On February 9th, the day of its next Unpacked event, Samsung is also rolling out an update that enhances some of the Galaxy Watch 4's and Watch 4 Classic's health and wellness features. While the watches have long been able to perform body composition scans, the update adds insights about those results powered by Chris Hemsworth's app Centr. Their partnership gives Watch 4 owners access to a 30-day free trial to the app, which typically only lasts for seven days.
Samsung is launching a new interval target feature for runners and cyclists that gives them a way to pre-set the duration and distance they want to cover or the number of sets for their workout, as well. After they input those details, Watch 4 will be able to create a custom training session for them that alternates high-intensity with low-intensity workouts.
Finally, Samsung is rolling out a new sleep coaching program with the update that will assign users with one of the eight sleep symbol animals representing their sleep type. The program determines their sleep animal by tracking their sleep pattern over seven days and asking them to complete two surveys. It will then guide them through a four-to-five week coaching program with missions, checklists and regular reports to help them improve their sleep quality. To help users get better sleep, going forward, Samsung will also automatically switch off SmartThings-enabled lights once Watch 4 determines that the user is asleep.
In addition to these health and wellness upgrades, the company is releasing new watch face colors, digital watch faces and band colors, including burgundy and cream. Samsung has also revealed that a future update will allow users to stream YouTube Music over WiFi or LTE on their Watch 4 and that Google Assistant will be available on the devices in the coming months.
Just ahead of Samsung's Unpacked event set for tomorrow, a press release for Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 lineup has been revealed by leakmeister Evan Blass, The Verge has reported. It confirms many key specs from earlier leaks, including the existence of an "Ultra model," the screen sizes, charging capacity and more.
Samsung will have three models in the lineup, including the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S8, 12.4-inch S8 Plus and big 14.6-inch S8 Ultra. The latter will feature 2,960 x 1,848 resolution with a notch to accommodate the front-facing camera. The other two models will come with 2,560 x 1,600 and 2,800 x 1,752 screens, respectively.
Other features include support for fast WiFi 6E (with optional 5G), 45-watt fast charging, and a new S Pen Stylus. All models offer a 13-megapixel + 6-megapixel ultrawide rear camera setup, with a 12-megapixel ultra front camera. The Ultra model, however, has a second front-facing 12-megapixel wide camera, hence the aforementioned notch. Samsung may also offer an optional keyboard cover.
The Galaxy Tab S8 lineup will arrive on February 25th in select markets including the US, Europe and Korea, according to the press release. Pre-orders will open in those markets on February 9th at 10AM ET.
Electronics giant Samsung announced that its upcoming Unpacked event, to be aired this Wednesday, will be accessible in both virtual reality and actual reality. Metaverse-minded fans can watch the event at 837X, a recreation of Samsung’s flagship New York City store location, recreated within virtual reality platform Decentraland.
What makes Samsung’s venture into the metaverse so interesting is how little the company has had to say about VR in recent years. The South Korean giant was one of the first companies to make strides in the world of augmented reality and virtual reality when it released Gear VR, a smartphone-based virtual reality platform. Once known as one of the cheaper and more popular options for a VR headset Samsung announced it was planning on retiring Gear VR last December with no plans for a replacement.
It’s prudent for any company to tread lightly in the metaverse, especially since a great deal of experts in business and tech think it’s just a gimmick. Facebook parent Meta’s stock fell more than 26% last week after an earnings call last week where it also revealed it lost over $10 billion on Reality Labs, its AR and VR division. Still the considerable hype behind the metaverse doesn’t seem to be dying down. A number of companies including Walmart, Microsoft, Nike and Disney are investing heavily in the metaverse. While interest in VR is greater than ever (sales of AR and VR hardware nearly doubled in 2021), it’s still widely considered a niche product.
Broadly, the issue with the metaverse writ large is that no one seems entirely sure what problem it exists to solve. Other than a vague tweet alluding to the unveiling of some new feature, Samsung has not given much indication of how watching this week's Unpacked in VR is better than, or even meaningfully different from, just streaming it on any of the eight other places it will be available. Those platforms include Samsung's various accounts on YouTube, TikTok and Twitter, as on Twitch and Reddit.
