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23.01.2025 05:01 Ten video games have received nominations for the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. This program celebrates media works that feature "fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community and the issues that affect their lives." There are nominees for television, film, music, theater, journalism and comics as well as video games. One of the 2024 nominees for outstanding video game is the re-release of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door for the Nintendo Switch. The original Japanese version of the GameCube title included a minor character named Vivian who was transgender. The game contained dialogue about her challenges being misgendered and her journey to understanding her own identity. However, the 2002 international translations of the game, including the English version released in the US, erased that side to the character, removing language around Vivian's gender and pronouns. Last year's Switch re-release restored the character's original lines and story arc for English-speaking players to finally experience. The video game nominees also include Dragon Age: The Veilguard. BioWare has a long history of portraying queer characters and romance options in their games, and it's great to see them continuing that practice with the latest title. Horror film outfit Blumhouse's first foray into games, the fascinating indie project Fear the Spotlight, also received a nod. Here is the complete list of game nominees: Caravan SandWitch Dragon Age: The Veilguard Dread Delusion Dustborn Fear the Spotlight Life is Strange: Double Exposure Minds Beneath Us Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Sorry We’re Closed Until Then This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/glaad-media-awards-nominates-paper-mario-after-nintendo-restored-trans-representation-232157090.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 Sega has introduced a new system for player accounts. A Sega Account will connect all of a player's games and services from both Sega and Atlus. It will also be a place for the two studios to share news, events, updates and promotions about their titles. The accounts are free and anyone can register. To sweeten the pot, Sega will also offer bonuses and goodies to account members. The first reward people can unlock is a Kazuma Kiryu Special Outfit DLC for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, which is due out next month. The ensemble can be redeemed by anyone who sets up a Sega Account before March 7. With so many studios turning to games as a service, it's becoming standard practice to require players to create accounts or online profiles. Sega is a little slow to hop on this train, and there are some industry standard features in that are still in development for Sega Accounts, such as a page for records related to games played. There's no language on the website now about if or when an account might be required. In announcing this platform, Sega said there will be "various new services and features coming soon." We already know that Sega is working on a brand new Virtua Fighter game, but we've also said good-bye to other old-school classics from the company. Seems like Sega is in a phase of transition, so it should be interesting to see what else they've got in store for this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sega-unveils-a-player-account-system-221029962.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 Dozens of subreddits have opted to block links to X in their communities over the last 24 hours in a movement that appears to be gaining momentum across Reddit. Hundreds more appear to be actively discussing or considering a similar move with their members. Engadget counted more than two dozen subreddits, which collectively have millions of members, that have already restricted their communities’ ability to post content from X in some way in recent days. These include large subreddits, like r/formula1, which has nearly 5 million members, and smaller communities like r/ultraman, which has 30,000. The movement seems to have been popularized, at least in part, by r/newjersey, whose mods announced a ban on X links Tuesday. “Fuck this guy. X links are now banned from r/newjersey,” they shared in a post that now has more than 65,000 upvotes. Accompanying the post was a photo of Elon Musk extending his arm, Musk made two apparent Nazi salutes during a speech at Donald Trump’s inauguration which have been widely celebrated by fascists online. A number of other subreddits quickly followed suit, with many sharing a link to the r/newjersey post. X links have been barred from r/military , r/comics , r/casualnintendo , r/spiderman , r/pcgaming , r/rupaulsdragrace , r/KingdomHearts , r/therapists , and many others. “We weren't trying to start a trend, and we never expected to go viral,” the mods of r/newjersey said in a statement to Engadget. “Not everyone will agree with our choice, but Reddit has always been a place where each community gets to decide these things individually. If our announcement has inspired discussions about the role social media is playing in our current times, we think that's a good thing.” Many mods, in announcing their ban on X links have also cited the fact X has made it increasingly difficult for users to view posts if they aren’t logged in. “There’s no doubt that over the past years Twitter has become a low-quality source: the login requirements, the flood of bots, the prioritization of content from paying users and promotion of sensationalist content,” r/formula1’s mods wrote in a post. “But unlike with news sites in our source-rating system, for Twitter there wasn’t really an alternative.” The subreddit is instead encouraging members to share content from Bluesky, which doesn’t require a login to view posts. The mods said they will allow “screenshots of relevant posts by teams, drivers F1” when the same content isn’t available elsewhere. Moderators for r/antiwork, which has 2.9 million members, noted that their rules prohibit links and screenshots to X and all other social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn. “We'd prefer for the message of antiwork to come organically from you, here, in OC form, but if it