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Samsung Galaxy S24 review: Basically a Galaxy S23 repackaged with a software update
Really, the only thing that makes the Galaxy S24 stand out compared to other phones is Galaxy AI. But even that is coming to other phones soon.
Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 series last month, and unsurprisingly, the upgrades are all about artificial intelligence. The technology boomed last year, and every company is trying to get in on the industry's latest fad. But make no mistake: Galaxy AI isn't a gimmick, it's actually useful. I enjoyed leaving my iPhone 15 Pro Max and Pixel Fold behind to use the Galaxy S24 as my only smartphone for more than a week. That's mostly due to the Galaxy AI features, but I also appreciated the compact form factor and the lightweight design. One UI has come a long way, too.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review: Get a different phone instead
The Galaxy S24 Plus is not a bad phone at all, it's fine. But it just does not improve enough to justify the $1,000 price.
Samsung's Galaxy S24 series this year is trying to sell you almost entirely on new software features. And while the phones' generative AI features are genuinely useful — I use circle to search a dozen times a day, and on-device interpreter mode has saved me from a couple of miscommunications during taxi rides during travels — none of these features are actually exclusive to the S24 series, or even Samsung devices for that matter.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review: The most feature-packed, do-it-all phone in the world
The Galaxy S24 Ultra's new AI features along with (slightly) improved camera system and build make for the most maximal, do-it-all phone
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a paradox. It is at once the smallest and biggest mobile upgrade for Samsung in years. If I go through the list of hardware upgrades over last year's S23 Ultra, I could do it with one hand. But the new generative AI features are not just fun to play with, but genuinely useful in real world use, and at times, it does indeed feel like this device is the first step into a new era of computing.
Galaxy Z Fold 5 review: Samsung can't get away with incremental updates for much longer
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is just a Fold 4 with a better hinge and new Snapdragon chip. But it's probably enough to claim the best foldable title again
The original Galaxy Fold was an important smartphone, but in hindsight, it wasn't a very good one. The hinge was loose and floppy; gigantic bezels wrapped the outside screen; and the inner screen had an ugly cutout. Just a year later, Samsung released a vastly improved Z Fold 2, which made significant improvements to the overall design and hardware, including the hinge and those screens. In fact, in my review of the Fold 2, I called it a "masterpiece," "phone of the year," and the "single biggest generation improvement in mobile history" because of all these changes.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review: For casual users on carriers and few others
If you walk into a carrier store and want to spend less money on a phone, the Galaxy S23 FE might be for you
After skipping a release last year, Samsung's Fan Edition line of upper midrange Galaxy phones returns, along with a tablet and earbuds, with the S23 FE. At $600, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a pretty good deal for Americans who can either get $100 slashed off the price from select carriers or can get it free outright from carriers with a contract. I single out "for Americans" because the users in the U.S. buy through carriers more than in other regions. The market is also more limited, missing the bulk of Chinese options that are known for their bang-for-buck value.
Samsung Galaxy Buds FE review: Mid-range earbuds finally worthy of the fan label
This is the first Samsung Fan Edition product that doesn’t feel severely watered down
Confession time: I haven't been a fan of Samsung's "Fan Edition" (FE) lineup of mid-range products. I've always been a flagship guy, so these products aren't really for me, but even when I detach my personal preferences and evaluate products objectively, Samsung's FE mobile offerings just seem to cut too many obvious corners, like the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ I recently reviewed that had sluggish animations out of the box.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review: Stellar hardware, mediocre software
Poor software navigation and gestures make the Galaxy Watch 6 a lot less useful than it should be
Samsung's new Galaxy Watch 6 is positioned as the everyday smartwatch, slotting in under the more expensive Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. The standard model is available in smaller sizes, has a simple and refined design language, and is intended to just work with the Samsung ecosystem. After testing the Galaxy Watch 6 for over two weeks, I've found it's anything but your everyday smartwatch. It feels light on the wrist, looks great, and has fitness and health technology that might be the best from any company not named Garmin.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic review: An excellent generational mashup
The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic brings back a smartwatch favorite along with a spec bump. It's a great experience, even if it's too familiar
Samsung has long been one of the top smartwatch brands, even before it switched from its in-house Tizen OS to Wear OS back in 2021 with the Galaxy Watch 4 series. That was also the last time we saw the beloved rotating bezel as a way to navigate the watch's UI. Because when last year's high-end smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, was released, it sported a capacitive digital bezel instead of the physical rotating hardware of the Watch 4 Classic. Thankfully, we get both the naming and hardware back on track with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: It's what a flip phone should be, mostly
Samsung's latest foldable bois are here, and the Flip 5 packs some important improvements
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with some big improvements over its predecessor, including a larger external display, a much-improved hinge, and a faster processor. But the question is, is it enough? After all, for the first time ever, Samsung is facing real competition in the North American foldable space.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra review: The best tablet at multitasking
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra brings a giant screen and a very good multitasking system that makes it a great work machine
Between the Google Pixel Tablet, OnePlus Pad, and the Lenovo Tab Extreme — all surprisingly polished and well-performing tablets — Android tablets are having a banner year so far. While Apple tablets still lead in market shares, the iPad's dominance is not as strong as before. This means now is as good a time as any for Samsung, which is currently in second place in the tablet market share wars, to try to make further gains. Samsung's attempts this year include three tablets, and in this review, we're going to take a look at the largest and most powerful one: the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series hands on: A fan favorite feature returns
The Galaxy Watch 6 series brings a new Exynos chip, longer battery life, and Wear OS 4. One model even gets back a fan-favorite feature
At today's Samsung Unpacked event, we got the expected announcement of the Galaxy Watch 6, the next iteration of the company's higher-end but standard, bezel-less smartwatch. However, the more interesting reveal was for the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, which brings back Samsung's signature rotating physical bezel after the company removed it last year. Beyond that, both watches are getting modest upgrades with a new chip and longer battery life. They're also among the first smartwatches to run Wear OS 4.