The event is expected to include the debut of the Galaxy S22, Samsung's new flagship phone.
Winter is a great time to catch up on your video game “pile of shame,” which makes Amazon’s latest deal either well- or poorly-timed depending on how you feel about having even more games to play. Right now it’s buy two, get one free on select books, movies and game titles, and there’s some good stuff to grab while supplies last.
You can expect newer games to be sold at full price, while a few older titles on the list may be discounted by 20 percent or more. As usual, the free game will be the cheapest title you put in your cart, so while Ring Fit Adventure is part of the sale, you’re still going to pay $70 for it but at least you can still snag a freebie elsewhere.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Sony might not have locked down PlayStation VR2 specifications despite providing some details at CES 2022. Tobii says it's in talks to provide eye tracking technology for the next-gen VR headset. It noted the discussions were "ongoing" and that it couldn't share the potential financial impact of the deal. The firm is required to divulge the negotiations to honor EU market regulations.
We've asked Sony for comment. The company previously confirmed the PlayStation VR2 would use eye tracking, but didn't name a tech supplier or explain in detail how the feature would work. The headset will also use camera-based "inside-out" tracking to detect head and controller movement.
The revelation suggests PlayStation VR2 might not arrive for a while. Game console makers typically need to solidify hardware specs well in advance, both for the sake of manufacturing and to give developers time to produce games optimized for new devices. If Sony still hasn't chosen a provider for a key feature like eye tracking, a launch is still a long ways off.
Not that this would be a complete surprise. Sony first teased PlayStation VR2 in early 2021, and warned there was "a lot" of work left on the project. The electronics firm ruled out any release that year, and still hasn't given a general timeframe for the wearable's debut. Tobii's claim might just temper expectations for PlayStation 5 owners eager to try Sony's latest take on VR.
Later this week, Samsung’s big smartphone showcase will likely reveal the next iteration of its flagship Galaxy S line, almost definitely called the Galaxy S22. Shocking, I know. Judging from the leaks and rumors, what’s notable is this could mark the year Samsung’s Galaxy Note and S phone lines become one big happy family. Ahead of the event announcement, company president TM Roh teased it would feature “the most noteworthy S series device we’ve ever created.” See what they did there?
Samsung skipped the Note line in 2021, but in all but name, the Galaxy S22 Ultra will be the Note 20 successor fans have been waiting to see for nearly two years.
We’ve pulled together everything we’re expecting to see right here, but we’ll also be covering the event on Wednesday, February 9th at 10 AM ET (7 AM PT). We’ll have our own livestream covering all the phones and any surprises along the way. Come watch along with us!
When Samsung does unfurl its 2022 Galaxy S lineup, those phones will be partly made of a new, more sustainable plastic. The company says it has started using discarded fishing nets to create a more environmentally friendly plastic. It’ll first be put to use in these latest devices, but Samsung says it’ll also begin incorporating the material in its entire device lineup.
The company will reportedly release four M2-powered Macs in 2022.
When Apple refreshed its MacBook Pro line last fall, it left the entry-level model alone. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that’s about to change. He expects a new entry-level model will also drop the much-maligned Touch Bar, but it’s unlikely to include the ProMotion display technology found on the 2021 MacBook Pro, meaning it won’t support a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz for smoother scrolling. Mini-LED backlighting is apparently off the table as well, so don’t expect the base model’s display to get as bright as the screens on its counterparts.
But the controversial episode with Dr. Robert Malone is still there.
Spotify has been removing episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience since Friday, and at writing, the service has pulled a total of 113. Around 70 episodes have recently disappeared from the platform. Those were apparently removed on February 4th, in addition to the 40 podcast episodes deleted some time ago. However, the newly deleted episodes don't seem to be connected with the COVID-19 controversy surrounding the show and the service right now.
