LightBlog

dimanche 30 janvier 2022

These are the Best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Cases to buy in 2022

So you’ve just picked up the brand new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and spent a good fortune on it. It’s undoubtedly one of the best foldable phones on the market and if you love cutting-edge technology, you’re surely going to appreciate the engineering that went behind making the phone. After spending almost $1,800 on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 though, the last thing you want is to scratch the phone, or drop it and end up with a broken display or back. Accidents happen and no matter how good the new Gorilla Glass Victus is, glass is fragile and will shatter if it’s not your lucky day.

You can get a Samsung Care+ plan with the phone to cover accidental damage. But as they say, prevention is better than a cure. The best way to protect your Galaxy Z Fold 3 would be to put on a case. Some cases not only provide protection but also improve the usability of your phone. The Galaxy Z Fold 3, for example, comes with support for the S Pen. If you’re going to be using a specific case from Samsung, you’ll get an additional slot to house the S Pen which improves the overall functionality.

While you wait for your phone to arrive, you can take a look at some cases for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 made directly by Samsung and some other third-party vendors as well. It’s always good to have a case ready by the time the phone arrives since Samsung doesn’t include one in the box. That being said, let’s take a look at some of the best Galaxy Z Fold 3 cases you can buy across various designs and price segments. You can pick up the one that best suits your needs.

    Samsung Aramid Case

    Carbon fiber exterior

    The Aramid case from Samsung is thin and offers basic protection with a carbon fiber exterior. Looks slim and classy.
    i-Blason Case with Screen Protector

    Attractive and protective

    This case is for those who want a colorful, fun look while protecting their expensive investment. It even comes with an in-built screen protector.

    Promoted

    Samsung Leather Case

    Premium leather feel

    This leather case is for those who want a premium look and feel on their Galaxy Z Fold 3. The brown one especially looks great!
    Flip Cover with S Pen

    To store your S Pen

    If you're going to get the S Pen Fold Edition, this case will let you store it on the side. However, the case itself is quite bad and isn't recommended.
    Samsung Kickstand Case

    Great for videos

    This kickstand case is helpful if you're going to consume a lot of media on the Galaxy Z Fold 3's big display or if you want to use it as a tablet.
    Spigen Air Skin

    Thin fit case

    If you don't want to add a lot of bulk to an already bulky phone, this is the case that you should get. It's slim and protects against scratches.
    VRS Design Quickstand Pro

    Built-in kickstand

    If you don't want to spend a lot of money on Samsung's kickstand case, this is a cheaper alternative that does the job well.
    Spigen Slim Armor

    Hinge protection

    This is the only case as of now that even protects the hinge. While the name says slim, this case will add a little bit of bulk to your Galaxy Z Fold 3.
    Spigen Ultra Hybrid

    Clear and protective

    The Spigen Ultra Hybrid is a protective case with a clear back which means you can show off that new green color of your Z Fold 3!
    Spigen Neo Hybrid

    Integrated kickstand

    The Neo Hybrid case for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a unique design. It has an integrated panel that can be opened up into a kickstand.
    Ringke Slim Case

    Thin and light

    If you want minimal protection against scratches and a case that doesn't add too much bulk on an already thick phone, this is the one to go for.
    Clear case with S Pen Holder

    Good for storing S Pen

    The official S Pen Folio from Samsung is quite bad so if you've got the S Pen and want a place to store it, this can be a good alternative.
    Leather case with S Pen holder

    Classy and useful

    If you want a premium-looking case that can also house the S Pen at the rear, your search ends here! It looks better than Samsung's official S Pen case.
    Multifunctional magnetic folio case

    Utilitarian

    This is a magnetic folio case that has a detachable layer. You can use it to store the S Pen and as a wallet case too with the magnetic attachment.
    Spigen Thin Fit P with S Pen holder

    S Pen slot

    Spigen's cases are generally good and this thin case for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 adds a slot to store the S Pen on the side.

