If you're looking for a new oven, washer, fridge, or other household appliance then make sure to check out Lowe's. The online retailer currently has an absolutely enormous sale on appliances, with some great savings to be had on big name brands like Samsung, LG, and Frigidaire.

For this article I combed the sale trying to find some essential bargains. I've picked out 12 of my favorite deals from the hundreds available on the site. You'll find all sorts of appliances here with savings of up to $1000.

Lowe's big appliance sale is running until November 3, so you've got a bit of time to make your mind up about these deals. Still, they won't stick around forever, so act fast if there's something here you like.

Whenever Samsung launches a new flagship tablet, it's usually the Ultra model that gets most of the attention. With its massive 14.6-inch display, it's not surprising that the South Korean electronics giant would want its biggest and most impressive device all over its marketing materials, but that doesn't mean you should overlook the Galaxy Tab S12 Plus. This isn't like the difference between Samsung's Galaxy S26 Plus and S26 Ultra — both tablets are practically identical in terms of software and horsepower, with only a few minor downgrades on the smaller model.

Granted, I've only had the Galaxy Tab S12 Plus for a couple of weeks, but I already think it's the better buy for many people. If you're looking for what is essentially the Android equivalent of Apple's 13-inch iPad Pro M5, chances are you're not shopping for the biggest tablet Samsung can physically make — most people will want something a little more portable, with a premium screen, strong performance, excellent battery life, pen support and enough versatility to handle both work and entertainment. In that sense, the 12.6-inch Tab S12 Plus feels more practical.

Lately, it's become the device I find myself using more than almost anything else, and honestly, I find its size far more practical to use on a day-to-day basis than the Ultra models I've tested in the past. Not only have I been neglecting other devices, like my Nintendo Switch 2, since its arrival, but I've even started using it over my actual phone.

The display feels like the sweet spot

Having spent years alternating between smaller tablets that can feel a bit restrictive and larger models that aren't always practical to carry around, the Tab S12's 12.6-inch display feels just right. That might make me sound like Goldilocks, but the display is large enough for movies and TV shows to feel immersive, while the tablet itself is slim and compact enough to easily slip into a messenger bag or backpack.

And that's before I get to the display's picture quality — I've been rewatching “The Sopranos” on my last few train rides, and this AMOLED panel has consistently delivered rich colours, excellent contrast and stunning brightness, while its 120Hz refresh rate makes navigating its UI feel incredibly snappy. Although Tom's Guide has yet to run its usual lab tests on the Tab S12 Plus, Samsung quotes the same peak brightness figures as the larger Tab S12 Ultra, which delivered excellent results in our testing and remains one of the best tablet displays we've reviewed, significantly outperforming the iPad Pro M5.

Of course, glare is still a concern. This being Australia, the sun can be particularly brutal during morning commutes, making reflections more noticeable than I'd like. It's not enough to ruin the viewing experience, and the display is bright enough to push through most lighting conditions, but I did find myself wishing Samsung had included some form of anti-reflective coating. Given how much time I spend using the tablet outside the house, that would probably be the one display upgrade I'd put at the top of my wishlist for the next generation.

I've ended up reading more comics than watching TV shows

Truth be told, I've probably spent more time reading comics on the Tab S12 Plus than watching TV shows, which wasn't something I expected going in. I've been catching up on DC's Absolute Batman series (excellent) and the latest Lobo run (ridiculous, but fun) whenever I get the chance, and it made me realise how much I missed the hobby.

And, after attempting to read comics on a variety of foldable smartphones (not ideal), the 12.6-inch screen on the Tab S12 Plus feels downright luxurious by comparison, allowing me to take in the glorious artwork in its entirety. Also, its AMOLED display makes the artwork look super crisp, with colours that pop with amazing vibrancy, and true blacks that allow for inky shadows and detailed line work.

Quite a few times now I've found myself opening a comic just to fill ten or fifteen minutes and then realising I've been sitting there for the better part of an hour. It's obviously a fantastic screen for comics, though I think its portability is just as important — the Tab S12 Plus is easy enough to take almost anywhere, which means it's usually close at hand when the urge to read strikes.

Reading comics also had the knock-on effect of inspiring me to use the S Pen more often. I used to draw quite a bit in my younger days, and in a comic book style. Lately, I've been using Split Screen View on the Tab S12 Plus to look at particularly striking comic panels on one side of the display while attempting to sketch it in Clip Studio Paint on the other, which is so handy. And now that I've started getting used to the Clip Studio Paint app, the next step is to do some basic drawing tutorials focused on 3D figures and poses.

Its Pro Keyboard is quality

There's no sugar-coating it: Samsung's Pro Keyboard for the Galaxy Tab S12 Plus is expensive. At $350 / £289 / AU$499 for the keyboard alone, it's more expensive than many entry-level Chromebook devices. Add that to the cost of the tablet and you're looking at the kind of money that could buy a pretty decent laptop.

Having spent some time using it, though, I can at least understand where some of that money is going. The aluminium construction gives the tablet a much sturdier feel when it's sitting on a desk, and both the keyboard and trackpad are good enough that it makes you feel like you're using an actual laptop. The only thing that regularly reminds me it's still a tablet is the U-shaped support built into the hinge, which folds out behind the display and sticks out a little further than you'd expect once it's open. I also love how firmly its magnets snap to the Tab S12 Plus — it's surprisingly hard to detach from the keyboard unless you hold the support stand and tilt the tablet forward.

Most of my workday revolves around writing, research, photo editing, and responding to emails and Slack messages, and the Tab S12 Plus is more than capable of handling all that. Admittedly, I prefer to do the bulk of my feature writing on a mechanical keyboard, but I can take care of most other tasks on the Tab S12 Plus without any real hassles. The keyboard also sports a large trackpad with physical click functionality, a dedicated button to switch on DeX mode, an AI key and a programmable hot key to launch your favourite apps. I also realised fairly late in the game that the keyboard is backlit — you just have to hold the Fn key and hit F12 to switch the backlight on and cycle through its three brightness settings.

My only real gripe is that it's a fingerprint magnet. The brushed aluminium looks great fresh out of the box, but it was absolutely covered in fingerprints after I passed it around the office for a few minutes. It's hardly a deal-breaker, though I ended up having to wipe the prints off with a tech wipe.

Bigger isn’t always better

The Ultra might be the flashiest product in Samsung’s Tab S12 line-up, but in daily use, bigger isn’t always better. A 14.6-inch screen basically demands a desk, whereas the Tab S12 Plus still feels like a tablet you can actually hold. It’s light and thin enough to comfortably use without tiring your arms, but with a 12.6-inch display that's still big enough to get creative on.

It does come with a couple of downgrades compared to the Ultra — it only has a single camera on its rear compared to the Ultra’s dual camera setup, and for some reason the Tab S12 Plus doesn’t get the same Wi-Fi 7 support as the Ultra, topping out at Wi-Fi 6E instead — but I don’t think either of those concessions should be considered deal breakers.

That said, with a starting price of $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$1,999, it isn't cheap. Factoring in that pricey Pro Keyboard does make you start considering a laptop as an alternative, especially if you prefer full desktop apps. Still, being able to jump from a casual handheld tablet to a proper DeX workstation in seconds is something most 2-in-1 laptops just can't pull off. It’s versatile, easy to take anywhere, and actually fits the way I live and work — which is why it’s quietly become my favourite tablet.

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With Black Friday coming, a bunch of you out there will be looking for ways to pick up a brand new smartphone without paying full price. I don't blame you, because phone prices have gone through the roof this year, and paying the MSRP is starting to feel a lot like being ripped off.

The good news is that you don't have to wait until Black Friday to save serious money. Nor do you have to pick up the latest iPhone to get the best possible phone experience. Samsung sells a lot of the best phones and best foldables, and their latest models are all discounted ahead of Black Friday — with some deals knocking hundreds of dollars off.

It's almost enough to make you forget that Samsung has been one of the worst offenders for raising prices.

As oxymoronic as it sounds, even cheap soundbars are expensive. Flagship soundbars? Oof, don't look at the price tag if you're already feeling a bit weepy, because you won't like it. "How many zeros? That has to be a typo, right?"

Nope. No typo. Unfortunately, dropping well over $1,500 for one of the best soundbars is... normal? How can this possibly be normal? Who has that kind of money? Not me, that's for sure, but I'm here to help you make well-informed purchasing decisions.

I recently reviewed the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 and the Samsung Q990H — both the American and Korean behemoths' current flagships. While the JBL option came out in late 2025, it's still the current flagship, hence my referring to it as 2026's flagship. Samsung's was released earlier in 2026.

These two soundbars represent the best of the best. While I'm sure you won't be disappointed by either, I know which one I would buy, and here's why. Let's get into it.

Bass battle

Both the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 and the Samsung Q990H have extremely powerful bass. Both models come with a standalone 300W subwoofer. In real terms, that means hella bass.

In the U.S. model, JBL's sub has a single 12-inch driver, whilst the E.U. and U.K. model equals Samsung's dual 8-inch driver setup. As I'm in the U.K., I tested the dual-driver version, and, unfortunately, I can't confidently say if there's a tangible difference between the models. I can, however, assure you with every fiber of my being that the U.K. sub is Epic. Yes, with a capital 'E'.

I watched "Top Gun: Maverick" with both soundbars. Of the JBL, I wrote in my review, "The first scene, with Maverick flying in hypersonic, rumbled through the subwoofer with immense energy and depth." Even so, "each [high-frequency] siren blare and alarm was clear over the pounding bass", which proves the subwoofer doesn't overpower the rest of the soundstage.

Similarly, Samsung's bass performance was excellent during "The Batman". In my review, I wrote, "I could feel the subwoofer through the chair", and "My colleagues told me they could feel the subwoofer rumbling from downstairs, so I’m sorry, but I was having too much fun to care."

Yep, that's all I really needed to write, isn't it? What else can you ask for from a flagship soundbar?

There's also a bass boost mode on the JBL and Samsung apps, and individual subwoofer volume adjustments, which I set to the max during my testing period. While I wouldn't recommend this if you've got sensitive downstairs neighbors, you can seriously push the subs to their peaks.

Dialogue duel

One of the most important features in a soundbar is its ability to produce clear, intelligible dialogue without losing bass, high-frequency in-scene (diegetic) sound effects, soundtrack, and 360° audio. It's not a tall order, is it?

Both the Samsung and JBL models have a dialogue enhancement in the app. I didn't find the need to use this on the Samsung, not even during radio-ed dialogue scenes. JBL's isn't explicitly called dialogue mode, but Movie mode brings dialogue to the center channel, and the soundbar has something called PureVoice 2.0. In real terms, this means it's better at isolating and pronouncing speech than soundbars without PureVoice 2.0.

I've seen some users online discredit the 1300X MK2's dialogue performance, but I completely disagree. I never struggled to hear dialogue; not during flying scenes in "Top Gun: Maverick", nor the action sequences in "No Time to Die". I heard every word.

The Samsung model is just as clear. In "Top Gun: Maverick"'s near-overwhelming dogfighting scenes, I "could hear every layer of in-scene plane sound effects, each rich guitar chord, and every syllable of dialogue."

I don't think there's a clear winner here. Perhaps I'd recommend the Samsung if you know you have dialogue processing issues personally — due to the explicit dialogue enhancement mode — but I never strained to understand actors in any movie on either soundbar.

Dolby Atmos dalliance

Dolby Atmos is another must-have feature when you're looking at premium, flagship soundbars. Of course, both the JBL and Samsung have DTS:X as well, but as I watched Dolby Atmos-enabled 4K UHD Blu-rays, I need to evaluate Dolby Atmos performance here. If you have DTS:X DVDs, just know both soundbars will play them to their full potential.

Even so, the JBL just took the win here. "Top Gun: Maverick" is the best movie to test Dolby Atmos (I'll fight you on this) thanks to the gorgeous flying scenes. When I watched this movie on the JBL, the planes "raced overhead as if I were truly outside."

On top of that, the OST was "bombastic without overpowering the screeching jet engine sounds, and the radio dialogue was surprisingly clear."

However, I still wanted a little more. Now that I've tested the $3,500 Yamaha True X Surround 90A — the best Dolby Atmos soundbar I've ever used, but way too expensive and with unimpressive dialogue performance — I'm a tough cookie.

Similarly, when I tested the Samsung, I wrote, "width is great, but the Q990H doesn’t sound quite as high as I’d like for $2k."

I could hear the planes around me, but the JBL did a better job of tricking me the planes were flying over me. "I wanted more from the surround speakers," I wrote of the Q990H. "Even on “Surround” mode, I wanted a stronger surround sound."

Although it's close, and although I still thoroughly enjoyed testing the Samsung Q990H, the JBL just cinched this victory.

Feature facedown

New for 2026, Samsung no longer restricts its awesome "SpaceFit Sound Pro" to compatible AI Samsung TVs. I tested the Q990H on both an LG and a TCL and I enabled SpaceFit Sound Pro in SmartThings.

JBL has a similar room configuration tool, but its name is a little less snazzy: audio calibration. Boo! Where's the whimsy? Where's the trademarkeable moniker?

I jest, I jest. As long as the feature works, I really don't care what it's called.

Both Samsung and JBL's room calibration features work perfectly. When I tested the Samsung, the sound before was good enough, but it was a little pinched in the center speaker and a touch diffused on the rear channels. After enabling SpaceFit Sound Pro, the soundbar readjusted itself so the dialogue was more expansive.

Similarly, JBL's audio calibration increased the height, width, and depth of sound, providing a more immersive experience.

If you have an oddly shaped living room or weirdly low ceilings, both these calibration tools will adjust audio output to optimize for your space. I wouldn't buy a premium soundbar without this feature.

Of course, both soundbars have more features than just automatic room calibration. Both have AirPlay, so you can play music from your phone to the devices, and both sound surprisingly great. Soundbars are notorious for making even the best songs sound mediocre, but that's not the case here. Bass is powerful and controlled through both 300W subwoofers, and the soundbars themselves do a fantastic job of separating vocals for maximum musicality.

There's a plethora of playback modes in both soundbars, namely dialogue enhancer and bass boost, which I discussed earlier.

However, there's one key place where the Samsung takes the lead: 4K pass-through at 120Hz. The JBL lags behind at just 60Hz (still — this was one of my major qualms with the original model).

If you're a 4K gamer, this will probably edge your hand towards the Samsung. Personally, though, I would never notice the 60Hz refresh rate, as I don't game. Just something to think about.

My choice

This decision is much trickier right now — both soundbars are massively discounted. The JBL Bar 1300X MK2 is $300 off, down from $1,700 to $1,400. Similarly, Samsung's Q990H is $1,500 down from $2,000. Yes, a huge $500 off.

Before the discount, it's a no-brainer: grab the cheaper JBL if you don't have a Samsung TV. You'd save $400 and get a more immersive experience while you're at it.

I would personally still buy the JBL instead. I'm a famous (or infamous, depending on how you view it) spendthrift. If something is $9 and something else is $8.99, I'm buying the $8.99 one. I get to keep my cent!

Both soundbars have room-filling bass. Samsung and JBL's 300W subwoofers are both forces to be reckoned with, and both the 11-channel soundbars provide unbeatable dialogue clarity. On top of that, both have wireless rears for true Dolby Atmos immersion.

For me, though, the JBL just ekes out the win thanks to the slightly better height and more palatable price tag.

Which one would you buy?

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Black Friday is still a month away, but the deals are seemingly already here. I know, I know, I was just as confused as you. I was researching a long-form comparison piece, and randomly discovered both JBL and Samsung's flagship 2026 soundbars are already discounted — and obviously I had to let you know about it.

The JBL Bar 1300XMK2 and the Samsung Q990H are two of my highest-rated soundbars of this year. I adore both of these soundbars — Dolby Atmos performance is truly immersive (but the JBL is better!), dialogue is always perfectly clear, and bass is powerful thanks to the 300W subwoofers.

Are they the best soundbars? 100%. But at $1,699 (JBL) and $1,997 (Samsung), they're not cheap. I find it tricky to recommend soundbars at this price because it's just not accessible for most of us. Even so, it's your lucky day! Right now, the JBL Bar 1300XMK2 is just $1,399 on Amazon, and the Samsung Q990H is just $1,497 also at Amazon. Score!

