The IT Nerd

Samsung today announced the Galaxy S24 FE in addition to the Canadian retail availability of the Galaxy Ring, the latest expansion to the Galaxy AI ecosystem that delivers new premium mobile and wearable experiences to users.

I had a look at both items recently and here’s a few shots that I took:

The big thing that gets my attention is the fact that it comes with a 120Hz screen. That’s something that the equivalent iPhone doesn’t offer.

It has the look and feel of Samsung’s other premium phones. So there’s no FOMO for buyers.

And there’s some fun case options for buyers to choose from.

Powered by the AI-based ProVisual Engine and Galaxy AI’s Photo Assist features, Galaxy S24 FE showcases an enhanced camera setup that empowers users to be more creative. It’s a great device for gaming on the go with a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, a long-lasting 4,700mAh battery, and a powerful Exynos 2400 series chipset.  Galaxy S24 FE offers premium Galaxy AI tools and ecosystem connectivity to enhance communication, productivity and creativity, all housed in an iconic design and protected by robust Samsung Knox security.

Galaxy S24 FE makes it easy for anyone to take stunning photos and videos. Its premium camera setup features a 50MP wide lens and 8MP telephoto lens with 3X optical zoom, both supported by optical image stabilization (OIS), plus a 12MP ultra-wide lens and a 10MP selfie camera.

The camera system’s capabilities are further elevated by Samsung’s dynamic ProVisual Engine, an AI-driven camera engine that takes visual quality to incredible heights. A new feature to the FE series, ProVisual Engine’s  technology leverages advanced AI algorithms to deliver breathtaking detail and remarkably subtle textures:

• Nightography with AI image signal processing (ISP) to improve low light performance, enabling beautiful night portraits
• Works with the 50MP Adaptive Pixel Sensor of wide camera, to enable optical-quality performance at zoom levels from 2x, in addition to the optical 3x zoom. AI Zoom also enhances image quality at distances between digital zoom lengths.
• Object-Aware Engine recognizes scenes and optimizes colours in Super High Dynamic Range (HDR), providing vibrant and lifelike photos and videos.

When it is time to edit, Photo Assist features breathe life into ideas. Since its introduction with the Galaxy S24 series devices, Galaxy AI has become invaluable for editing images and expressing creativity:

• Generative Edit reassembles the world through object moving and removal capabilities, allowing more creative freedom
• Portrait Studio reimagines selfies as cartoons, comics, watercolour paintings, or sketches to add flair to online profiles
• Edit Suggestions quickly remove pesky flaws, such as reflections, with the press of a button
• Instant Slow-mo captures every second of life’s important moments in a snap

The powerful Exynos 2400 series chipset enables a gaming experience compatible with innovative features such as Ray Tracing. In a world where every bit of speed and efficiency counts, Galaxy S24 FE utilizes several key features:

• An 1x larger vapor chamber improves cooling to maintain peak performance for longer durations.
• The bigger 4,700mAh battery allows for longer use.
• A 7-inch adaptive Dynamic AMOLED 2X display – the largest display used yet in the FE series – with a up to 120Hz refresh rate provides a smooth and stunning viewing expereince.
• Vision Booster optimizes colour and contrast to game even in sunlight.

Galaxy S24 FE incorporates the same advanced AI experience as the Galaxy S24 series. Designed to enhance work, simplify communication, and increase connectivity, Galaxy AI on the S24 FE offers tools that unlock new possibilities:

• Circle to Search with Google satisfies curiosity with unprecedented ease
• Interpreter instantly translates in-person conversations, even when offline
• Live Translate breaks down communication barriers on phone calls
• Chat Assist easily adjusts tone, grammar, and vocabulary in messages
• Note Assist streamlines the note-taking process and automates formatting and translation. In Samsung Notes, you can get transcription, translation, and summarizing of voice recordings directly. Texts in PDF files also can be translated and overlaid through PDF overlay translation
• Browsing Assist on Samsung Internet creates summaries or translates entire webpages

The Galaxy S24 FE will be available for order starting October 3, 2024, in the Blue, Graphite, Gray, and Mint colours.

Now over to the Galaxy Ring. Galaxy Ring offers a simple approach to everyday wellness, featuring Samsung’s proprietary sensor technology in a small unobtrusive form, and provides insights that help you understand yourself easily. Designed for 24/7 wellness monitoring, with Galaxy Ring, you can enjoy around-the-clock customized insights and becomes more intelligent over time thanks to the advanced technology of Galaxy AI. The data and insights are integrated into Samsung Health[16] for seamless access within one cohesive platform. Starting with sleep, the Galaxy Ring features Samsung’s sleep analysis and a sleep AI algorithm to help you easily understand your sleep patterns and build better habits. With Cycle Tracking, you can track your menstrual cycle through overnight skin temperature monitoring.