Since the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has just been launched and is a new device, there aren’t a lot of third-party cases you can buy at the moment. We’ve collected the best Galaxy Z Fold 3 cases as of now which are mostly first-party cases directly from Samsung but there should be more options from case makers soon. The Samsung S Pen Folio case lets you store the S Pen, but is actually quite terrible when it comes to usability so we wouldn’t recommend it. If you want something that looks and feels rich and premium, you can’t go wrong with the Samsung Leather case, especially in that brown color scheme. If you’re looking for something thin and affordable, check out the Spigen Air Skin case.

    Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
    The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is Samsung's latest and greatest foldable phone. It brings several improvements over the previous model, including high refresh rate displays, an under-screen camera, and top-of-the-line hardware.

If you’re looking to get your hands on the latest foldable from Samsung, you might want to check out the best Galaxy Z Fold 3 deals that can help you save a few extra bucks.

The post These are the Best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Cases to buy in 2022 appeared first on xda-developers.



from xda-developers https://ift.tt/Mg0TFEpJb
via IFTTT

Netflix adds support for the Exynos 2200, the chipset powering the Galaxy S22 series

We’re not too far away from Samsung’s first 2022 flagship smartphone lineup. From design and full specifications to potential pricing, the steady stream of leaks over the past months have left little to the imagination about the Galaxy S22 series. Now Netflix has also seemingly confirmed a key detail about the lineup.

Besides maintaining lists of smartphones and tablets that support Netflix HD streaming, Netflix also has a similar list for compatible chipsets. The company has just updated this list (via Andriod Police) with the addition of the Exynos 2200, the chipset which is all but confirmed to power the Galaxy S22 lineup in most regions.

The fact that the Galaxy S22 series will support Netflix HD (and most certainly HDR as well) is pretty obvious and expected, but nonetheless, this discovery does indirectly confirm the new phones will be powered by the newly announced chipset. Note that in regions such as the US, India, and China, Samsung is expected to sell Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 powered models.

The Galaxy S22 series is officially launching on February 9. If you want to be one of the firsts to get your hands on Samsung’s latest and greatest, you can reserve your Galaxy S22 right now and get an extra $50 in credit.

    Reserve the galaxy s22 and galaxy tab s8
    Pre-orders are open for the Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy Tab S8 seies.

We’re expecting at least three phones at the Galaxy Unpacked event: the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and Galaxy S22 Ultra. Rumors have it the Galaxy S22 will feature a 6.1-inch display and Galaxy S22 Plus a larger 6.6-inch panel, with both packing a 50MP primary, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP telephoto lens. Both models are expected to sport similar designs.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is going to be the most interesting device out of the trio. It’s widely believed to be a spiritual successor to the Galaxy Note lineup and would reportedly feature a curved display and an S Pen slot.

The post Netflix adds support for the Exynos 2200, the chipset powering the Galaxy S22 series appeared first on xda-developers.



from xda-developers https://ift.tt/kiJVEzT1N
via IFTTT

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Review: Good phone, wrong price

The Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition) was one of the best smartphones of 2020 back when it was released. This wasn’t because it had incredible cameras or unique hardware features, but because it brought some of the best features of the Galaxy S series at a much lower price. While the main Galaxy S phones approached or surpassed $1,000, the Galaxy S20 FE was available for $699 at launch and often dipped down to $550. Flagship-class smartphones are rarely that affordable in the United States, and Samsung’s decision to make the Snapdragon-powered model available in many regions that previously only had Exynos-based Galaxy phones made it a success internationally too. For those regions, you could finally get a good Samsung flagship with a Snapdragon processor, meaning you could game on it better than you could on the main S-series flagship of that region.

It was almost impossible for the Galaxy S21 FE to repeat that same level of excitement and success, especially after it was seemingly delayed for months. The phone did finally make it over the finish line, but with year-old hardware and the Galaxy S22 launch only days away, there are not many reasons to buy the phone at its intended starting price of $699.99.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Specifications. Click to enlarge.