Both the JBL and Samsung models have 23 drivers and 300W subwoofers, and an 11.1.4 channel configuration. In real terms, this means there are 11 channels in the center soundbar, one subwoofer channel, and four rear speaker channels.

If you want genuine Dolby Atmos, you need at least a 3.1.2 channel — so you know 11.1.4 means business. With so many channels, the soundbars can project layers of sound in all directions, providing a genuinely immersive experience.

On top of that, the Samsung soundbar has 4K pass-through at 120Hz, which is great for gamers. While the JBL misses out on this, if you're not a gamer, it probably won't be a huge issue.

I would probably buy the JBL because it's a better-value product than the Samsung. You get better immersion for less money, but there's no dedicated dialogue mode. If you struggle to hear dialogue sometimes, you might need the Samsung's AI dialogue enhancer.

But both flagships discounted at the same time before Black Friday? It's almost too good to be true.

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With the iPhone Duo launch now out of the way, it's time to start looking forward to some of the phones headed our way in the near future — into 2027 and beyond. The next big release we're expecting is the Samsung Galaxy S27, and the latest leak may have revealed what batteries to expect from two of the four upcoming models.

That's right, four models, because rumor has it that Samsung will be releasing a new Galaxy S27 Pro. Presumably this is a device that will sit between the Plus and the Ultra models, though we'll have to wait and see just what Samsung has planned. This new battery leak covers the mysterious Pro and the flagship Galaxy S27 Ultra.

Two batteries have just shown up on the Safety Korea database, alongside photos, featuring the model numbers EB-BS957CBY and EB-BS958DBY. This lines up with the SM-S957 and SM-S958 model numbers tied to the S27 Pro and Ultra, suggesting these are the batteries we'll see in next year's high-end Galaxy phones.

We can't quite see the capacities, but past leaks suggest that we'll see 5,534 mAh and 5,087 mAh batteries, with typical capacities of 5,700 mAh and 5,200 mAh, respectively. If those figures are accurate, it means this is the first time the Ultra model has had a battery capacity upgrade since the release of the Galaxy S20 Ultra almost seven years ago. Charging is said to be 60W on both, which is the same as the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

This is a long time coming

For those that don't remember, the Galaxy S20 Ultra was the first of Samsung's modern Ultra phones, and it came with a 5,000 mAh battery — up from 4,100 mAh on the Galaxy S10 Plus. This 700 mAh upgrade effectively means that the S27 Ultra is shaping up for an extra 100 mAh for every year Samsung ignored the calls for higher battery capacity.

Presumably this increase in capacity will be aided by Samsung's recent push into silicon carbon battery technology. As we saw with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the different battery chemistry allows phone makers to improve battery density — packing more power into the same amount of space.

The batteries pictured don't look particularly big, which lends some support to that theory. Plus, the Z Fold 8 managed to adopt the new batteries without issue, and it makes little sense to avoid rolling silicon carbon out to other premium Samsung phones.

The Galaxy S27 series is expected to launch in early 2027, with rumors suggesting Samsung may pivot back to a January launch window. In the meantime we'll be seeing a lot more rumors about what all four phones can do, so stay tuned to Tom's Guide to hear all the best news and rumors as we hear about them.

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Flagship soundbars are always exciting to test. Enjoying blockbuster movies with best-of-the-best sound is, most definitely, one of the biggest perks of my job. And that’s exactly how I felt testing the Samsung Q990H. This is a flagship soundbar in (almost) every way — bass, dialogue, width; it’s got it all.

Is that enough to make it one of the best soundbars? It depends on how much you’re happy to spend. $2,000 is a lot of money, especially when soundbars like the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 exist for $300 less. SmartThings integration is a huge plus, especially if you have a Samsung TV, but I can’t tell you if that’s worth $300 over the JBL.

I’ll go through everything in detail, from design to subwoofer quality to Dolby Atmos performance in this Samsung Q990H review.

Samsung Q990H review: Specs

Samsung Q990H review: What I like

There’s so much to like about the Samsung Q990H — it is Samsung’s 2026 flagship, after all.

Supremely clear dialogue

The SmartThings app has a number of dialogue-enhancing settings: “Active Voice Amplifier Pro”, “Voice enhancement”, and individual channel EQs. Even so, I found dialogue sounded more than good enough without any of these additional features.

I test all soundbars with “Top Gun: Maverick” on 4K UHD Blu-ray, alongside two other UHD Blu-rays, standard TV on streaming services, and music on Spotify and Qobuz.

Dialogue in “Top Gun: Maverick” was extremely clear without additional dialogue features needed. In the busy bar scene, I could hear lead actors speaking clearly over the hubbub of the bar. “Top Gun: Maverick” also features tons of radioed dialogue in flying action sequences. I didn’t miss a single word. The screeching jet engines and soundtrack (“Won’t Get Fooled Again”) melded together nicely underneath the fuzzy dialogue. I could hear every layer of in-scene plane sound effects, each rich guitar chord, and every syllable of dialogue.

In “Super Mario Galaxy Movie”, dialogue was equally as clear. Just to reiterate, this was with zero dialogue enhancement features enabled. I could feel the texture in Bowser Jr.’s gravelly-yet-high-pitched voice.

“The Batman” features moody, mumbled dialogue for the majority of the movie. However, I never struggled to hear anything — neither the processed radio dialogue nor Robert Pattinson’s atmospheric voiceovers. Even in action scenes, I could make out every word. For such a broody, mumbled movie, this performance was excellent.

Even basic streaming services sounded good. Obviously, a basic-level stream will never sound as good as a UHD Blu-ray. I have Now TV’s cheapest tier (HBO for all you across-the-ponders), which uses Stereo audio — not even 5.1.

I’m not going to pretend this would impress any home cinema enthusiasts, but it’s the streaming service’s fault, not the soundbars. The Q990H did the best with what it was given; every word was clear, and I never struggled to understand dialogue.

Powerful bass

As I’d hope from a $2,000, 300-watt subwoofer, bass is great, with no distortion. “The Batman” was a particular standout here. My colleagues told me they could feel the subwoofer rumbling from downstairs, so I’m sorry, but I was having too much fun to care.

The brooding, ominous soundtrack carried a decadent depth to the low-end, bringing body to low-action scenes. High-action scenes were equally as dramatic, especially the iconic car chase and the club scenes. I could feel the subwoofer through the chair. If you long for cinematic lows and clear dialogue, you won’t be disappointed.

Music performance is decent for a soundbar, too. I listened via AirPlay. Bass in Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” shook the floorboards without overpowering the falsetto vocals. Softer songs fared equally as well; “Kill Me” by Hayley Williams was delicate and controlled, and the texture in Williams’ voice came through.

Wireless subwoofer and rears

Unlike the Samsung QS750F ($899), the Q990H’s rears (and subwoofer) are truly wireless. Each rear speaker and the subwoofer require only a power cable. They sync up automatically as soon as they’re plugged in.

When I set up the Q990H, I only had to connect everything to power — the sub and rears did the hard work for me. I didn’t even have to set them up in Samsung’s SmartThings app, which I was initially expecting to do. This was one of the easiest soundbar setups I've had the pleasure of experiencing.

The rear speakers are excellent in some movies and middling in others: of all the content I watched, by far the best movie for surround was “The Batman”. The car chase scene was immensely immersive. The soundtrack, pouring rain, and screeching cars were controlled deftly, and the speakers separated high-frequency effects with skill.

Design, features, and SmartThings

Samsung soundbars really excel in terms of design. They all look more or less the same (except the Samsung Ultra Slim) — sleek, inconspicuous, and although quite plasticky, this doesn’t detract from the overall appearance.

Setup is also a breeze: I plugged all the elements in, hooked up the soundbar via HDMI, and I was listening in seconds. Samsung also provides a wall mount for the soundbar if that’s your thing. The rears don’t come with stands or mounts, but you can easily find third-party options online.

SmartThings is one of my favorite companion apps, and for good reason. It’s supremely easy to use, looks great, and is replete with genuinely beneficial features. No longer restricted to Samsung TVs, SpaceFit Sound Pro is Samsung’s proprietary room calibration feature. I was able to get this working with both an LG and a TCL TV. SpaceFit Sound Pro analyzes your room space to improve immersion. If you’ve got a bigger room, it will increase audio power to ensure you still get space-filling sound.

Without SpaceFit Sound Pro, “The Batman” still sounded immersive, particularly the rain sounds coming through the rear speakers. However, with SpaceFit Sound Pro enabled, the soundbar adjusted the center channel to make dialogue and OST clearer.

In SmartThings, you can also adjust individual channel volume, sub volume, and treble/bass volume. I adjusted the rears and side-firing channels to the maximum volume, but I didn’t notice a huge difference. More on that in the “What I didn’t like” section below, though.

Wireless listening

Now, this one comes with a caveat. You can use the Q990H wirelessly — if you have a compatible Samsung TV. As I test soundbars with LG and TCL TVs, I was unable to use this feature.

However, it’s still worth mentioning here. If you have a compatible Samsung TV (all Samsung TVs with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi), you’ll be able to use the soundbar without an HDMI cable.

Samsung Q990H review: What I don’t like

As much as I enjoyed listening to the Samsung Q990H, it missed out on a perfect 5-star rating for a reason.

Sound not immersive enough for $2,000

Even though I love the Q990H, it’s not perfect. Don’t get me wrong, it sounds fantastic, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed… unless you’ve just dropped two grand.

At $2,000, there’s very little room for error. Nay, there’s zero room for error. You could spend just a little (!) more on the $2,500 KEF XIO or save money on the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 ($1,799). Honestly, I recommend the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 wholeheartedly. It’s by far the best bang-for-buck soundbar I’ve ever tested.

Anyway, back to the Samsung Q990H. You can adjust individual channel levels in SmartThings, but I didn’t notice this had a tangible difference. Width is great, but the Q990H doesn’t sound quite as high as I’d like for $2k.

As I discussed earlier, bass was a different story — I could feel every rumble of the jet engines in “Top Gun: Maverick” and the ominous soundtrack in “The Batman”. Music playback was also decent — soundbars are never excellent, though — but I wanted more from the surround speakers. Even on “Surround” mode, I wanted a stronger surround sound. The JBL Bar 1300X MK2 excels here.

Consequently, I’m reticent to recommend the Q990H widely unless you find it on sale.

How does the Samsung Q990H compare?

I would recommend the Samsung Q990H over some of the super high-end soundbars I’ve tested. Once you get to a certain price point, it might make a little more sense to invest in a buildable hi-fi setup (like floorstanders and loudspeakers).

For example, the $2,500 KEF XIO and $3,500 Yamaha True X Surround 90A both sound excellent. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t be disappointed by their sound. The Yamaha soundbar is one of the best Dolby Atmos products I’ve ever used. However, they’re both eye-wateringly expensive. $2,000 is the most I would ever recommend spending on a soundbar.

There’s another however here, though. $2,000 is still incredibly expensive for a soundbar. Even though the Q990H sounds fantastic, with expansive width and clear dialogue… $2k is $2k. When you can get more immersive performance from the JBL Bar 1300X MK2 and similar performance with the $999 Samsung QS90H or Sony Bravia Theater 7 ($1,099), I would recommend grabbing the Q990H on sale only.

Should you buy the Samsung Q990H?

It depends on your budget. Is $2,000 an easy amount for you to spend? Then you probably won’t be disappointed by the Samsung Q990H. Dialogue is honey-smooth and clear; bass is propulsive and energetic; Dolby Atmos is immersive and all-encompassing. The only thing missing is height, and that true cinematic experience.

If $2,000 is a lot for you (relatable), then I’d recommend checking out the JBL Bar 1300X MK2. This is by far the best bang-for-buck soundbar I’ve ever tested, with industry-leading audio power and immersion.

Of course, though, the Q990H is a fantastic soundbar in its own right, and well-deserving of the flagship name. It’s just really, really expensive.

The iPhone Duo is proving very difficult to come by, and right now, on the official release day, Apple's own delivery estimates stretch into late January of next year. The Duo is, by our metrics, an excellent foldable phone, but it isn't the only option available to you right now. In fact, there are more of the best foldable phones to choose from, none of which have the same availability issues Apple's option is experiencing.

Obviously these phones have one key difference, in that they run Android rather than Apple's iOS. That is enough to turn off a lot of people, especially if they've been Apple users for a long time. That said, if you're more open to being platform-agnostic, and desperately want to pick up a foldable phone without waiting, you have some options available to you.

Here are the best iPhone Duo alternatives you can buy today

Best iPhone Duo alternatives

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

If you're looking for another passport-shaped foldable — with a shorter design when closed and widescreen when open — then the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is easily your best bet. The Z Fold 8 offers a 5.5-inch cover display and 7.6-inch foldable display, which is close in size to the Duo.

That larger screen packs Samsung's new Flex Titanium display technology which promises to improve durability and minimize the crease. There's also an anti-reflective coating to prevent glare and help you see what's on screen. The Fold 8 is thinner and lighter than the iPhone Duo, and it lets you three apps at once instead of just two.

Camera-wise you're looking at a pair of 50MP rear lenses, with main and ultrawide shooters. Like the Duo, there's no telephoto lens for zoomed in shots. Selfie cameras are 10MP each, and you'll find one in both screens — though there's no under-display camera in this one. It's also a lot thinner and lighter than the Duo, and features the performance power of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy.

That's as good as you'll get on an Android phone. Oh, and you get some of the best AI features of any phone, with a price tag that's $100 less than the iPhone Duo.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

If you want a foldable that's a little larger than what the Duo has to offer, then Samsung's Z Fold 8 Ultra is worth considering. It offers all the same features and benefits as the Z Fold 8, albeit without the newly-popular wide design. Instead there's a skinnier 6.5-inch cover display and a 8-inch foldable display on the inside.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra benefits from better camera hardware, including a 200MP main camera lens and a 10MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zooming capabilities. On top of that you get a larger battery with 14 hours and 30 minutes of battery life (an hour longer than the iPhone Duo.

You also get a lightweight and thin frame, and everything Galaxy AI and Google Gemini have to offer. The downside is that Galaxy foldables don't offer stylus support or dust resistance, and the 8 Ultra is $100 more expensive than the iPhone Duo.

Motorola Razr Fold

Here's another book-shaped foldable, coming in with the same $1,900 price tag as the iPhone Duo. The Motorola Razr Fold puts an emphasis on premium hardware at that base price, with a 6,000 mAh battery (with over 14 hours of life), 80W charging, 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM that works in conjunction with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.

Screens are a little bigger, measuring 6.6-inches for the cover display and 8.1-inches for the foldable inner screen. You also get a trio of 50MP cameras, which are complemented by a 32MP inner selfie camera and a 20MP cover screen camera. Optional stylus support, a slightly thinner design than the iPhone Duo, and a bunch of Motorola's AI features round out the perks.

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold

As a whole, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is not that impressive compared to other foldables. Performance is weak; app scaling is a very real problem; and the battery life is not particularly impressive. But there are a lot of benefits to picking up a Google-made foldable instead of one of its rivals. Particularly the AI support, which is some of the best you'll find on any Android thanks to the fact Google is responsible for Pixel phones and Gemini AI.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold also features the brightest screen of any foldable, with a 6.5-inch cover display and 8-inch main display, a 5x telephoto lens (with 30x Super Zoom), 16GB of RAM, 25W wireless charging, and the new Rambler dictation system.

On top of that, Google has added a new "app bubbles" system that lets you dock different apps at the bottom of your screen — with the ability to summon them as an extra layer on top of an ordinary split-view mode. There's no stylus support, though.

Other foldable options

The thing about foldable phones is that there are a lot more of them out there than you might realize. In fact, the foldable segment is particularly popular among Chinese brands and some of them actually go on sale outside of the country. Sadly, they can be much harder to find, especially if you live in the U.S.

That's less of an issue in places like the U.K., and any readers from across the Atlantic should be aware of a couple of extra options that are available to you. Plus, while these phones technically run on Android, the software looks very similar to iOS 27 — which means the shock of switching platforms won't be quite as severe.

