Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 and A9+ officially splits the A series in two

In a shift away from earlier Samsung Galaxy A-series Tablets, the newly (officially) announced Galaxy Tab A9 and A9+ come in two totally different sizes and price ranges. The base Galaxy Tab A9 seems to compete with the specs of the iPad Mini 6 with its octa-core Snapdragon processor and 8.7-inch LCD. Price wise, early sources – namely, the South American and Middle Eastern markets it’s already been sold in – suggest it’ll retail for around $190, making it a cost-effective alternative to the iPad Mini 6’s starting price of $499.

The news (which would cap off the month-long swarm of new stuff coming out of every tech giant on Earth, if not for the fact we still have over a week left in the month) comes mere weeks after the new Galaxy Tab S9 FE announcement, which itself came alongside the subsequent commercial release of the aforementioned S9 FE tablet as well as the Galaxy Buds FE.

Designer: Samsung

For those looking to save big on their next tablet, or those who want to dip their toes into the world of Android if they’re already heavily invested in Apple’s ecosystem, the new A9 and A9+ should bring Samsung Galaxy A-series up to snuff with modern specs. All A9 and A9+ models can be configured with either 4 or 8 gigs of RAM. Even though it sounds like the baseline storage space for both is a mere 64 GB, there’s also a microSD slot to expand storage up to 1 TB.

The most important deviation between both versions, aside from the price (which is still unclear), is their screen size. Unlike the A9, which is 8.7 inches diagonally, the A9+ uses an 11 inch LCD display – making it compete directly with the Galaxy Tab S8, which had a similar size. Another big improvement is the 5,100 mAh battery in the A9 and 7,040 mAh battery in the A9+, as well as support for 15W fast charging.

Though the A9 and A9+ come with Android 13 packed in, it sounds like Samsung is limiting the software capabilities of the new tablets. Though, it’s great that they can still use a wide range of multitasking apps like Samsung DeX, which allows up to three multi-active windows in a splitscreen configuration. This means the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 is, at minimum, a strong companion tool for workers, students, and creatives who want to be able to juggle multiple tasks while on the go.

It’s unclear exactly when the new tablets are shipping out in the United States, but we will continue to update this article as more information becomes available.

The post Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 and A9+ officially splits the A series in two first appeared on Yanko Design.

Radical Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Tab patent shows a two-part folding screen + magnetic S-Pen docking area

It’s slowly becoming pretty clear that Samsung wants to be the dominant player in the foldables market. We’ve seen Motorola, Xiaomi, Huawei, Royole, and even the oddball TCL try their hands at folding devices, but none of them have invested the amount of time and effort as Samsung has. Based on a patent filing uncovered by LetsoGoDigital and rendered by Sarang Sheth, here’s a look at the Galaxy Z Fold Tab, a Note-style smartphone with 2 hinges and a nifty ‘crawl-space’ to dock and charge your S-Pen. The Z Fold Tab hopes to form a third device in Samsung’s line-up alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3, which are set to launch this year – in effect consolidating Samsung’s position in a questionable yet rather interesting foldable-devices market.

The Z Fold Tab concept takes on the avatar of a folding device with an outward screen. However, unlike the Huawei Mate X or any of Royole’s Flexpai devices, the Z Fold Tab comes with two hinges on its massive screen, creating a novel folding format that has a rather interesting set of pros as well as cons. In its closed mode, the Z Fold Tab can obviously be used as a regular smartphone (albeit being slightly thicker) with a waterfall display on both left and right edges thanks to the folding screens (this obscures the volume and power buttons, but those could easily be translated to the screen via force-touch like in the Vivo Apex 2019). However, unfold the screens on either side and you have yourself a larger tablet. The obvious cons are that instead of one crease running across the screen, you’re now faced with TWO creases, however, given how we consume content and the amount of time we spend looking at centrally aligned elements, this format oddly works, because the two creases sit on the sides of the screen rather than along the center.

The foldable design comes with a unique detail. The two halves leave a distinct gap when folded completely, solving two purposes – the gap exposes the main camera lenses, enabling you to take photos and videos without worrying about unfolding your phone; and the gap even acts as a safe space to magnetically dock your S-Pen. Unlike previous Note devices that came with hollow slots that allowed you to slide an S-Pen into the phone, the Z Fold Tab lets the S-Pen dock outside, almost like the iPad Pro. The magnetic dock charges the S-Pen while that comfy gap prevents the pen from accidentally sliding out or getting lost.

The Galaxy Z Fold Tab is not unlike the Z Fold 3 concept we featured last year, however, its key difference is that the two-part hinges don’t overlap to form a 3-layered device. Even when folded, the Z Fold Tablet still remains relatively slim by foldable standards.