Holistic insights and motivational encouragement provided by Galaxy Ring empower you to wake up refreshed and ready to take on your day.

Here’s the inside of the Galaxy Ring where you can see the sensors that the Galaxy Ring users.

Here’s the Galaxy Ring in its charging case. There’s a button in the middle that if you press it, you can get the level of charge of the case.

The charging case charges via USB-C.

If you go into the store, you will have to use this kit to find your ring size. It should be snug but not tight. If you however order online….

You will get this kit on the right to do the same thing. Then Samsung will send you your ring on the left.

The Galaxy Ring will be available for purchase in Canada starting October 3, 2024. Visit your nearest Samsung Experience Store to try out the new Galaxy Ring with hands-on experiences and use the sizing kit to find your comfortable fit before purchasing your Galaxy Ring. Galaxy Ring will be Device available for order at samsung.com/ca, Samsung Experience Stores, and participating authorized Canadian retailers.

As more people embrace smaller living spaces—whether you’ve just sent your kid off into student housing or you’re looking to downsize as an empty nester—the demand for smart, space-saving tech has never been greater. Clutter can quickly take over, but with the right innovations, you can make the most of every inch of your home without sacrificing style or functionality. 

Samsung offers several innovative products designed to keep things organized and functional, including: 

• Samsung 500 Series Laundry Hub with Auto Dispenser (Starting at $2,399.99) – This compact yet powerful Laundry Hub™ saves space and simplifies laundry day by allowing you to control both the washer and dryer from a single, centralized control panel—no step stool needed. 
• Samsung’s The Freestyle 2nd Gen Smart FHD Portable LED Projector (Starting at $999.99) – Perfect for any room or outdoor space, this portable projector adjusts to different surfaces and angles, letting you enjoy your favorite content wherever you go. 
• Samsung Music Frame (Starting at $599) – A stylish, space-saving photo frame that doubles as a speaker. Easily switch photos or artwork while playing music for study or entertainment. It’s a perfect blend of personal style and powerful sound for any space. 

Find out more at Samsung.ca.

As the summer winds down, the excitement of a new school year has begun to build. Whether you’re preparing for your child’s first day of school or you yourself are returning for another year, now is the time to stock up on supplies, organize your space, and set the tone for a successful year ahead. Let’s make this school year the best one yet!

To kick off the start of the school year, Samsung has compiled a list of tech essentials to make easing into the school year a smooth experience.

• For the music lover: Samsung Music Frame (Starting at $599) – Ideal for the student who loves to entertain, this versatile photo frame doubles as a speaker. Easily swap in your favorite photos or artwork while playing your go-to study jams or party playlists. It’s the perfect blend of personal style and powerful sound for any dorm room or study space.
• For the gamer student: Samsung 49 Inch Odyssey OLED G9 Gaming Monitor (Starting at $1,499) – This monitor is both a study tool and a gaming powerhouse, featuring a lightning-fast 0.03ms (GtG) response time and a 240Hz refresh rate to keep you ahead in every match. This monitor is perfect for balancing schoolwork and gaming without missing a beat.
• For the student that needs the extra storage: Samsung 990 EVO Memory Card (Starting at $199.99) –  Designed to store everything from class projects to digital memories, this memory card is a must-have for the school year. Compact yet powerful, it keeps your assignments, photos, and adventures secure and ready to share in an instant.

Have a look at them at Samsung.ca today.

Not even a week after I posted this story about a Reddit user who had a button fall off his Galaxy Watch Ultra, and Samsung seeming to duck and dive taking responsibility for it comes this Reddit post where history appears to be repeating itself:

So I am sitting here at the hotel, drinking a beer and checking my notifications when the back button of my Watch Ultra was gone and now when I try to put it back it falls out again. O.o WtF Samsung?

Now if something happens once, it’s likely a fluke. But if it happens again, you have to start wondering what the deal is. Especially since Samsung advertises this watch as being rugged. I’m now watching this sub Reddit with interest because if I see more reports of buttons falling off, it would imply that Samsung would have to do some explaining in terms of how their “rugged” watch doesn’t appear to be so “rugged”.

Well, this has to be embarrassing for Samsung. A Reddit post has an unlucky owner of a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra who had the action button fall off on him about a month into owning it. Bad as that is, the fact that Samsung isn’t willing to help by replacing a watch that is only a month old is worse:

I received my brand new Galaxy Watch Ultra on July 20th and I posted on here a few days back about how the action button fell off. I went back and forth with Samsung trying to get them to replace it, but they refused and told me to send it in for repair because it was under warranty. I sent it in and now they are telling me that it is out of warranty and I have to pay to get it fixed. I am still going back and forth with Samsung repair and customer service, and I’m getting nowhere.

