In reviewing the latest iPad (9th generation) released here at the tail end of 2021, it quickly became apparent that I'd need to bust out the archives. If you've not purchased a new iPad for the past half-decade, a new iPad should seem like a revelation. If you purchased an iPad (we're talking standard, here, not Mini, Pro, or Air), you might have a bit of trouble calculating the value of each individual feature.
Foldables are back in fashion again, at least thanks to Samsung's more aggressive push of its third-gen devices. While the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has the most features and most controversy, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is being painted as the more silent success between the two. The affordability of the foldable clamshell might be spurring Samsung's competitors to take notice and step up their own game. Huawei, in particular, might have a trick up its sleeve to make its rumored Mate V clamshell more tempting.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is the most versatile professional notebook computer I've ever used. After using this device for only a relatively short period of time, it's clear that Microsoft made peace with the idea that they could, and would, create a multi-tiered laptop machine with a transforming body that remained elegant as it performed all tasks. Now, if this machine continues to perform well after we've used it in work mode for a few more weeks, we'll have a real winner on our hands.
It would appear that the leaks are coming early this year for the next-generation Samsung Galaxy S device collection. Today we're seeing the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, the highest-end version of the Samsung Galaxy S series for the year 2022. This device has a quad-camera system on its back and an S Pen similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. This device has an S Pen slot, too - allowing the stylus to fit in and be carried by the phone, again not unlike the Galaxy Note series.
Samsung's delivery of foldable displays to the industry changed the way their mobile device lineup does business. Now, courtesy of a collection of devices that are capable of using the S Pen, there's really no need to have a single device whose most major feature is said stylus. Instead, starting with the Samsung Galaxy S22, the Galaxy Note dies, and the S Pen lives again.
Microsoft revealed a brand new stylus today called Surface Slim Pen 2. This device was made specifically for the Surface collection of devices from Microsoft, and works with most Surface devices. Connectivity is provided by Bluetooth 5.0, and buttons include one side button and a top button with eraser functionality.
The next Samsung Galaxy Note device is apparently here already - if you believe what Samsung's PR efforts this week suggest. In a promotional video from Samsung Korea, a Bob Ross impersonator shows how the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 can be used as a mobile canvas with the Samsung S Pen. The important bit comes right at the title screen, where the company shows: "Galaxy Z Fold3 (a.k.a 노트Z) Unboxing". The bit in Korean (노트) is Note, the same way it'd appear in the name Samsung Galaxy Note Z.
Today Samsung revealed four new next-generation devices that improve upon the devices they replace: two foldable display smartphones, a new watch, and a new set of earbuds. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 works with a new ability to work with the Samsung stylus S Pen, while the Galaxy Z Flip 3 works with a new far larger display on its back side - and both now have waterproofing beyond anything we've seen in a foldable device before.
Samsung definitely has a leak problem if even the relatively minor accessories headed for Unpacked 2021 are being leaked less than 48 hours before the event. Then again, it is seemingly fighting a battle without end, given how the tech industry moves these days. That's definitely the case this year with the long-overdue S Pen Pro, whose appearance and some details have just been unofficially revealed even before Samsung gets the chance to say a word.
There are less than two weeks left before Samsung's big Unpacked event, and we may have already had our fill of leaks and rumors regarding the company's upcoming products. Aside from actual prices and availability dates, however, one small detail hasn't been talked about that much. Samsung recently confirmed that it made a special S Pen just for its foldable phones, and a new piece of information about the still-unreleased S Pen Pro could be that promised stylus.
Galaxy Z Fold 3 will be the most anticipated announcement at the Galaxy Unpacked on August 11, 2021. The foldable phone is touted as the most practical iteration of a foldable smartphone and is expected to be a significant improvement over its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 released last year in September.
In about two weeks or so, Samsung will be holding its next Unpacked event, but a lot about the products that will debut there may already be well-known by now. Of course, that information comes from unofficial sources, and there's much to be said when Samsung itself confirms this or that tidbit. That is exactly what happened when Samsung officially put in black and white a feature that will have Galaxy Z Fold 3 hopefuls excite while also leaving Galaxy Note fans weary once more.