As foldables go, Samsung has been the pioneer, and can you believe the flexible screen has been around now for five years.

With every new iteration each year Samsung improve on the previous model.

Now with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 we get a lighter, slightly slimmer model.

Coming in a variety of colours the Galaxy Z Flip6 is touted more towards a youthful market.

The 3.4 inches AMOLED front cover screen takes up almost the entire front, with provision made for the dual camera lenses.

While you can operate the phone via the front screen, it is small, and fiddly, but it is ideal for selfies and checking notifications on the fly.

Unfolding the Galaxy Z Flip6 gives you a near-to invisible crease in the centre and a brightly vivid 6.7 inches of foldable display, with a refresh rate of 120Hz.

Spec wise the model reviewed is a 256GB storage and Samsung have opted to increase the RAM in this years model, with all storage variations now having 12GB.

Crunching the data Samsung has added the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Camera’s don’t fail to impress. Your main camera at the rear is a 50MP wide, coupled with a 12MP ultrawide.

The inner camera (when unfolded) is mid-range at 10MP. Given that you will need to open the phone to use it functionally I’d hoped that the inner ‘selfie’ camera would have bolstered up a few more MP.

Recording video – you can do it like they did in the ‘old days’ of camcorders by holding the Flip6 on the side and shoot like that professional film maker you always knew you were.

Nonetheless, as is known for Samsung phones, the pics you take with any of the lenses is strikingly detailed, and Samsung still has one of the best Nightography out there.

Battery wise, Samsung has added a 4,000 mAh power cell in to the Galaxy Z Flip6.

This is on the lower side, but… given that you’ll likely use the Flip6’s cover screen a lot and only open the phone if you need to call or use apps, it’s this mix of useage that manages to extend the battery life.

You’ll get a full day from a full charge, easily. But generally nothing more beyond that.

While last year’s Galaxy Z Flip5 is still a strong contender in the foldable market, I’d recommend the Flip6 to those that have the first or second gen of the Flip series.

To a degree, the camera’s need to be bumped up in their spec a wee bit, excluding the min 50MP.

The Galaxy Z Flip6 is a fun playful device, and I have always had a love for the uniqueness of the Galaxy Z Flip. Pocketable, small and easy to move around with, all the while having the resources to almost keep up with their S Series cousins.

The post Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Samsung has revealed their all-new Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6, along with Galaxy Buds3 and Galaxy Buds3 Pro at Galaxy Unpacked in Paris.

Earlier this year, Samsung ushered in the era of mobile AI through the power of Galaxy AI . With the introduction of the new Galaxy Z series, Samsung is opening the next chapter of Galaxy AI by leveraging its most versatile and flexible form factor, perfectly designed to enable a range of unique mobile experiences. Whether using Galaxy Z Fold’s large screen, Galaxy Z Flip’s FlexWindow or making the most of the iconic FlexMode, Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6 will provide more opportunities to maximise AI capabilities. Built on the foundation of Samsung’s history of form factor innovation, Galaxy AI uses a powerful, intelligent, and durable foldable experience to accelerate a new era of communication, productivity, and creativity.

“Samsung’s long history of innovation has allowed us to lead in the mobile space, creating the foldable form factor and ushering in the mobile AI era. Now, we are excited to bring these two complementary technologies together and unlock new possibilities for users around the world,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. “Our foldables meet the unique needs of every user and now enhanced by the power of Galaxy AI, Samsung is delivering an experience like never before.”

Samsung’s continued innovation for foldables has created the slimmest and lightest Galaxy Z series ever, optimised for portability. The perfectly symmetrical design with straight edge provides an aesthetically sleek finish while a new cover screen ratio on Galaxy Z Fold6 provides a more natural bar-type viewing experience. Along with design refinements, the new Galaxy Z series is engineered to provide even more durability, offering you greater peace of mind. The dual rail hinge structure is further supported by a strengthened folding edge, better distributing the shock of external impacts. Plus, enhanced layers on the main screen help to improve the crease while maintaining strength. The latest Galaxy Z series is also equipped with enhanced Armor Aluminium and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 , making this the most durable Galaxy Z series yet.

In addition to being reliable, every element of the Galaxy Z series is also powerful. Both the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6 are equipped with the Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy , the most advanced Snapdragon mobile processor yet, combining best-in-class CPU, GPU, and NPU performance. The processor is optimised for AI processing and offers enhanced graphics along with improved overall performance. The upgraded cooling system maximises performance with a larger vapor chamber on Galaxy Z Fold6 and, for the first time ever, a vapor chamber on Galaxy Z Flip.

Galaxy Z Fold6: Large Screen Productivity Elevated by AI

The Galaxy Z Fold6 offers a range of AI-powered features and tools that maximise the large screen and significantly enhance productivity.