Amazon's best e-reader to date is on sale for the first time.
Engadget
The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is possibly the best e-reader on the market right now, and if you've been considering picking one up, now seems like a good time. Amazon is putting the device on sale for the first time for $145, which is $45 less than the regular price of $190. Our only issue when we reviewed the Signature Edition was the price — problem solved.
Apple just can’t let its biggest phone rival have the spotlight for a week. Apple will host its next hardware event sometime on or around March 8th, according to Bloomberg. At the event, the company will reportedly announce the third-generation iPhone SE, a refresh of the 2020 iPad Air and a new Mac computer that will feature an Apple Silicon chip.
When Samsung announces its 2022 Galaxy S lineup on February 9th, the phones it reveals will be partly made from a new, more sustainable material. On Sunday, the company said it has started using ocean-bound plastic made from discarded fishing nets in its latest devices. Samsung said it would incorporate the material first into the products it announces next week before it eventually begins utilizing it throughout its entire device lineup.
As Samsung notes, we tend to think of plastic bottles and grocery bags as the main culprit of ocean debris like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but its microplastics and discarded nets that marine biologists are most worried about. Derelict fishing gear leads to ghost fishing, a phenomenon where those tools continue to trap and kill marine life, including endangered species like the Hawaiian monk seal. With more than 640,000 tons worth of fishing nets discarded every year, it’s a problem that’s only getting worse.
Samsung isn’t the first company to incorporate discarded trash into its devices. Last year, Microsoft announced the Ocean Plastic Mouse. It features a shell made from 20 percent recovered plastic. Like Microsoft, Samsung is positioning its use of ocean-bound plastics as part of its larger sustainability push. In 2019, under pressure from consumers and environmentalists, the company said it would begin using more sustainable materials in the packaging of its devices.
Catch up on all of the news from Samsung’s February Unpacked event right here!
In a few short days, Samsung will host its first Unpacked of 2022. While the company is sure to stage many more events throughout the year (too many, if you ask us), the first one is always the most exciting. That’s because it’s usually where Samsung has announced the next iteration of its flagship Galaxy S line, and Wednesday’s Unpacked promises to be no different. On February 9th, the company is expected to unveil the Galaxy S22. No surprise there, but there could be more to that announcement than you might anticipate. Let’s break down everything we expect to see from the company later this week.
Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+
Evan Blass
Much like it did in 2021, Samsung is expected to launch a trio of new Galaxy S phones. As you’ll see in a few moments, the S22 Ultra is likely to be a significant departure from its predecessor. But as for the S22 and S22+, the expectation is that they’ll be more iterative updates.
Prerelease reports suggest they’ll feature a similar design with the same “Contour Cut” rear camera housing that you’ll find on the Galaxy S21 and its Fan Edition offshoot. As far as upgrades go, most leaks point to the Galaxy S22 featuring a new glass back and both phones coming with 50-megapixel main cameras. More interesting is what could be inside the phones.
Evan Blass
As it’s done in years past, Samsung is expected to source two different chipsets for the Galaxy S line in 2022. In North America, the phone will likely feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. That would make it one of the first phones to bring Qualcomm’s latest flagship SoC to the US and Canada. Meanwhile, in Europe and other parts of the world, the S22 will almost certainly come with Samsung’s own Exynos 2200.
Announced in January, the 4nm chip features an “Xclipse” GPU powered by AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture. In practice, what makes the Exynos 2200 noteworthy is that Samsung claims it’s capable of ray tracing. Early benchmarks suggest the Exynos 2200 could also be faster than its Qualcomm counterpart. All of that would make the potential differences between the North American and European versions of the Galaxy S22 more notable than in years past.
Whoever said S22 series was to be cheaper, didn't think of Covid, parts shortages and inflation.
What we’re less clear on is how Samsung plans to price the Galaxy S22. In a recent tweet, WinFuture’s Roland Quandt said the base model S22 and S22+, both with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, would start at €849 and €1049, respectively. Those prices suggest the company won’t charge more for the S22 and S22+ than it did for the S21 and S21+. However, a separate leak from earlier in the month suggested every model in the S22 line could cost $100 more than its S21 counterpart. We’ll have until the 9th to get a better sense of those details.
