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I am currently reviewing the Microsoft Surface Duo and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2; they’re sitting at my desk right now next to another flip phone, the Galaxy Z Flip. All three represent different ideas on how to make a folding phone, and all three are prohibitively expensive. Even if at the end of my reviews I have to go find the socks that were removed, I think it is incredibly unlikely that I will tell you to buy any of them, or the Flip.
That doesn’t mean, however, that I would harshly judge anyone who buys one of them. This is because these super expensive phones belong to a category that the smartphone industry has been trying to break into since before the iPhone: luxury goods. Vertu once made a name for itself by inlaying standard phones with diamonds and calling them luxury products, but the new foldable phones are something else.
I’m going to post this newsletter a bit later than usual so that it can coincide with a video from the processor (finally some brand synergy!). In it, I take a look at these three categories of foldable phones and argue that each has a different purpose.
Samsung itself found that luxury is the way to position the Z Fold 2 this year. Last year, he became convinced that he was creating a future for everyone and spun a narrative around the original Fold which was classic gadget futurism. It fell apart just like the original Fold screen. This year, the company isn’t pretending the Z Fold 2 is everyone’s phone, and thank goodness, because at $ 2,000 it would be an insult to do so.
However, simply saying that these are luxury products in the same vein as designer bags, watches, or clothing doesn’t quite work. For one thing, those other products hold their value much better than consumer electronics. On the other hand, they usually don’t promise to do more than their regular-priced counterparts – they’re the same things, made with higher quality and with an exclusive brand attached.
The analogy to turn to for this type of device is luxury cars. Like flip phones, they offer a combination of better quality and more features, being fundamentally the same thing: a car.
I dwell on it because it is the only way to put these prices in a context that makes sense. It also helps me argue that you should pay attention to these phones even if you don’t buy them. The stories these phones tell are stories about where tech companies hope phones are going, or to continue the car analogy, where tech companies would like to drive them.
If you’re curious about the Duo and the Z Fold 2, what I can tell you is that my initial impression is that the hardware on both is well done, but for different reasons. The Duo is almost incredibly thin for a device that has two screens and all the usual parts of a smartphone. The Z Flip 2 has a glass display and a refined hinge that makes everything feel a lot less run down than the original (or the hasty review of the original).
That’s all I can tell you. Microsoft has told reviewers that they can’t share anything beyond hardware impressions until the review embargo is lifted, and I just haven’t had more than a day with the Z Fold 2.
The properties they share are (sorry for the pun) double. First, the main reason to spend money on them is not the functionality but the luxury. Second, they are trying to start the next big trend in smartphones.
The Fold, Duo and Flip have very different ideas about what that trend will really be. I don’t know if all of them will be able to coexist or if one will win in the same way that rectangular glass slabs became the default of the 2010s.
But until a company gets serious about lowering the price, I’ll keep calling foldable phones fancy gadgets. At the end of the day, what makes something a luxury is that you don’t need it.
Gadget News
┏ Apple to launch two Apple Watches and a new iPad Air soon: report. I’ve been wondering when Bloomberg would drop its annual tease of Apple’s fall hardware event. Mark Gurman and Debby Wu present all the novelties: four iPhones with 5G, two Apple Watches and a bezel-less iPad Air. It’s going to be a busy fall!
┏ Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 will launch on September 18 for $ 1,999.99.
┏ Here’s how to pre-order the $ 1,999.99 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2.
┏ The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and S7 Plus will be available on September 18.
┏ Nvidia Announces New RTX 3080 GPU, Priced at $ 699 and Released on September 17. Hope you keep your PC in an area with good air flow:
At the heart of this new GPU is an updated thermal design. Nvidia has created a new pennant-shaped board for its RTX 3080, combined with a new cooling shroud. The new cooling solution is designed to improve airflow and overcome some of the limitations of cooling solutions that exist in the RTX 2080 today. It includes a dual fan configuration that is designed to improve airflow by more than 55 percent, with promises of much quieter and more efficient cooling. Nvidia is using a front fan that depletes support, with a flow through the rear fan.
┏ Nvidia’s new RTX 3090 is a $ 1,499 monster GPU designed for 8K gaming. Tom Warren is right, this thing is a beast:
While the RTX 3080 will ship with 10GB of G6X memory, the RTX 3090 will ship with a whopping 24GB G6X memory. Nvidia promises that the RTX 3090 will be able to play at 60 fps at 8K resolutions. This new flagship card is more like Nvidia’s Titan series and will ship on September 24 at a price of $ 1,499.
┏ Bang & Olufsen’s $ 800 noise-canceling headphones copy the best part of Microsoft’s Surface headphones. Chris Welch:
You can get a stellar pair of headphones for much, much less than that, but the audio specialist hopes to outperform Sony, Bose, and other headphone makers when it comes to craftsmanship and sound quality. With their lambskin ear cushions (with memory foam inside), aluminum frame, and leather headband, these certainly look like part of high-end premium headphones. With the H95 headphones, Bang & Olufsen also copied one of the best things about Microsoft’s Surface headphones: the dial controls.
┏ Sonos patent offers a possible first look at unannounced headphones. Jon Porter sums up a ton of rumors that you may have missed. However, good luck to Sonos on this part, because it seems highly unlikely:
The patent shows a couple of designs that resemble other on-ear headphones like Sony and Sennheiser. It also mentions support for multiple voice assistants via trigger words, as well as Sonos-specific features, such as integration with an existing multi-room speaker setup.
Reviews
┏ Asus Zenfone 7 Pro review: fun flip cameras with a bulky phone attached. As I mentioned before, last year’s Zenfone was a surprise success. As Jon Porter points out in his review, the sequel does just about everything right, except for the important part: quality photos that live up to that fickle camera.
┏ The Zendure SuperTank Pro is a great travel charger for optimists. Chaim Gartenberg on a device few will get as travel is so restricted, but cool nonetheless. If you hadn’t had a huge battery in case of power outages, you could look at this:
It has exactly the same capacity as the predecessor model with a 26,800 mAh / 96.48 Wh battery (the most you can legally take on a commercial flight according to Federal Aviation Administration rules), but has greatly improved the ports. . Instead of a USB-C / USB-A split, the SuperTank Pro fully embraces the future with four USB-C ports along with higher and more consistent power output.
More by the verge
┏ Biden Campaign Releases Official Animal Crossing: New Horizons Signs. Super fun scoop from Makena Kelly:
The Biden-Harris campaign released four sign designs for players to download, featuring the official Biden-Harris logo, Team Joe logo, “Joe” Pride logo, and an image of red-shaded aviator sunglasses. , White and blue. Players will be able to access the designs in the game by scanning the design QR codes through the Nintendo Switch Online app.
┏ Trump’s ban on Chinese drones is making it harder to fight wildfires, says leaked memo.
┏ Apple and Google announce new automated app system to track COVID exposures. Russell Brandom:
Under the new system, participating health departments will assemble a configuration file, allowing them to set their risk scores, redirect users to their specific health department website, and modify the recommendation for users who have been exposed. . After setup is complete, iOS and Android can automatically generate the necessary software, although the two operating systems handle the task differently. On Android, the configuration file will automatically generate a custom Android application, while iOS will incorporate the configuration into its contact system at the operating system level. The iOS version will be integrated into iOS 13.7, which will be rolled out on Tuesday. Android plans to roll out the system later this month for all users with Android 6.0 or higher.
