leave bad reviews, complain to the CEO etc, but all this is unlikely to have any impact, given that we root/ROM users are a small minority.
I should clarify I’m referring to Samsung and their flagships. I bought my S23 Ultra directly from Samsung Canada and unfortunately can’t unlock the bootloader.
Why in some countries they sell their devices with unlockable bootloaders and in other countries they don’t? I can’t make sense of doing such a thing
It is worth mentioning that google does allow for re locking the bootloader on their Pixel line up on custom ROMs and unlike Samsung they did not put a fuse in the Pixels that explodes to permanently disable the device’s TEE and its security hardware
It’s an interesting question this and whether Samsung is willing to use GSI’s / DSU.
Last time I checked that was a negative?
Most OEMs aren’t willing to preload Google’s AVB keys for their GSIs. DSU is only really supposed to be used by app developers (and even then most app devs don’t know it even exists or use it) which is why most OEMs don’t bother with it.
Very very unlikely, don’t get your hopes up.
I highly doubt it unless there is constant pressure put on them to do so because Knox at this point has been set in stone, only a niche minority still discusses it (us) and talk about it
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What exactly do you expect us to do lol? Sneak into TM Roh’s bedroom and whisper that in his ear?
finally, great to see some reviewers thinking outside the box for one (/s)
It’s always good to keep in mind that one app might be considered bloatware for one person, while it might not be for another person. Bloatware is subjective.
Facebook?
I consider it bloatware, but it’s convenient for the more casual users I know who don’t even install apps. Not a good reason to make them system apps that can’t be uninstalled though.
Agreed but in my opinion only what’s essential should be pre-installed everything else should be optional to install and definitely can be uninstalled easily.
I believe even the essential apps should be uninstallable (the messaging app, the dialer, the browser, etc…)
Depending on your carrier much of that could have been added by them.
Which device are you using? I find it’s much better in recent years to the point that I don’t take notice anymore (other than Facebook stuff).
IPhone. I was using Samsung s23 but then sold it after checking my DNS logs
Luckily, Universal Android Debloater works like a charm. I mean, it is a bit annoying that you even run it in the first place, but it’s mostly a one-time thing so I’m not complaining anymore.
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Really good for you!
Would love to get that Tab S9, but it’s way too expensive for my current budget.
Me too! With those specs it’d be better than my current laptop, but it’s also probably twice as an expensive as my laptop
Is there anything that stands out about the new phones (performance/battery/interface) that makes them a clearly superior product compared to last year’s models?