comes from a picture or post of something else, that catches hold, we want that, too,” they wrote. “Just not Twitter.” Many other subreddits are considering similar measures. Mods of r/dnd , r/baseball , r/AlanWake and r/Xmen are currently running polls among their members. Moderators in r/hockey , r/georgia and r/popheads have also shared that they are discussing a potential ban. Not all moderators have been receptive when such a ban has been raised. A mod in r/chess said that such a ban would “pose a bit of a logistical problem” for the community. “The unfortunate reality is that Twitter is the source of a big portion of content on the subreddit,” they wrote. “A ban would thus require some rule changes. We're open to suggestions, but can't promise anything at the moment.” Likewise, a moderator of r/fauxmoi, a subreddit dedicated to gossip, noted that “we do prefer to still have the link so we can ensure that people are not submitting fake or doctored screenshots.” While this is far from the first time that Redditors have joined together in a form of protest, it’s notable that so many are calling to remove a popular source for Reddit posts.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/dozens-of-subreddits-are-banning-x-links-from-their-communities-215441510.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 Samsung’s first Unpacked event of 2025 delivered the Galaxy S25 series — as expected. Although the phones don’t have dramatically upgraded specs, the company stuffed — you guessed it! — more AI into the devices. This latest batch is more context-sensitive and predictive, and some of it even squeezes more out of the phones’ mildly upgraded hardware. Galaxy S25 Ultra Sam Rutherford for Engadget The Galaxy S25 Ultra is still the biggest, best and most expensive of the bunch. It has a 6.9-inch display and a more rounded edge for a “comfortable grip.” Samsung says it’s the “slimmest, lightest, and most durable Galaxy Ultra device ever,” rocking a titanium body with Corning’s Gorilla Armor 2 for “advanced drop protection” and scratch resistance. Unlike the two smaller models, one of the Ultra’s camera sensors got a spec upgrade: Its ultrawide lens is now 50MP, up from the mere 12MP one in last year’s model. Like its siblings, the S25 Ultra is powered by a customized version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which lets the trio of phones process many of their AI experiences on-device. Of course, that’s better for privacy. Although the phone continues the tradition of including an S Pen , Air Commands — which bridged the gap between the two — have bit the dust. Samsung told Engadget in a briefing that fewer than one percent of S Pen-toting customers used the feature. And those who did mostly used it as a camera shutter, which is easily replicated in other ways. Samsung says the removal let it shed some weight and boost the S Pen’s durability. Engadget’s Sam Rutherford got an early hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and said it “looks like a good phone” and described Samsung’s AI suite as “much more cohesive and easier to get into," but also felt the company "could be doing more for its most expensive non-folding phone.” The Galaxy S25 Ultra has 12GB of RAM, and it ships in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage tiers. It’s still quite the investment, though — starting at $1,300. Galaxy S25 and S25+ Sam Rutherford for Engadget The Galaxy S25 and S25+ saw their RAM upgraded to 12GB , up from 8GB in their 2024 predecessors. It combines with the Snapdragon 8 Elite to better handle the phones’ many AI features. The rest of their hardware is remarkably similar to the S24 and S24+. They still have 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch displays, respectively. But Samsung’s new ProScaler AI tool can upscale images in real time to perhaps make up for the unchanged specs. Samsung says it can boost the quality of what you see by 40 percent. Engadget’s Mat Smith tried the Galaxy S25 and S25+ and praised the phones’ “premium and solidly built” slim designs and “vivid, bright and gorgeous” displays. However, he was skeptical of the phones’ AI-centric focus. “In just a few years, Samsung has built up a substantial collection of artificial intelligence tricks, features and apps,” he wrote. “While some of them have been impressive, like live translation and annotation, others aren’t actually helpful — or notable — enough to warrant regular use." Storage is also unchanged from the S24 series: 128GB or 256GB in the Galaxy S25 and 256GB or 512GB in the Galaxy S25+. Fortunately, pricing is also unchanged. You’ll pay $800 or more for the S25 and $1,000 and up for the S25+. Galaxy AI Sam Rutherford for Engadget With most hardware upgrades coming in soft this generation, Samsung is leaning hard on AI features to make you want to throw down hard-earned cash on the new models. This year, Samsung’s One UI 7 on top of Android 15 combines to create what Samsung calls “a new AI-integrated OS.” It aims for a more personalized and context-sensitive AI, rather than just a series of one-off tools. AI plays a central role in the phones’ camera features, with the Qualcomm chip making the phones better at analyzing noise — leading to what Samsung says is better low-light performance. Audio Eraser is a tool that Samsung claims will use AI to remove unwanted noises from videos like wind or a random stranger talking. Samsung gathers its new collection of on-device AI tools into what it calls the Personal Data Engine. The series of multimodal machine learning agents leads to features like AI Select, which builds on Samsung’s legacy Smart Select tool. The new AI-powered version can scan your screen and suggest context-aware tasks — like creating a GIF from a YouTube video you’re watching. Sam Rutherford for Engadget You could say the AI-powered Now Bar is Samsung’s answer to the iPhone’s Dynamic Island. The pill-shaped bar sits at the bottom of the lock screen and below the digital clock when the phone is unlocked. It generates a series of reminders based on context. Within the Now Bar is another AI feature, the Now Brief, which generates morning, midday and evening summaries of info it thinks will be relevant to you. Samsung’s Sketch to Image tool has been rebranded as Drawing Assist, and