Galaxy S22 Ultra
Evan Blass
Shortly before Samsung announced it was hosting an Unpacked on February 9th, company president TM Roh teased the event would feature “the most noteworthy S series device we’ve ever created.”
After component shortages and a pandemic-fueled decline in demand for high-end phones led Samsung to skip the Note line in 2021, the fan-favorite phone is coming back this year. In all but name, we expect the Galaxy S22 Ultra will be the Note 20 successor Samsung fans have been waiting to see for nearly two years. But don’t TM Roh’s or our word for it. In the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s Unpacked, images of the S22 Ultra leaked multiple times.
Here's that 45W PD Charger for your new S22 Ultra (EP-T4510)
Renders shared by Evan Blass of Evleaks fame suggest the S22 Ultra will feature a dramatically different design from the rest of the S22 lineup. Not only will the phone seemingly come with an S-Pen stylus in the box, but it will also feature a curved display and flat backplate. What’s more, judging from photos shared by Front Page Tech, the S22 Ultra will include a slot for storing an S-Pen inside of the phone.
A set of alleged prerelease marketing images shared by Blass suggest the S22 Ultra will feature a quad-camera array with a 108-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide and two 10-megapixel telephoto cameras with Samsung’s 100x Space Zoom feature built-in. The leaked marketing material also suggests the phone will feature a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and QHD+ resolution.
S22 Ultra camera 108MP+12MP+12MP+12MP, wrong 108MP+10MP+10MP+12MP, correct 108mp Improved version of HM3 main 1 / 1.33 "0.8 um F1.8 FOV 85 12MP 0.6X sony 1/2.55" 1.4um F2.2 FOV 120 10MP 10X new sony 1/3.52" 1.12um F4.9 FOV 11 10MP 3X new sony 1/3.52" 1.12um F2.4 FOV 36 pic.twitter.com/RsS9fPK0hC
Internally, the S22 Ultra is expected to include many of the same components found in the S22 and S22+. However, one potential source of drama related to the S22 Ultra may come down to how much RAM you’ll find in the base model. According to Roland Quandt, the most affordable S22 Ultra variant will ship with 8GB of memory. At the same time, it will cost as much as the entry-level Galaxy S21 Ultra, which came with 12GB of RAM. Per Quandt, European consumers will need to pay a €100 premium to get the model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It’s unclear if Samsung will implement the same pricing strategy in the US.
Galaxy Tab S8 and Tab S8 Ultra
Evan Blass
Samsung has been making Android tablets long enough for Google to first abandon the form factor and then more recently declare that it’s the “future of computing.” So it should come as no surprise reports suggest the company will update its Tab line at Unpacked. According to a separate leak from Quandt, we can expect the company to equip the 11-inch Tab S8 with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of internal storage, an 8,000mAh battery and a 120Hz LCD display.
As for the larger Tab S8+, Quandt suggests it will feature a 12.7-inch OLED display and a bigger 10,090mAh battery while being slightly thinner than its smaller sibling. We’ll note here some reports had said the Tab S8+ could feature a 12.4-inch display. Either way, both models are expected to come with a bundled S-Pen stylus.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series official EURO prices:
But that’s not all, we also expect Samsung to add a new model to the Tab line. Per Quandt, the company will announce the Tab S8 Ultra on February 9th. It will reportedly feature a monstrous 14.6-inch AMOLED screen, up to 16GB of RAM and dual-front facing cameras housed in an unsightly display cutout. It could also come with a feature that would allow you to use the Galaxy S22 Ultra as a separate color palette when drawing with the S-Pen, which is exactly the sort of parlor trick only Samsung would think of to sell you on its most expensive devices.