Honor Magic V6

The Honor Magic V6 is a foldable that aims to be as premium as possible, particularly in the camera department. This thing packs in 50MP main and ultrawide lenses, alongside a 64MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a pair of 20MP selfie cameras — one on each screen.

The software is very reminiscent of iOS, and it features a bunch of stuff that you'd normally only get from an iPhone. That includes the ability to use the V6 as a secondary Mac screen, the inclusion of an Apple-like interface for AirPods and even Apple Watch notification support. Which is astounding for an Android

As for the screens, you get a 7.95-inch foldable display with anti-reflective coating and a 6.52-inch cover display with anti-scratch coating. Both screens are rated for a respective 5,000 and 6,000 nits. You get stylus support on both displays, and they come wrapped in a shiny gold casing. Add in the swift Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and up to 16GB of RAM and you have a powerful phone that's ready for AI.

Oppo Find N6

Oppo's Find N series has been the gold standard for crease elimination for the past couple of generations, and the Oppo Find N6 is the bar at which the iPhone Duo's lack of crease will be judged by. The 8.12-inch foldable screen also features a "self-healing memory glass" which is said to keep that crease away for good. Both it and the 6.62-inch cover display offer stylus support, as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

As for cameras, you're looking at a 200MP main lens, a 50MP ultrawide and a 50MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. Selfie cameras are both 20MP, using a hole-punch design on each screen. Performance is handled by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, in conjunction with either 12 or 16GB of RAM. Meanwhile, there's a monster 6,000 mAh battery inside, complete with 80W wired charging speeds.,

More from Tom's Guide

• I put the iPhone Duo vs. Galaxy Fold 8 through a 10-round photo face-off — here’s the winner
• iPhone Duo full benchmarks — the world's fastest foldable, but how does it stack up to iPhone 18 Pro?
• I’ve been testing dozens of iPhone Duo apps — here’s my top 15 picks so far

2026 has been a big year for foldable phones, especially with the launch of the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable phone. But it sounds like Samsung isn't going to let Apple take the glory. After a successful launch of the passport-shaped Galaxy Z Fold 8, it's been claimed that Samsung could launch six foldables devices next year — including a new "Galaxy Z Slide."

This rumor comes from TheGalox on X, who claims that Samsung is prepping its biggest foldable lineup ever." Apparently the 2027 lineup will start with the launch of the Galaxy Z TriFold 2, and will be followed by a Galaxy Z Slide, Z Fold 9 Ultra, Z Fold 9 Pro, Z Fold 9 and the Z Flip 9.

That certainly is an interesting lineup of new phones. The two things that stand out most are the inclusion of the Z Fold 9 Pro and the Z Flip 9 — the latter of which is rumored to have been canceled. Likewise the "Pro" is not something we've heard of yet, and I'm curious to hear what kind of niche it might fill in the Z Fold 9 lineup.

There isn't a whole lot of difference between the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, after all, and the last thing Samsung needs is to confuse people with multiple foldables that are too similar to one another.

The Z Slide is another mystery, and this is the first we've actually heard about such a device. If I were to guess, this is some kind of extendable phone with an extending screen, similar to various concept devices Samsung (and others) have produced over the years.

What we think is coming

The last time we saw one was back at CES 2025, with a number of different "slidable" phones. There was the Slidable Flex Duet, which extended its screen from 8.1-inches to a massive 12.4-inches, as well as the Slidable Flex Solo which grew from 8-inches to a mammoth 17-inches. Then there was the Flex Vertical, which grew vertically from 5.1-inches to 6.7-inches.

The question is whether or not these designs will be utilized for the Galaxy Z Slide, and if so which one will actually go on sale. My first guess would be some kind of smartphone-sized device, similar to the Flex Vertical, though that all depends on whether Samsung could make those smaller extendable displays at scale.

It's quite possible that a larger screen is easier (and therefore cheaper) to mass produce, which would see one of the tablet-inspired designs arrive first. @TheGalox has not elaborated on what's to come, and that means all we can do at this stage is guess.

As for the TriFold 2, it's no huge surprise that a sequel triple-foldable is coming. We've heard rumors about that already, but it's unclear how easy it will be to get hold of. The original TriFold was only available in limited quantities, and Samsung completely canceled production back in March. Here's hoping the sequel is a little easier to purchase.

It's still very early days for Samsung's 2027 foldables, and until we hear more there's no telling how accurate any of this information might actually be. So we're just going to have to wait and see what the rumor mill produces in the coming months.

More from Tom's Guide

• My iPhone 18 Pro Max just got delivered and I immediately regret the purchase — and I think iPhone Duo is to blame
• iPhone Duo's battery is officially bigger than Galaxy Z Fold 8 — here's how it compares to other foldables
• iPhone Duo modes explained — 6 ways you can use Apple's new foldable

If you're an avid gamer then you will know the value of a good monitor. A great screen doesn't just give you better visuals, it can drastically improve your entire gaming experience and performance thanks to reduced input lag and high refresh rates.

In this article I've picked out nine of the best deals on gaming monitors currently available from online giant Best Buy. There's a range of manufacturers here, including ASUS, Samsung and LG.

I've picked out some smaller, entry level screens that come in at just over $100. Then we move to several great mid-priced displays that are packed with features. Finally, we've got a selection of wide screens that typically cost more than $2000, now with some huge savings. Check them out and see how you can upgrade your gaming setup today.

You don’t need an expensive digital camera and heavy lenses to capture the night sky. With modern low-light processing, the iPhone in your pocket is fully capable of taking detailed photos of stars, constellations, and even the faint glow of the Milky Way.

While these tips work across most recent Apple models with Night Mode, dialing in a few specific camera settings before heading outside makes the difference between a grainy blur and a sharp nightscape.

Here is how to set up your iPhone for night sky photography.

Why these simple tweaks work (and the results to prove it)

My camera roll is already full of shots of the sun setting over the hills and the moon hanging clear in the sky, but pinpointing actual stars on an iPhone had always been surprisingly elusive.

That finally changed on a recent camping trip I took. The night sky was completely clear, a pitch-black canvas filled with constellations and even the occasional shooting star. It felt like the absolute best time to put my phone to the test. My very first attempt, however, turned out to be a total disappointment: you could only make out one or two stars, faintly illuminated against an expanse of black.

It wasn't until I changed my techniques and eliminated the physical tap on the screen that everything snapped into focus. You can see the results below.

Once the micro-vibrations were gone, the sensor finally captured the rich depth of the night sky — revealing dense star clusters, subtle nebular glow, and tight, needle-sharp points of light with zero motion blur.

There is something immensely satisfying about capturing a photo that actually matches the awe of standing under a dark, star-filled sky in person. Here are the exact camera adjustments you need to make to get the same results on your next clear night.

How to do this on Samsung or Google Pixel phones

If you or a friend are shooting on Android, the same core principles apply using native tools. Google Pixel users can switch to Night Sight and secure the phone on a tripod to automatically trigger Astrophotography mode, which shoots a 4-minute exposure sequence.

Samsung Galaxy users can opt for a similar automated experience using Astrophoto Mode inside Samsung's Expert RAW app, which stacks exposures over 4 to 10 minutes and even includes an on-screen constellation guide.

Alternatively, you can use manual controls by swiping to Pro Mode in the Camera app: set your shutter speed to 10 to 15 seconds to capture the starlight, and dial your ISO to 800–1600 to keep the image sharp.

More from Tom's Guide

• Start using these 3 iPhone camera features — you'll wonder how you lived without them
• iOS 27 Photos features that transform your pictures — here's how to use them
• How to use every iPhone camera mode to take better photos

Hey there! You look trustworthy, so I'm going to give you the inside scoop on Samsung's latest Secret Sale in Australia: right now, the electronics giant is holding a 48-hour flash sale — ending at 11am (AEDT) on Wednesday, October 14 — that's slashing prices on top smartphones, tablets, earbuds and more.

We're talking savings of up to 35% off Galaxy S26, Watch 8, Tab S10 and Buds 4 Pro, and all you have to do is apply the code SECRETGALAXY at checkout. I trust you'll keep that info between you and me.

In terms of big-ticket items, the largest discount can be found on the Galaxy S26+, which usually starts at AU$1,949 but can now be nabbed from only AU$1,266.85 — that's a tidy saving of AU$682.15. Of course, you could use the same code on the top-end Galaxy S26 Ultra or the entry-level Galaxy S26 FE, now discounted by 30% and 25%, respectively.

If a new tablet is what you're after, you're in luck — Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ is also discounted by a hefty 30%, now starting at just AU$1,099 AU$769.30 for the 128GB model with 8GB of RAM, and topping out at only AU$1,499 AU$1,049.30 for the 256GB version with 12GB of RAM.

And if you've been waiting for a good time to upgrade your smartwatch, this flash sale is a great excuse to grab Samsung's Galaxy Watch 8 Classic (46mm) at a sweet 25% discount, with the Bluetooth model currently priced at AU$770 AU$577.50 and the LTE version now down to AU$870 AU$652.50.

While the deals mentioned above offer the most savings, there are plenty more available on Samsung's Secret Sale landing page, including big discounts on Samsung's Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, SmartTags, clear cases, and more. Just remember to use the code SECRETGALAXY at checkout if you’re planning to buy anything.

Just make sure you act quickly — Samsung's Secret Sale wraps up at 11am (AEDT) on Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

More from Tom's Guide

• iPhone 18 Pro deals in Australia — top offers and plans
• Google Pixel 11 deals— top plans and offers in Australia

Amazon's October Prime Day may be over already, but that doesn't mean all the deals have vanished. If you're still looking for a new phone, and don't want to wait until Black Friday sales start in earnest, then you can still save some money on the latest handsets. Both from lingering sales on Amazon and from discounts at retailers like Best Buy.

Some of these deals aren't quite as good as they were for Prime Day, but other phones have stuck to the same low price — like the $949 Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is $450 off the current retail price.

Here are the best phone discounts you can still get, even though Prime Day is technically over.

Smartphones are expensive purchases, prohibitively expensive in the case of some ultra premium models. To make matters worse, the prices keep going up, sometimes with no warning, and makes even the most basic devices feel less affordable than ever. Thankfully, the big sales events are stepping in to help out.

Amazon's Prime Day sales are now live, as are rival sales at other retailers. This means a bunch of phones have been discounted — including phones that recently suffered big price hikes, like the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10a. In some cases the phones are actually cheaper than they were before the price hike, which makes shopping now a great way to pick up that new phone without feeling like you overpaid.

Here are the best price hike-beating phone deals we've seen at Amazon and other retailers.

Shop more deals

• See all deals in the Prime Day sale
• Sign up for Amazon Prime

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 is out now, but my wearables expert colleague Dan didn't think it was necessarily worth upgrading for, and smart shoppers can actually grab its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch 8, for $114 off during Prime Day sales.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 is very similar to the Galaxy Watch 8, with a few extra features that ultimately may or may not come to older models via future firmware. Yes, the 9 does have a faster processor, but battery life (versus capacity) remains at 30 hours for the smaller model and 40 hours for the larger one, and the 9 costs more.

Let's look at why this is a deal worth shopping for, and I've popped the deal below so you can shop it right now.

Reasons to buy the 8

My colleague Dan rated the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 as 4 out of 5 stars and says he is a "big fan" of the watch, particularly the Classic model, "which sports a bidirectional clicky bezel for navigation and an additional customizable button compared to the standard Galaxy Watch 8 models." There's no Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 Classic.

The Watch 8 includes a built-in Gemini AI assistant, the same battery life as the 9, plus sleep insights and useful wellness and fitness tracking. Health tracking is Samsung’s comfort zone, built around the Samsung Health app. The Watch 8 has a few headline features across activity, sleep, and nutrition, plus FDA-authorized sleep apnea detection, energy scores, BIA body composition analysis, temperature-based cycle tracking, metabolic health indexing, and more.

The Galaxy Watch 8 tracks a wide range of workouts and activity types. The device can automatically detect common exercise types, so you don’t need to remember to start a workout tracking session; runners also get access to a personalized run coach.

Reasons to skip the 8

I spent a month exercising with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9, and I personally didn't find it very user-friendly during workouts where I had to navigate settings on my watch.

The Watch 9 does have useful new wellness and fitness metrics and a redesigned health app that better tracks trend data. My colleague Dan also noted a softer, more comfortable strap, plus a raise-to-talk gesture that launches Gemini AI Assistant.

Overall, he didn't necessarily think the upgrade was worth it for everyone. The design, display, and battery life all remain unchanged, but the Galaxy Watch 9 supports a handful of useful new features, a slightly faster processor, and a comfier strap.

Some of those features include a new Vitals tab for better visibility of metrics and long-term trend data; a new Heart Health score from 1-100; and an FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection feature. When it comes to sleep tracking, not much has changed from the Galaxy Watch 8.

So, if you don't want to pay $379 for the 40mm or $409 for the 44mm models, this could be your chance to grab one of the best Samsung Galaxy smartwatches during sales.

Shop more deals

• See all deals in the Prime Day sale
• All headphones on sale at Amazon

The iPhone Duo is set to arrive later this month, but before you go ahead and pre-order Apple's first foldable you should be aware that Samsung's latest folding phones have just had a hefty discount thanks to Prime Day. These discounts take the price of both the passport-shaped Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the larger Z Fold 8 Ultra a few hundred dollars below what Apple is charging.

Normally costing $2,099, Amazon has knocked the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra down to $1,699 for a 256GB model. That's a saving of over $400, and $300 less than the iPhone Duo is set to cost. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has now dropped to $1,549, which is $350 less than the usual $1,899 price tag.

Both Samsung foldables are powerful, offer strong battery life and feature bright anti-reflective screens that let you enjoy all the extra space regardless of the environment. Plus, Samsung has been working hard to reduce the appearance of the crease, and while not completely invisible it is much harder to see than with previous devices.

Both Samsung foldables are thinner and lighter than the iPhone Duo, while also offering better multitasking, DeX desktop mode and now a much lower price tag. Not to mention the fact that Samsung has a clear advantage when it comes to AI features, on account of its own head start and collaborative efforts with Google.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra also has the added benefit of including a 200MP main camera and a third camera lens, a 10MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom. But the regular Fold 8 is the one to get if you prefer a more compact design and wider main display.

There are some downsides, though. The main one is that Samsung doesn't offer stylus support on its latest foldables, whereas Apple does with the Apple Pencil. In addition, Apple offers faster charging, MagSafe support, IP68 dust resistance and vapor chamber cooling for improved performance. The Z Fold 8 also lacks the ability to detect the way the screen and hinge are positioned, which both the Ultra (as Flex View) and iPhone Duo offer.

There's a lot to love about foldable phones, but the prices have always been particularly excessive. With that in mind, the ability to save such a considerable amount of money on two of the latest foldables, and so soon after they first released, is a deal that most people can't afford to miss out on.

Shop more deals

• See all deals in the Prime Day sale
• Sign up for Amazon Prime

The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is a phone that sits in a very awkward position in Samsung's phone lineup. The phone is designed to be a lower cost alternative to the standard Galaxy S26, but it also faces increased competition from the, frankly excellent, mid-range Galaxy A57. I've been questioning the need for a "Fan Edition" of Samsung's flagships, but with everything going on in the world it actually feels like a good mix of premium and affordable.

The price is the main factor for the S26 FE's success, especially now that Samsung has hiked prices for the rest of the Galaxy S26 series. On top of that you also have a lot of premium AI features, a solid (is imperfect) camera and a premium feel. However, that doesn't change the fact that the S26 FE has weak performance, and struggles to differentiate itself from both the Galaxy S25 FE and the cheaper Galaxy A57

Read our Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review to see whether this phone is right for you.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? The latest release in Samsung's long-running "Fan Edition" series, offering a lower price tag in exchange for slightly worse features than the standard Galaxy S26
• Who is it for? The people who can't justify spending the full $899 on a Galaxy S26, but don't want to deal with the larger compromises made on the cheaper Galaxy A57
• What does it cost? Prices for the S26 FE start at $699, for a model with 128GB of storage. A 256GB model is also available for $799, which is $200 lower than the 256GB Galaxy S26's newly-raised starting price.
• What do we like? The low starting price, the good battery life, solid camera quality and the number of premium AI features Samsung has included.
• What don't we like? The weak performance, the lack of upgrades compared to last year and the fact the Samsung Galaxy A57 isn't that far behind.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: The ups

$699 starting price

When I first went hands-on with the Galaxy S26 FE I commented on the fact that the phone wasn't actually that much cheaper than the Galaxy S26. In fact, at the time, a 256GB S26 FE cost the same amount as a 256GB Galaxy S26. Things have changed since then, though, thanks to Samsung hiking the price of the entire Galaxy S26 lineup — except the Galaxy S26 FE.