Samsung says the feature is more polished and accurate. It also adds an option to import existing images for your prompt. The S25 series also adds an upgraded version of Google’s Circle to Search . It can now recognize phone numbers, emails and URLs, letting you trigger their corresponding actions with a single tap. Galaxy S25 Edge Samsung Well, I hope you like being teased because, well, there isn’t much to go on here. Much like it did a year ago with its grand reveal of a... render of the Galaxy Ring, Samsung gave Unpacked viewers a teeny-weeny glimpse of its rumored “Galaxy Slim” phone, which will instead be called the Galaxy S25 Edge. The teaser shows a quick glimpse of a phone that’s indeed slimmer, but the company showcased its vapor chamber, cameras and metallic frame more than the full-on handset. We also don’t know its price or release date. However, Bloomberg reports that it will use many of the same components as the S25 Ultra but cost less. Samsung Wallet updates Sam Rutherford for Engadget The company added two new payment features: Instant Installment and Tap to Transfer. As its name suggests, Instant Installment is a “buy now, pay later” service that lets you turn purchases into an offline payment plan experience. It’s managed entirely on-device and available for Visa and Mastercard purchases. Engadget’s Cherlynn Low was briefed by Samsung on the service. “It’s not that Samsung is pivoting to becoming a credit provider and taking on loans,” she wrote. “Instead, it facilitates your purchases and turns your payments into what the company’s rep said is ‘the first offline payment plan experience.’’ Meanwhile, Tap to Transfer is a peer-to-peer payment service, rivaling the likes of Apple’s Tap to Cash. Like the iPhone equivalent, you only need to bump phones with someone you want to pay . But it isn’t limited to Samsung Pay; you can use it with third-party apps, too, since it’s instead tied to the associated card or account. Like Instant Installment, it works with Visa and Mastercard. Galaxy Watch for Kids Google The Galaxy Watch for Kids may sound like a new piece of gear, but it’s instead a new setup option for the cellular Galaxy Watch 7 . You know, kinda like Apple Watch for Kids. Samsung, which partnered with Google on the experience, says parents can set up a child’s watch from their phone and activate its eSim. From there, the kid can use the smartwatch without a paired phone. As you’d expect, parents can set up guardrails — like which apps are installed or a do not disturb status during school hours. Location sharing is optional, and Samsung and Google are offering new kid-focused apps and watch faces to keep things fun.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/everything-samsung-announced-at-the-galaxy-s25-unpacked-event-183331979.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 Samsung just held its Unpacked event and the company announced all kinds of new products. The most notable of the bunch, however, was likely the Galaxy S25 Ultra flagship smartphone. It's the most powerful of the just-announced S25 line and Amazon is offering a pretty swell pre-order bonus, to the tune of a $200 gift card. That’s right. If you pre-order a Galaxy S25 Ultra handset, you get a $200 Amazon gift card that can be used on just about anything. This can help shave off some of the sticker shock of that $1,300 price tag. If the price still isn’t right, Amazon is offering similar promotions for the standard S25 and the slightly beefier S25+. However, the gift card amount shrinks to just $100. The regular S25 starts at $700 and the S25+ starts at $1,000. Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series are open right now. Deliveries should start going out on February 7. We have full reviews of all three phones coming soon, if you want to wait make sure the handsets are worth the cost. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-includes-a-200-gift-card-when-you-pre-order-the-samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-195455473.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 Samsung is making a thin version of the Galaxy S25. The Galaxy S25 Edge was teased at the end of the company's Unpacked event, and it does appear to be meaningfully thinner than the other phones Samsung launched today. There's very little to go off of in Samsung's tease. Voiceover describe the phone as "a culmination of our most innovative technology" and hypes up the device's apparent sleekness. Scrub through Samsung's livestream and you'll see components like a vapor chamber, cameras and metallic frames, but only the barest glimpse of the Galaxy S25 Edge's actual silhouette. At Samsung's live event in Korea, the new phone was actually on display. You can get a look at it in the embed below. Galaxy S25 Edge、理想的すぎるwwwめちゃくちゃほしい.... https://t.co/L1JBl8DCRD pic.twitter.com/zofJ3BLyGX— ちえほん

23.01.2025 00:00 Samsung and Google are introducing a new Wear OS software experience called "Galaxy Watch for Kids" that's designed to make the Galaxy Watch 7 LTE safe and fun for children to use. The new software features and setup process is similar to Apple's "Apple Watch For Your Kids" just with Android devices rather than iOS ones. According to Samsung, parents will be able to set up their child's Galaxy Watch 7 directly from their phone and activate its eSIM. After that, kids don't need a phone to use the Galaxy Watch. The core features of Wear OS are available, just with added guardrails for kid's safety and parent's peace of mind. Those include the ability to enable location sharing, manage who kids can contact through the Galaxy Watch, and set up a Do Not Disturb mode that's enabled during school hours. Settings can be tweaked at any time from Google's Family Link app. To make being tracked more enticing, Galaxy Watch for Kids will come with new kid-friendly customization options, like a Rubik's Cube or Tech Deck watch face , Wear OS apps featuring characters from Barbie, Marvel, or PBS Kids and new colorful watch band options. Activity tracking and health data are accessible in the Galaxy Watch for Kids experience, too. Samsung isn't reinventing the wheel with this feature — Google's Fitbit Ace LTE kid smartwatch just launched in 2024 — but parents love being able to keep track of their kids, and a smartwatch might ultimately be a healthier to make your children always-connected than a phone. Galaxy Watch for Kids is available to use now on Galaxy Watch 7 LTE models from Samsung, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/samsungs-galaxy-watch-for-kids-software-makes-wear-os-a-family-affair-190332986.