Specification Galaxy S21 FE
Build Plastic back, metal frame
Dimensions & Weight
  • 155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm
  • 177 grams
Display
  • 6.4-inch FHD+ AMOLED
  • 2340 x 1080
  • 120Hz refresh rate
SoC
  • USA: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
  • International: Exynos 2100
RAM & Storage
  • 6GB RAM/128GB storage
  • 8GB RAM/256GB storage
  • No microSD card slot
Battery & Charging
  • 4,500mAh battery
  • 25W wired fast charging
  • 15W wireless charging
  • 4.5W reverse wireless charging
Security In-display fingerprint scanner
Rear Cameras
  • Primary: 12MP, f/1.8, 120˚ FoV
  • Wide-angle: 12MP, f/2.2, 123° FoV
  • Telephoto: 8MP, f/2.4, 32˚ FOV
Front Camera 32MP, f/2.2, 81˚ FoV
Port(s)
  • USB Type-C
  • No headphone jack
Audio Stereo speakers
Connectivity
  • Sub6/mmWave 5G
  • 4G LTE
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/x (dual-band)
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Ultra Wide Band (UWB)
Software One UI 4.0/Android 12
Other Features
  • Samsung Pay with NFC
  • IP68 rating

About this article: Samsung sent us a Galaxy S21 FE to review in January. The company did not have any input on the contents of this article.

Design and Hardware

The Galaxy S21 FE measures 155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm, making it a bit larger than the Galaxy S21, but smaller than the Galaxy S21 Plus (and Galaxy S21 Ultra). It’s not the largest phone out there, but it’s definitely not small either.

Galaxy S21 FE rear

Nearly the entire front of the phone is covered by the 6.4-inch AMOLED screen, minus the hole-punch selfie camera centered at the top of the screen and a small chin at the bottom. The display resolution is nearly identical to the Galaxy S21 (2340 x 1080 on the Galaxy S21 FE vs. 2400 x 1080 on the Galaxy S21), with the same maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. I have no complaints with the screen on the Galaxy S21 FE — it’s just as high-quality as the display on the regular Galaxy S21, with deep blacks and vivid colors.

I have no complaints with the screen.

The rear casing is made of plastic, just like the Galaxy S20 FE and regular Galaxy S21. However, unlike those two phones, the sides of the camera array blend into the rest of the shell. Personally, I don’t spend much time looking at the back of my phones, but some seem to be a fan of the subtle change. My one complaint with the back casing is that it’s prone to collecting fingerprints — even on the dark ‘Graphite’ model I have here, smudges are easily visible in daylight. I can’t test if the other color options are any better here, but if you’re planning on buying a case anyway, that won’t matter much.

Galaxy S21 FE rear with fingerprint smudges

Fingerprint smudges after about a week of usage

On the right side of the phone is the power and volume buttons, and on the bottom is the USB Type-C port, primary speaker, main microphone, and SIM card slot. There’s sadly no headphone jack or microSD card slot, which were both available on the Galaxy S20 FE. The model available in the United States (at least SM-G990U1/DS) supports Dual-SIM, which is rare on mainstream Android phones in the US, but Samsung has not enabled that functionality yet. Until that happens, you’re stuck with the usual single SIM, just like most of Samsung’s other American phones.

One helpful upgrade from the Galaxy S21 is the larger battery. The 4,500mAh battery in the S21 FE easily lasted me an entire day of moderate use, and you also get 25W wired fast charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. That’s not quite as speedy as the 65W wired charging available on the OnePlus 9 series (and some other phones are topping that), but I charge my phones overnight, so that’s not much of an issue for me.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: Performance and Software

The Galaxy S21 FE has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 System-on-a-Chip in the United States, and a Samsung Exynos 2100 SoC nearly everywhere else. That’s the same chipset found in the Galaxy S21 series, which is over a year old at this point. That’s not to say the phone isn’t fast, because it’s just as quick and responsive as every other Snapdragon 888 phone, but there’s no denying that paying $700 for year-old hardware isn’t the best value.

There's no denying that paying $700 for year-old hardware isn't the best value.

Samsung only went with 6GB RAM on the base model Galaxy S21 FE, which is less than the 8GB available on both the Galaxy S20 FE and Galaxy S21 FE. That’s still enough memory for a typical amount of switching between applications, but again, this phone costs just as much as the FE phone from a year and a half ago that had 8GB.