For now, however, the Z Fold Tab exists only in conceptual form, protected by an international patent filed by Samsung. The Korean consumer-tech giant is slated to host its annual Galaxy Unpacked event in August this year, although according to analysts and experts, we’re probably only going to see the Z Fold 3 and the Z Flip 3 devices this year along with the usual suspects. According to LetsGoDigital, Samsung may have this under wraps until 2022.

Designer/Visualizer: Sarang Sheth for LetsGoDigital

This concept was first published on LetsGoDigital. Click here to view the original piece.

This Samsung short-throw projector merges with Bixby to create a gadget that does it all!





Bixby has become a household name by now. Practically every home features a virtual assistant or smart device that takes care of things like dimming the lights or searching recipes for dinner. All it takes is the calling of its name for smart devices to jingle awake and assume their position for service. Inspired by features from Samsung’s virtual assistant Bixby, Osay Imarhiagbe has designed Samsung Smart Prism, a smart home accessory that combines a projector with a smart speaker.

The Samsung Smart Prism is coated in a refined matte black finish and maintains a discreet cubic shape that could fit inconspicuously on any tabletop. Compatible with Samsung Galaxy devices, the Smart Prism as designed by Imarhiagbe brings the device’s integrated information like images, audio, text beyond the physical limits of a standard smart home device. By combining a smart home speaker with an ultra-short-throw projector, the Smart Prism is capable of announcing requested information and projecting images like recipes in a queue and perhaps even previously downloaded films. Whenever the Smart Prism has a message to deliver to its user, the projector can launch it onto the wall so even if the audio message gets lost, a physical reminder remains.

While the Smart Prism was designed exclusively with Samsung Galaxy users in mind, the merging of an ultra-short-throw projector with all the perks of a standard virtual assistant is sure to give way to future developments in the smart home devices industry. Designed for portability, the Smart Prism has a compact build and integrated battery perfect for movie nights away from home or for bringing the projector from the living room to the kitchen for dinner with friends or family.

Designer: Osay Imarhiagbe

Coated with a matte-black finish, the Samsung Smart Prism is inconspicuous and adaptive by design.

With an integrated projector, the Samsung Smart Assistant is able to leave physical messages on the wall as reminders to users.

Compatible with Samsung Galaxy devices, The Samsung Smart Prism’s digital experience was designed exclusively for Samsung users.

Combining the perks of virtual assistant Bixby with the convenience of projected messages, the Smart Prism can take care of it all.

The Samsung Smart Prism is perfect for those nights spent cooking new recipes or watching movies with friends or family.

Samsung’s Galaxy Smartwatch just got a makeover with a reimagined tank case shape that curves to match your wrist

Back in 1999, Samsung launched the first-ever phone watch, SPH-WP10 so users could both tell time and make phone calls all from their wristwatches. Raising the bar ever since, Samsung has come out with some of the most stylish and high-tech smartwatches in circulation today. Sticking to the classics, Samsung’s smartwatches are known for their style. Some of Samsung’s Galaxy watches even embrace an analog display to prove a commitment to timekeeping tradition while fostering and delivering the latest electronics of today. Their tried-and-true recipe for building durable smartwatches have led to innovative designs like the fitness-tracking Fit2 and the glitzy, yet elegant 42-mm Rose Gold Galaxy. Introducing their own interpretation of Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatch, a California-based group of designers completely redesigned the electronic company’s smartwatch with a new display screen and watch bands.

Opting for a tank case shape for their smartwatch reinterpretation, the team of California-based designers equipped Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatch with a curved, vertical display panel. Curved monitors are quickly taking over flat screens with a deeper immersive viewing experience and fuller screen with more vibrant colors and graphics. The team then conceptualized nine different ideations for their smartwatch straps, since the functionality of a smartwatch relies on customizing its watch bands. With nine lives, the detachable watch face would theoretically be attached to the different watch straps utilizing a lock-in-place method. Each rectangular watch face locks into the different watch bands by either sliding into laser-cut, metal incisions, or slipping into adhesive silicone slots.

As we use our smartwatches for different activities throughout the day, the functionality of the watch is subject to change, and the team of designers behind this concept came prepared. When we’re in the office, counting our steps to pass the time or actually getting our work done, a supple leather watchband gives each wireless watch face a more refined look and softer feel for comfortable wear throughout the workday. Then, some time on the commute to the gym, we can swap out the leather band for an activewear one, suitable for working out or if we know sweat is coming up ahead. The designers’ take on an active watch features a slim, polycarbonate watchband with stainless steel-dipped ends, ensuring a secure bond between the watch face and strap so those workouts can stay long and sweaty. An additional seven watch bands from the team in California were conceptualized for their reimagined Samsung Galaxy smartwatch – scroll through and find your favorite!

Designers: Howard Nuk, Jeffrey Borges Jones, & Sun Son

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