This means that the cheapest Galaxy S26 is now $999, complete with 256GB of storage. Meanwhile the cheapest S26 FE is $699, while the larger 256GB storage option will set you back $799. That's a $200-$300 difference, depending on how much storage you actually require.

With the cost of entry suddenly much higher, that gives a huge advantage to the Galaxy S26 FE since it offers a lot of the same features as the Galaxy S26 but for a much lower price tag.

Premium-feeling design

I'll caveat this by saying that the Galaxy S26 FE is not as premium as past fan edition phones. The S25 FE has the same matte glass back as the Galaxy S25 FE, but that isn't the case with the S26 equivalents. Instead, the S26 FE has a glossy glass back that looks more like the Galaxy A57 — to the point where I struggle to tell them apart.

That said, the design is more premium than your typical cheap phone. There's a large 6.9-inch display (rated up to 1,900 nits), and a brushed metal frame that helps the phone avoid feeling like it's a cheap device. The same goes for the solid glass camera bump, which is a trait Samsung usually reserves for other Galaxy S-series devices.

There's some weight to the S26 FE that makes it feel like it's got some solid construction. While lightweight designs are all the rage in certain circles, the extra half ounce the S26 FE has over the A57 goes a long way. Not to mention that the weight is fairly evenly distributed, giving the phone a more balanced feel. The mid-range Samsung feels a little too light for its size, and doesn't balance as well, which means it feels a little more flimsy as a result.

Solid AI features

It isn't a Samsung phone release without AI playing a key role in everything going forward, and the Galaxy S26 FE is no different. Samsung didn't add anything new and exclusive, which shouldn't surprise anyone, but it still added a bunch of Galaxy AI features we've tried and enjoyed on both the Galaxy S26 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Included here is My Fan Cam, which follows human beings to turn existing video into something brand new, the literally-named Horizontal Lock, Samsung's Document Scanner, Audio Eraser, Photo Assist's AI editing tools, Now Brief and the contextually aware Now Nudge, as well as the currently Samsung-exclusive Circle to Search upgrade that lets you scan multiple objects at once.

All of which makes this a solid low-cost choice for those of you that want access to Galaxy AI features.

Good battery life

We haven't been able to do our full battery life test on the Galaxy S26 FE just yet, but I have performed a rougher version to gauge just how much battery is lost when streaming video. That test involved streaming this YouTube video for three hours, with brightness set to 50%. For comparison's sake, I also ran the same test on the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy A57.

The Galaxy S26 FE was the worst of the three, which is bizarre considering it has a 4,900 mAh battery. At the end of the video stream it came out with 82%, compared to 85% on the 4,300 mAh Galaxy S26 and 87% on the 5,000 mAh Galaxy A57. That said, with an average battery loss of 6% per hour, that's not a huge amount of battery drain.

If that power consumption holds steady, it means the Galaxy S26 FE should last almost 17 hours in the same conditions. It's far from the best battery life we've seen, and logic dictates that the regular S26 should last 20 hours. But that should keep you going throughout the day.

As for charging, the Galaxy S26 FE promises up to 45W wired charging speeds. My USB-C power meter, paired with a 60W charging brick, saw the incoming power hit a high of 41W which is pretty close. As for actual recharging time, I found the S26 FE reached 39% after 15 minutes and 72% after half an hour.

That's faster than the S26 and A57, and only slightly behind the Galaxy S26 Ultra (77% in 30 minutes). The S26 FE hit 100% charge after 58 and a half minutes during my testing. This means that while the battery life could be better, at least you'll be able to recharge pretty quickly.

Camera quality is (mostly) good for the price

Since the Galaxy S26 FE is designed to sit between the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy S26, I decided that the fairest way to test the cameras was to compare all three phones together. To get an idea of just how much of a difference there is when the phones themselves sit a few hundred dollars apart from one another.

With the main camera lens, you can't see a whole lot of difference in the three, or at least you can't see them on my dog sitting in the foreground. At a glance the quality is generally pretty good, but if you look a little closer the A57 dips considerably compared to the S26 FE — which manages to capture more detail (especially in the background) and a higher quality.

It's a lot closer in quality to the standard S26, though I'd say the flagship model clinches it in terms of overall quality — despite the fact I can't see much difference on the dog.

The ultrawide lenses are easily the mostly evenly matched lenses on the three phones, and the quality is surprisingly uniform. I'd go so far as to say that the quality does improve as the price does, and both the S26 FE and S26 highlight the red spray paint a lot more clearly than the A57. However, the actual difference is not that noticeable unless you look super closely.

Sadly all three phones do a pretty poor job with zoom, no doubt thanks to the A57's lack of optical zoom and the S26 and FE's weak telephoto cameras. The S26 probably has the edge, especially since the S26 FE added a weird warm color hue to the photo, but none of them are particularly great when you crank magnification up to 3x.

Crank things up to 10x magnification and things are a lot worse. The A57 turned the tower into a fuzzy mess, while the S26 and S26 FE are more evenly matched — though not by a lot. The FE seemed to add a bunch of detail that the S26 didn't pick up. But considering the quality of the photo itself, I can't really say that's an improvement.

It's a similar story for both S26 models at 30x zoom — the maximum you can get on both these phones. The S26 FE looks a little washed out, and picked up darker coloring in the bricks, but the actual quality is on par with the standard S26. Though, this is not meant as a compliment.

When it comes to selfies, things are much the same. The overall quality isn't bad, but the level of detail you get improves as the phones get more expensive. The A57 is blurrier and captures far less, while the S26 FE looks a little more like a competent photo. However the S26 captures it the best, and you can make out the individual hair strands a lot more easily. Alongside improved background details.

Weirdly, though, things are a little different when Portrait mode is involved. Somehow the quality on the A57 seems to have been ramped up, to the point where I'd say the sharpness of the photo exceeds that of the S26 FE. Even the S26 seems to be struggling to visualize my facial hair and various facial details that the S26 FE manages without issue.

Things are more or less back to normal with low light photography. The S26 comes out on top in the detail department, though the difference between it and the S26 FE is not that severe. The two certainly managed to capture a similar amount of light to illuminate the final product. As for the A57, the quality isn't there and the lighting has been processed in a way that makes the photo look a lot colder. Almost as though the tomato plant is being illuminated by fluorescent lights.

Overall I'd say the S26 FE sits in a comfortable position between the A57 and the Galaxy S26. The S26 certainly has the edge in most areas, but the quality difference isn't actually that severe compared to the S26 FE's camera. There's also a noticeable difference between the FE and the Galaxy A57, even though the A57 isn't a bad camera for its price tag.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: The downs

Minimal hardware upgrades

Like many phones, the Galaxy S26 FE doesn't have a whole lot to offer when it comes to actual upgrades. The differences in comparison to the Galaxy S25 FE are minimal, and the only tangible changes are the upgraded Exynos chipset and the glass enclosure around the rear camera lens.

The rest of the hardware is basically identical, which shows Samsung is leaning more onto the software upgrades to try and sell the S26 FE. That's not bad, per se, and the S26 FE does have a heck of a lot of useful features you'd normally only find on flagship phones. However, there's no telling how many of those will make their way to S25 FE at some point.

In that respect, the S26 FE doesn't feel like a "must-have" device. Not unless you have a super-old Fan Edition phone, or some kind of mid-ranger that desperately needs upgrading.

Middling performance

When it comes to making phones cheap, compromises have to be made, and in the case of the Galaxy S26 FE Samsung appears to have nerfed the performance in a big way. The fact is, while the rest of the S26 series gets the custom Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chips (or the latest Exynos 2600), the S26 FE is stuck with the Exynos 2500 — a chip that debuted at the start of 2025.

Obviously this means that the phone does not have the same level of computing or graphics power as more expensive phones.

As you can see, the Galaxy S26 FE trails quite far behind both variants of the Galaxy S26. Likewise it falls quite far behind the iPhone 17e, which is powered by Apple's A18 chipset. However, the older Apple chipset always struggled with the graphics side of things, which means it lags quite far behind the S26 FE in that area.

Performance is one area that the S26 FE truly beats out the A57. The mid-range phone's performance is very poor by comparison, especially where graphics are concerned. However, considering the A57 is $150 cheaper, that's not a huge surprise. In any case, if you were hoping for flagship performance from the Galaxy S26 FE, you are out of luck.

The A57 isn't too far behind

Having tested both the Galaxy A57 and the Galaxy S26 FE, I can tell you that the lived experience of using both phones is very different. That said, the Galaxy A57 is still an excellent phone for its price, and on paper the differences between it and the Galaxy S26 FE are fairly minimal — especially for casual users who prioritize value and battery life over raw power.

While I personally think the extra $150 you pay for a Galaxy S26 FE is justifiable, my finances are different than yours — and Samsung is going a lot to make its mid-range phones a heck of a lot more appealing. To the point where it's essentially competing with itself on multiple fronts. Frankly, Samsung should have done more to help the S26 FE stand out on its own more, rather than being compared to lesser phones.

Samsung Galaxy S26 FE review: Verdict

I didn't have high hopes for the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE when Samsung first announced it. Personally, I felt as though the Fan Edition series was being awkwardly stuffed into a niche that didn't really need to be filled, to its own detriment. But actually using the phone, combined with Samsung's unceremonious price hike for the rest of the S26 series, has softened me up a bit. There's more to a phone than the basic hardware specs, and you don't really get to experience that without having it in your hand.

The Galaxy S26 FE offers a flagship experience that you just don't get on Samsung's cheaper phones right now. The experience has been nerfed slightly, in order to save money, but you still get a lot of the best parts of having a premium phone without the high price tag. Considering a regular Galaxy S26 now costs $999, the willingness to accept some of those compromises can now save you a bunch of extra money.

The lack of meaningful updates is not ideal, though, and if Samsung wants the Fan Edition series to continue long into the future, it's going to have to step up and not let it get neglected and end up the same way as the Galaxy Z Flip lineup.

The iPhone Duo is almost here, and there are lots of reasons to snatch up Apple’s first foldable phone come October 16 when pre-orders begin. It gives you a compact 5.4-inch phone and 7.6-inch mini tablet in one device, and it looks like an awesome option for those who want a more immersive viewing experience on the go along with dual-app multitasking — finally!

But as many in our comments have reminded me, Samsung has been making foldable phones for seven years. And that experience shows in the Galaxy Z Fold 8. It has a similar passport-style design to the iPhone Duo, but it offers some pretty unique advantages over Apple’s device and could be the best foldable phone for you. If you’re on the fence about getting an iPhone Duo or Galaxy Z Fold 8, here’s where Samsung’s device could sway you.

1. It’s considerably thinner and lighter

I only played around with the iPhone Duo for about an hour between various hands-on sessions, but it definitely feels heftier than the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Sure, the iPhone Duo is technically the “thinnest iPhone ever,” at just 5.2 mm unfolded. That’s even less than the iPhone Air’s 5.64mm. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is only 4.5 mm.

When folded, the iPhone Duo measures 11.3mm thick, compared to 9.7mm for the Fold 8. For context, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is 8.75mm thick. So while the Duo will slip into a pocket with ease, it will take up some room.

In addition, the iPhone Duo weighs 8.96 ounces or 254 grams, while the Fold 8 is a feather light 7.09 ounces (201 grams). Samsung’s foldable is even lighter than the regular iPhone 18 Pro (7.44 ounces), which has a relatively tiny 6.3 inch display compared to the 7.6-inch panel on the Fold 8.

2. You can run more apps at once

I give Apple plenty of credit for making running two apps at once so seamless and intuitive on the iPhone Duo. You just select an app and then place it on the left or right side of the display. From there you can easily create app pairs and go back to them at any time. And it’s also a cinch to switch out apps; you just swipe up and go back to the home screen — it’s like having two distinct desktops.

However, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 can let you run three tiled apps at the same time on screen. So, for example, I could have Gmail in one window, Slack in another and Spotify in another. It’s pretty cool. Plus, Samsung lets you put up to five floating windows on top. Now, eight apps at once seems like overkill to me, but it’s pretty amazing that you have that flexibility.

3. Gemini AI is more advanced

Siri AI is definitely improved in iOS 27, and it lets you do some pretty cool things on the iPhone Duo. You get better personal context understanding in all sorts of apps, including Messages and Notes. And there’s on-screen awareness, so you can say things like “add these items to my shopping list.” And I also appreciate that there’s finally a Siri mode in the camera app, so you don’t have to think about performing any shortcuts.

However, I think Galaxy AI and Gemini on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 are not only more advanced but more tailored to the foldable experience. For example, Now Nudge gives you suggestions in Messages for apps that you can open in split-screen mode, such as Calendar.

And Gemini itself is just more versatile than Siri AI. You can share your live camera video in real time and get advice and troubleshooting tips. I did this when trying to figure out how to clean out battery corrosion from an outdoor flood light.

4. It’s $100 cheaper

The Galaxy Fold 8 starts at $1,799, which is $100 less than the iPhone Duo. Plus, there are already some pretty good deals out there. At time of writing I found the Fold 8 for just $1,649 on Best Buy, which is $250 off.

I’m sure there will be plenty of iPhone Duo pre-order deals around Apple’s launch as well, so you should be able to get it at a discount. But as of now the Fold 8 is a better value.

Where the iPhone Duo wins

As good as Samsung’s foldable is, there are several ways the iPhone Duo beats the Fold 8. For example, the iPhone Duo offers an IP68 rating for durability, which means it’s protected from both water and dust. Samsung’s phone is only water resistant.

In addition, the iPhone Duo offers MagSafe built in for wireless charging, Apple Pencil support and vapor chamber cooling, which will presumably help with sustained performance for Apple’s faster A20 chip.

But Apple’s biggest advantage will likely come with software and apps. The iPhone Duo’s software can react based on the position of the hinge while the Fold 8 lacks Samsung’s Flex Mode. And I expect a sizable wave of Duo optimized apps at launch, including Slack, Netflix and Zoom.

Bottom line

The iPhone Duo clearly has the most buzz, and it makes sense because Apple is entering a new category. But I wouldn’t overlook the Galaxy Z Fold 8. It feels so light and thin that it almost seems like Samsung cheated physics. And if you like the idea of multitasking on a big screen, the Fold 8 lets you run more apps at once. And while Siri is smarter than ever, Samsung and Google are in the lead with AI features.

So which foldable has your interest? Let us know in the comments.

Samsung has officially increased prices for nearly every single Galaxy S26 model, save for one. And one variant of the S26 Ultra is now $200 more expensive.

It's essentially the second price hike for the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus since both models received $100 increases at launch compared to the S25 versions. At the time, the Galaxy S26 Ultra models retained the same $1,299 starting cost.

Only the more recently announced Galaxy S26 FE kept its launch price, though it is $50 more expensive than the S25 FE.

The prices listed are for the starting 256GB versions of each model. The 512GB versions of the S26 and S26 Plus now costs $1,199 and $1,399, respectively.

The Ultra models are now $1,599 for the 512GB variant and $1,999 for the 1TB, a $200 increase over the previous price.

In March, Samsung justified the first price increase by emphasizing upgrades and innovation, though company executives also admitted the ongoing AI-created RAMageddon was to blame. Unfortunately, the RAM crisis isn't going away anytime soon, and 2027 is expected to be worse by some than this year.

Next year's Galaxy S27 was just tipped for a price hike, but hopefully that's based on the original S26 prices and not these new ones.

What to do if you need a new Samsung phone

If you are in the market for a smartphone, my recommendation is wait for sales and big discounts. Never pay full price.

Otherwise, Samsung offers cheaper, capable phones like its Galaxy A57 series that starts at $549. In the meantime, Amazon is still offering the Galaxy S26 Ultra at the original price. That also includes some colors of the S26 and the S26 Plus.