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 Amazon just announced it will be closing its Quebec facilities in the coming weeks, according to reporting by CBC. This move will cut more than 1,700 jobs. The company said it will begin outsourcing deliveries to smaller contractors, instead of relying on its in-house team. "Following a recent review of our Quebec operations," the company said in a statement, "we found that returning to a third-party delivery model supported by local small businesses, similar to the one we had until 2020, will enable us to offer the same excellent service and deliver even greater savings to our customers in the long term." Amazon has announced it will shutter its facilities in Quebec in the coming weeks and cut more than 1,700 jobs. Quebec is home to Amazon's only unionized workforce in Canada. https://t.co/zG3XjTi1mH— CBC News January 22, 2025 This follows a successful unionization bid at an Amazon warehouse in Quebec. The workers joined the Confédération des syndicats nationaux , which represents around 330,000 people across many industries in Canada. Amazon allegedly fought these efforts, going on to say that union accreditation would not “respect the interests of its employees.” "This decision makes no sense whatsoever," CSN president Caroline Senneville said in a statement. "Neither from a business point of view, nor from an operational point of view. Amazon, one of the most integrated companies between the click of a mouse and home delivery, would entrust all its warehousing and distribution operations throughout Quebec to a third party?" Don’t worry. Amazon says the massive layoffs aren’t because of the aforementioned union, indicating it was a simple cost-cutting measure. We should absolutely take the company at its word because it has always been particularly friendly to unions and a friend to workers everywhere. That was sarcasm. In any event, it is expected that the company will close the facilities within the next two months. Employees will be given a severance package of some kind, but the details have yet to be revealed. Apropos of nothing, Amazon is worth nearly $2.5 trillion dollars. It has doubled in value in the past year or so.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-to-close-quebec-facilities-but-says-its-not-because-of-that-new-union-185744378.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 We've finished up with CES and now Samsung Unpacked has arrived to bring us new Galaxy phones — it must be January. Like last year at this time, the world has just been introduced to brand new set of Galaxy S-series phones: The flagship Galaxy S25, the slightly larger Galaxy S25+ and the high-end, S-Pen-equipped Galaxy S25 Ultra. Specs, features and shipping dates have all been confirmed, so if what you've seen has you considering a new smartphone for yourself, here's how to pre-order. As was suggested by a couple of leaks, the look of the Ultra is indeed a little different this year, with slightly more rounded corners after years of sporting a decidedly squared-off look. All three models will run on a customized Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. The new processors were designed to double down on the AI skills Samsung introduced last year. The processors — which Samsung is calling the most powerful ever used in a Galaxy device — will allow more on-device handling of the AI functions inherent in the latest One UI 7 operating system. Getting at Google's Gemini is easier, too, with a side button that triggers the assistant. Other AI promises include a faster and more contextual Circle to Search function and a context-aware OS that makes it easier to switch between apps for follow up actions — such as adding an event detailed in a picture to your calendar. The next generation of Samsung's AI-powered ProVisual Engine will help with mobile photography, enabling clearer low-light imaging, enhanced zoomed image quality and better color optimization. As for the cameras, those largely stay the same, except for a 50MP ultra wide lens on the S25 Ultra, up from a 12MP UW camera last year. Other changes to note include batteries with at least 50 percent recycled cobalt and more recycled materials in the frames and interior components. Every new S-series model will also get a promised seven years of OS and security updates. Pre-orders are open now and the phones will be widely available Friday, February 7. You can check out our comparison between the three models and we already have hands-on impressions with the Ultra model as well as the S25 and S25+. Our full reviews are coming soon. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-pre-order-the-new-samsung-galaxy-s25-galaxy-s25-and-galaxy-s25-ultra-smartphones-180021435.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 Samsung's Galaxy S25 smartphones launched today, but when it comes to the all-important cameras, the company leaned on AI rather than making any meaningful changes. There is one welcome addition, though. Samsung finally caught up to to rivals like Honor by introducing log video to allow more precise color grading. Other key updates include improved low-light capability on all models, the new "ProVisual engine," a "virtual aperture" and a much higher resolution ultrawide camera on the high-end Ultra. Last year the Galaxy S24 Ultra's big selling point was the 200MP camera, which made the 12MP ultrawide look weak in comparison. Samsung remedied that with the Galaxy S25 Ultra by more than quadrupling that sensor to 50MP. That also helps Samsung match up better against Google's Pixel 9 Pro and its 48-megapixel ultrawide camera. Mat Smith for Engadget With that, the Ultra now has a formidable suite of cameras: a 200MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto and 50MP 5x tele. However, that makes the more mainstream Galaxy S25 and S25+ look a bit weak in comparison. Those only come with a 50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP 3x tele, just like the last