One UI 4 screenshot One UI 4 screenshot One UI 4 screenshot

Moving onto the software experience, the Galaxy S21 FE has the same One UI software package as every other recent Samsung phone. This was Samsung’s first phone to ship with One UI 4 (based on Android 12) out of the box, which the company is slowly rolling out to its other devices. You get everything offered in Android 12, such as the fancy new system-wide Material You themes, combined with a custom system design and dozens of Samsung-made applications and services.

One UI still might not be everyone’s favorite flavor of Android, but I have relatively few complaints with it at this point — Samsung said last year that it would start removing advertisements from One UI, and at least on our US model, I didn’t notice anything like that, so that’s an improvement.

The Galaxy S20 FE is included in Samsung’s promise of three Android OS upgrades and four years of security patches. That means the phone should receive Android 13, 14, and 15 after they become available, and you’ll get important security patches until sometime in 2026 at the earliest.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: Cameras

There are three rear cameras on the Galaxy S21 FE: a 12MP ultra-wide, the 12MP primary camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera. That’s almost identical to the setup on the regular Galaxy S21, with one important difference — the telephoto on the regular Galaxy S21 has a much higher resolution of 64MP. Check out our comparison post if you want to see some camera samples between the two.

Click here for full-resolution images

Since this is almost the same camera configuration as the Galaxy S21, and because the Galaxy S21 generally captures excellent photos, you won’t have anything to complain about with the Galaxy S21 FE either. Colors are sometimes a bit over-saturated, and night performance isn’t the best in the business, but the overall photo quality is great. There’s also a 32MP selfie camera, and like most recent Samsung flagship and mid-range phones, it’s located in a hole-punch cutout at the top.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Fan Edition is an excellent smartphone in a vacuum, and I would have no problem using this as my everyday phone. Performance is great, the display is large and vivid, photo quality is decent, and Samsung’s promise of three major Android OS updates is the best in the Android world right now. I’ve enjoyed using the base model Galaxy S21 over the past year, and this is almost the same device.

No one should pay full price for this phone.

However, this phone is absolutely not worth $699.99. The Galaxy S20 FE was the same price when it arrived in 2019, but it was also positioned almost perfectly in the middle between the release of the Galaxy S20 series and the Galaxy S21 series. It was a great option for anyone who held off on buying an S20 until a better deal showed up. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S21 FE has arrived just before the expected launch of the Galaxy S22 series, with a chipset that is now over a year old. It’s also a downgrade from the earlier Galaxy S20 FE in some areas, with less RAM, no microSD card slot, and no headphone jack. And because it mimics the Exynos-Snapdragon split from the Galaxy S21 series, the regions with Exynos do not have a better processor from Qualcomm to look forward to, either.

Samsung is asking $700 for a phone that is almost the same device as the Galaxy S21, which was $800 when it first arrived a year ago, but frequent sales brought the phone down to $700 or $650. No one should pay full price for this phone, and even if you can get an excellent trade-in deal or a discount from a carrier, Samsung might offer similar discounts on the Galaxy S22 within the next month or two. As I said, it’s a good phone, but the timing puts it at a rather awkward spot.

If the upcoming Galaxy S22 series ends up being significantly more expensive than this phone (which doesn’t seem to be likely), or the price makes more sense in your country, you won’t find much to complain about with the Galaxy S21 FE.

    Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
    Samsung's latest budget flagship is a great phone, as long as you get it on sale.

      Features:

      Pros:

      Cons:

The post Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Review: Good phone, wrong price appeared first on xda-developers.



from xda-developers https://ift.tt/B3ztINhgF
via IFTTT

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

When Android users buy an iPhone, they sometimes find themselves facing certain limitations not present on Google’s mobile operating system (OS). One of these obstacles is setting a custom ringtone on iOS. Setting a ringtone is very straightforward on Android as long as you have access to an MP3 file. But on iPhones, there’s no direct way to set your favorite soundtrack as a ringtone without jumping through ten different hoops. The easiest way out still involves using iTunes, while the computer-less way to do it requires GarageBand on your iPhone and good comprehension skills to follow the instructions. Here’s how to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes.