Or, if you wait a week, Amazon's Prime Day sale is scheduled to kick off on October 6, and that sale usually features deep discounts on everything, including Samsung's flagship phones.

Or there's Black Friday and Cyber Monday just after Thanksgiving. Either way, the infuriating trend of ever increasing smartphone prices continues.

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Everything seems to be getting more expensive, and that's especially true when it comes to phones and other electronics. Production and component costs are on the rise, particularly RAM and storage, and that means the price increases getting passed on to us. Sadly, it seems as though the Galaxy S27 might be the next big phone to hike prices.

We've already heard rumors that the S27 Ultra could get a $100 price increase, which would mean prices start at $1,400 for the S27 UIltra instead of the current $1,300. However, the latest murmurs from the rumor mill suggest that the entire Galaxy S27 lineup could get a price increase. Again.

Galaxy S27 Price hikes across the board

The rumor itself comes from a blog on Korean social media site Naver, and specifically blames the alleged price hike on the extortionate cost of memory. Apparently, Samsung can't absorb the price increases the way it used to, and that means the cost of S27 models is going up in the Korean market.

This doesn't necessarily mean that prices will be going up in other regions. That said, if a Korean price hike is tied to RAMageddon costs, it seems unlikely that Samsung would give other markets a pass. Then again, stranger things have happened.

The base price increase is said to be in the "higher 130,000 won range" which is roughly $95 at the current exchange rate. The cost to upgrade your storage is said to be going up as well, though the exact price change isn't detailed.

Currently, an upgrade from 256GB to 512GB is an extra $200, while S26 Ultra owners are expected to pay another $400 on top of that if they want a 1TB model — or $600 more than a 256GB model.

That's quite a lot, especially when those sorts of upgrades used to be as little as $100 in recent years. The prospect of another storage price increase cements my opinion that high storage phones are a scam.

The S27 Ultra could be even heavier, too

The price isn't the only thing about the Galaxy S27 Ultra that could be increasing. A new rumor, courtesy of Ice Universe, claims that the phone will weigh 218 grams (7.69 ounces), which is four grams more than the Galaxy S26 Ultra. However, the thickness will apparently stay the same 7.9mm (0.31-inches) for another year.

Ice Universe has a solid track record when it comes to Samsung leaks, but there's always a chance that he's wrong. However, if we take them at their word, those few extra grams have to come from somewhere. The question is, what is causing the extra weight to be piled onto the phone? Especially with rumors claiming that Samsung is removing features like the secondary telephoto lens.

The most obvious answer could be the battery. Samsung is expected to utilize silicon carbon batteries, just as it did with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series, allowing it to add more battery capacity into the same size. That would explain the lack of extra thickness, and the minimal weight increase. The battery itself is rumored to be 5,700 mAh, compared to S26 Ultra's 5,000 mAh power pack.

Samsung is also rumored to be adding magnets to the back of its phone, and facilitating the full Qi2 wireless charging experience. This would allow users to use magnetic chargers and accessories without using a special case, much like you can do on iPhones and recent Pixel flagships.

We don't know how heavy Qi2 or MagSafe magnets actually are, but they don't weigh nothing.

The Qi2-enabled Pixel 10 Pro XL was 11 grams heavier than the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max was just two grams heavier than the MagSafe-free iPhone 11 Pro Max.

The Galaxy S27 series is expected to launch in early 2027, and in the meantime you can check out our story on all the different ways it could beat the new iPhone 18 Pro.

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The Samsung SmartTag3 will soon be here to give Apple AirTags a run for their money. This is especially true since Samsung’s upcoming smart trackers now offer cross-OS support. That level of universality should make them more appealing no matter your preferred platform.

During a recent Samsung event, I went hands-on with the SmartTag3 and was impressed by its new features and compact design. It also didn’t hurt that a cute dog was at the event to show how the tags benefit pet owners. But whether it’s your fur baby or your luggage, SmartTag3 should help you keep track of your precious items.

Here’s what I think of the Samsung SmartTag 3.

Samsung SmartTag3: Price and availability

Just in time for the holiday season, the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag3 will be available in the U.S. in early November. A one-pack will cost $29, and a four-pack will be $99. Tags will be available in White and Black.

Additionally, Samsung will offer new official accessories for its tags. These include a Silicone Case with a keyring and a Loop Case. Pricing has yet to be announced.

Samsung SmartTag3: Design

Instead of a key fob design like the Galaxy SmartTag 2, the new SmartTag3 resembles a small puck. It’s now about 35% smaller by volume and 33% lighter than the previous model. That makes it easy to attach the tags to keys, small bags, luggage, or even your pet’s collar.

The rounded tag also features an aluminum-decorated button, giving it a more elegant look and a durable feel.

I like how the tags are elegant yet unobtrusive. Whether you place them on your backpack or your dog’s collar, they won’t look out of place. They also feel nice to hold thanks to their smooth texture.

Samsung SmartTag3: Core features

One of the biggest new features, and a first for the Galaxy SmartTag lineup, is cross-OS compatibility for Galaxy and iOS devices. Samsung says this will make it easier for families and groups to access core finding and sharing features across platforms. In other words, if you’re an iPhone user, the SmartTag3 will work with your phone.

Via SmartThings Find, you can check and share a tag’s location and use Search Nearby across supported devices. So if a family member borrows your bookbag, you can check its location and use supported finding features from your Galaxy or iPhone.

If you’ve lost track of something in your home, you can use Compass View to help find it. Acting like one of the trackers in the Alien movies (minus the monsters), Compass View provides distance and directional guidance from up to 60 meters away, which is about three times farther than the previous model. As you get closer, you’ll see a circle on the app begin to fill, and it will fill when you’re in the target location.

What happens when the SmartTag3 moves outside the connection range? That’s where the Galaxy Find Network kicks in to keep the search going. As Samsung explained, more than 900 million participating Galaxy devices worldwide can act as finding nodes to detect the SmartTag3 and update its location beyond your phone’s reach.

Samsung’s smart tags also tell you when objects or pets move from their usual areas via the Place Notification feature. This saves you from constantly checking whether something has moved. If it does, you’ll be notified. Location History also lets you review where your tag has been, while the Movement Detection Alert feature notifies you when movement is detected.

Lastly, the SmartTag3 promises up to 550 days of battery life under normal use and up to 790 days in power-saving mode. Since Apple’s Smart Tags last about a year (365 days), this is another reason for Apple users to consider Samsung’s SmartTag.

Outlook

Samsung has stepped things up with the SmartTag 3, making it more useful for tracking the things you don’t want to lose. Cross-OS support is arguably the biggest new feature, as it opens up these trackers to folks outside the Samsung ecosystem.

As an iPhone user myself, I’m impressed by what I saw and would gladly give these smart trackers a shot. You all can too, as November is just around the corner. Stay tuned for more!

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The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra is coming next year, and we've already started hearing a bunch of rumors about the upcoming phone, including a redesign that could see the camera layout drastically change for the first time in several years. However, the latest leaks suggest Samsung will implement much grander changes than just the camera's look.

In fact, it now seems as though the new look could come at the expense of Samsung's trademark fourth camera lens — the secondary telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Or, at least, that's what long-time leaker Ice Universe claims over on X.

Ice Universe notes that the camera app will now jump from 1x magnification on the main lens, straight to 5x magnification on the soon-to-be-solo telephoto lens. So there's no optical magnification sitting between the two, though the main lens will presumably still offer the 2x "optical quality" digital zoom that's become so popular on flagship phones in recent years.

Ice has stuck with past claims that the telephoto camera itself will remain unchanged, with the same 5x 50MP lens that is currently available on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. This also means that the long-standing rumors that Samsung might offer some kind of variable optical zoom presumably won't be happening next year.

The software could be changing too

Modern smartphone photography involves a lot more than having lots of megapixels or fancy lenses. The software is an integral part of the process, and the Galaxy S27 Ultra is tipped to make some big changes there as well.

This news also comes from Ice Universe, which claims three changes are coming to how the S27 Ultra processes photos. The first of which is a shift from cooler color tones to something warmer. I have noticed this with Samsung cameras in recent years, and the color-temperature shift should make the final photos look closer to what rival camera phones offer.

Samsung is also set to include better highlight control for small, bright objects, such as illuminated text or far-off light sources. According to Ice, the S26 Ultra struggles to suppress these highlights, causing lost detail and overexposure in the final photo. The S27 Ultra should, in theory, control that extra brightness and preserve the clarity of the shot.

Finally, Samsung is supposedly working to reduce noise in dark areas and offer a smoother image all round. This makes perfect sense, since Samsung has done a lot of work improving low-light capabilities and reducing photo noise over the past couple of years, with the help of AI. So there's little reason to expect that it would suddenly stop without warning.

Overall, this should give us better photos with a cleaner picture across light and shadow, plus a warmer tone that doesn't look as harsh as the current cool-looking Samsung-processed photos.

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There are a lot of things to love about the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, but they definitely are not perfect. There are things that Apple's latest flagships are missing, and that could give Samsung an advantage with the release of the Galaxy S27 Ultra next year.

Success over Apple isn't guaranteed, but with Galaxy S27 Ultra rumors arriving pretty regularly, we're getting a good idea of what the next Samsung flagship could offer. There could be some pretty big changes, including a brand new design that ditches the vertical camera array of the last several generations of Galaxy phones.

That's only scratching the surface. These 5 things in particular could help the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra beat the iPhone 18 Pro — but there are two ways Apple could stay on top.

A bigger battery

Samsung already proved that it has what it takes to boost battery capacity without affecting the design of the device — as we saw with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's 5,000 mAh silicon carbon battery. Rumor has it that Samsung could utilize the same tech in the S27 Ultra, which makes total sense considering how long the Ultra models have been stuck with 5,000 mAh batteries

Regulator documents have already revealed that Samsung could add a 5,700 mAh battery to the phone. That's a 14% increase over the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and while it's nowhere near as large as the 7,300 mAh OnePlus 15, it's still a noticeable jump in available power. That should hopefully increase the overall battery life. That said, we won't know whether it will exceed the iPhone 18 Pro Max's 18 hours and 27 minutes.

That would require an extra two hours of battery life on Samsung's part, so it better get to work on the efficiency side of things.

An improved privacy display

The Privacy Display is the S26 Ultra's stand-out feature, but it wasn't perfect, and what we really want to see are some improvements to the technology. We'd hope that means brighter overall displays, even when Privacy Display is turned off, and more versatile use of the dimmed sections of the screen.

The latter may be coming true, with leaker Ice Universe claiming that Samsung will adopt a feature that Xiaomi included on the newly-released 18 Pro — a split-screen privacy display. This feature would work in tandem with the S27 Ultra's multitasking, and would expand or contract according to how big the different windows are. The other window is fully lit and visible.

S Pen

While the iPhone Duo is set to get Apple Pencil support, the iPhone 18 Pro does not. The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra is likely to stick with the same level of S Pen support Samsung has offered for the past several years.

We're not expecting any major changes with the S27 Ultra's S Pen. This means you shouldn't expect to see the return of Bluetooth or other more advanced functionality we have seen in previous years. But even the simplest S Pen around is something that Apple doesn't offer on its flagship. So if you like to use a stylus to draw, take notes or make fine photo edits, the S27 Ultra is a more appealing device.

Better camera hardware

Ultra-tier Galaxy phones already have superior camera hardware, thanks to the 200MP main sensor, but things could be getting even better with the S27 Ultra — in the front and back of the phone.

The first upgrade rumor is the addition of a 16MP selfie camera, which would be a notable upgrade from the 12MP shooter on the S26 Ultra. While that's still a little bit less than the 18MP Center Stage camera on iPhone 18 Pro, it's still a welcome upgrade. However, Samsung could jump ahead with rumors of a large sensor on the telephoto lens.

Some rumors suggest that Samsung could offer a larger 1/1.9-inch telephoto sensor, but as a result reduce the amount of optical zoom from 5x magnification to 4x. However, this has been disputed by some leakers, who claim Samsung is sticking with the same 5x 1/2.52-inch sensor as the S26 Ultra. But either way, it's a telephoto lens offering higher resolution and sensor size than the 48MP 1/2.55-inch sensor on iPhone 18 Pro Max.

A 16GB RAM option

While it's unlikely that we'll see the S27 Ultra get a full 16GB of RAM in its cheapest form, there's still a good chance the pricier 1TB models will get that memory boost. This should in turn give those models a slight advantage when it comes to processing, specifically where on-device AI is concerned.

Considering on-device AI is a big focus for Apple, the 12GB of RAM in the iPhone 18 Pro doesn't seem quite so impressive. The S27 Ultra, with more advanced Galaxy AI and computing hardware, could end up leaving the iPhone 18 Pro in the dust here.

2 ways Apple can still win

Performance power

We can't say for certain how powerful the Galaxy S27 Ultra will be, but we have tested the chip that should power the phone when it arrives next year — the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. We have done some benchmarking tests with a Qualcomm Reference Device, which gives us an idea of how the chip should perform. As powerful as it is, it doesn't really compare to Apple's A20 Pro in a lot of areas.

As you can see, the A20 Pro pulls ahead in most areas, including single- and multi-core benchmarking tests, and 3DMark's Solar Bay Extreme graphics test. The figures are close in a lot of places, but the only time the Gen 6 chip outpaces Apple is with the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme graphics test.

We don't know how Qualcomm's chip will perform on the S27 Ultra, especially if Samsung gets another custom "for Galaxy" chipset, but for now it seems like Apple certainly has the upper hand.

More storage

As small a difference as it may be, we know that Apple currently offers more storage space than Samsung — offering a maximum storage space of 2TB to Samsung's 1TB. There's always the possibility that this could change, but the rumors suggest otherwise. In fact, the S27 series will apparently have the exact same storage options as the S26 series. This means the Ultra will max out at 1TB.

Those larger storage variants might get LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.1 storage, which would be a benefit for performance and loading speed. Sadly, your maximum limit will be the same 1TB as always, if these rumors are to be believed.

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Roku is rolling out its first OLED TV, and stock is already lining shelves alongside rival sets from LG, Samsung and Sony. With its competitors having a generous headstart in the OLED sales race, Roku certainly has some catching up to do.

But outside of sales, there’s another arena in which Roku might have to catch up: OLED performance. Sony, Samsung and especially LG have had several years to tinker with their secret formulas for self-emissive success. Despite using similar hardware as some of the best OLED TVs on the market, Roku’s engineers haven’t yet shown us what sort of performance they can get out of the tech.

We’re still cracking away at our full-length Roku Pro Series OLED review, but in the meantime, I wanted to give folks a sneak-peek at some of our findings. Here’s how Roku’s brand-new OLED compares to two of the most popular models on the market.

Roku Pro Series OLED test results: At a glance

Our test results for the LG C6 and Samsung S90H were taken when each of these TVs were set to Filmmaker, their most-accurate picture mode. The Roku Pro Series OLED does not come with Filmmaker mode, so its SDR results have been measured in Movie mode, while the HDR results below were taken in HDR Dark with its Display Brightness set to Brighter.

Given the Pro Series OLED's range of picture modes and brightness-related settings, it's quite possible to produce slightly brighter (or dimmer) results when measuring these test patterns.

However, when comparing the numbers on the chart above, it's worth noting that the C6 and the S90H were measured with a similar set of constraints. As a result, these figures should give you some idea of the key differences in performance when a clean, accurate picture is in play.

While there's not much of a difference between peak HDR brightness on the C6 and S90H, there is a sizable gap between those sets and the Pro Series OLED, at least when it comes to small, concentrated areas of brightness. These are known as specular highlights, and due to their self-lit pixels, OLEDs are particularly good at leveraging highlight brightness for added depth.

The inherent liveliness of an OLED's eye-popping micro-contrast is good news for the Pro Series. Its peak highlight brightness may not be as high as its competitors, but because these objects are being shown on a display capable of perfect black levels, its 500 to 700 nits of HDR brightness appears brighter than it would on an LCD/LED-based TV.

But don't get it twisted: The C6 and S90H are nevertheless the brighter TVs. HDR movies, shows and games will pop on these sets more than they will on the Roku Pro Series OLED.