two models. All phones have a front 12MP selfie camera with up to 4K 60p video. Samsung also rectified a weak point we addressed in our reviews on the S24: sub-par low-light performance. With Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, Samsung says the new cameras can analyze noise more effectively using a new "spatial-temporal filter," that can detect moving and static objects more precisely. That in turn allows for cleaner video, particularly with moving objects in dim environments. The downside is that applying stronger noise reduction can generate weird artifacts, something we'll test further in upcoming reviews. In fact, during Samsung's presentation, I couldn't help but notice a strange separation between the moving subject and background. Other key new camera features are also available across the S25 lineup. The most important one for content creators is Galaxy Log, which finally enables log video to improve dynamic range and allow more accurate color grading. That's a much-requested feature for Galaxy phones that was only available previously with third-party apps. It also records with 10-bits of color like the HDR mode. However, the new feature still falls short of the ability to capture ProRes log video on the latest iPhones. Samsung's new Galaxy Log featureSamsung I tested log on Honor's Magic smartphone series and it can meaningfully improve video by boosting dynamic range in tricky lighting situations . The problem is that transforming log into regular footage requires an editing app and some knowledge about things like LUTs — so whether this will catch on with users depends on how Samsung implements it. Samsung also enabled 10-bit HDR video capture by default, which allows you to shoot more colorful and detailed images. However, be aware that such content might not display properly on apps and devices that don't support HDR . To treat photos after you take them, Samsung enhanced Portrait Studio with new features like personalized avatars with more true-to-life facial expressions. It also added new analog filters for a more film-like aesthetic for photos and videos. Mat Smith for Engadget There are two other new tricks: Audio Eraser and Virtual Aperture. Though all the cameras have a fixed aperture, the latter simulates having an adjustable one just like mirrorless cameras. However, the feat is accomplished through computational tricks, so it's likely to look a bit artificial. Audio Eraser, meanwhile, is an AI-powered noise reduction system designed to cut out background sounds in busy environments when shooting video, no doubt inspired by Apple's Audio Mix and the Audio Magic Eraser on Pixel devices. During the demo, Samsung showed how it could cut different types of noises like wind, waves and nature. The Galaxy S25 Ultra's new camera is great if you can afford that $1,300 model, while the improved low-light handling, Galaxy Log and AI should provide nice, but not spectacular, benefits. All told, Samsung didn't bring as much to the table as the iPhone 16 with its Camera Control button, or the Pixel 9 . For more on how the Galaxy S25's cameras work in the real world, check out our hands-on tests and stay tuned for full reviews. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-samsung-galaxy-s25-lineup-leans-on-ai-to-keep-its-cameras-fresh-181056862.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 Alongside the launch of the Galaxy S25 series today, Samsung also made a slew of software updates that might not have gotten much attention during the keynote. Specifically, two updates are coming to Samsung Wallet that not only sound very similar to existing features on iPhones, but might also be better. The new features are called "Instant Installment," which is the company's take on "buy now pay later," as well as peer-to-peer payments, which it's named "Tap to Transfer." The latter is basically Apple's Tap to Cash, which allows iPhone owners to hold their phones together to send money to each other. Crucially, though, Samsung's method would support work with third-party digital wallets. At a recent briefing with members of the media, Samsung's reps said that Tap to Transfer "is not going to be limited to just Samsung Wallet." Instead of being tied to specific digital wallets, it will be linked to the associated debit card or account, and works via Mastercard and Visa. As for Instant Installment, it's not that Samsung is pivoting to becoming a credit provider and taking on loans. Instead, it facilitates your purchases and turns your payments into what the company's rep said is "the first offline payment plan experience." It's available at brick-and-mortar stores or online, with Visa or Mastercard credit cards. Samsung Wallet just helps you manage the payment plan on your device. Both of these features aren't launching with the Galaxy S25, but Samsung said at the briefing that they would be available "shortly thereafter." A spokesperson I talked to at the event indicated it would be closer to the second quarter of the year, and that the features would be backward compatible and work on older Galaxy phones, too. Details are scarce, though, and with seemingly months to go before launch, things could change. But if Samsung actually makes it possible to tap to transfer cash between friends with different devices and digital wallets, it could truly be a better, more seamless approach than Apple's version right now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-borrows-from-the-apple-wallet-playbook-with-layaway-and-tap-to-send-for-wallet-181052578.