adplus-dvertising
Connect with us

Tech

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip compared with the new Motorola Razr: No contest – Business Insider – Business Insider

Published

 on


  • Motorola’s new Razr foldable smartphone received positive attention, even with its high $1,500 price tag.
  • But Samsung dented Motorola’s buzz when it announced the $1,380 Galaxy Z Flip foldable smartphone.
  • Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip offers significantly better specs and features than the Motorola Razr for less money.
  • Still, I can’t recommend either foldable device due to their incredibly fragile screens.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Motorola’s $1,500 Razr was arguably dead in the water the moment that Samsung announced its $1,380 Galaxy Z Flip.

That’s partly because of the price difference. The Galaxy Z Flip is a little over $100 cheaper than the Motorola Razr.

But the kicker was how much better the Galaxy Z Flip promises to be compared to the Motorola Razr.

300x250x1

Check out eight ways Samsung bested Motorola’s Razr:


The Galaxy Z Flip comes with far better specs than the new Motorola Razr.

Foto: sourceLisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip runs on a better and more recent chip called the Snapdragon 855 Plus compared to the upper-mid-range Snapdragon 710 in the Motorola Razr.

The Galaxy Z Flip also comes standard with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage compared to the Motorola Razr’s 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

It’s true that even a solid performer like the Snapdragon 710 with 6 GB of RAM would work just fine for most people to run the Android operating system and your favorite apps, but when the Galaxy Z Flip runs on better specs overall for a lower price, it’s hard to make excuses for the new Razr.


The Galaxy Z Flip has a larger and sharper screen than the Motorola Razr.

Foto: The Galaxy Z Flip’s screen is almost as big as the massive 6.9-inch screen on the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.sourceLisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

The Galaxy Z Flip’s 6.7-inch screen makes the new Razr’s 6.2-inch screen less impressive, especially when you consider that the Galaxy Z Flip is a smaller phone overall, both when it’s folded and unfolded.

To top it off, the Galaxy Z Flip’s screen has a higher resolution that should make for sharper visuals than the Razr’s screen.


Out of the box, the Motorola Razr runs on an two-year-old version of Android while Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip runs on the current version of Android.

Foto: sourceMotorola

It’s truly perplexing that Motorola is shipping the new Razr with Android 9 (Pie), which was released in 2018, rather than the current version of Android 10.

In many respects, it doesn’t really matter. Android 9 should work just fine, as long as Google and Motorola support the Razr with security updates during the device’s lifetime. Still, Android 10 brought some significant privacy and security control settings, new gesture controls, and the highly requested system-wide dark-mode.

Again, it’s not the worst thing in the world, but it’s something that raises eyebrows.


The Galaxy Z Flip’s screen can stay in place at different angles, whereas the Motorola Razr only has two positions: open and closed.

Foto: sourceLisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

You can prop the Galaxy Z Flip’s screen at different angles, which gives you more options on how to use phone. One good example is resting the Galaxy Z Flip on a table and propping up the screen to take a video call without holding it. Or you can prop the Galaxy Z Flip to take time-lapse photos or regular photos without any risk of shaking from your hands.

It’s not a massive game-changer, but it’s a nice feature that the new Razr doesn’t have.


Both phones have dual-lens cameras, but the Galaxy Z Flip lets you do more than the Razr’s camera.

Foto: sourceLisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

The Galaxy Z Flip has a regular 12-megapixel camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, whereas the new Razr has a 16-megapixel regular camera. The other lens on the new Razr is simply a depth sensor that doesn’t take photos, but is designed to deliver better portrait mode shots.

At the end of the day, whether someone prefers ultra-wide photos or better portrait mode photos is up to the user. Subjectively, I’d prefer to have the option to take ultra-wide photos over better portrait mode photos. Portrait mode is something that can be decently faked with software, whereas ultra-wide photos can’t be faked with software.


The Galaxy Z Flip has a significantly better selfie camera than the Motorola Razr.

Foto: sourceLisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

It was somewhat shocking to see that the new Motorola Razr has a mere 5-megapixel selfie camera, especially compared to the Galaxy Z Flip’s 8-megapixel selfie camera.