In SDR — particularly in an accurate picture mode like Movie — the Pro Series hangs tough with its rivals. No OLED TV can safely offer the room-filling, full-picture brightness you might see on a high-powered Mini-LED or RGB LED TV, but for everyday content like cable TV and YouTube videos, the Roku Pro Series offers a similar presentation as the C6 and S90H. It also delivers a finely tuned, accurate picture in Movie mode.

Lastly, let's chat color. The Pro Series OLED's limited brightness partially explains its limited HDR color range, as its simply not bright enough to produce some of the dimmer, subtler shades you'll see on the LG C6 and Samsung S90H.

It's an entry-level OLED, after all

Technically speaking, the C6 and S90H are mid-range models, as they're each sandwiched between entry-level and flagship OLEDs in both brand's respective lineup. One could easily make the argument that, as an entry-level OLED, the Roku Pro Series isn't fairly matched up against this pair of rivals.

The pricing bears this out. The 55-inch Roku Pro Series is currently $999 on Amazon, while the 55-inch C6 and S90H are each $1,499.

A closer match-up would be between the Pro Series OLED and the LG B6 — LG's most-affordable OLED TV in 2026. On Samsung's side, the S85H OLED represents the brand's cheapest mainline OLED TV this year.

For what it's worth, the 55-inch B6 and S85H are priced between $999 and $1,199 at the time of publishing, which is closer in line with Roku's most-affordable OLED. In the coming weeks, we'll be taking a closer look at how the Roku Pro Series OLED compares to LG and Samsung's entry-level sets.

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Samsung — the brand whose name is synonymous with QLED — might be leaving the popular TV type in the dust.

According to a recent report by the South Korean outlet ETNews, Samsung is in the process of drastically reducing its production of QLED TVs, and could potentially phase them out entirely by 2028.

In recent years, many of Samsung’s best TVs have carried the QLED designation, and it’s a dramatic shift for a company that once fought tooth and nail for QLED supremacy. But if this is truly the path Samsung has chosen, there could be a silver lining for future TV shoppers: cheaper Micro RGB TVs.

Samsung put QLED on the map — but then the map changed

Let's start with the bad news: Samsung's QLED reduction plans could see production drop by 80%, as it’s dropping from 10 million units down to just 2 to 3 million. By 2028, all Samsung QLEDs — including Neo QLEDs — could be TVs of the past.

While many popular brands offer quantum dot-enhanced TVs, Samsung gets credit for popularizing the term “QLED” as a means of describing what it viewed as a core feature.

In recent years, Samsung even expanded its lineup to include Neo QLED TVs. Initially, the term referred to quantum dot-enhanced sets that leveraged Mini-LED backlighting with full-array local dimming — the best-performing, non-OLED TVs in Samsung’s catalogue.

Unfortunately, Neo QLEDs are on their way out and, worse, some Neo QLEDs have even dropped hardware-based local dimming.

But QLED's slow demise isn't all gloom and doom: 2026 marked the first year that Samsung’s Micro RGB TVs sat at the top of its LED lineup. These souped-up Mini-LED TVs use red-, green- and blue-colored backlights to enhance color rather than quantum dots.

In retrospect, Samsung's restructuring of the Neo QLED lineup dovetailing with the release of its two first Micro RGB TVs should’ve been a strong indication that the former was on its way out.

This leaves somewhat of a vacancy in the mid-range-to-high-end, non-OLED section of Samsung’s portfolio. And the candidate that makes the most sense to fill that space is Micro RGB.

Analysis: Micro RGB expansion will lead to cheaper Micro RGB TVs

To my eyes, of the many brands taking a swing at RGB LED technology, Samsung’s Micro RGB tech is second only to Sony’s True RGB.

It takes a well-engineered combination of nimble hardware and intricate processing for a complex arrangement of red-, blue- and green-colored LEDs to properly harmonize, and Samsung seems to have figured it out.

The next step, then, is to expand. For Samsung, it’s just as important that the production of Micro RGB TVs gets more cost-effective than that the tech improves at the highest end.

There are two Micro RGB TVs available to the average consumer this year: the Samsung R85H and the flagship R95H. At the time of publishing, the 55-inch, entry-level R85H is the most affordable path to Samsung Micro RGB, but $1,199 is not cheap.

If Samsung does, indeed, phase out its QLEDs, then garden-variety, non-quantum-dot LED TVs will represent the cheapest tier of Samsung’s lineup. Some, I assume, will tap Mini-LEDs.

By the time this comes to pass, it would be shocking if Samsung's Micro RGB TV lineup hasn’t expanded beyond just a pair of (rather pricey) sets. After all, it took a few years, but Samsung now offers three tiers of OLED TV per year. When it first returned to the OLED scene, Samsung only sold one model.

There’s nothing stopping Hisense, Sony and TCL from continuing to tinker with quantum-dot color for the foreseeable future, either. Things could change in a hurry, but from where we’re sitting right now, TCL seems to be all-in on Super Quantum Dot (SQD), the brand’s newest spin on an old formula.

It may be bittersweet to say goodbye to our old friend QLED, but if Samsung plays its cards right, it could bring RGB LED technology to the masses before anyone else — just as it did with quantum dots once before.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung TV report card 2026: 'You can rely on Samsung to deliver exceptional performance'
• Are flagship Mini-LED TVs on their way out? Here’s how RGB LED technology is already reshaping the industry
• TCL is suing Samsung for false advertising on its Mini-LED TVs — here’s how to tell if your TV is included

We asked Tom's Guide readers if they would rather pick up Apple's new iPhone Duo or the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the winner was quite surprising.

With 2,761 votes, one device proved far more popular than the other by more than double the votes, but was it the Apple iPhone Duo or Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8? Check out the results below.

Which flagship foldable would you rather purchase?

• 1st place: 62%, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
• 2nd place: 23%, iPhone Duo
• 3rd place: 15%, Neither

With a total of 1,705 votes, 62% of respondents said the Samsung foldable is their preferred foldable phone. Apple's Duo came in a distant second with 632 votes, or 23%.

Meanwhile, 424 people said they weren't interested in either phone. If you find yourself in that camp, what would you buy instead? Or is this category too pricey for you?

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the winner, but why?

So why did the Galaxy Z Fold 8 dominate our poll over the iPhone Duo.

I think it comes down to a few of factors in the battle between the Z Fold 8 and iPhone Duo: design, price and expertise.

The Duo starts at $1,999 for the 256GB version and goes up to over $3k for the 2TB option. Samsung's foldable starts at $1,899, not a big difference but with how expensive the world has gotten in the last two years every dollar matters. No, Samsung doesn't offer a 2TB variant but the top-end 1TB model will cost you $2,499, again $100 than the equivalent Duo version.

Additionally, the Z Fold 8 offers a thinner and lighter design than the iPhone Duo. And Samsung lets you run more than two apps at once, which is better for multitasking. Plus, Samsung has been iterating foldables for eight generations, while this is Apple's first attempt.

There is concern over visibility and brightness with the matte finish on the Duo display, which is meant to hide the crease. Pictures of CEO John Ternus at the Emmys recently stirred up controversy online, but we thought it was plenty bright in our hands-on time.

As we've found, though, the iPhone Duo has multiple features that the Z Fold 8 doesn't, including iP68 durability, stylus support, faster charging, and a vapor chamber for better cooling.

What you have said

One reader said in a comment that they were staying away from all things Apple as they didn't want to get sucked into another ecosystem. "I have Samsungs 8 ultra, and I am impressed with it," they said.

As a counterpoint, another reader wrote that the "crucial factor" when comparing Samsung and Apple is Apple's "after-purchase service experience."

"Functionally, I have liked both platforms, but there is a fundamental difference in corporate philosophy. Apple actively invests in both technology and the customer service infrastructure required to support it. Samsung, on the other hand, focuses almost entirely on tech specs while leaving its customer support framework completely neglected," they said.

Bottom line

The iPhone Duo may be the belle of the ball after its recent announcement, but you won't be able to actually hold it in your hands until October 23.

Meanwhile, the Z Fold 8 is available right now and is a pretty impressive foldable, even if Apple's device beats it in some areas.

Let us know: why would you pick the Duo or the Z Fold 8? Don't like either? What's your replacement?

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple Watch Ultra 4 review: I ran 22 miles to test Apple’s ultimate adventure watch
• 11 best iOS 27 hidden features you can't afford to miss
• iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max benchmarks: These are the fastest phones we've ever tested

The Galaxy Watch Ultra series is Samsung's answer to the rugged, outdoor adventure-ready Apple Watch Ultra series, and the latest model, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, makes a strong case for being the best tough-built, full-featured smartwatch on the market today.

Two years after the launch of the original ultra-rugged Samsung Galaxy Watch, the new model adds better battery life, tons of new health and fitness insights, a brighter screen, and improved water resistance, all in a familiar design.

But can the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 actually keep up with the latest Apple Watch Ultra 4 and/or the best Garmin watches when it comes to logging adrenaline-pumping activities like mountain bike rides, hikes, and more? I decided to find out by wearing the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 for two weeks. Here's what I discovered.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Key upgrades

But first, here’s a cheat sheet to all the most notable Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 stats and upgrades.

• Price: At $699, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is $50 more than its predecessor, which launched two years ago, but still $100 less than its nearest competitor, the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
• Design: The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a tiny bit thinner than the original Galaxy Watch Ultra, but you may not notice the difference; the dimensions and weight are nearly identical to the original model
• Screen: Maximum screen brightness has been bumped up from 4,000 nits to 5,000 nits, making it remarkably visible in direct sunlight
• Health features: New 'Vitals' dashboard with key metrics including heart rate, HRV, Sp02, body temp, and breath rate in one place; new 'Heart Health' score
• Fitness features: New Cardio Load insights, new Fitness Index score out of 100 based on factors like daily step count average, V02 Max, average heart rate, BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), and average workout recovery time
• Battery life: 800 mAh battery is the largest in an Android wearable and a 35% capacity increase over the original Galaxy Watch Ultra; battery life usage averages ~25% drain per day in testing so far

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Versus competition

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 value: 3/5

• At $699, the Ultra 2 is $50 more than its predecessor but still $100 cheaper than the Apple Watch Ultra 4
• The more affordable Galaxy Watch 9 offers most of the same features as the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, starting at $379

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is priced at $699, a modest $50 increase over the launch price of its two-year-old predecessor. More notably, it's a hundred bucks cheaper than the latest Apple Watch Ultra 4, its nearest non-Android competitor.

Meanwhile, the latest Galaxy Watch 9 models —which share pretty much all the same features, just in a less beefy package — range from $379 to $459.

The $699 Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is available now in stores and online.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 display: 4.5/5

• The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 has one of the largest, brightest displays in any full-featured smartwatch
• Max brightness is 5,000 nits, making the Ultra 2 a breeze to read in direct sunlight

The new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 sports a sizable 1.52-inch display that maxes out at an impressive 5,000 nits, making it one of the brightest displays in any full-featured wearable, including 2026's best smartwatches.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4, by comparison, also features a large, lovely display, but it only maxes out at 3,000 nits. Real-world translation: the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a lot easier to read in bright sunlight than the newest Apple Watch Ultra.

I also wore both the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Garmin Instinct 3 — my go-to GPS sports watch — while e-mountain biking and also found the former more legible while on the move.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 design and durability: 4/5

• Unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is now officially scuba dive-certified
• The case is a little slimmer than before, but you might not notice; ultimately, the Galaxy Watch Ultra feels pretty chunky on my 6.5-inch wrist
• The included strap is softer and more flexible than the strap for the original model

The original Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra promises 100 meters of water resistance, but unlike its Apple Watch Ultra counterpart, Samsung's rugged model wasn't intended for use while diving or even snorkeling.

Samsung no doubt caught some flak for this shortcoming. Thankfully, the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is thoroughly dive-ready. In fact, Samsung partnered with the industry-trusted Mares diving app to turn the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 into a fully-fledged dive computer, complete with speed monitoring and safety-stop alerts. The app costs $8.99 a month or $69.99 for the year.

The Ultra 2 is rated for 100 meters of water resistance and is EN13319-certified for scuba diving and IP69K-certified against dust and moisture.

Design-wise, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 looks nearly identical to its predecessor, with close-to-the-same dimensions and weight. That said, Samsung technically shaved 2mm off the case thickness, but I hardly noticed it. The case still feels very large on my 6.5-inch wrist.

There are three physical buttons along one side of the case; the center "Action" button can be customized to perform one of eight actions. I set it up to start a workout.

One less obvious but definitely welcome design change is the inclusion of a softer, more flexible strap. Also, the Ultra 2 uses the same attachment system as its predecessor, so if you prefer the older version, you can easily swap it onto the newer model.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Health tools: 4.5/5

• New Vitals tab in Samsung Health app provides useful insights into long-term health and fitness trends
• Comprehensive sleep tracking reports on par with the best smartwatches
• None of Samsung's holistic features are paywalled, unlike Google and Garmin
• New Heart Health score for monitoring cardiovascular wellness

Similar to the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 9, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 ships fully-loaded with all sorts of new health and fitness insights.

These features include a new Vitals dashboard in the Samsung Health app for viewing your most important up-to-the-minute health stats in one place, a new Cardio Load score to track your heart health, and a new Fitness Index score that compares your overall physical health to averages for your age and gender.

The Vitals tab shows your current heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), blood oxygen saturation percentage (Sp02), body temperature, and breathing rate.

The new Heart Health score ranges from one to 100, with the upper end being better. This metric updates dynamically throughout the day, keeping users appraised of how their everyday decisions may be impacting cardiovascular health for better or worse.

Fitness Index, meanwhile, factors in loads of fitness and wellness metrics to figure out how your overall health compares to your peers in five key categories: strength, cardio, endurance, flexibility, and body composition. You also get a dynamic score from one to 100 (mine is currently 82, or "average").

Samsung's smartwatches deliver some of the most detailed and actionable sleep reports of any smartwatch brand, and even though there aren't any shiny new features, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a mighty fine sleep tracker. That is, assuming you can get over wearing something so chunky to bed.

Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is FDA-cleared for sleep apnea detection, something that can't be said for the newest Google Pixel Watch models.

Also, unlike some of the competition — cough, cough, Google and Garmin — Samsung doesn't make you pay a monthly or annual subscription to access the full suite of health insights, including AI-powered personalized training and recovery recommendations.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 fitness tracking: 3/5

• Reliable heart rate tracking
• Nearly as reliable at logging workouts as the best outdoor adventure watches, with one exception...
• The Ultra 2 tends to overinflate the 'Climb' metric when logging walks, runs, bike rides, and hikes
• Lacks tracking modes for some of the more nuanced yet popular outdoor activities like mountain biking and e-biking

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is rightfully billed as a smartwatch for outdoor enthusiasts and lovers of extreme-style sports. However, I found two shortcomings in my testing.

First, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 sometimes struggles to accurately track elevation gain when logging an outdoor workout, with a tendency to noticeably inflate climb data. I encountered this when testing the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 vs. Garmin Instinct 3 while city cycling in hilly Seattle, Washington, and again when I went e-mountain biking in Washington State's Cougar Country.

That said, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 performed extremely well in a head-to-head walk test comparison versus the Apple Watch Ultra 3. However, it once again delivered highly inflated elevation data when I hiked the Cascade Mountains with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 vs. Garmin Instinct 3 vs. Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Elevation tracking aside, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 largely performs as well as the best smartwatches and fitness trackers when it comes to reliably logging both moving and stationary workouts. Ultimately, as long as you wear the device tight enough, heart rate data should also be highly accurate.

My other criticism of the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, which, again, is sold as an outdoor adventure-ready smartwatch, is a lack of tracking modes for popular activities, like mountain biking and e-biking.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 AI features: 3.5/5

• Google's useful Gemini AI voice assistant is built-in and can be launched via a handy, new 'Raise to talk' gesture control

In addition to AI playing a part in some of Samsung's flagship new health features, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 ships with Google's Gemini AI voice assistant built-in. It's the best smartwatch voice assistant I've tested so far, though that may change after I thoroughly test the latest Siri AI on the Apple Watch Series 12.

With access granted to apps like Gmail and Google Calendar, the Gemini assistant is more than capable of answering super-specific questions like, "When did my sister say her flight is landing next week?" as well as more generic ones like "What's the cheapest, easiest way to soften a stiff T-shirt?"

