Category: Technologies

Samsung makes a lot of products, from appliances to phones and tablets, but one area where it does particularly well is TVs. In fact, Samsung makes some of the best TVs on the market, so it’s no surprise that they are highly sought after — and expensive. Luckily, there’s a massive sale at Woot on new and factory-reconditioned models, so you can pick up one of Samsung’s high-end TVs for a relatively low price. There are also TVs from LG and Vizio, but the star of the sale is Samsung.

The sale ends on Jan. 31, so be sure to pick up something by then. Remember that sooner is better since stock may not last.

Many of the TVs are pretty high-end. If you want something new that’s an OLED, the cheapest option is a 65-inch S90C Series that has quantum HDR and Dolby Atmos Object Tracking Sound Lite, going for just $1,590 rather than $2,598. If you’re willing to go with a refurbished Vizio instead of a Samsung, the Vizio OLED Premium 4K TV is going for $1,100 and has a 120Hz refresh rate, which is great for gaming, sports and action-packed content. We also suggest the 65-inch LG C2 OLED TV, which CNET rates very highly. A refurbished model will run you $1,250, which is a steal.

There are also some solid QLED models up for grabs, including relatively inexpensive options like a new Samsung Neo QLED 4K QN90B Series that’s on sale for $798 instead of $1,198. We’d be remiss not to mention Samsung’s QLED The Terrace Outdoor TV, which, as the name suggests, is perfect for using outdoors. This new 65-inch model is going for $2,998 instead of $3,998. There is also a massive factory-reconditioned 85-inch Samsung QLED Q950T Series with an 8K resolution. It will run you a whopping $3,700, but that’s a good price for a high-resolution TV this big.

Of course, we also have to mention Samsung’s The Frame TV, which is as much of a piece of art as it is a TV. You can grab a factory-refurbished 55-inch version for just $900 or the 75-inch version for $1,600. You can also get the TechOrbits Tripod TV stand for just $60, which looks like an easel and will make your Frame TV look like a painting. It only fits 45-65 inch TVs.

If none of the TVs in the complete Woot TV sale tickle your fancy, check out some other great TV deals we’ve rounded up.

Huawei says its “back on track” after its revenue neared $100 billion for this year, despite continuing US sanctions on the Chinese conglomerate.

Sales to surged to more than 700 billion yuan ($98.7 billion) in 2023, the company said on Friday, which represents 9% growth from the $642 billion yuan ($92.4 billion) reported from 2022. That’s off the back of what Huawei says is its “solid” ICT infrastructure business as well as better-than-expected performance from its devices business, which includes smartphones.

Huawei’s latest earnings comes as the Chinese company continues to grapple with years-long US sanctions, which are aimed at restricting its access to American technology, particularly cutting-edge chips. This August, Huawei released its first 5G smartphone, representing a chipmaking breakthrough for Beijing, which has previously relied on US components for such devices.

“After years of hard work, we’ve managed to weather the storm. And now we’re pretty much back on track,” said Ken Hu, one Huawei’s rotating chairmen in end-of-year message to staff. “We have to be aware that changes in the business environment are not caused by geopolitical conflict alone, but also by fluctuating global economic cycles.”

Huawei’s smartphone performance

Huawei said on Friday that its device business surpassed expectations for 2023. It plans to “double down” on efforts in this business for 2024.

In August, Huawei announced the Mate 60 Pro smartphone, which was powered by a made-in-China chip that sanctions were designed to prevent. The handset shocked industry experts who were perplexed by how Huawei could produce an advanced smartphone complete with 5G support without key American components. However, it also indicated that Huawei had reached a new degree of self-sufficiency that China seemingly never had before.

The Mate 60 Pro helped Huawei climb back to the top of Chinese mobile brands and reclaim market share form the likes of the iPhone. According to Counterpoint Research, Huawei snatched back marketshare in 2023, growing from 10% in the first quarter to 14% in the third quarter. By comparison, Apple’s marketshare in China dropped from 20% to 15% during the same period.

However, in December, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Washington will take the “strongest possible” action to protect its national security in response to China’s chipmaking breakthrough as indicated by the 5G chip in the Mate 60 Pro.