In today’s smartphone environment, 5 megapixels is pretty darn low, and not something anyone would expect on a $1,500 smartphone. I’d also expect more than 8 megapixels for the Galaxy Z Flip’s $1,380 price tag, but at least it’s better than what you get on the Motorola Razr.


The Motorola Razr has a worryingly small battery compared to the Galaxy Z Flip’s battery.

Foto: sourceMotorola

At only 2,510mAh, the Motorola Razr’s battery is small by modern Android smartphone standards. The Galaxy Z Flip has a much larger 3,300mAh battery that’s more in-line with battery expectations for a smartphone released in 2020.


And combine everything above with the Galaxy Z Flip’s cheaper price tag, and it’s tough to even consider the Motorola Razr.

Foto: sourceLisa Eadicicco/Business Insider

The only major thing going for the Motorola Razr is its classic nostalgic design. Apart from that, there’s little reason for anyone to look at the Razr when the Galaxy Z Flip offers so much more for over $100 less.


With all that being said, neither the Galaxy Z Flip or the Motorola Razr come highly recommended, as smartphone makers haven’t figured out how to make folding screens that are as durable as regular smartphones.

Foto: sourceYouTube/Motorola

Both the Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr are mired in controversy over the fragility of their screens.

Samsung touted that the Galaxy Z Flip has an „ultra-thin glass“ screen that initially suggested better durability against scratches. Yet, a recent test by gadget-destroyer Zack Nelson of the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel showed that the Galaxy Z Flip’s screen is no more durable than the fragile plastic screen on the Samsung Galaxy Fold. In a sentence, the Galaxy Z Flip’s screen scratches very easily:

Also recently, the protective plastic coating on one reviewer’s Motorola Razr started to peel off the screen at the fold in the middle. It’s only one indication that the Motorola Razr’s foldable screen might be prone to issues, but foldable smartphone screens have a very poor record so far.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

Ask Andy: How can you tell whether a startup is a good place to work? When is it safe to disclose a mental-health challenge to coworkers?

Published

 on

As a software developer who would like to work for a startup, what should I look for in a company so that I know it’s legit? If I am putting a lot of work into a product, I want to know that at minimum it’s for a legitimate company and founder—not just another person with an overdone app idea that knows nothing about the tech world. Sarah C.

If you’re learning the startup game, the best bet here is to go later-stage. Focus on a pre-IPO company that is growing quickly, has raised money from blue-chip investors, and is getting positive buzz in the market that it will go public within the next two years.

ADVERTISEMENT

Then, don’t believe any of it.

300x250x1

Network your way into three of the company’s team members on LinkedIn or through your network. Have three virtual or IRL coffees. Have them tell you about the culture: If they’re learning; if the company’s really growing; and most importantly, whether or not they respect and, ideally, admire the leadership.

Keep looking until you find this vetted opportunity.

That’s a systematic, rational approach. But that’s not the only way to go. You could throw it all out the window.

Find a company where you believe in the mission. One where you fall in love with the product or service. You might already be a high LTV customer or a power user. Check your credit card statement and your app home screen to source ideas. Your passion for the mission will make it work for you for some time, even if the company doesn’t work in the long run.

However you get there, once you’re inside for a year or two, you’ll be learning.

You may have to switch horses. That’s okay.

When you do, you’ll know more people, you’ll have more insight, and the path on what to pick next will be clearer. Heck, you might even notice an inflection point and meet a cofounder that leads to you starting a company yourself.

It’s like dating.

You probably won’t marry your first love—but you might. If you don’t, your judgment will iteratively improve. And the good news is unlike a marriage, you can change out your partner every few years. (What I’ve found, though, is that the most successful people professionally, and those who generate the most wealth, have more like 5- to 10-year runs.)

Trust your intuition. Follow your heart on the mission or product. Then, don’t trust yourself.  Study the market. Use the product.  And do at least three off-list references outside of who you interview with. Read every single Glassdoor entry.

And then jump!

You’ll be fine.

Do you think you could have shared your mental health conditions publicly BEFORE you were professionally successful, and still have been successful? Or was the fact that you had already achieved professional success what allowed you to be open? Zack

No, I don’t think I could have shared before we succeeded. I wouldn’t have had the courage to, and I feared it might be career-limiting.