Better yet, you can launch the Gemini assistant using the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 by simply raising your wrist (you will need to first turn it on in the settings menu). Samsung's "Raise to talk" gesture control is remarkably effective, on par with Google's version for the Pixel Watch 4 and 5.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 battery: 4.5/5

• The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 exceeded its 60-hour-per-charge battery life rating in testing, lasting closer to 72 hours per charge with the always-on display enabled
• This makes it one of the longest-lasting full-featured smartwatches for Android in 2026 and longer-lasting than the latest Apple Watch Ultra 4

Not only did Samsung equip the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 with a higher-capacity battery — 590 mAh for the old model vs. 800 mAh for the new one — but the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is also more power-efficient than its predecessor, despite a brighter display.

The original Galaxy Watch Ultra had a battery life rating of 48 hours per charge, a claim we verified in our testing. The new model is rated to last up to 60 hours per charge, but in my testing, it comfortably surpassed that, cruising for closer to 72 hours per charge.

By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 gets 40 hours per charge at best (44mm). Meanwhile, the latest Apple Watch Ultra 4, the nearest competitor to the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, lasts for about 50 hours per charge.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 review: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a meaningful update to the original Galaxy Watch Ultra. The newer model is even tougher, with legit scuba-diving-ready specs and features, longer-lasting, with up to three days of battery per charge, and ever-so-slightly more comfortable thanks to a thinner case and a softer, more flexible strap.

The screen brightness has also been increased, giving the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 the brightest display in any full-featured smartwatch for Android. Plus, new health and fitness tracking metrics help to bring long-term holistic trends into sharper focus.

As an outdoor adventure watch, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 proved mighty capable, with one exception: faulty elevation data. However, I'm hoping this is just a minor hiccup that will eventually be fixed with future firmware.

Ultimately, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a tougher, smarter, longer-lasting take on what was already one of the best Android smartwatches ever made. That, I think, is worth the $50 price increase.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 has been a strong reminder of why Samsung has been able to dominate the foldable phone market for so long. While it's true the company hasn't had a lot of competition, the fresh new form factor of the Fold 8 seems to have reinvigorated the interest in Galaxy foldables — just in time for Apple to jump onto the foldable bandwagon with the iPhone Duo.

The simple fact that this is a foldable iPhone means the Duo has the potential to offer Samsung the first serious competition for several years. The phone hasn't even been released yet, and we've already identified key ways that the iPhone Duo beats the similarly-styled Galaxy Z Fold 8. But what about the other way round?

Samsung has almost a decade of foldable experience, and that shows in the ways its latest release compares to Apple's first attempt. Here are seven ways the Galaxy Z Fold 8 beats the iPhone Duo.

It's lighter and thinner

Rumors suggested that the iPhone Duo would be the thinnest phone Apple has ever built, at 4.5mm (0.17-inches) thick when unfolded. That wasn't the case, and we now know that the iPhone Duo is 5.2mm (0.2 inches) thick — which is slightly less than the 5.6mm iPhone Air.

Meanwhile the Galaxy Z Fold 8 really is 4.5mm thick when it's unfolded, making it one of the thinnest phones you can go out and buy. It's also much lighter than the iPhone Duo, weighing 201 grams (7.09 ounces) to Apple's 254 grams (8.96 ounces). That weight actually makes the Duo one of the heaviest iPhones Apple has ever released.

The difference between the two may not seem like much, it does mean that the Z Fold 8 is likely to be more comfortable to use.

A cheaper price tag

Foldable phones are not cheap, with both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and iPhone Duo costing several hundred dollars more than their non-folding counterparts. But when it comes to the actual asking price, Samsung has the edge.

The cheapest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is $1,899, which gets you a model with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. Apple's cheapest iPhone Duo offers the same level of memory and storage, but it costs $1,999 — $100 more.

That price disparity sticks around for the 512GB and 1TB options as well. Samsung charges $2,099 and $2,499, respectively, while Apple's prices are both $100 more at $2,199 and $2,599. Samsung doesn't offer a 2TB storage option; the 2TB Duo comes in at $3,199.

Better multitasking

Multitasking has never been Apple's strong suit, especially on the iPhone, and it looks like iPhone Duo won't be at quite the same level as the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

The Z Fold 8 supports up to three windows at once, as well as five floating app windows that can sit wherever you like on screen. This is also possible on Apple's iPads, but iPhone Duo only supports two Split View windows at a time.

Considering one of the benefits of iPhone Duo is the ability to carry an iPad-like device in your pocket, the limited nature of Split View means you're missing out on an important productivity feature other devices have offered for years.

DeX

While desktop modes have slowly started making a comeback on Android phones, Apple has always seen fit to completely ignore them. The Z Fold 8 offers Samsung's DeX desktop mode, while the iPhone Duo lacks any sort of equivalent feature.

The idea behind DeX is that you plug your Galaxy phone into a monitor, at which point the phone loads up a desktop-like UI on the larger screen. That way you can use your phone as a desktop computer, without needing to carry around a laptop or tablet everywhere you go.

It's a fairly niche feature, and it's reliant on having access to a spare display. But it is a way to get more use out of a Z Fold 8, and put all the performance hardware to good use. It's unfortunate that the iPhone Duo is limited to its own display and UI.

Physical SIM slot

Apple has been betting big on eSIMs in recent years, and some regions (including the U.S.) can't use physical SIM cards in newer models of iPhone.

Sadly, while European versions of the iPhone 18 Pro still come with a physical SIM card slot, that won't be the case with iPhone Duo. Apple has confirmed that the phone will be eSIM only all around the world. So no matter where you live, there's zero opportunity to use a physical nano SIM card.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 still supports both eSIM and physical SIM cards, which gives users a lot more choice and flexibility. It's pretty small in the grand scheme of things, but as someone that has to swap phones fairly often, the process of transferring eSIMs to a new device is nowhere near as simple as swapping a physical card between devices.

16GB RAM option

The iPhone Duo comes with 12GB of RAM no matter which storage variant you get. Samsung starts off by offering 12GB on its cheapest models, but those buying the 1TB storage option will actually get an additional 4GB of RAM thrown in — for a total of 16GB.

Why does that matter? It all comes down to why memory prices have been skyrocketing over the past year: AI processing. AI features are heavily reliant on RAM, and generally speaking the more memory that's available, the faster things will run. That's particularly important for on-device AI processing, which is faster and more secure than offloading those tasks to the cloud.

Historically iPhones haven't needed as much RAM as Android phones, on account of the strong links between Apple's hardware and software. But not even Apple can bypass AI's need for memory, and we'll have to wait and see how the Duo (and A20 Pro chipset) performs in AI benchmarking tests before we can say how much better or worse it could have been with more RAM.

8K video recording

The iPhone Duo is no slouch in the camera department, at least not as far as we can tell from the specs and limited hands-on time. While the actual camera hardware looks fairly similar to that of the Z Fold 8 (48MP main lenses compared to 50MP), there is one thing Samsung has a leg up on — ultra-high-resolution video recording.

Like many Samsung flagships, the Z Fold 8 is capable of recording video at 8k resolution at 30 frames per second or 4K resolution at 120fps. Meanwhile, the iPhone Duo is capped at 4K resolution video recording, with frame rates of 120fps on the main camera and 60fps on the ultrawide.

Admittedly, the opportunities to play 8K video are pretty slim for the average phone user — so recording in such high resolution is just a waste of storage space. But it is a key area in which Samsung outpaces Apple, which might be important to you.

More from Tom's Guide

• iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max battery capacity confirmed in Europe — here's how they compare to iPhone 17 Pro
• Apple's just extended free access to emergency satellite communication for another year — it's the third time this has happened
• Steve Jobs said there would never be an iPhone stylus but iPhone Duo just proved him wrong — and it'll be a better device for it

LG — makers of some of the best TVs on the market — is facing scrutiny after an investigative report revealed potential privacy vulnerabilities associated with its smart TVs. Specifically, the investigation purports that LG is aware that its TV users are being tracked to the degree that they are, but that in most cases, the user doesn’t.

For LG TV-owners, these developments could be cause for concern. Despite the seemingly endless spool of user agreements that unfurls during the set-up process, the extent to which a TV can track a person’s actions (and where that data ends up) remains eerily inscrutable.

But while LG is taking its turn under the microscope, every other TV brand is conveniently side-stepping the latest round of scrutiny. In 2026, every smart TV on the market is gathering a ton of data about who we are, what we watch and how likely we are to buy stuff — and there’s currently no incentive for them to stop.

What’s going on with LG smart TVs?

Let’s start with some context. According to a recent investigation by YouTube channel Gamers Nexus, LG smart TVs continuously scan and gather information about devices connected to a user’s home Wi-Fi network.

The LG smart TV news gets even more concerning, though, as Gamers Nexus also discovered that select models record audio via microphones in the TV and remote control — even while the TV is disconnected from the internet. These audio files are transcribed, stored and can be sent to LG when the TV connects to the internet.

We’ve reached out to LG for more information on these matters, but based on comments provided to outlets like Ars Technica and Tom’s Hardware, the stated function of LG TVs’ network analyzation function is to recognize and enable compatible devices that can interface with the TV.

Additionally, LG claims that its TVs’ always-on listening function is limited to situations in which this feature has been deliberately enabled by the user, either by via a button on the remote or when the TV detects the “wake” words (like “Hi, LG”). According to LG, transcribed text is locally processed and deleted — not stored.

Like many tech brands that deal heavily in the gathering and mapping of user data, LG insists that its practices are above board. But critics (myself included) maintain that the process in which data is collected and catalogued is too opaque for most people to understand, and that allowing companies increasing access to our private lives introduces certain risks.

LG happens to be the brand catching the most flak right now, but it’s far from the only actor engaging in these dealings. In fact, I can’t think of a single TV-maker that isn’t.

LG is not alone

The worldwide leader in OLED TVs isn’t the only brand whose smart TVs are built around data-collection. Nearly every major TV-maker in the world is getting in on the action and has been for years.

As TV-enjoyers, we awkwardly reap some of the benefits of this system. One of the biggest reasons why TVs have gotten better and cheaper is because brands are able to offset costs by collecting and selling user data.

But make no mistake: We are nowhere near the primary benefactors here. These companies study who we are and what we watch, map our habits and find ways to maximize that information.

In addition to LG, Hisense, Samsung, Sony and TCL have faced criticism for their use of Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), a built-in function that tracks what’s on screen, gathers screenshots and shares the data with the brand associated with the TV or its software. All of that on-screen information can then be used as a roadmap for trying to sell stuff back to the user.

Almost every smart TV on shelves right now is equipped with at least one microphone. And, while there are ways to disable these mics, the amount of software entanglement that exists between voice-activated smart home devices, TVs and smartphones provides plenty of incentive for people to smash that “Agree” button at the bottom of a wall of complicated legalese without much of a thought.

The frenzied, capitalistic advent of AI-based TV features — many of which offer little tangible benefit but are nevertheless the centerpiece of a company’s marketing pitch — all but ensures that the relationship between us and our data is about to get even more opaque.

Smart TVs have made streaming more accessible and cheaper than ever, but along the way, there’s been a slow-creep of access granted to the companies we invite into our living rooms.

How to protect your smart TV privacy

There’s no way around it: The best “Dumb” TVs don’t really exist, and if you’re buying a smart TV, there’s a certain amount of privacy you’ll have to give up in order to use it. There are, however, ways to nibble around the edges of the situation.

We recently published a guide on how to stop an LG TV from listening, but it wasn’t our first foray into the subject. We’ve also published a guide on how to turn off TV data collection for several popular brands including Samsung, Roku, and sets built around Google TV and Amazon Fire TV.

If you’re unclear whether or not your TV is tapping an on-board listening device, we’ve outlined instructions on how to disable a TV microphone. The exact manner in which these on-board microphones are used depends on the brand associated with the TV and/or its software, but I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with your own set’s functionality.

Until something powerful compels TV companies to disclose more information about their business practices, we — the viewers — need to take it upon ourselves to understand what’s at stake when it comes to our personal data and to draw our own lines in the sand for what we deem acceptable and unacceptable. LG is the latest brand at the center of controversy, but it surely won’t be the last.

More from Tom's Guide

• Your LG TV could be tracking devices on your home Wi-Fi — here’s how to stop it
• Yes, your TV probably has a microphone in it — here's how to turn it off
• Here's why it's hard to find 'dumb TV' in 2026 — and why you shouldn't buy one anyway

The launch of iPhone Duo is a big deal. This is the first ever foldable developed by Apple, and for that reason alone it has the chance to dethrone Samsung as the king of the foldable phone space. But it also helps that Apple has produced a phone with a lot of great qualities, and will naturally lead to comparisons with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.

The two phones are similar in a bunch of ways, including their wider, passport-inspired design. However, there are a number of key ways Apple has improved on the foldable design, and beaten Samsung at its own game. Considering this is Apple's first foldable, that might just make the extended development time worth it. Here are seven ways iPhone Duo actually beats the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

IP68 rating

Google proved that a foldable could get an IP68 water and dust resistance rating with last year's Pixel 10 Pro Fold. This means that, despite all the moving parts around the hinge, Google was able to seal the phone up and ensure dust and other foreign particles can't get inside. Apple continued that trend by also sealing the iPhone Duo up to the same IP68 standard.

Meanwhile the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is only rated to IP48. The 8 means that it's water-tight, capable of being submerged in up to a meter of water for up to 30 minutes — just like Google and Apple. However, the 4 means that the Z Fold 8 offers no protection against dust, or any other particles larger than one millimeter (0.04 inches).

In other words, there's a whole bunch of nasty stuff that could get inside the Z Fold 8 and cause problems — and you might not even realize it. In other words, you should be able to take the iPhone Duo to the beach.

Apple Pencil support

Samsung used to sell foldables that supported the S Pen stylus, but the last one to be released was 2024's Galaxy Z Fold 6. From the Z Fold 7 onwards, Samsung stripped out the S Pen functionality, removing a critical part of the display makeup in order to reduce the phone's thickness. This means that the Z Fold 8 does not support any kind of active stylus.

Meanwhile, the iPhone Duo not only offers stylus support, it's compatible with the Apple Pencil USB-C — which works with the majority of iPads still on sale. Samsung needed a special kind of S Pen for the foldable screen, but the iPhone Duo uses a stylus that you may already have.

It's the most basic Apple stylus on sale, and it lacks key features you'll find on the Apple Pencil Pro, but it's better than nothing.

MagSafe

Magnetic wireless charging is a rarity, in part because Apple had a stranglehold on it for so long. While Qi2 wireless charging does allow phones to add a MagSafe-style magnetic ring, Samsung has avoided doing this — preferring to utilize special magnetic cases instead. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is no exception to this trend, despite offering all the other benefits of Qi2 charging.

Apple had no such issue adding MagSafe to the iPhone Duo, as it's done with virtually every iPhone released since the iPhone 12. Plus, despite the phone's unique shape and size, Apple confirmed that it is compatible with MagSafe accessories and chargers — meaning all your old MagSafe products should still fit.

Faster 60W charging

MagSafe isn't the only way iPhone Duo beats Z Fold 8 in the charging department. Apple's foldable also offers faster charging speeds, regardless of whether you use MagSafe or a plug-in charging cable.

Wired charging supports up to 60W speeds, which regains 50% charge in just 15 minutes. Meanwhile, wireless charging is capped at 25W. In comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 offers 45W wired charging, and can regain 43% in 15 minutes. Wireless charging is also slightly slower at 20W, which puts it at a slight disadvantage to the iPhone.

Better front-facing camera hardware

Like the S Pen, Samsung used to offer an under-display camera on Galaxy Z Fold phones — and it hasn't been seen since the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The quality was not great, and it was no surprise that later Z folds switched back to the hole-punch camera design. Apple is giving under-display camera tech another chance at the limelight.

Apple hasn't specified the quality of this camera, noting that it's designed for use with FaceTime and other video calling software rather than selfies. That suggests the quality isn't great. But at least Apple is willing to try new things with the Duo, rather than reusing the same lackluster selfie camera hardware for multiple years in a row.