“Hard work has enabled us to survive and grow, but we still have serious challenges ahead of us.” Hu went on to say in his year-end message. “Geopolitical and economic uncertainties abound, while technology restrictions and trade barriers continue to have an impact on the world”

Huawei was once among the top smartphone companies in the world, rivaling Apple and Samsung. However, phone sales fell dramatically since the Trump administration imposed a series of sanctions on the Chinese telecom giant beginning in 2019, in an effort to curtail its dominance. In 2020, Washington cut off Huawei’s global chip supply in a broadened round of sanctions that effectively banned global companies that use American technology or equipment from doing business with Huawei.

For several months after, Huawei had been relegated to producing mostly 4G phones or relying on a limited supply of stockpiled 5G chips. Prior to the Mate 60, the last 5G chipset Huawei developed in-house was the Kirin 9000 5G, which powered 2020’s Mate 40 Pro.

Streaming devices are now the norm, along with platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Max and other streaming services that enable us to connect and watch TV with convenience. While there are top-quality options from Apple, Roku, Google Chromecast and Amazon, it’s essential to be aware that these devices track your viewing habits in the background, despite their amazing features.

Every major smart TV streaming platform captures your viewing data. Makers of software and hardware (from your new streaming stick to your TV itself) use that data to “improve” the products and services they offer, by tailoring recommendations and the ads they show you, for example. While that’s potentially frustrating, ads do help keep the price down when you’re buying a new streaming stick.

While we’ve previously covered privacy settings for the TVs themselves, for this story we checked out all of the latest software on streaming devices from Amazon, Roku, Google and Apple.

Here’s what we found and what you can do about it on your respective new streaming players.

Amazon Fire TV Stick

Amazon told CNET that it collects limited information about customers’ use of third-party apps on Fire TV. “We collect data on the frequency and duration of use of apps on Fire TV (i.e., when a customer opens or closes an app), which helps with service and device improvements. We don’t collect information about what customers watch in third-party apps on Fire TV.”

Amazon’s privacy policy says that your Amazon device also “collects data about your use of the device and its features, such as your navigation of the home screen [and] selection of device settings (such as device language, display size, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options).”

Here’s how you limit the amount of data Fire TV collects. All settings can be found by going to Settings, then Preferences, then Privacy Settings.

• Choose Device Usage Data and turn this setting off.
• Go to Collect App Usage Data and turn this setting off.
• Select Interest-based Ads and turn this setting off.

Now, your Amazon Fire TV device will not be able to track your data for marketing purposes or be able to look at the frequency and duration of your usage of downloaded apps. It will also not give you targeted advertising, but it will still have ads. For more details check out Amazon’s privacy settings FAQ.

Google Chromecast with Google TV

Google has one privacy policy across the company’s products, which details the data it collects to sell ads or recommend other content such as YouTube videos.

The data collected includes terms you search for, videos you watch, views and interactions with content and ads, voice and audio information when you use audio features, purchase activity, people with whom you communicate or share content, activity on third-party sites and applications that use our services.

Google says that Google Chromecast as a platform does not perform ACR or monitor what specific content users are watching.

Here’s how to control data on the Google Chromecast with Google TV.

• Head to Settings and scroll down to the section labeled Privacy. There you can access settings for Location, Usage and Diagnostics and Ads. There are also sections for account settings that feature Google Assistant as well as Payment and Purchases. Finally, the section has app settings where you can control App Permissions, Special App Access and Security and Restrictions.
• Click Usage and diagnostics and make sure that the tab is switched off. This means that you are no longer sending diagnostic info to Google.
• Click Ads, and Opt Out of Ads Personalization, to keep apps from using your ID to build personalized ad profiles.
• To manage other data Google has on you, such as YouTube and search histories and web and activity data, head to myactivity.google.com.

Roku

Roku’s privacy policy states that the company will collect “your search history, search results, audio information when you use voice-enabled features, channels you access (including usage statistics such as what channels you access, the time you access them and how long you spend viewing them), interactions with content and advertisements, and settings and preferences.”

Roku says that it shares data with advertisers “including ads that you view within Roku’s Channels and Third-Party Channels, as well as ads included in content that you view through your Roku TV’s antenna and connected devices.”

Here’s what you need to do to limit or disable some of the tracking.

