Samsung has announced its latest flip phone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. You may be wondering how you missed the release of the Galaxy Z Flip 2 – but don’t worry, you haven’t experienced a bout of lockdown-induced amnesia.
Although it might be playing fast and loose with naming conventions, this is indeed the third flip-format smartphone Samsung has released. It’s just that the second, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G, was an iterative update on the original Galaxy Z Flip that launched six months prior.
Nomenclature tricksiness aside, how exactly do Samsung’s two most recent flip phones compare? We haven’t given the Flip 3 a full going over just yet, but here are some early thoughts.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 goes on sale on August 27, 2021. It’s set to arrive in two flavors: 128GB, which costs $999 / £949 / AU$1,499, and 256GB, which will set you back $1,049 / £999 / AU$1,599.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G was announced on July 22 and rolled out on August 7, a mere six months on from the original Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Its launch price was $1,449 / £1,399 / AU$2,599.
It’s a major price cut for the Flip family, which could finally bring Samsung’s slick foldable formula to the masses. That’s perhaps the most exciting difference between these two phones, and we mean that largely as a positive.
Design
The basic design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is very similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G before it. It’s a more or less full-sized smartphone that folds in half.
We’ve gone hands-on with the new device, and it feels like a small but notable evolution in design. Despite a new ‘Glasstic’ back and glass camera module surround, it somehow feels sturdier than its predecessor’s all-glass rear.
The dimensions are very similar indeed, although the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is fractionally smaller in every direction at 166 x 72.2 x 6.9mm next to the Flip 5G’s 167.3 x 73.6 x 7.2mm). Despite this, the newer device is actually a gram heavier at 183g.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 (Image credit: Samsung)
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G (Image credit: Samsung)
Based on our initial time with the device, the Flip 3’s hinge mechanism feels less wobbly and more secure than its predecessor, and it seems better built all-round. That feeling is backed up by an IPX8 rating, which means it’s water-resistant in a way the Flip 5G simply isn’t.
The newer device also simply looks better than the second-generation Flip. Samsung has greatly refined its design language, making it less soft and shiny and more artfully industrial.
Both phones have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, which is a little awkward to access when open. We’re pleased to note that the fold seems a little less obvious on the Flip 3, though.
Display
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 (Image credit: Future)
Both of these phones come with a foldable 6.7-inch AMOLED display, complete with an unusually tall aspect ratio.
The resolution is similar, too, at 1080 x 2636 for the Flip 5G and 1080 x 2640 for the Flip 3. Those few extra pixels really won’t make any difference to your perception.
What will make a difference is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3’s faster refresh rate. At 120Hz, it’s literally twice as fluid as the Galaxy Z Flip 5G’s display, correcting one of our biggest complaints about the older foldable.
Another issue that’s been addressed is the Galaxy Z Flip 5G’s secondary display, which was a hopelessly small 1.1-inch Super AMOLED panel positioned on the outside of the device.
It’s still located in the same place on the Galaxy Z Flip 3, but at 1.9 inches, it’s far more usable. You can actually read notifications comfortably now, and it seems better integrated than before.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip (Image credit: Future)
Arguably the Galaxy Z Flip 5G’s biggest weakness was its camera offering. Its two modest 12-megapixel sensors were essentially based on the same tech as the 2019 Samsung Galaxy S10e.
The pictures it could take were fine, but fine was never really good enough in a $1,449 / £1,399 phone.
We’ll have to wait and see how they pan out, but the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s camera system isn’t looking massively promising. In fact, it looks to be exactly the same as its predecessor.
You’re looking at the same twin 12-megapixel sensor setup. The main one is again a piddling 1/2.55in, and the other is a 12-megapixel ultrawide.
Such a provision is arguably more forgivable in a sub-$1,000 / £1,000 phone. But let’s not beat around the bush here, neither of these phones gets anywhere near the camera quality of the Galaxy S21 range.
We’re looking at the same 10-megapixel f/2.4 selfie cam for both foldables, too, which is unlikely to set any pulses racing.
Specs and performance
When it comes to performance, you’re looking at a straight generational upgrade. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G packed the fastest Android chip of its day, the Snapdragon 865, and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 packs the fastest Android chip of its day, the Snapdragon 888.
Yes, there’s now the Snapdragon 888 Plus chip now, but the market is hardly swimming with these latest Qualcomm chips at the time of writing.
This provision is plenty fast enough in both cases, since there are few apps or tasks that will seriously stretch even last year’s top processor. Still, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 has a clear advantage here, especially when it comes to future-proofing.
Both phones back that power with 8GB of RAM, which isn’t the bounty that you get with Samsung’s very top phones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Still, it should prove ample for most tasks.
You get 256GB of internal storage with both, although that’s only an option with the Galaxy Z Flip 3. Interestingly, the newer device also gives you a lower 128GB option. Expansion via microSD isn’t an option with either device.
Battery
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 (Image credit: Future)
Both flips include 3300mAh batteries, which really isn’t too capacious by modern smartphone standards.
In the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, this was partially excusable as a result of the slow 60Hz display; but the Galazy Z Flip 3 doesn’t have the same mitigating circumstances. Color us worried.
Especially given the fact that we weren’t exactly wowed by the Flip 5G’s battery performance. It will get you through a full day of light to moderate use, in our experience, but more intensive usage will tend to drain it before bedtime.
One notable upgrade with the Flip 3 is support for faster charging. While the Galaxy Z Flip 5G only went as far as 15W wired and 9W wireless, the newer phone cranks things up to a more respectable 25W wired and 11W wireless.
This still isn’t what we consider blazingly-fast given the cost of the device, but it’s competitive with the Galaxy S21 range. As is support for 4.5W reverse wireless charging, which the Galaxy Z 5G lacks.
Takeaway
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is shaping up to be a near-identical device to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G before it. You’re looking at very similar dimensions, the same camera system, and the same-sized battery.
However, there are meaningful improvements to both displays, and it’s a fair bit faster. Perhaps most importantly of all, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is set to retail at a much lower price than its predecessor.
This alone makes Samsung’s entry-level foldable series a much more tempting proposition to your average user shopping for a new flagship phone. It’s no longer quite the expensive niche oddity that it was before.
Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.
The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.
Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.
The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.
Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.
On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.
The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.
More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.
Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:
You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!
Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.
Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.
There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.
Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.
Successful people tend to be secretive.
Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.
Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.
Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.
TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.
Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.
The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.
The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.
The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.
Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.
“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.
The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.
“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”
The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.
However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.
That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.
“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.
“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”
The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.
About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.
“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.
Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.
In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.
The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”
“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.
“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”
Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.
Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.
In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.
The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.
Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.
“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.
“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.
Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.
Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.
“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.
“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”
Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.
As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.
But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.
Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.
The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