Plus, the iPhone Duo's actual selfie camera, which is in the cover display, offers higher resolution than Samsung. We're talking 12MP compared to 10MP, and while resolution doesn't automatically mean quality, it's likely that this is a similar selfie camera to the one in iPhone 17 Pro Max — which I found to take better photos than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

iPhone Duo software reacts based on folded hinge state

A lot of Samsung phones offer what the company calls "Flex Mode," which allows the phone to react and adapt depending on the angle of the central hinge. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the first Galaxy foldable to ditch this feature, despite the fact it's available on the Ultra model. This reduces the functionality of the phone somewhat, especially compared to iPhone Duo.

Apple doesn't have a special name for this feature, but the Duo does react depending on the angle of the hinge and the state of the fold itself. So if you have Netflix running, folding the screen to a 90-degree angle will shift the video to one side of the screen, and media controls to the other.

Vapor chamber cooling

The iPhone Duo offers an A20 Pro chipset with vapor chamber cooling, which helps dissipate heat. This means that the iPhone should offer better sustained performance, especially when doing resource-heavy tasks like gaming, multitasking and AI processing.

We haven't done any performance or thermal testing on the iPhone Duo just yet, so we don't know how effective the vapor chamber will be. That said, the Fold 8 doesn't offer a vapor chamber at all.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple quietly jacks the prices of the iPhone 16, iPhone 17, and iPhone Air — here's how much you'll pay now
• Apple's just extended free access to emergency satellite communication for another year — it's the third time this has happened
• Steve Jobs said there would never be an iPhone stylus but iPhone Duo just proved him wrong — and it'll be a better device for it

Sony just dropped a brand-new OLED TV, and the most surprising thing about it (other than its sudden, mid-year announcement) is its relatively low price.

For the first time, a Sony OLED TV is going toe to toe with more modestly priced OLEDs from Sony’s top rivals. The Bravia 6 is $1,999 for a 65-inch model, which puts it roughly in line with mid-range OLEDs from LG and Samsung.

That’s exciting news for anyone looking for more OLED-driven options in this price range, but I’m especially interested in the Bravia 6 for two reasons: its hardware and its picture processing.

The Bravia 6 is the first Sony OLED TV with four HDMI 2.1 inputs

Believe it or not, there aren’t very many Sony TVs with more than two HDMI 2.1 inputs. Despite the steep price tags associated with top-tier Sony sets, even the brand’s best TVs (like the recently released Bravia 9 II) are mostly equipped with just a pair of high-bandwidth ports.

The Bravia 6 is different. It might not be as bright or as colorful as the Sony Bravia 8 II OLED, but the Bravia 6 offers more flexibility when it comes to current- and next-generation gaming. With four HDMI 2.1-compatible inputs, folks who upgrade to the Bravia 6 won’t have to think too hard about what devices are plugged into which input, as all of them support the same slate of features, such as 4K gaming at 120Hz.

For years, LG and Samsung OLED TVs have offered a full slate of HDMI 2.1 inputs. This has been true across nearly all of these brands’ OLEDs — from entry-level models to flagship-level models.

As expected, the Bravia 6’s closest competitors — the LG C6 and Samsung S90H — both carry four HDMI 2.1 inputs. Had Sony’s latest OLED TV arrived with just two high-bandwidth ports, it would have stumbled out of the gate.

But perhaps the most enticing aspect of the Bravia 6 isn't the hardware on its outside, but rather, the software that makes it all possible.

Sony's picture processing is among the best in the game

Until now, experiencing Sony's exceptional processing on an OLED TV typically meant spending more for the privilege — at least relative to competitive sets. The Bravia 6's aggressive pricing makes the brand's expert engineering a bit more accessible.

If you’re the type of viewer who values an accurate presentation above all else, it's tough not to respect Sony's commitment to the cause. Even at the lowest end of the Bravia TV lineup (the Bravia 3 II), Sony is dedicated to making the most of a TV’s hardware.

We're still in the process of evaluating the Bravia 6, and while we don't have test results ready to publish, it's quite possible that Sony's new OLED doesn't get quite as bright as mid-range models from LG and Samsung. But if the Bravia 6's picture processing is as good as we've seen on several Bravia TVs this year, Sony's attention to detail could be the ace up its sleeve.

Sony Bravia 6: Outlook

As mentioned, we're still in the process of evaluating the Bravia 6 OLED. However, the TV's surprise announcement coincided with its debut on store shelves.

The 65-inch Bravia 6 is $1,999, but in the coming months, sale pricing could very well make the Bravia 6 a sleeper hit of the 2026 holiday-shopping season. Nevertheless, its current price makes it an intriguing alternative to the LG C6 and the Samsung S90H.

It's worth mentioning, too, that Sony recently emerged at the front of our assessment of the best TV brands. When we asked our readers to vote for the TV brand they trust the most, Sony ran away with those results, too.

Despite the tendency for Sony-branded TVs to carry higher price tags than rival sets, it seems that Sony has maintained a sterling reputation among A/V enthusiasts and casual viewers alike.

If the Bravia 6 can succeed without the high-price caveat, it could end up being one of the year's smartest buys for anyone in the market for a sensibly priced OLED TV.

More from Tom's Guide

• Sony TV report card 2026: Is the 'Sony tax' still worth paying?
• TCL and Sony are joining forces to sell more TVs — but is that bad news for shoppers?
• We asked readers which TV brand they trusted most — and one company rose above the rest

What makes a Mini-LED TV a Mini-LED TV? That’s the question at the heart of a recent lawsuit against Samsung, in which TCL alleges that two of Samsung’s Mini-LED TVs don’t actually use Mini-LED technology at all.

The complaint, filed Monday by Los Angeles law firm Larson LLP, states that “[Samsung] took a cheap, non-Mini LED model from a recycled product line and peddled it to the public as a ‘supreme’ Mini LED model at an attractive price point.”

Obviously, nobody wants to learn that the TV they thought they were buying isn't as advertised. But is there any truth to the claims laid out in TCL’s lawsuit? To better understand the situation, let’s start with which models are being called into question.

Samsung’s M Series TVs and “Supreme Mini LED Dimming”

The claim centers around Samsung’s 2026 M Series lineup, including the M70H, M80H and M90H TVs. In the complaint, TCL alleges that these models, specifically, “contain none of the technological advancements associated with Mini LED technology, including FALD [full-array local dimming].”

Instead, TCL says, “Samsung merely recycled its pre-existing low-end standard LED televisions, the Crystal UHD line, and re-labelled them as ‘Mini LED.’” The complaint cites a page on Samsung’s website that describes Mini-LED technology as involving both “backlight control” and “local dimming” — two features that, according to TCL, aren’t accounted for across Samsung’s M Series lineup.

In other words, TCL alleges Samsung’s edge-lit, Mini-LED-based TVs as not meeting Samsung’s own criteria for what makes Mini-LED technology worth buying over a standard QLED TV.

A spokesperson from Samsung stated that the brand intends to “vigorously defend against” the lawsuit, and that Samsung “stand[s] behind the quality and accuracy of our product descriptions.”

Samsung’s M Series lineup sits below the brand’s Neo QLED family of TVs, the latter of which has historically combined both Mini-LED backlighting and quantum-dot color — hence its higher-end status.

Curiously, when I compared Samsung’s official spec sheets for the M70H (the entry model in the M Series) and the QN70H (the brand’s entry-level Neo QLED TV), I noticed that the “Lighting Technology” labels differ, but their respective “Dimming Technology” classifications are the same.

You’ll notice, however, that the M70H’s “Supreme Mini LED Dimming” designation is joined by a footnote indicator. And, if you follow that footnote, you’ll find a disclaimer stating that the M70H’s “Supreme Mini LED Dimming” is “[s]oftware-based (not full-array hardware-based) technology.”

What we’re left with, then, are two TVs — currently separated by about $500 at the 65-inch size point — that are stated by Samsung to use the same dimming technology. However, on only one of these models is this technology described as being software-based rather than hardware-based.

This is called out directly in TCL’s complaint. It states:

"Samsung’s specification sheets identify the dimming feature available on its Mini LED televisions as 'Supreme Mini LED Dimming,' which, when coupled with its descriptions of Mini LED local dimming on its website, is purposefully designed to suggest dimming that is a better version of typical Mini LED FALD than that of its competitors such as TCL. This is reinforced by the fact that Samsung uses the same terminology— 'Supreme Mini LED Dimming'—to describe its high-end Neo QLED televisions."

It's worth noting that this wouldn't be the first time Samsung released a TV with edge-based lighting under the designation of "Mini-LED TV." One of the brand's latest lifestyle TVs — The Frame Pro — is billed as a Mini-LED-based set with some type of dimming, despite the fact that these LEDs are not arranged in a traditional, backlit array.

This raises an important question: Are edge-lit Mini-LED TVs — the sort that the M70H and M80H are alleged to be — truly a downgrade compared to Mini-LED models with proper local dimming?

Can "software-based dimming" be a stand-in for FALD?

TCL claims that the inclusion of "Supreme Mini LED Dimming" on the lower-end M70H misleads people into thinking that the M70H features the same dimming technology as the higher-end Neo QLED, or that the version of Mini-LED dimming found on the M70H is somehow superior to full-array, hardware-based dimming on TCL TVs.

Should this move to a trial, that'll be up for a court to decide how much water those claims hold.

For me, the more interesting question is: Are the higher-end QN70H also leveraging edge-lit Mini-LEDs driven by software-based dimming? After all, their spec sheets list identical dimming technologies.

Back in May, when I was evaluating the QN70H, I reached out to Samsung with this exact question, and a spokesperson from Samsung responded with the following: "Samsung can confirm that both the QN70H and M70H support software-based Supreme Mini LED Dimming."

While one can certainly make the argument that traditional, hardware-based dimming is driven in part by software, this could be the first time a TV-maker has used the term "software-based dimming" as a means to describe a TV with full-array local dimming.

We'll be following this story closely as it evolves, but let us know in the comments below if you purchased one of the aforementioned TVs and if you've seen any issues with its contrast.

In reporting this story, Tom's Guide reached out to Samsung to clarify TCL's claims and a spokesperson said that the brand will “vigorously defend against” the lawsuit, and that Samsung “stand[s] behind the quality and accuracy of our product descriptions.”

More from Tom's Guide

• Best TV Brands 2026: We just graded them on price, performance and more — here’s how their report cards stack up
• Roku and TCL accused of 'bricking' TVs with poor software updates in new class action lawsuit
• Samsung TV report card 2026: 'You can rely on Samsung to deliver exceptional performance'

Earlier this week Samsung announced the Galaxy S26 FE, a cut-price flagship phone that sits somewhere between the $899 Galaxy S26 and the $549 Galaxy A57. The general idea being that you get more flagship features without necessarily having to cough up the full price of a premium device.

Unfortunately, the small amount of time I've spent with the Galaxy S26 FE suggests that Samsung has fumbled the release of the new phone. We shouldn't really be surprised, considering how lackluster the last few Fan Edition releases have been. We're at the point now where it's time for Samsung to scrap the whole line-up and let the A-series step up to the plate.

Too expensive to be cheap, too compromised to rival flagships

The Fan Edition series has always been about lowering the price but making cuts elsewhere. You can't have the same specs as a Galaxy S26 for a lower price, because that's just not economical. That typically manifests itself in worse cameras, cheaper materials and slightly worse performance.

In the case of the Galaxy S26 FE, those compromises come in three key areas: the screen, the camera and the performance. This is not a phone that has the latest flagship Snapdragon chips, nor does it have the latest Exynos 2600 chip that powers international variants of the S26. Instead it has the Exynos 2500, which was released last year, alongside 8GB of RAM rather than the now-standard 12GB.

Admittedly, on paper, the lower specs on the S26 FE don't seem too bad or different from that of the standard S26. It's little things that help drop the price tag, such as weaker display glass, lower resolution telephoto lenses, and the loss of premium materials like the shiny matte glass back panels. But these things all add up, and while that keeps the price down, it also makes the S26 FE a much less appealing purchase.

The starting price of $699, which gets you 128GB of storage, may make this the cheapest Galaxy S26 you can buy, but it's still not particularly cheap as far as smartphones go. Sure, it's almost half the price of something like the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but it doesn't directly fall into the cheaper phone categories like the S57 or A37.

Easily the worst part of all this is the fact that Samsung has (at the time of writing) discounted the standard Galaxy S26 by $100. This means the cheapest model, with 256GB of storage, can be purchased for $799. Meanwhile the 256GB variant of the Galaxy S26 FE is also $799, which means you're getting a worse phone for the same amount of money.

Sure there is a cheaper storage option that costs $100 less, but is it really worth losing out on everything the S26 has to offer to save that much? In most cases, I'd argue no.

The Galaxy A series keeps getting better

As much as the Galaxy S26 FE isn't a huge amount worse than the Galaxy S26, it also doesn't seem to be that much better than the Galaxy A57. In fact Samsung's mid-range phone is one of the best cheap phones you can buy because, despite the sacrifices you inevitably have to make, it's an exceptionally good phone for its price tag.

It's a lot easier to see where the Galaxy A57 made the cuts in contrast to the S26 FE. The main sticking point for me is the terrible macro camera, which always feels like an absolute waste of hardware compared to a dedicated macro camera mode other smartphones utilize. It also looks a lot cheaper, and the performance hardware is more noticeably inferior.

It doesn't matter if you don't know anything about phone chips, the fact that the A57 has an Exynos 1680 means it might as well have a giant neon sign declaring that it won't outperform the S26 FE's Exynos 2500.

That being said, we've been seeing pretty big gains in the mid-range phone market over the past several years. They're starting to feel a lot more premium, and they're coming with AI and software features that you previously wouldn't see outside ultra-premium models. The yearly upgrades aren't exactly stellar, but that seems to be a problem all phones are facing right now — no matter the price point.

A Galaxy A-series phone is never going to be as good as a flagship S-series, but it still offers a lot of the things you might need from a phone, including solid cameras, battery life and so on. There's even some solid AI features thrown in, if you're the kind of person who really likes using Galaxy AI and Bixby.

Admittedly, the Fan Edition phones have all done this too, but they also cost more and don't offer as much of a discount compared to other Galaxy S-series phones.

Bottom line: Galaxy FE phones lack purpose

Few phone companies take the approach Samsung does when it comes to cheaper-than-flagship phones. In fact, Samsung is the only one I can think of that offers two distinct devices that are meant to sit below the entry level premium model. The likes of Google, Apple, Nothing and others typically only have the one.

With two devices that sit in such close proximity, from both a price and hardware perspective, differentiating them becomes a much harder task. We end up in a situation where the Galaxy S26 FE feels awkwardly placed in a bizarre, paradoxical middle ground.

In the past Samsung was a lot more inconsistent about releasing the A50-series phones in the U.S., which arguably gave the Fan Edition release a lot more breathing room. There's clearly demand for a cheaper Galaxy phone, and the lack of competition from itself meant Samsung could continue to push the more premium option.

These days, it feels like these phones are released out of obligation, rather than a pressing need to actually build them. And it's about time Samsung threw in the towel, and gave the Fan Edition line-up a trip to the farm upstate.

More from Tom's Guide

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• Expert predicts iPhone Ultra's $2,500 price tag won't deter die-hard fans — it could see 10 million units sold in the next year
• I've been testing Pixel 11 Pro XL for a week — here's why HiLight is the most disappointing new feature

September is just around the corner, and that can only mean one thing: It’s time for Apple to reveal its latest iPhones.

For the past seven years, the Pro Max has been Apple’s most expensive (and arguably desirable) model, but in 2026 we’re expecting the company’s first foldable to eclipse it in terms of media coverage.

You can see how the iPhone Ultra is lining up against the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 in the battle of the foldables here, but what about the non-folding flagships? Both remain big hitters, so here’s how the iPhone 18 Pro Max is set to stack up against the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra as we approach Apple’s September launch date.

iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Specifications

iPhone 18 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Release date and price

For over a decade, Apple has released almost every new numbered iPhone in September (with the exception of the iPhone 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic), and 2026 will be no different.

Scratch that, it will be slightly different. While the company has announced its “surprise and shine” event for Wednesday September 9, where it’s set to reveal the iPhone 18 Pro family, as well as the new foldable iPhone Ultra, the regular iPhone 18 has reportedly been pushed back to 2027.