Then again, it was almost seven years ago that I had my I-can’t-deny-this-any-longer moment with my Bonobos colleagues and investors. As of today, I think it’s becoming more possible to be candid about mental health. I hope we can move to a world where I could have been more open, sooner, at least selectively with my leadership team and board.

Some entrepreneurs ask me when to tell their VCs about the mental-health challenge or mental-health diagnosis they wrestle with. I always say the same thing: at a breakfast meeting, four months after you’ve closed the round and hit your numbers. Nobody cares about your neurodivergence if you’re performing—and most VCs actually know enough to know that most founders have more going on than meets the eye.

With your team, I think it’s doable, even now. Perhaps especially now. The truth is, they know. They know you deal with stuff because they’re around you. And the vulnerability you share in disclosing will multiply their respect for you. More importantly, it’ll give those team members the space to reciprocally share their stuff with their colleagues, and potentially you as well, and bring their full selves to work.

Wouldn’t that be cool?

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

Take-Two Buys Gearbox And Its New ‘Borderlands’ Game From Embracer

Published

 on

If you’re a game developer owned by Embracer Group at this point, you are nervous about layoffs, shutdowns or game cancellations after the last few years. But now, there is a somewhat happy ending for one of them, Gearbox.

It’s just been announced that Take-Two, which owns GTA developer Rockstar, will purchase Gearbox for $460 million. This also includes the properties Gearbox owns, the Borderlands and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands franchises, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms and Duke Nukem. The report says Gearbox has six games in development, five sequels, including a new Borderlands game, the not-announced-but-definitely-happening Borderlands 4. Here’s Strauss Zelnick:

“Our acquisition of Gearbox is an exciting moment for Take-Two and will strengthen our industry-leading creative talent and portfolio of owned intellectual property, including the iconic Borderlands franchise,” said Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two. “This combination enhances the financial profile of our existing projects with Gearbox and unlocks the opportunity for us to drive increased long-term growth by leveraging the full resources of Take-Two across all of Gearbox’s exciting initiatives.”

Gearbox has been working with 2K and Take-Two for decades, so it was a logical place for them to land. This is, of course, not a great look for Embracer, who only purchased Gearbox three years ago. The price tag back then was “worth up to $1.3 billion” but there were a lot of strings attached to that where it’s not necessarily the case that selling for $$460 million netted them a ~$900 million loss.

300x250x1

As for what this means for gamers, it would seem something like the Borderlands franchise is now on more stable ground, as it was hard to believe any project at Embracer is fully safe these days. Last year, Embracer quietly cancelled 29 different unannounced games and shut down seven studios in a six month period including Volition and Free Radical Design. That came with around 1,400 layoffs. More recently, Embracer laid off 97 people at Eidos in Janaury and cancelled a Deus Ex game.

Sufficed to say, those at Gearbox probably feel pretty good about this. And as for Take-Two, Borderlands is still a valuable IP, and Tiny Tina’s Wonderland was a surprise hit. There’s a new Homeworld game coming as well. In an era for multi-billion dollar acquisition, Gearbox for $460 million doesn’t seem that bad. That’s probably a third of what GTA 6 will sell on day one next year.

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

What’s Brewing in the iPhone 16 Rumor Mill? AI, Action Buttons and More

Published

 on

As the iPhone 15 settles into the market, the tech community is buzzing with anticipation for Apple’s next-generation handset, which is expected to be named “iPhone 16.”

We’ve heard whispers about the iPhone 16’s features, which are said to span from a new power-efficient display to larger screens, better zoom lenses, an action button and, perhaps not surprisingly, a suite of new gen-AI powered features.

Read more: Best iPhone of 2024

However, the iPhone 16 is still presumably six months away and nothing will be confirmed until Apple’s iPhone event in the fall. Still, these rumors could give us an idea of what to expect from the next iPhone.

Here are the most credible rumors for the iPhone 16.

Will the iPhone 16 fold?

Probably not. The newest rumors suggest Apple has been working on iPhone Flip models in two different sizes, though there have been difficulties in making the devices to Apple’s standards. The company may also be working on a folding tablet with a screen around the size of an iPad Mini. Even though virtually every major phone-maker — from Google to Oppo to OnePlus and Samsung — have launched their own bendable handsets, Apple has been characteristically quiet about whether there will ever be an iPhone Flip or an iPhone Fold.