• From the main Roku menu, open Settings and head to Privacy.
• For Advertising, make sure that the box Limit ad tracking is checked. This stops Roku from personalizing ads and sharing viewing data from streaming channels for the purpose of measurement. Roku will let channel providers know that you prefer not to have personalized ads, but according to Roku, it is up to the providers if they honor your preference or not. Likewise, “Limit Ad Tracking” will not stop individual channels, like Hulu or Netflix, from collecting their own data on your usage or passing that info on to other parties.
• For those Roku devices that come with an embedded microphone in the remote, you can go to Microphone and then Channel Microphone Access to choose how a channel gains access to the microphone. You can always allow them access, never allow them access or have a prompt pop up and ask for permission to access the microphone. With the Channel Permissions button, you can manage the permissions for each individual channel.

Apple TV

Apple’s privacy policy says that the company collects information from your Apple ID mainly so that you can seamlessly pick up where you left off on other devices. The information that it tracks includes “what content you’re playing, when you played it, the device you played it from and where exactly in the content you paused or stopped watching. We also collect a detailed history of all playback activity for Apple TV channels and Apple TV Plus.”

It also states that the company does share some information with partners that “work with Apple to provide our products and services, help Apple market to customers and sell ads on Apple’s behalf to display in the App Store and Apple News and Stocks.”

Unlike the others on this list, Apple always asks if you want individual apps to track your usage the first time that you use them. You can prevent each app from seeing your data by clicking no every time this pops up.

Apple also has some more privacy settings that you can change. Here’s how to find them:

First, you’ll have to find and click on the settings icon. Hit the General tab, then scroll down to Privacy. The Privacy menu features Location Services, Tracking, Photos, Bluetooth, HomeKit, Media and Apple Music as well as Apple TV Users.

• Click on Tracking and make sure that Allow Apps to Ask to Track is On.
• Go back to the Privacy menu. You will see a separate section called Analytics and Improvements.
• Change Share Apple TV Analytics to Off.
• Change Improve Siri and Dictation to Off.

You’ve now limited Apple from tracking your analytics and using your data to improve Siri or dictation.

If you were extra good this year, there may have been a shiny new gadget with your name on it under the tree. And if you’re looking to make the most of your new phone, smartwatch, tablet or other device, there are tons of accessories to help you unlock its full potential. Right now, you can snag some of them for less at Best Buy’s ongoing accessories sale.

Now through Dec. 31, the tech retailer is offering serious savings on cases, cables, chargers, storage drives and much, much more — with some items discounted by up to 65%. If you got a sleek new iPhone, you could snag this MagSafe wireless charger for $29 right now, which saves you $10 compared with the usual price. You can also transform your 10th-gen iPad with this Logitech Combo keyboard case, which is currently $30 off, dropping the price to $130. And if you’re looking to boost the storage on your new PS5, you can grab the Samsung 980 Pro 2TB SSD — our favorite M.2 storage drive for Sony’s next-gen gaming console — for $150, which is $80 off.

There are tons of other excellent bargains, including up to 50% off PC accessories, $410 off soundbars, 50% off gaming gear and much more, so be sure to shop the entire selection. And while the holidays are winding down, the savings aren’t over quite yet. Check out our roundup of the best after-Christmas deals for more last-minute bargains.

It’s important to stick to a specific budget during the holidays, but it can be very challenging, especially with all the great end-of-year deals that tend to happen. Luckily, there are some great options out there, such as this one-year Gold Star Costco membership for $60 from StackSocial. Rather than get a more traditional discount up-front, once you buy the membership, StackSocial will give you back $40 worth of Costco credit, saving you 66% off the cost of the membership. While you still need to shell out the original $60, it essentially means you’ll get the one-year membership for just $20.

StackSocial has extended this offer through the end of the year, giving you a little more time to cash in on this incredible deal before it disappears. We’d recommend signing up sooner rather than later if you don’t want to miss out on these savings. Keep in mind, this offer is only available only to new customers, or those whose memberships have expired for more than 18 months. If you’ve been considering nabbing an annual Costco membership, this is a great way to keep more cash in your pocket.

Read more: How to Get the Most Out of Your Costco Membership

With a Costco Gold Star subscription, you’ll get one membership card for your household. It allows you to shop at any Costco warehouse worldwide, as well as online at Costco.com. While Costco is a great place to save on groceries and other everyday essentials, it offers a lot more. A Gold Star membership also means you can use Costco’s gas stations and pharmacies, as well as Costco’s optical and hearing aid centers. Don’t overlook Costco for some excellent holiday shopping: Costco frequently has seasonal plants, decor, furniture, electronics and other products.