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 Last year Samsung embraced artificial intelligence with its suite of Galaxy AI features. And while the new S25 Ultra is a bit faster, a little curvier and has a slightly bigger display than before, it’s clear the company’s primary focus was upgrading the software and machine learning capabilities of its top-spec flagship phone. But is that enough? Design: A curvier titanium frame with a handful of quirks Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 Ultra features a titanium frame. However, for 2025, Samsung wanted to buck tradition by making the phone a bit less boxy. So instead of a totally angular chassis, Samsung rounded off its corners. This gives the Ultra a bit more of a familial resemblance to its less expensive siblings . That said, the Ultra still has flat edges that are a touch sharper than on last year’s phone, so it's more of a remix than a full revamp. For its front and back glass, Samsung moved to Corning’s new Gorilla Armor 2, which features a "next-gen" anti-reflective coating that helps eliminate more glare than before. But perhaps the best new hardware upgrade is a larger 6.9-inch QHD+ AMOLED display with 15 percent smaller bezels, allowing for more screen space without increasing the phone’s overall dimensions . On the flip side, the S25 Ultra’s included S Pen is actually getting a tiny downgrade as Samsung is removing Bluetooth Low Energy support from the stylus. This might seem like a bit of a headscratcher, but Samsung claims only a tiny percentage of owners were using Air Actions and that by getting rid of it, the stylus is more durable than before because there’s no need worry about equipping it with tiny radios. The company also says the only gesture that saw significant use was the one for remotely triggering the phone’s camera, which can be accomplished in a variety of other ways . Here's a quick design comparison between the new Galaxy S25 Ultra and last year's Galaxy S24 Ultra . Notice the smaller bezels and more rounded corners on the S25U. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Another design quirk is that while the S25 family supports wireless charging at up to 15 watts, it’s not technically fully Qi2 compliant. Instead, Samsung says the phone is “Qi2 ready” which means it will work with compatible chargers, but because there aren’t any alignment magnets inside of the handset, users will need to rely on aftermarket cases to provide a proper mounting point for magnetic accessories. The final noteworthy hardware addition is a new 50-megapixel sensor for the ultra-wide camera, which joins the three that return from last year’s phone: 200MP main, 10MP telephoto and 50MP telephoto cameras . Samsung says there should be some general photo and image processing improvements thanks to the S25 Ultra’s new chip, such as improved noise reduction and a better spatial-temporal filter that can more accurately tell the difference between moving and stationary objects. But we’re going to wait until we can review the phone to say what these features can really do. Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite in every country Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Inside, the S25 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip along with 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. For buyers outside North America, Samsung says it’s using the same SoC across the globe instead of opting for its own Exynos chips in certain regions as it has in the past. The company claims general CPU performance is up 37 percent year-over-year. Meanwhile, GPU speeds are up 30 percent while the S25 Ultra’s NPU has gotten the biggest boost of around 40 percent. And to help provide improved sustained performance for things like gaming, Samsung claims the S25 Ultra’s vapor chamber is 40 percent larger than before. In real life, the phone felt expectedly responsive, though it was hard to tell if that was all thanks to the phone’s new chip or if it was due in part to the snappier animations in One UI 7, which will come pre-installed on the Galaxy S25 family. And as before, Samsung is continuing to offer seven years of OS updates and regular security patches. AI agents and more Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Of course, as with so many other recent gadgets, the S25’s main focus is on expanded AI functionality and after introducing its first set of features on the S24 line last year, it feels like Samsung's goal was to make everything a bit more powerful and easier to use. For example, existing tools like Smart Select have been renamed to AI Select and transformed into what the company is calling AI agents. Generally, this means a single feature will support a wider range of abilities and improved contextual awareness. Now when you tap the AI Select icon after pulling up Samsung's side bar, the phone will analyze whatever you’re looking at and provide an assortment of suggestions like taking a screenshot, performing a visual search, summarizing an article or even capturing a video clip and turning it into a GIF. It’s a similar situation for Samsung’s Sketch to Image tool which has been renamed to Drawing Assist, which not only provides more realistic results, it also allows you to add AI-generated art to photos by roughly sketching something with the S Pen or simply using text prompts. Even Google’s Circle to Search feature has gotten a small upgrade as it now supports song identification either by listening to music or someone humming a tune. Alternatively, in order to surface information in a more timely manner, Samsung has created a Now Brief tool and Now Bar. The Now Brief is designed to provide a customized feed that appears periodically throughout the day populated by news and events relevant to you. This includes everything from appointments in your calendar to the weather and traffic. Meanwhile, the Now Bar is an offshoot of this functionality that will pop up on your lock screen or in your notifications so you can keep tabs on apps you may already have open or the score for your favorite sports teams. It's very similar in spirit to Apple's Live Activities. Samsung says it has also designed the phone to observe your habits and notice patterns so it can provide helpful shortcuts in the future. One example would be if you regularly turn on Bluetooth before getting in your car and then turn it off when you get home, which is a process the phone may be able to handle automatically. There’s also a new Audio Eraser tool in the camera app which functions a lot like what we’ve seen in recent Pixel phones. It uses AI to identify six different types of noise like wind or speech and then creates a custom EQ allowing you to turn down distracting ambient sounds or boost the volume of whoever is talking. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget But, at least for me, the S25 line’s most powerful new AI-based ability is improved natural voice recognition, which allows the phone to perform complex tasks that may involve more than one app at a time. During my brief hands-on time, I asked the phone to add the next Detroit Lions game to my calendar. That might sound like a simple request, but if you break it down, the AI first needs to figure out which game I’m talking about based on a web search, when it’s being played, and then create an appointment inside the Samsung Calendar app. And the AI did add the relevant match to the calendar in the demo S25 Ultra I was using. Granted, we’ve sort of seen this before, but this implementation feels much more streamlined and cohesive. You can also search for images in the Samsung Gallery app with your voice, while the enhanced natural language recognition applies to generally controlling the device as well. This means you can ask the phone to adjust specific settings like changing screen resolution, which is nice for anyone who doesn’t feel like scrolling through a seemingly endless list of options. Other features Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Lastly, some more niche improvements include support for logarithmic video capture with exclusive look-up-tables. When watching movies or clips, Samsung is also borrowing some tech from its TV division to automatically upscale lower-res content. And for its Wallet app, the company is adding the ability to “Buy now, pay later” even when shopping at brick-and-mortar retailers or wirelessly transferring money to someone else just by tapping two devices together. However, the new Wallet features won’t be available at launch and they will only be available when using debit cards from Visa and Mastercard. After my short time with the S25 UItra, I came away with mixed feelings. Samsung’s general approach to AI tools feels much more cohesive and easier to get into. But I still wonder how much value they really add and how much of a benefit they will provide on a day-to-day basis. The slightly curvier chassis makes the S25 Ultra fit in more with the rest of the line’s design, but that feels like a minor change. I appreciate the new anti-reflective coating from Corning’s Gorilla Armor 2 and I’m happy to see a new sensor for the phone’s ultra-wide camera. But even so, I’m left feeling like there are a handful of features Samsung could have given a little more attention to. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget How about a bigger battery like the 6,000mAh pack in OnePlus 13 instead of the same 5,000mAh cell we’ve seen for several generations? Or what about something for the S Pen? And then there’s Samsung’s half-baked solution for supporting Qi2, which just seems a bit lazy. Don’t get me wrong, the S25 Ultra still looks like a good phone and I like that Samsung hasn’t bumped up its price for 2025. But at the same time, it seems like the biggest phone maker in the world could be doing more for its most expensive non-folding phone. Pre-orders for the Galaxy S25 Ultra are live now starting at $1,300 with official sales slated for February 7. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-hands-on-faster-curvier-and-way-more-ai-ier-180054396.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 Samsung unveiled a bunch of new gadgets at its Unpacked event, but the baddest of the bunch were likely those Galaxy S25 smartphones. Smartphones are only as good as the chips that power them, and the S25 series features a custom version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite system-on-a-chip Qualcomm is calling it “the world’s fastest mobile system-on-a-chip” and it powers every Galaxy S25 version across the world, from the standard release to the Plus and the Ultra. This is only the second time the same chipset has been used to power Galaxy S-series handsets globally. Typically, North America gets a Qualcomm SoC and the rest of the world gets Samsung's proprietary Exynos system. This SoC features the second-gen custom Qualcomm Oryon CPU, along with the Adreno GPU and the Hexagon NPU for AI tasks. The system includes a Snapdragon X80 5G modem and the Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Mobile Connectivity System. The company promises “ultra-fast cellular and Wi-Fi 7 speeds. The system also allows users to send and receive messages via satellite, via the Snapdragon Satellite service. The two companies worked closely together to create this custom version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite to reduce power consumption on Galaxy devices. Galaxy S25 handsets can even access Qualcomm’s Spatio-Temporal Filter This allows for “sharper-than-ever low light video capture capabilities”, even at 8K 30fps, all while “maintaining world-class power consumption efficiency.” Of course, the SoC was also customized to take full advantage of Samsung’s Gemini suite of AI tools. The Galaxy S25 isn’t the only smartphone to use Snapdragon 8 Elite. The Xiaomi 15, Honor Magic 7 Pro, Asus ROG Phone 9 and Realme GT 7 Pro are expected to utilize the SoC, albeit not the custom version co-designed by Samsung. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s25-smartphones-are-powered-by-a-custom-snapdragon-8-elite-soc-180050277.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra, and for the most part, the changes aren't massive. The jumbo-sized S25 Ultra has the most noticeable updates, including a more rounded titanium frame, slimmer bezels, new anti-reflective glass and an improved ultrawide camera. All three phones run on a faster Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip and promise better low-light video capture. The S25 and S25+ are slightly thinner than last year's models, too, while the base S25 now includes 12GB of RAM as standard. For the most part, though, much of Samsung's focus is on improving the phones' AI functionality. To that end, the company is touting features like an improved Circle to Search tool and better natural voice recognition, among other tricks. We spent some time with the new phones ahead of today's Unpacked event, so you can read our hands-on previews of the Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra for more details on what to expect. The phones are up for pre-order now, with official sales starting on February 7. We'll have full reviews around then. However, for Galaxy owners who are already set on upgrading, we've laid out how the three devices compare on the spec sheet