Hands on: The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has the screen you want
Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 5 is finally official. Here's what we think of it.
After months of leaks, rumors, and speculation, Samsung held its Galaxy Unpacked event today. Holding it in Seoul for the first time, it showed off its new range of wares, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Watch 6, and Galaxy Tab S9 series. We're here to talk about the Z Flip 5, though, because frankly, it's the more interesting of the two foldables that Samsung announced today.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 hands on: All about the new hinge
Samsung's new foldable is thinner, lighter, and finally folds flat
As a mobile enthusiast with access to basically every phone, I can be snarky about the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. Its biggest hardware improvement (and the only visible one you can easily spot) over last year's Z Fold 4 is a streamlined hinge and folding mechanism that allow the phone to fold flat — you know, four years after brands like Motorola and Huawei figured out how to do so. And while the Z Fold 5 manages to shed thickness to 11.4mm and weight down to 253g, these numbers still fall far short of the recently launched ultra-sleek Honor Magic V2 foldable.
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G review: An overachieving budget phone
At $200, the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G outperforms many others in its price range. That's a low bar, but this phone is still an excellent choice.
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is the entry point for what you could call the company's premium budget line, costing just $200. There were, of course, going to be sacrifices to get the phone down to such a low price point. For instance, it has a plastic build with a swirled texture on the back, subpar cameras, and no water resistance rating.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review: Refined to near perfection
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a more refined Galaxy S22 Ultra, and while it might have features you don't need, it's one of the best.
Samsung is back with a brand-new batch of flagship smartphones in the Galaxy S23 series, with the Galaxy S23 Ultra leading the pack. This is the first non-folding Samsung phone I’ve used since the Galaxy S10, but ever since the first Galaxy Ultra phone came out with its crazy Space Zoom camera feature, I’ve been itching to try one out for myself. The wait has been totally worth it.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra camera test: The two best camera phones (in North America)
The Google Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are the two most high-profile Android in North America, and they also have the two best cameras
If you're in the market for a new flagship phone and camera performance is an important factor, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Google Pixel 7 Pro are probably the two best options to consider (unless you live in China, in which case there are other major contenders). While the iPhone 14 Pro is still the video recording king, its still photography lags behind both of these Android flagships. The Pixel 7 Pro and S23 Ultra pack main cameras with larger sensors, more pixels, and zoom lenses with superior periscope technology compared to the iPhone. But which one of these has the better camera? If you're looking for a complete comparison between these two phones, we have one too.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G review: One of the best mid-range phones gets better
Samsung's Galaxy A54 5G improves upon the already excellent mid-range phone to become the best in its segment.
Samsung set a high bar in the mid-range space a couple of years back with the Galaxy A52, and it's been improving it each year, mostly with minor refinements, to stay ahead of the competition. The new Galaxy A54 5G follows this trend following the Galaxy A53 5G, although it went beyond the usual spec bump this year. It doesn't follow Samsung's cardinal rule of not fixing what wasn't broken, though, since the design, optics, and even the screen are all slightly different.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra display deep dive: Still not the best Samsung Display OLED on the market
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has some improvements to the screen, but is it enough to make it one of the best phones with a Samsung Display?
It's no secret that Samsung Display currently manufactures some of the best screens on any device. Nearly every flagship smartphone today utilizes the company's panel hardware, and that doesn't appear to be changing any time soon. Naturally, Samsung itself equips its own phones with these impeccable screens.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Vivo X90 Pro+ camera test: Two camera titans duke it out
With four cameras, including a pair of zoom lenses, Vivo's X90 Pro+ is the only phone to truly match the S23 Ultra lens for lens
Samsung's Galaxy S Ultra phone has been the alpha dog of the Android phone scene for the past four years, and the latest Galaxy S23 Ultra continues the trend. But within the niche Android enthusiast community — a group that is open to importing phones and actually enjoys reading and discussing phones in XDA forums or Reddit — Vivo has been garnering interest. Most people haven't heard of Vivo, but its X flagship phones have a superb camera system backed by Zeiss optics.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs Xiaomi 13 Pro camera test: Large sensor or more megapixels?
The two most high-profile Android releases of 2023 so far duke it out in a camera shootout.
What's more important in digital imaging, sensor size or megapixel count? Now's as good a time as any to find out because the two most high-profile Android releases of 2023 so far also happen to bring new camera systems headlined by main cameras that have taken those opposite paths. Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra packs a new 200MP main camera, while Xiaomi's 13 Pro uses a 1-inch type sensor. Xiaomi's sensor is significantly larger than the S23 Ultra's 1/1.3-inch sensor, but Samsung's camera can produce shots with four times as many pixels as Xiaomi's.