After you sign up, you’ll receive your $40 shop card via email. The card can be used both in-store and online so you can use it right away. It’s also worth noting that after you pay for membership through StackSocial, you’ll have until Jan. 27 to redeem the membership, or you may not be able to take advantage of the deal.

The Apple Watch Series 9 leaves me wanting more, in both good ways and not-so-good ways.

Wearing the $399 Series 9 as my regular watch for three months (aside from taking a few breaks to test other smartwatches) has given me a lot to look forward to, thanks to new features like Double Tap and Siri’s ability to answer health questions. At the same time, these fresh tricks aren’t integral enough to my daily life to make the Apple Watch Series 9 feel significantly different from its predecessor.

My initial impression of the Series 9 from September holds true. It’s the best smartwatch for iPhone owners (and perhaps the best smartwatch) in general, thanks to its snappy and easy-to-navigate interface, wide selection of health monitoring options and smooth integration with Apple products. The biggest reason to buy it over the cheaper Apple Watch SE remains the Series 9’s extra health and wellness tracking functionality, such as ECG monitoring, blood oxygen readings and temperature sensing. If your primary reason for buying a smartwatch is keeping a closer eye on your health, the Series 9 is the right choice.

Apple briefly stopped selling the Series 9 online and in its stores because of a patent dispute with health tech company Masimo regarding the watch’s blood oxygen detection feature. But an appeals court paused the ban Wednesday, according to CNBC, and Apple has since resumed sales of the Series 9. At least for now.

If you are able to get your hands on a Series 9 and are considering whether it’s worth it, here are my thoughts after using it for three months. For a deeper dive into everything that’s new with the Series 9, check out my full review from September.

Siri gets a health boost on the Apple Watch Series 9

A big part of why I wanted to revisit the Series 9 is because some of the watch’s most interesting features weren’t available at launch. Siri’s ability to answer health-oriented questions is one such example. Apple announced this functionality when the watch debuted in September, but only brought it to the watch through a software update in December. The Series 9 and Ultra 2 are the only Apple Watches that support this feature because the feature requires Apple’s latest processor.

I’ve been excited to try this out because it could solve one of the Apple Watch’s biggest problems: that it can be too difficult to find specific health statistics at a glance. Seeing how many steps you’ve taken this week, for example, can take a few taps in Apple’s Health app. Siri’s ability to answer questions like these on the fly opens up a lot of potential for Apple’s digital assistant to become even more useful.

So far, I’ve been asking the Series 9 questions like how I slept last night, how many minutes I’ve spent exercising this week, how far I’ve walked today and what my average walking heart rate is. Siri has been able to answer these questions with ease, but I also feel like Apple’s virtual helper could be doing much more in this area. For example, I’d love to be able to ask Siri what time I should go to sleep tonight based on my daily activity and the previous night’s sleep. Siri also couldn’t tell me what my most active day was for this week when asked.

Part of that is because of Siri and the Apple Watch’s limitations. While Apple does highlight trends related to your sleep and allows you to set a bedtime schedule, it doesn’t offer sleep coaching features that provide advice on how to improve your sleep. Nor does it provide bedtime recommendations based on your activity and slumber patterns, like some of its rivals. How can Siri tell me when to hit the sack based on how busy my day was if the Apple Watch isn’t analyzing that type of data?

Siri can also only answer health questions based on data from the last week or so since such queries are processed on the watch itself rather than the cloud for privacy reasons. Still, Siri’s new health knowledge feels like an important first step toward making the Apple Watch (and Siri) better health-tracking companions.

Double Tap on the Apple Watch Series 9

Another major new feature that wasn’t available until after the Series 9 launched is Double Tap. As the name implies, Double Tap makes it possible to navigate your Apple Watch by tapping your thumb and index finger together. It’s kind of like an invisible button for scrolling through your widget stack and dismissing notifications. You can also use Double Tap to answer and dismiss calls, play or pause music, reply to text messages through voice dictation, manage timers and capture a photo with your iPhone using the Camera Remote app.

Shortly after Double Tap arrived on the Series 9, I wrote that I hadn’t been using the feature often. My opinion hasn’t changed, although Double Tap does feel more responsive than before. I don’t know if the feature itself has improved with new software updates, or if I’ve just had more time to get the hang of it.