Note Assist on Samsung Notes offers translation, summaries, and auto formatting for simple and easy meeting notes. Plus, a newly embedded transcript feature enables transcription, translation and summarising of voice recordings directly in Notes. Texts in PDF files can be translated and overlaid perfectly through PDF overlay translation feature in Notes – and it even supports text in images and graphs. A newly added Composer from Samsung Keyboard generates suggested text based on simple keywords for email and supported social media apps. For social media in particular, the Composer creates text that reflects your tone by analysing previous posts. Additionally, the S Pen experience is expanded further connecting with Galaxy AI on the Galaxy Z Fold6’s screen. All-new Sketch to image allows you to create more sophisticated art pieces by generating image options when you simply sketch or draw on the photos in Gallery or Note screen.

The Galaxy Z Fold6 enables you to evolve the way you work, play, and stay informed thanks to Samsung’s longstanding partnership with Google. The latest Google Gemini app is fully integrated on the new Galaxy Z series, providing your own AI-powered assistant right on your phone. By simply swiping the corner of the screen or saying, “Hey Google”, you can bring up Gemini’s overlay and get help with writing, learning, or planning. Gemini is integrated with some of your favourite Google apps, making it easy to organise a perfect travel itinerary by getting real-time flight and hotel booking information – and explore famous landmarks and the best routes to get there using Google Maps. When you want detailed information about a K-pop music video while watching YouTube on Galaxy Z Fold6’s large screen, you can access Gemini overlay in the multi-window split screen to ask questions. If you’re curious about who the artist is in the video, just long press the home button and circle, highlight, or tap on screen – and Circle to Search will offer instant search results.

Galaxy AI has also enhanced barrier-free communication on Galaxy Z Fold6. Maximising its unique dual screen form factor, Interpreter comes with a new conversation mode that enables both parties to conveniently view translations on the main and cover screens for more natural interactions. It also offers one-way translation, so you can easily understand when listening during lectures or any other type of presentation. Live Translate, which translates phone calls directly on your device in real-time, is also now being extended beyond Samsung’s own native calling app to a selection of popular third-party apps.

From capturing to editing to viewing, AI-powered ProVisual Engine on the Galaxy Z Fold6 takes your creativity to the next level. The advanced editing experience with Photo Assist on the large screen helps to effortlessly create professional-grade content. Portrait Studio creates a variety of different portrait styles such as 3D cartoon or watercolour for more creative possibilities. And if you want to enjoy every second with a more detailed view, Instant Slow-mo allows you to instantly slow a video by generating additional frames while maintaining a smooth viewing experience. You also have the option of saving or directly sharing your videos with friends and family so they can enjoy them as well.

Not only does Galaxy Z Fold6 allow you to create content, it allows you to enjoy it, too. Galaxy Z Fold6 offers an upgraded gaming experience, anchored by its powerful chipset and 1.6x larger vapour chamber for the ability to game for longer, while still maintaining performance. Vivid, life-like graphics are supported by Ray Tracing and are brought to life on a 7.6-inch screen that offers a brighter display of up to 2,600nit to deliver more immersive gaming.

Galaxy Z Flip6: Creating Unique Experiences, Customised to You

The Galaxy Z Flip6 is not just optimised for portability, but it offers a range of new customisation and creativity features so you can make the most of every moment.

The 3.4-inch Super AMOLED FlexWindow has been enhanced yet again, enabling AI-assisted functions without even needing to open the device. And for those communications on-the-go, you can reply to texts with Suggested replies which analyses your latest messages to suggest a tailored response. With Galaxy AI, you can get the most out of your pocket-sized device, and many of these convenient features exist on FlexWindow. FlexWindow provides access to Samsung Health updates and notifications and also allows you to select the next track you want to listen to on your music widget. Plus, FlexWindow offers more Widgets than ever, and allows you to check information from multiple Widgets simultaneously.

It wouldn’t be Galaxy Z Flip without a variety of ways for you to customise your device either. With the AI-powered Photo Ambient , a wallpaper can change in real-time based on the time and weather. You can also easily create a unified look and feel with suggested screen layout options by analysing your wallpaper — such as moving the clock and changing the frame colour to ensure the background image stands.

Creativity also goes beyond FlexWindow. FlexCam continues to offer the most versatile camera experience and unlocks new creative options. With the new Auto Zoom, FlexCam automatically finds the best framing for your shot by detecting the subject and zooming in and out before making any necessary adjustments. That way, you don’t have to choose between your friends or an incredible backdrop being in the shot – and it’s all hands-free.

New 50MP Wide and 12MP Ultra-wide sensors provide an upgraded camera experience with clear and crisp details in pictures. The new 50MP sensor supports 2x optical zoom for noise-free photos, while offering AI zoom for an advanced shooting experience with up to 10x zoom. Nightography , enhanced with video HDR allows you to capture more brilliant videos — even in dim lighting — and goes further by partnering with popular social apps as well. The night capturing feature is now available in-app on Instagram, so you can take amazing photos at night and message or share them directly from within the app.

You can continue using all the creative and customisable features of Galaxy Z Flip6 without worrying about battery life either, with longer usage time compared to the Flip5 made possible by hardware and software optimisation.