Prior rumors said Apple may not launch its own flexible screen device until 2025. Samsung hasn’t let phone fans forget it — by releasing an app that will let Apple phone owners experience a Z Fold-esque experience by placing two iPhones side-by-side.

iPhone 16 Pro models to get bigger screens?

Apple has maintained the two screen sizes for iPhone Pro models since 2020 when it launched the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. However, that’s rumored to change with the iPhone 16 Pro models, which might get bigger screens.

Display analyst Ross Young suggested earlier this year that the iPhone 16 Pro models will have larger screens, putting the sizes at 6.3 inches for the iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9 inches for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. That rumor was later corroborated by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who said the iPhone 16 Pro models could grow by “a couple tenths of an inch diagonally.”

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models are believed to be sticking with the current 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch sizes. If the size increase is accurate, it would be yet another move from Apple to distinguish its Pro iPhone models from its regular ones.

iPhone 15 screen sizes

  • iPhone 15: 6.1 inches.
  • iPhone 15 Plus: 6.7 inches.
  • iPhone 15 Pro: 6.1 inches.
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max: 6.7 inches.

Rumored iPhone 16 screen sizes

  • iPhone 16: 6.1 inches.
  • iPhone 16 Plus: 6.7 inches.
  • iPhone 16 Pro: 6.3 inches.
  • iPhone 16 Pro Max: 6.9 inches.

iPhone 16 gets more AI tricks

One of the most salient selling points of Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series and Google’s Pixel 8 lineup were each of their souped-up AI tips and tricks, and it wouldn’t be a major shock if Apple went in the same direction. Apple CEO Tim Cook has gone on the record this year confirming Apple sees “a huge opportunity for Apple with gen AI and AI.”

According to Gurman’s Power On newsletter, iOS 18 will feature generative AI technology that “should improve how both Siri and the Messages app can field questions and auto-complete sentences.”

A September report from the Information says Apple plans to use large language models, a crucial part of generative AI, to make Siri smarter. The report said this feature is expected to be released with an iPhone software update next year.

Read More: iPhone iOS 18: A Possible Big Leap In AI

iPhone 16 design: New action button?

In March, AppleInsider published a collection of photographs purportedly displaying 3D-printed dummy models of the rumored iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. The images revealed that the iPhone 16 may have a vertical camera stack as opposed to a diagonal one and an action button, similar the one on last year’s iPhone 15 Pro.

iPhone 16 gets more power-efficient display?

Another change that could make its way to iPhone 16 displays is greater power efficiency. Samsung Display is apparently developing a new material set, dubbed M14, specifically for Apple, according to a TheElec report, which says the new technology should arrive on iPhones launching next year. M14 will replace the blue fluorescent technology that’s used now with blue phosphorescence technology, creating an even more power-efficient screen than the current LTPO ones used on Pro models, the report says.

Andrew Lanxon/CNET

iPhone 16 gets better zoom?

Both the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max could both have 5x telephoto lenses next year. According to Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo, a tetraprism lens will make its way to both Pro models next year, as opposed to just the Pro Max model. Apple equipped the iPhone 15 Pro with a 12-megapixel 3x optical zoom, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 12-megapixel 5x optical zoom camera, which is the equivalent of 120mm lens on a full-frame camera.

If this rumor is true, it could mark a breakthrough in design. When Apple launched the 15 Pro Max with its 5x telephoto lens, it cited the phone’s bigger body as to why the Pro Max had it, but the Pro didn’t.

iPhone 16 processors: A18 chip for all models?

In a break with the past two years, all four iPhone 16 models will apparently get a next-generation Apple chipset, which will all receive A18 branding. According to a MacRumors report citing Jeff Pu, an executive analyst for Haitong International Securities, all four models will have an A18 series chip with Pro iPhone models getting an A18 Bionic Pro and base models getting a regular A18.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus currently have an A16 Bionic, which debuted on the 2022 iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, while the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max run on the A17 Pro processor. Pu says the A18 chip will be manufactured with TSMC’s cutting-edge 3 nanometer process.

Read more: Apple iPhone SE 4 Rumors: iPhone 14 Design, Face ID and More

Continue Reading

Trending