Everything else
By all accounts, the first Unpacked of 2022 will see Samsung focus on the Galaxy S22 and Tab S8. The company could surprise us with updates to its foldable and watch lineups, but so far there haven’t been any leaks and reports to suggest that will happen. Either way, you’ll want to visit Engadget on February 9th. We’ll have comprehensive coverage of all the company’s biggest news.
Catch up on all of the news from Samsung’s February Unpacked event right here!
In addition to a bunch of great deals on TVs ahead of the big game, a handful of new tech deals cropped up on the web this week. Roku's Streambar Pro is $30 off and down to $150 right now (and the smaller Streambar has also been discounted) while the latest Apple TV 4K remains on sale for $160. Fitbit's Charge 5 fitness tracker is 34 percent off and down to an all-time low, plus you can still save on a bunch of Eero 6 WiFi systems. Here are the best deals from this week that you can still get today.
2021 Apple TV 4K
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
The latest Apple TV 4K is on sale for $160, or $20 off its normal price. While the 2021 version isn't drastically different from the previous model, its new Siri remote is a big selling point. We gave it a score of 90 for its speedy performance, HomeKit integration and the easy of use that comes with the improved Siri remote.
A bunch of Apple Watch Series 7 models are on sale at Amazon right now. The 45mm GPS Series 7 in midnight is down to a record low of $370, or $60 off, while a few colors of the 41mm GPS Series 7 are down to $350, which is only $10 more than the all-time-low price. Finally, the 41mm GPS + Cellular Watch is $50 off and down to $449.
A few colors of the high-end AirPods Max are $100 less than usual, bringing them down to $449. These cans earned a score of 84 for their excellent, balanced sound, strong ANC and good battery life.
Roku's Streambar Pro is on sale for $150, or $30 off its normal price. The regular Streambar is also on sale for $99. The Pro model includes all of the features that the standard soundbar does, plus four 2.5-inch full range drivers, support for private listening and a lost remote finder in the companion mobile app.
Hisense's 55-inch Quantum Dot 4K TV is 30 percent off and down to just under $600. It packs a lot of value into a relatively affordable TV — the set supports a 120Hz native refresh rate, Dolby Vision and Atmos, 1,000 nits of peak brightness and Game Mode Pro, the latter of which makes use of HDMI 2.1, low latency mode, variable refresh rates and more.
Samsung's 65-inch Frame set is down to a record low fo $1,500, which is $500 off its normal price. In addition to 4K support and Quantum Dot technology, the Frame TVs have Art Mode, which lets you show pieces of art on the screen when you're not using it. The 55-inch model is also back on sale for an all-time low of $1,000.
The Samsung T7 Touch SSD in 1TB is down to a record low of $140 right now. That's even better than the price it was during the holiday shopping season last year. We like the drive's compact design, fast speeds and built-in fingerprint reader for extra security.
Fitbit's Charge 5 is on sale for a record low of $120 right now. We gave the fitness tracker a score of 82 for its large, full-color display, built-in GPS, standard Fitbit Pay and long battery life. The Fitbit Sense smartwatch is also on sale for $100 less than usual, bringing the price down to $200.
Microsoft's Elite Wireless Series 2 controller for Xbox remains on sale for $140, or $40 less than usual. If you want to treat yourself (or someone else) to a fancy gaming accessory, this is a good option. It comes with six thumbsticks, four paddles, two D-pads, a charging dock, a carrying case and a USB-C cable, and its battery can last up to 40 hours on a single charge.
Samsung's latest smartphone, the Galaxy S21 FE, is officially available and starting to ship and Amazon throws in a $100 gift card if you order the handset through the online retailer. We gave the phone a score of 77 for its bright 120Hz display, hi-res selfie cam and long battery life.
All Eero 6 WiFi packs are on sale right now, so you can one for as low as $90. The three-pack of routers is down to $244 while the three-pack with one router and two extenders has been discounted to $195. This system supports WiFi 6, up to 5,000 square feet of coverage and it has a built-in Zigbee smart home hub.
Arturia has discounted a number of its software instruments and effects through February 17. Arguably the highlight of the sale is Pigments, which is 50 percent off and down to $99.
