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The Galaxy Z Flip's hinge fibers aren't enough to keep dust out
Samsung made much ado over fiber layers in the Galaxy Z Flip's hinge that are supposed to keep dust and debris from ruining your day, but how effective are they, really? They might not be as effective as you'd like. iFixit has tested the hinge's dust resistance in the early stages of its teardown, and... it's not promising. While it's not surprising that dust would infiltrate other parts of the phone (Samsung explicitly warns the phone isn't dust-resistant), the hinge area was still coated in particles -- enough that they produced a disconcerting crunch when iFixit unfolded the device.
Google is bringing Stadia to 18 new phones, including the Galaxy S20
Google's cloud gaming service, Stadia, has been exclusive to Pixel phones since its launch three months ago, but that's changing this week. On February 20th, Stadia will hit 14 Samsung models, plus the Asus ROG Phone, ROG Phone II, Razer Phone and Razer Phone II. The supported Samsung devices are (deep breath) as follows: S8, S8+, S8 Active, Note 8, S9, S9+, Note 9, S10, S10+, Note 10, Note 10+, S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra.
Samsung offers at-home Galaxy S20 trials to mitigate impact of coronavirus
As the spread of coronavirus continues to keep people in quarantine and threaten promotional tech events, companies in Asia gearing up for low sales -- but Samsung's new home visit service aims to mitigate some of this fall out. Reuters reports that the company is offering a smartphone delivery service to allow customers to test its new products without having to visit a physical store.
RCS messaging comes to Windows 10's Your Phone app
When Samsung's new Galaxy S20 phones make their way to stores early next month, they'll be able to relay RCS messages to Windows 10 PCs. It's all thanks to Microsoft's Your Phone app, which the company is updating to enable it to send and receive RCS texts when paired with Samsung's Messages app. That means you'll be able to enjoy the protocol's tentpole features, such as typing indicators and read receipts, from your computer -- provided the person you're texting also has an RCS-capable device.
The Galaxy Z Flip's glass screen isn't very durable
When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip, its display's extra-thin glass drew the attention of many people. It theoretically offered a better feel and more durability than the fragile plastic of the Galaxy Fold. You might not want to get your hopes up, however. JerryRigEverything (aka Zack Nelson) has subjected the Z Flip's screen to a durability test, and the results are... unfortunate. It's just as prone to scratching as the plastic displays of the Fold and the Motorola Razr, to the point where a fingernail can leave marks. Puncture and heat tests didn't fare any better.
After Math: Stunning figures
The news just wouldn't stop dropping this week. First, Parasite absolutely dominated the Oscars, everyone was convinced Bill Gates bought a hydrogen-powered mega-yacht for a hot second (surprise, he didn't), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political party left the entirety of its voter rolls -- millions of records -- just swinging in the breeze, and the massive $26.5 billion T-mobile/Sprint merger finally got the court's blessing to move ahead. And those were the tame ones! What we've got for you below, hooboy, just some jaw-dropping numbers.
Love at first fold: 24 hours with Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip
I'll admit it, when Samsung teased the Galaxy Fold at its Developer Conference in 2018, I wasn't sold on the concept. Sure, the technology was impressive, but it just seemed gimmicky to me. The only benefit I could think of for folding displays would be if they made regular-sized phones smaller.
Galaxy Z Flip teardown video looks inside Samsung's latest foldable
Now that the Galaxy Z Flip is available (even if it's in very limited qualities) of course someone is in a hurry to pull it apart. While iFixit hasn't published a teardown of the device to follow their guide for Motorola's new Razr, the PBKreviews YouTube channel has a look if you're desperate to know what's inside the Z Flip and how to take it apart.
Samsung's jailed union-busting chairman steps down
Lee Sang-hoon is stepping down from his position as chairman of Samsung Electronics' board. According to Reuters, the company will be appointing a successor soon. Lee Sang-hoon was found guilty of sabotaging legitimate union activities and sentenced to 18 months in prison last December. As ZDNet reports, he was using several tactics to disrupt and disarm unions, including delaying negotiations between management and laborers, closing subcontracting companies with active unions, and digging for information that could persuade key union members to leave. Twenty-five other people were convicted on similar charges, according to the BBC.