This is really bad. The watch is supposed to be designed to be rugged. So the fact that this not only happened to this Reddit user, but Samsung won’t honour the warranty really makes Samsung look shady. And it reminds me of the behaviour of ASUS when it came to warranty claims which is a story that surfaced earlier this year. The bad press forced the company to say that they would do better. But I didn’t buy that at the time and and I still don’t. How does the warranty issues of ASUS relate to Samsung? Companies aren’t bad because their products fall apart. They are bad if they don’t stand behind their product. Samsung in this case isn’t standing behind a product that was designed to be rugged, but clearly isn’t. That reflects poorly on Samsung and should make anyone who is considering buying a Samsung product think twice as clearly Samsung doesn’t have your back.

Samsung , a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, today revealed the Olympic Edition of its newly announced Galaxy Z Flip6, exclusively designed and customized for all athletes competing at the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024. The Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition continues Samsung’s over three-decade-long legacy of providing its cutting-edge technology and mobile innovations in support of the Games and represents a series of firsts.

The new Olympic Edition for Paris 2024 is the first-ever Olympic Edition to feature Galaxy AI. Designed to elevate the athletes’ Games-time experience from the moment they arrive in Paris, it is the first to come pre-loaded with a full suite of exclusive services and useful apps. In addition, it marks the first time Samsung’s newest product is being made available to athletes before its official market launch. The Galaxy Z Flip6 will also take center stage at the Olympic Games as the first Olympic Edition to play an integral role on the podium.

It boasts the new Galaxy Z Flip6’s compact and versatile design, in a striking yellow colorway adorned with the Olympic rings and Paralympic agitos in gold. To dress up the phone, Samsung partnered with the Parisian Men’s Luxury Maison, Berluti, who designed the Team France’s official outfits for the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony, to create an exclusive Flipsuit Case that will accompany each device. Made from Venezia leather, each Flipsuit Case has a unique patina featuring a vibrant color mix inspired by the Olympic rings, celebrating the Olympic spirit and values of excellence and unity.

Enhancing the Athletes’ Experience at Paris 2024 with Devices Powered by Galaxy AI

Samsung’s decision to provide its latest addition to the Galaxy portfolio to Paris 2024 athletes before its official market launch stems from the crucial role Galaxy AI technology plays in accelerating a new era of communication, productivity, and creativity on a smartphone. The Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition includes a range of useful innovations to help athletes open up new experiences throughout the Games, including the following Galaxy AI communication features that will help athletes from around the world connect with ease while in Paris:

Composer – helps to draft emails and social media posts in apps by using simple keywords. For social media app specifically, it even analyzes the tone of past content, making it easier for athletes to express their excitement at some of the competition’s most thrilling or poignant moments.

Live translation – translates phone calls directly on the device in real-time into 16 different languages, making it easy for athletes to call the Olympic hotlines and local contacts in their native language, using Samsung native and select third-party apps.

Interpreter – instantly translates live conversations, allowing athletes to chat with other athletes and volunteers and receive a live translation of what they’re saying on screen – while still speaking face-to-face, thanks to the phone’s unique dual screen.

Athletes can also use Galaxy AI on the Olympic Edition phone to help prepare for competition, enhance their creativity, and capture lifelong memories at Paris 2024, with features including:

• Instant Slow-mo – allows athletes to record, share and analyze their performances in slow motion, making it easier for them to refine their technique.
• Photo Assist – enables athletes to get the perfect shot every time, by resizing, repositioning or even removing unwanted objects within photos.

Built-in Services and Apps Making the Olympic and Paralympic Experience Fun and Easy

To make it easier for athletes to use the phone while in Paris and beyond, each Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition will come with an eSIM of 100GB 5G data in partnership with Orange, and two years of Samsung’s global warranty. Additionally, to keep track of the latest Games-time schedules and travel around the Olympic venues with ease, several official International Olympic Committee (IOC) apps such as Athlete 365, Olympic Shop, Paris 2024, Transport Accred App, and IOC hotline will be pre-loaded. 

Via Samsung Wallet,  it also will come pre-loaded with an in-app pass for free beverages in vending machines located throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Village in partnership with fellow Worldwide Partner, The Coca-Cola Company, and an unlimited complimentary public transport access card, in partnership with Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), so they can enjoy touring the city of Paris and its region.

To bring some fun and personalization to the athlete experience, each Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition will feature a suite of interactive, Paris 2024-themed apps, as well. These include PinQuest and Galaxy Experience for collecting and exchanging real and digital pins during Games-time, Olympic Go!, the official Olympic Game, and Galaxy Skateboard, a new game featuring the Phryges, the Paris 2024 mascots.