Crucial's MX500 internal SSD in 1TB is on sale for $90 — not the lowest price ever, but close to it. We like this drive for its decent read and write speeds, AES 256-bit hardware-based encryption and integrated power loss immunity.
This Logitech webcam is down to $80, which is 20 percent off its normal price. Its 1080p/30fps recording quality will be great for both Zoom meetings and game streams, plus it has built-in autofocus and two mics to capture your voice in stereo audio.
Garmin's Forerunner 45s running watch is 30 percent off right now and down to $140. The "s" means the case is on the smaller side, making it better for people who don't want a chunky smartwatch. It has a built-in GPS to track and map outdoor runs and it monitors pace, distance, intervals and more.
Amazon Prime is increasing in price for the first time since 2018. The monthly fee is going up to $15 (previously $13), or $139 per year (previously $119). The higher rates kick in February 18th for new customers, but they won't take effect for existing customers until they renew March 25th or later. Amazon pinned the increase on the "continued expansion" of Prime perks, like free games through Twitch and pharmacy discounts, along with higher wages (whose wages?) and transportation costs.
On top of that, there are also the company’s big Prime Video projects: the upcoming Lord of the Rings series is expected to cost $465 million just for its first season.
Bezos may no longer be the CEO, but the Amazon founder will profit from those price increases. And he has things to spend money on, such as his ostentatious Y721 superyacht. It’s so big that to get it through Rotterdam, the shipbuilder will have to temporarily dismantle part of a bridge. The city is catching some flak over the decision. Koningshaven Bridge, built in 1927, was declared a national monument after it was decommissioned in 1994. The city finished restoring it in 2017 and vowed to never dismantle the bridge again. But here we are.
Nearly five years after going public, Snap is finally profitable. The company shared the milestone in its Q4 earnings release, where it reported $23 million in positive net income. Sure, it’s a tiny percentage of its $4.1 billion in quarterly revenue, but it’s an important step for the company that has at times struggled with user growth. Daily active users have now climbed to 319 million.
The Biden administration wants zero-emissions mail vehicles.
According to The Washington Post, the Environmental Protection Agency and White House Council on Environmental Quality have sent letters to the US Postal Service urging it to rethink a proposal to mostly buy gas-powered next-gen delivery trucks in a project worth up to $11.3 billion. It said the current strategy is a "lost opportunity" to more drastically reduce the carbon footprint of one of the world's largest government fleets.
The 24-megapixel, $6,000 EOS R3 is the mirrorless equivalent of Canon’s 1DX Mark III DSLR. It delivers incredible shooting speeds of up to 30 fps, with reliable autofocus that can handle face- and eye-tracking for people and animals. According to Steve Dent, who put the camera through its paces, image quality is the best we’ve seen on any Canon camera. The new eye control AF lets you focus on a subject just by looking at it — something that works well for some people, but not everyone. The R3 is also very strong with video, handling 6K RAW at 60 fps with no overheating issues. The only caveat is that price.
Beyond the incredible pre-order numbers for both the hybrid Maverick and the EV F-150 Lightning, Ford’s EV push is working. The company reports sales of its EVs in January "grew almost 4 times faster than the overall electrified segment" (13,169 units in total), making Ford the current number two retailer of electric vehicles in the country behind Tesla, and also making it the country’s top-selling automaker overall. The company sold 6,513 Mavericks in January alone.
It just surpassed the Wii with 103.54 million sales since it launched in 2017.
The Nintendo Switch: another success story. It’s now bested the Wii, making it the best-selling home console ever. Thanks to what it called a "good start" by the OLED Switch, it sold 10.67 million units in Q3 (October to December), far surpassing the 3.9 million PS5 units Sony sold. That takes total Switch sales to 103.54 million since it launched in 2017, taking it past the Wii's lifetime sales of 101.63 million. Having said that, Nintendo revised its yearly forecast down by a million units. It now believes it’ll sell 23 million units, down from the 24 million it forecast last quarter.
