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Samsung's Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Buds are on sale for $624
Amazon has dropped the price of its Samsung Galaxy bundle to $624. The package includes a Galaxy S10 (unlocked with 128 GB in Prism black), Galaxy Buds and a $50 Amazon gift card. Valued at $1,078, the bundle has most recently been on sale for $850. At this new Cyber Monday price, it's an even better deal (while it lasts).
The tech you need to stay warm this winter
The holiday season is creeping up on us, and baby, it's cold outside. Sometimes it's cold inside too, and the chill spreading throughout your body can really kill your holiday buzz. Instead of chugging eggnog or doing 50 jumping jacks to generate body heat, why not get an electric blanket and snuggle up? You can never have too many gadgets, right? Right?!
Samsung gets closer to building 'QD-OLED' TVs that rival LG's OLED
While Samsung has become dominant in using OLED technology on mobile displays -- even Apple uses its screens for iPhones -- in TVs, the big name in OLED is its competitor, LG. LG's TVs have wowed testers with their ability to control light precisely because each pixel is self-illuminating, unlike the "QLED" branded quantum dot LCD tech Samsung relies on exclusively, which still puts LED backlights behind a filter. That could change soon, however, as Samsung announced in October that it's investing $11 billion by 2025 to build a plant capable of manufacturing true QLED TV screens that self-illuminate. It tried building TVs with the technology earlier this decade, like the 55-inch Super OLED screens shown above. But it opted out of further development, claiming burn-in is too much of a problem and saying the TVs would have a short lifespan. Now two Samsung researchers, Dr. Eunjoo Jang and Dr. Yu-Ho Won have published a paper in Nature about new quantum dot LED technology that relies on indium phosphide instead of toxic cadmium, and has a lifetime of up to a million hours. Their improved shell design appears to increase efficiency by preventing oxidation and energy leaks. For Samsung to make that big investment in building "QD-OLED" displays it must believe any issues are going to be resolved soon, it's just a matter of when we'll actually see new TVs on shelves.
Walmart is offering up to $450 back on flagship Apple and Samsung phones
In exchange for buying a new phone, Walmart is offering customers up to $450 in eGift cards this Black Friday. You can get up to another $250 in eGift cards with a qualifying trade in.
Samsung will host 10 live concerts in its 360-degree video app
From gigs like Coldplay's 2017 show to entire festivals like the Global Citizen Festival, attending a concert virtually could be the new way to enjoy live music. Samsung has announced it is getting in on the action by offering a series of concert events through its 360-degree video app, Samsung XR.
Samsung's smaller Galaxy S11e might pack more cameras, too
Samsung's Galaxy S10e is clearly a compromise between its smaller screen and 'just' two rear cameras, but its follow-up might be more appealing. Hot on the heels of a purported leak for the full-size Galaxy S11, OnLeaks and Pricebaba have posted renders of what they say is the S11e. It would have a slightly larger 6.2- to 6.3-inch display (complete with a centered camera hole) while remaining relatively compact, but the star of the show would be the back. The S11e would have an iPhone 11- or Pixel 4-style camera bump with three rear cameras. There don't appear to be extra sensors for depth or other features, but you might not have to be picky about shot types like you do with the S10e.
Save $50 on Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Active 2 ahead of Black Friday
The pre-Black Friday sales continue with a solid discount on Samsung's latest smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch Active 2. Amazon has discounted both the 40mm and 44mm models by $50, making them $229 and $249 respectively. Additionally, all three color options -- "Aqua Black," "Cloud Silver" and "Pink Gold" -- that Amazon offers the watch in are included in the sale.
Samsung Galaxy S11 renders show an even more complicated camera array
Reputed leaker @onleaks has unveiled new renders of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S11 that show the selfie camera shifted from the right side to the center. The images, created by 91 Mobile, also show a new rear camera array, a screen that's more curved than the Galaxy S10, new button positions and more. The renders are based on a "very reliable and first level industry source," according to @onleaks.
Samsung update brings Watch Active2 features to earlier Watch models
Thinking about upgrading your Samsung Galaxy Watch to a Galaxy Watch Active2? You might want to hold off for now, as Samsung is rolling out an update that'll bring enhanced features to earlier-generation watches. This means that the Galaxy Watch and Watch Active will get the same user experience functionality found on their successor, the Watch Active2, including new health and Bixby features, as well as boosted customization options.
Samsung made a 'Star Wars' Galaxy Note 10+ for Kylo Ren fans
How big a Star Wars fan are you? Big enough that you'd replace your smartphone just to flaunt it? Samsung thinks you might be. It's releasing a Galaxy Note 10+ Star Wars Special Edition to mark the release of The Rise of Skywalker. The phone itself touts a black-and-red color scheme (plus custom graphics and sounds) to match Kylo Ren's embrace of the dark side, but you'll also get a matching Kylo Ren case, Galaxy Buds and a metal collector's badge. It'll be patently clear where your allegiances lay.