Sharing Moments of Victory from the Podium Firsthand

Standing atop the Olympic and Paralympic podium during the medal ceremony and realizing a lifelong dream is one of the most emotional and memorable moments an athlete can experience. Traditionally photographed by accredited media only because athletes have been prohibited from bringing personal belongings — including their mobile phones — to the ceremony, the view has always been captured from a distance and not through an athlete’s own lens.

For the first time in Olympic and Paralympic Games history, Samsung will provide the Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition for use on the podium at Paris 2024, so athletes can create their own memories and emotions via a new, victory selfie. Samsung’s customized technology will map and sort the athletes’ selfies by sport and upload them to Athlete365 in real-time, which will allow athletes to save and share their iconic moments with family and fans.

The Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition will be displayed at Olympic rendezvous @ Samsung showcases, including the one at Champs-Elysees 125, starting July 12. In collaboration with the IOC and International Paralympic Committee (IPC), athletes will receive their Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition from Samsung starting July 18.

The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6, Galaxy Z Flip6, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch7, and Galaxy Buds3 Series are now available for purchase at Samsung Experience Stores, online at samsung.com/ca, and at select national retail and carrier partners across Canada. If you missed my first look at these products, here’s a link my first look.

Here’s the pricing for all the new devices:

• Galaxy Z Fold6 – 256GB starting at $2,564.99
• Galaxy Z Fold6 – 512GB starting at $2,724.99
• Galaxy Z Flip6 – 256GB starting at $1,462.99
• Galaxy Z Flip6 – 512GB starting at $1,622.99
• Galaxy Watch Ultra 47mm starting at $879.99
• Galaxy Watch7 44mm BT starting at $449.99
• Galaxy Watch7 40mm BT starting at $409.99
• Galaxy Watch7 44mm LTE starting at $519.99
• Galaxy Watch7 40mm LTE starting at $479.99
• Galaxy Buds3 Pro starting at $329.99
• Galaxy Buds3 starting at $209.99

Trade-In offers

Canadians who purchase an eligible Galaxy Z Fold6 or Galaxy Z Flip6 device between July 24, 2024, and August 13, 2024, can receive a combined trade-in promotional credit and trade-in credit of up to $1000 when they trade-in an eligible Galaxy Z Series smartphone in any condition. The trade-in program is being supported at samsung.com/ca and at Samsung Experience Stores.

Bundle offers

Canadians who purchase an eligible Galaxy Z Fold6 or Galaxy Z Flip6 device between July 24, 2024, and September 4, 2024, can get 50% off on Eligible Galaxy Watch Ultra or Watch7 smartwatch.

Canadians who purchase an eligible Galaxy Z Fold6 or Galaxy Z Flip6 device between July 24, 2024, and September 4, 2024, can get 50% off on Eligible Galaxy Buds3.

Canadians who purchase an eligible Galaxy Buds3 device between July 24, 2024, and September 4, 2024, can get a bonus eligible Galaxy Buds Case (valued up to $44.99).

With the Olympics just around the corner on July 26th, you can elevate your Olympic watch parties into unforgettable experiences using the cutting-edge AI technology from Samsung. 

Neo QLED TV: Step into the heart of the Olympics with the new Samsung Neo QLED 8K TV. Designed for an immersive experience, it brings every detail of the games to life. Enjoy breathtaking clarity as you cheer on your favourite athletes in as they gear up for competition with quality that will have you feeling like you’re right alongside Simone Biles herself on the mat. 

Bespoke AI Appliances:  Just as the Olympics unites people, so does sharing food. Whether you’re new to the excitement or a longtime fan that never misses the games, pair your favourite cuisines from the places you love with the event you can’t wait to see unfold, for the ultimate watch experience. 

Check out www.samsung.ca today for more details

Yesterday Samsung announced the release of its new Galaxy Watch FE – the perfect watch for every health and wellness enthusiast.

Equipped with Samsung’s advanced BioActive Sensor, the Galaxy Watch FE provides an array of powerful fitness and wellness functions that deliver personalized and actionable tips around the clock. From supporting better sleep to tracking workouts to sending you motivational messages throughout your wellness journey, this watch is with you every step of the way.

Please see below some highlights of the Galaxy Watch FE’s capabilities:

• Monitors sleep patterns and provides sleep coaching
• Tracks over 100 different workouts
• Provides advanced running analysis, helping users not only analyze overall running performance but provides insights and guidance to help prevent injuries and help users meet their goals

The Galaxy Watch FE is also highly customizable, offering a variety of new watch faces and a one-click band that makes it easy to mix and match bands to meet users’ style. It is also made from Sapphire Crystal glass, offering durability and helping protect against scratches during day-to-day use.

Beginning June 26^th, the Galaxy Watch FE will becoming available in Canada in a variety of colours including Black, Pink, Gold and Silver. There will also be new watch bands available featuring distinct blue and orange stitching.