Navigate this article:

How to change the ringtone on your iPhone

For Everyone

Your iPhone comes set to the default ringtone out of the box. But because so many people use iPhones without bothering to change their ringtones, you end up reacting any time someone’s phones ring. It’s a good auditory signal to have a different ringtone, making it easier to figure out when it is your phone which is ringing, and also if you just dislike the default ringtone. These are the steps involved to change the ringtone on your iPhone for every incoming call:

  • Head to the Settings app.
  • Click on Sounds & Haptics.

How to change the ringtone on your iPhone

  • Select Ringtone.

How to change the ringtone on your iPhone

  • Choose the new tone you want to use from the list.

How to change the ringtone on your iPhone

And that’s it! This changes your default ringtone.

For select contacts

This is an underused feature on smartphones. On practically all modern smartphones, including iPhones, you can select specific contacts to play a different ringtone when they call. This is really useful for differentiating calls from your partner, your boss, or for someone who you are listed as an emergency contact but who do not very frequently call you. Hearing a different ringtone makes it easier to recognize just who is calling without needing to look at the phone. Here are the steps involved in setting a different ringtone for specific individual contacts:

  • Launch the Phone app.
  • Go to the Contacts tab.

How to change the ringtone on your iPhone

  • Click on the contact you want to set a unique ringtone for, and tap the Edit button in the top right corner.

How to change the ringtone on your iPhone

  • Scroll down and tap on Ringtone.

How to change the ringtone on your iPhone

  • Select the ringtone you want to set from the list of tones. This will only change the ringtone of this particular contact.

How to change the ringtone on your iPhone

And that’s it. You do have to change ringtones for every such contact that you want an individual ringtone for.


How to set a custom ringtone on your iPhone

The steps above are for choosing from the handful of ringtones that Apple has preloaded onto every iPhone. What if you want to set your own audio tunes as a ringtone? Here are the steps!

Using GarageBand

GarageBand is an app that comes preinstalled on new iPhones, iPads, and Macs. If you’ve already deleted it, you can download it from the App Store for free, so this part remains accessible.

  • Launch the GarageBand app on your iPhone.
  • Click on the plus (+) icon towards the top right corner.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Choose Audio Recorder in the Tracks tab.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Click on the third icon in the top left of the screen, as the screenshot below shows.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Click on the “Loop” icon in the top right corner.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Choose the Files tab.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Select Browse items from the Files app.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Tap the audio track you have downloaded and want to set as your ringtone.
  • This will import the track to the Files section of Loop.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Drag the imported file to the left of the screen and let it go.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Click on the button in the top left corner.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Select My Songs.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Rename the project — if you want to.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Click and hold on the project and choose Share.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Select Ringtone in the middle of the screen.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Tap Export in the top right corner.

How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes

  • Voila! Now you will find it in the Sounds & Haptics section of the Settings app — where you can set it as your iPhone’s ringtone.

Using iTunes

If the audio file is on your Mac or Windows PC, you could respectively use Finder or iTunes to transfer it. If you have the former, though, it would be easier and faster to use AirDrop instead. Once the audio track is in your iPhone’s Files app, you just follow the steps above to set it as a ringtone through GarageBand. Alternatively, you can follow the steps below:

  • Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC with a cable.
  • Open Finder on Mac or the latest version of iTunes on Windows.
  • Click on the Library tab of the Music section.
  • Select Tones under Devices in the sidebar.

iTunes Finder set ringtone iPhone

  • Drag and drop an audio file to the empty list of tones.
  • This will add the audio file to the list of ringtones available on your iPhone.
  • To set it as a ringtone, follow the steps we’ve listed at the beginning of our tutorial.

Setting custom ringtones on iOS isn’t as simple or straightforward as doing so on Android. If you miss the easily-accessible customizations, it’s never too late to sell your iPhone and buy an Android phone instead.

Do you set custom ringtones, or do you just use the built-in ones? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post How to set a ringtone on your iPhone using GarageBand and iTunes appeared first on xda-developers.



from xda-developers https://ift.tt/yYAJRKmX6
via IFTTT