Engadget Podcast: Breaking down the Samsung fest and MWC mess
A bunch of things in tech got the proverbial nails slammed into their coffins this week. Andy Rubin's Essential phone company shut down, MWC got canceled due to fears over coronavirus and the Motorola Razr folding flip phone is pretty likely dead on arrival thanks to Samsung's new Galaxy Z Flip. Cherlynn is joined by senior mobile editor Chris Velazco (Devindra is off on vacation, yay!) to talk about their Galaxy phone coverage and commiserate over no longer going to Barcelona. Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News! Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Play Music Links Our Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip hands-on: Razr who? Samsung makes too many damn phones MWC 2020 is canceled Andy Rubin's Essential is shutting down Credits Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Chris Velazco Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
Samsung makes too many damn phones
Samsung unveiled three flagships this week: the S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra. It also showed off a new foldable called the Z Flip, which honestly looks and feels far superior to the incredibly similar Motorola Razr. That's four entirely new handsets that the company just unleashed.
The base Galaxy S20 for Verizon won't arrive until the spring
The 'entry' Galaxy S20 doesn't have support for millimeter wave 5G, and it's now clear that will be a pain for some would-be early adopters. Verizon (Engadget's parent company) quietly mentioned in its press release for Samsung's phones that the base S20 won't be available until the second quarter of the year, when a model with support for Verizon's Ultra Wideband network will arrive. Verizon didn't have more to add in a response to Engadget (we've asked Samsung for comment), but the frequency support appears to be the only major functional difference. It'll still start at the $1,000 mark like at other carriers.
The Galaxy Home Mini is finally available, but most people can't get it
After almost two years, it looks like at least one of Samsung's long-in-development Bixby smart speakers will finally make its way out to consumers -- though likely not in the way most of us imagined. After Samsung skipped announcing the Galaxy Home Mini at its Unpacked event on Tuesday, TizenHelp spotted that people in South Korea can get the device as a bonus for pre-ordering the Galaxy S20. The offer appears to be available until February 26th, but it doesn't look like they buy the speaker by itself.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip hands-on: Razr who?
As you might have seen elsewhere, I'm in the middle of writing our Motorola Razr review. I bring that up now because there's simply no way not to compare that thing to the new Galaxy Z Flip we just played with at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco. After all, these are the first two flip-phone-style foldables to hit the market, and they're launching within weeks of each other after prolonged periods of hype.
Here's everything Samsung announced at its Galaxy S20 event
After weeks of leaks, Samsung officially revealed its Galaxy S20 series at its Unpacked event today. The company also shared its next attempt at a foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Flip, and had a lot to say about its new camera tech.
Samsung will offer a 4G version of the Galaxy S20 in some countries
Samsung has made a point of making 5G available for every Galaxy S20 variant, but that doesn't mean the phones will always come equipped with 5G. People in the UK, countries in mainland Europe and elsewhere will also have the option of buying the S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra in 4G (read: LTE) variants. In some countries, like Russia and South Africa, the 4G variant appears to be the only one on offer in pre-registration campaigns. That's not surprising when 5G is still rare or non-existent in most parts of the world, but it's worth noting if you're going phone shopping.
Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra vs. the competition: The most megapixels
With a screen size just shy of seven inches, it's hard not to just call the Galaxy S20 Ultra a full-fledged tablet. (We never really liked the word "phablet" around here.) Albeit a tablet with a quad rear camera setup containing a 108-megapixel wide-angle shooter. But a big screen and powerful camera aren't all the Ultra has to offer. We've got a rundown of the relevant specs below, especially as compared to some of the other big handsets vying for your attention this spring. Check back later this month for our full review.
Flipboard TV is a video news service that costs $3 a month
Flipboard is launching a new subscription video service called Flipboard TV. When it becomes available on March 6th, it will allow you to watch short-form news videos directly within the company's mobile app for $3 per month.
The Galaxy S20+ vs. the competition: A bigger screen and more lenses
Of the three Galaxy S phones introduced today, the middle "plus" edition is probably the one that most of you will end up buying. It's got a quad camera setup, up to 512 GB of storage and an expansive 6.7-inch screen. But it's not the only large flagship phone out there, especially now that Apple's sized up with the Pro Max. We've lined up some of the more notable competition in a handy table for you, though you'll have to wait for our full review to get the final verdict.
Samsung created an Olympics edition Galaxy S20+ for athletes
With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics mere months away, Samsung says it will give athletes taking part in the competition a special version of the Galaxy S20+. Dubbed the Olympic Games Athlete Edition, the "Mirror Gold" phone features the Olympic rings toward the bottom back of the device.