Security You Can Trust, Controlled by You

Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6 are secured by Samsung Knox, Samsung Galaxy’s defense-grade, multi-layer security platform built to safeguard critical information and protect against vulnerabilities with end-to-end hardware, real-time threat detection and collaborative protection. In the era of AI, Samsung’s commitment to empowering you with choice over your device settings is stronger than ever, which is why you have full control over how you allow your data to enhance AI experiences through Galaxy AI settings . As an added layer of protection, Enhanced Data Protection offers end-to-end encryption when you backup, sync or restore your data with Samsung Cloud. The new Galaxy Z series is also backed by Samsung’s expansive list of security and privacy features including Knox Vault, Security & Privacy Dashboard, Auto Blocker, passkeys, Secure Wi-Fi, and Private sharing in Quick Share.

Galaxy Buds3 Series: Expanding the Connected Experience through Galaxy AI

With the power of Galaxy AI, the Galaxy Buds3 series brings a new communication experience. If you’re attending a class in a foreign language, you can turn on Interpreter in Listening mode on Galaxy Z Fold6 or Flip6 with Galaxy Buds3 series plugged into your ears. This will allow you to hear the lecture translated directly through your Galaxy Buds, removing language barriers that may exist in your studies. Also, simply saying two words through Voice Command allows you to control functions like playing or stopping music without manually touching the earbuds or a connected smartphone. Sound can also be intelligently optimised, regardless of how you wear your Galaxy Buds. The microphones in the Buds3 series analyse both internal and external sound in real time to enhance sound and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) quality through Adaptive EQ and Adaptive ANC. And if you are listening to music, your Galaxy Buds3 Pro will constantly collect and identify surrounding sound and automatically adjust the optimal level of noise and sound without manual adjustment through Adaptive Noise Control, Siren Detect, and Voice Detect , all for your convenience.

Built upon a variety of collected statistical data, the Galaxy Buds3 series comes with a new computational design boasting a comfortable fit. The premium blade design also targets style-centric consumers with an ultra-sleek and modern style complemented with Blade Lights . This new design enables a more intuitive physical experience by allowing you to control the device by simply pinching or swiping up or down on the blade, thereby offering convenience and tasteful aesthetics at the same time. Galaxy Buds3 and Buds3 Pro offer two purpose-built design options. Galaxy Buds3 Pro is Canal Type for those looking for immersive sound, while Buds3 is Open Type for people who prefer to use the device in a variety of situations for an extended period of time.

To deliver a premium audio experience, Galaxy Buds3 Pro is equipped with advanced hardware. Galaxy Buds3 Pro comes with enhanced 2-way speakers with planar tweeter for sophisticated, precise high range sound production, and Dual Amplifiers for a crystal-clear sound experience on the go. And now, thanks to Ultra High Quality Audio that supports a doubled sampling rate with SSC codec, you can listen to a high-resolution audio source as it was intended and enjoy every sound in superb detail. This level of sound quality extends to phone calls, too. With a pre-trained model based on machine learning, the Galaxy Buds3 series is now able to restore the original voice of the speaker in various noise environments while also providing a rich and natural call — similar to the high-quality calls of smartphones — with the Super-Wideband Call feature.

The Galaxy Z Fold6, Z Flip6 and Galaxy Buds3 series will be available for pre-order starting today, July 11 2024, with general availability starting 23 July 2024.

Galaxy Z Fold6 is available in Silver Shadow, Pink and Navy, while Galaxy Z Flip6 is also available in Silver Shadow, Yellow, Blue and Mint colour options.

The Galaxy Buds3 series offers an ultra-sleek, modern and comfortable design available in two colours, Silver and White .

The post Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 & Z Flip6 Elevate Galaxy AI appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Flip it, splash it, play it.

Small on size but mighty on volume JBL’s newest portable bluetooth speaker, the Flip 6, is near pocketable and ready for your playlists when and where ever you are.

There are a couple of ways to pair up. Either you can simply bluetooth it to your smart device, or if you want full control use the JBL app.

Using the app allows you to be able to tweak the basic audio settings and of course control the speaker.

I tested the JBL Flip 6 in an outdoor setting in a dog walk park and the backyard. The volume is more than ample so would be for any gathering.

Inside, either lounge or bedroom it’s super booming, which surprised me given its teeny size.

The saying little but loud is a true statement for the JBL Flip 6.

If you’re going take a splash in a pool or if rain ruins your party – it’s not going to ruin the JBL Flip 6.

Rated IP67 waterproof you’ll be right if it gets a bit wet.

Inside the JBL Flip 6 is a two way speaker setup with a tweeter and separate sub to pump out the bass without missing the high tempos.

On the speaker are tactile buttons for pairing and volume.

The battery, from full charge is going to keep the party going for up to 12 hours. I’ve used the JBL Flip 6 for over that amount of time during a one week period and it’s still pumping.

If you have a few JBL bluetooth speakers around you can also link them up.

For a couple of hundred dollars you can take the party with you, literally anywhere.

The post JBL Flip 6 Bluetooth Speaker Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.