The best smartphones, tablets and smartwatches to give as gifts
A smartphone makes for one really nice but expensive holiday gift. If you're shopping for someone who deserves it (or just really needs to upgrade from a phone from way-back-whenever), we've got recommendations across iOS and Android, as well as other devices and tech that people might need on the go. Don't worry: Not everything is a new phone. This year's picks include Apple's iPhone 11, its cheapest flagship in years, and Google's Pixel 3a, whose sub-$400 price belies its amazing camera. We've also included our favorite portable battery pack from Anker and Amazon's latest Kindle Paperwhite, and the Brydge Pro remains one of the best keyboards for transforming your iPad Pro into something resembling a laptop replacement.
Netflix is dropping support for older Samsung smart TVs in December
If you have an older Samsung or Vizio smart TV, you may have noticed a message from Netflix pop up on your screen. This week, Netflix began notifying customers that it will no longer support Samsung smart TVs, circa 2010 and 2011, or Vizio smart TV more than four years old. It's also dropping support for first-generation Roku boxes. The changes go into effect December 2nd.
Readers explain why they like Samsung’s Galaxy Buds more than we did
Though he's reviewed more than a dozen audio products for Engadget this year alone, senior news editor Billy Steele hasn't found any he disliked more than Samsung's Galaxy Buds. They earned a pitiful 69 from Billy, who was endlessly frustrated by their tap controls and lack of features. They took too long to pair and he wasn't impressed by the audio quality either. However, our users actually rated the earbuds higher than we did, awarding the Galaxy Buds an average score of 74. Here's what they had to say about their experiences with the buds as long-term users.
The best fitness wearables
There are smartwatches, and then there are fitness wearables. And while it's easy to think they're the same, they aren't. The former offers deep integration with your phone and the option to use apps, music players and mobile payments. Those aren't to be mistaken with fitness watches, which have an emphasis on durability, reliability and accuracy. If you're looking for a watch that's less of a jack of all trades (just a master of a few), this is where we'd have you look.
How computational photography is making your photos better
Phone cameras have undergone huge improvements in recent years, but they've done so without the hardware changing all that much. Sure, lenses and sensors continue to improve, but the big developments have all been in software. So-called computational photography is using algorithms and even machine learning to stitch together multiple photos to yield better results than were previously possible from a tiny lens and sensor. Smartphones are limited by physics. With a small sensor, narrow lens aperture and shallow depth, there are serious challenges in designing an improved phone camera. In particular, these mini cameras suffer from noise -- digital static in the images -- particularly in low light. Combine this with limited dynamic range, and you've got a camera that can perform pretty well in bright daylight, but where image quality starts to suffer as the light dims.
Samsung teases a clamshell foldable phone concept
Samsung's foldable display tech won't just be limited to book-like phones akin to the Galaxy Fold. The company used its annual Developer Conference to preview a vertically folding, clamshell-style form factor. The company only said it was "exploring" the concept as part of its overall work on foldable devices, but it clearly put some thought into the technology. A short demo showed a user recording video in full screen at one moment, and creating a split view with more extensive controls when folding the phone 90 degrees. This might be ideal for recording your hands-free TikTok clips -- you'd have a built-in stand.
Galaxy Book Flex and Ion hands-on: Gorgeous QLED laptops
It might be time to take Samsung seriously as a PC maker again. After releasing a slew of underwhelming laptops, the company charmed me with the Galaxy Book S it revealed in August. Today, Samsung is launching two new laptops that once again have me intrigued. The Galaxy Book Flex and Galaxy Book Ion are thin, light notebooks packing bright, beautiful QLED screens.
Samsung's 'SpaceSelfie' balloon crashed in someone's yard
Samsung is learning first-hand about the risks of using high-altitude balloons for promotional stunts. A Michigan couple found the phone maker's "SpaceSelfie" balloon (meant to pitch the Galaxy S10) in their yard after it crashed to Earth on October 26th. The vessel didn't hurt anyone or damage property, but it was clearly a less-than-ideal touchdown -- Samsung characterized it as an "early soft landing in a selected rural area" that was prompted by US weather conditions.
Samsung says its new flagship processor is 20 percent faster
Samsung has unveiled a bunch of new chips that mean the next slate of smartphones are going to be faster, more efficient and have much improved battery lives. If you go for next year's flagship Samsung Galaxy, chances are it'll come with the newly-announced Exynos 990 processor, which according to the company is offers a 20 percent improvement in performance or a power efficiency gain of up to 20 percent.
Samsung's fix for Galaxy S10 fingerprint scanning will roll out soon
Samsung is acting on its promise to fix its fingerprint reader security flaw. The tech firm is alerting Galaxy S10, S10+, Note 10 and Note 10+ owners that it'll send a notification for the patch "within 24 hours" (clearly less time than that as you read this) for anyone who has registered a fingerprint on their device. You'll have a fix well before the weekend. Samsung is also asking anyone who has used the phone with a screen protector to delete and re-register their prints without the protector installed, since it might include "incorrect" info.