below. If you're wondering what the extra cost of the S25+ or S25 Ultra gets you, here's a quick breakdown. Samsung Galaxy S25 Samsung Galaxy S25+ Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Price $800 , $860 $1,000 , $1,120 $1,300 , $1,420 , $1,660 Dimensions 5.78 x 2.78 x 0.28 inches 6.24 x 2.98 x 0.29 inches 6.38 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches Weight 5.7 ounces 6.7 ounces 7.7 ounces Screen size 6.2 inches 6.7 inches 6.9 inches Screen resolution FHD+ QHD+ QHD+ Screen type Dynamic AMOLED 2X Up to 120Hz Up to 2,600 nits Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Dynamic AMOLED 2X Up to 120Hz Up to 2,600 nits Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Dynamic AMOLED 2X Up to 120Hz Up to 2,600 nits Corning Gorilla Armor 2 SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy RAM 12GB 12GB 12GB Battery 4,000mAh 4,900mAh 5,000mAh Charging Up to 25W wired Up to 15W wireless 4.5W reverse wireless Up to 45W wired Up to 15W wireless 4.5W reverse wireless Up to 45W wired Up to 15W wireless 4.5W reverse wireless Storage 128GB, 256GB 256GB, 512GB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Rear camera Main: 50 MP, f/1.8, 85° FOV, OIS Ultrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2, 120° FOV Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 36° FOV, OIS, 3x optical zoom Main: 50 MP, f/1.8, 85° FOV, OIS Ultrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2, 120° FOV Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 36° FOV, OIS, 3x optical zoom Main: 200 MP, f/1.7, 85° FOV, OIS Ultrawide: 50 MP, f/1.9, 120° FOV Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 36° FOV, OIS, 3x optical zoom Periscope telephoto: 50 MP, f/3.4, 22° FOV, OIS, 5x optical zoom Front camera 12 MP, f/2.2, 80° FOV 12 MP, f/2.2, 80° FOV 12 MP, f/2.2, 80° FOV Video capture Rear: 4K at 60 fps, 8K at 30 fps Front: 4K at 60 fps Rear: 4K at 60 fps, 8K at 30 fps Front: 4K at 60 fps Rear: 4K at 120 fps, 8K at 30 fps Front: 4K at 60 fps Water and dust resistance rating IP68 IP68 IP68 Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.4 OS Android 15, One UI 7 Android 15, One UI 7 Android 15, One UI 7 Colors and finish Glass front and back , aluminum frame Navy, Icyblue, Mint, Silver Shadow, Blueblack*, Coralred*, Pinkgold* Glass front and back , aluminum frame Navy, Icyblue, Mint, Silver Shadow, Blueblack*, Coralred*, Pinkgold* Glass front , glass back , titanium frame Silverblue, Whitesilver, Gray, Black, Pinkgold*, Jetblack*, Jadegreen* This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/heres-how-samsungs-new-galaxy-s25-phones-compare-to-each-other-180032319.html?src=rss

23.01.2025 00:00 For the second year in a row, the story of Samsung’s new flagship Galaxy phones isn’t about hardware changes. For better or worse, the Galaxy S25 features few material changes from its predecessor, and many of the most substantive enhancements come courtesy of new AI features Samsung has built into One UI. The highlight of those is something Samsung is calling the Personal Data Engine. Over time, One UI 7 will collect and analyze data about how you use your S25 to personalize the software experience. This customization will be most visible in two new features called Now Brief and Now Bar. The former will generate morning, midday and evening summaries of information that might be relevant to you. For instance, in a morning brief, you might see the day’s weather, a calendar of your upcoming meetings, and news stories that might interest you. The latter, on the other hand, is a new interface element you can access from both the S25’s lock screen and just below the digital clock when the phone is unlocked. The Now Bar will automatically generate a Rolodex of reminders you can flip through throughout the day. One widget might include directions from Google Maps, while another could feature the 45-minute timer you set earlier in the day. It’s all basic stuff, but Samsung is betting these features — and the ones I’m about to detail — will save S25 users time by reducing the amount of jumping between apps they need to do. According to the company, any usage information the Personal Data Engine records is kept secure and private inside the S25’s Knox Vault security enclave. Sam Rutherford for Engadget The Galaxy S25 also includes a series of interconnected features that broadly fall under a concept Samsung is calling AI agents. These agents are powered by multi-modal machine learning models, meaning they can parse images, videos, audio and text. Samsung has deployed these throughout One UI 7, though you’re most likely to encounter them through the Samsung sidebar. The most interesting of the new agents is called AI Select. It builds on the Smart Select tool previous Galaxy phones featured. When evoked, AI Select will scan the screen and suggest actions based on what it sees. As mentioned, the model powering this feature is multi-modal, so it’s not limited to reading just text. For example, say you bring up AI Select while watching a YouTube video. In that context, the tool will offer to create a GIF for you. Again, the idea here is to simplify an action that previously may have required multiple apps and steps. At the same time, Samsung has polished existing AI tools to make them better. Most notably, Sketch to Image, now known as Drawing Assist, is more accurate and detailed and includes the option to import existing images. Separately, the Galaxy S25 series will ship with an improved version of Circle to Search. For the uninitiated, Circle to Search is a way to access Google Search from nearly anywhere on your phone without switching between apps. You activate the feature by long-pressing your phone’s Home button. Circle to Search arrived at the start of last year, with Galaxy S24 and Pixel 8 owners among the first to get access. The latest version of Circle to Search can recognize phone numbers, emails and URLs, allowing you to call, email or visit a website with a single tap. Additionally, Circle to Search now also includes integration with Google’s AI Overviews. These enhancements aren’t limited to Samsung devices, and Google is in the process of rolling them out to all Android phones.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-ai-becomes-more-personal-and-cohesive-180029521.html?src=rss