The biggest problem is that Double Tap doesn’t feel intuitive just yet. While I love the idea of using my Apple Watch without having to touch it with my opposite hand, I’m conditioned to tap or swipe, or even twist the Digital Crown before tapping my fingers together. Whenever I use Double Tap, it feels like I’m consciously thinking about it rather than having it be a genuine reaction when my wrist buzzes.

That said, I’m excited about what Double Tap means for the Apple Watch. It feels like the start of the Apple Watch becoming a more intuitive, ambient screen that lives on your wrist rather than something that you have to consciously interact with. Although I don’t find Double Tap very useful yet, that’s just one opinion. My colleague Lexy Savvides called Double Tap “helpful” and “accurate” after testing the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2.

The Apple Watch Series 9 as a health tracker

The Apple Watch Series 9 has all the health and wellness tracking metrics that are expected of a watch at this price. That includes:

• ECG monitoring
• High and low heart rate notifications
• Irregular heart rate notifications
• Blood oxygen monitoring
• Overnight temperature readings
• Sleep tracking
• A wide variety of workout types
• Automatic workout detection for certain exercises like walking, running and cycling
• The Mindfulness app for breathing exercises and mood logging

All of these features are present in the Series 8 as well, but the cheaper $249 Apple Watch SE is missing ECG monitoring, blood oxygen and skin temperature readings. The pricier $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a few extras for athletes and outdoor enthusiasts, such as a more rugged titanium build and dual-frequency GPS.

While the Series 9 checks the right boxes, I wish Apple did more to make sense of all the health data it gathers. Products from Garmin, Oura and Fitbit can make observations about whether you’re ready for a workout or need to take a rest day based on factors like activity and sleep. Apple can nudge you to get up and move, but the Apple Watch is still missing these big-picture observations. Google-owned Fitbit is also launching a program called Fitbit Labs in 2024 that will use AI to connect the dots between certain data points, in yet another sign that Apple’s rivals are investing in new ways to analyze and contextualize health metrics and activity.

You also don’t get nearly as much sleep data from the Apple Watch as you do with other trackers from the companies mentioned above. The Apple Watch can log sleep duration and stages of sleep along with highlighting trends such as average sleep duration over the past week and changes in respiratory rate.

Other trackers provide sleep scoring and coaching features that assess the quality of your sleep, making it easier to make decisions about whether you need to get to bed earlier or later. Garmin, for example, was able to tell me whether my sleep was calm, too short or non-restorative. Knowing that I didn’t sleep well the night before made me feel more motivated to wind down earlier the following evening.

Apple Watch Series 9 battery life

The Apple Watch Series 9 typically lasts between one to two days depending on how you’re using it. That’s about average for smartwatches in this price range, although watches from Fitbit and Garmin typically last for multiple days on a single charge. You’ll need the pricier Apple Watch Ultra 2, pictured above if you want longer battery life

When I didn’t exercise, track sleep or record outdoor walks, the Apple Watch Series 9 lasted for about two full days. But after a full day of use that included about 30 to 40 minutes of indoor exercise and an outdoor walk, plus overnight sleep tracking, the Series 9 had 35% of its battery left when I woke up in the morning. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 lasted for about two full days even after tracking GPS workouts and monitoring sleep, according to CNET’s testing.

Luckily, the Series 9 can charge fairly fast. It went from 35% to 92% after 30 minutes, which fit nicely with my morning routine. I left the watch on its charger while I got ready to head to the office, and the battery was almost full by the time I left.

Still, the Series 9’s battery life does limit its appeal as a sleep tracker compared to competitors. The Garmin Venu 3 lasted for about a week during my testing, for example, and the Oura ring usually lasts for about four days, according to my colleague Scott Stein who has worn it for months.

While Garmin and Oura’s devices may fall short in other areas compared to the Apple Watch, their relatively long battery life and deeper metrics may make them a better choice for those who prioritize sleep monitoring above all else in a wearable. Multi-day battery life makes it easier to track sleep without potentially having to sacrifice some activity tracking the next day.

Apple Watch Series 9 overall thoughts

As I wrote in my initial review, the Apple Watch Series 9 isn’t a big leap over the Series 8. If you have a recent Apple Watch, especially the Series 7 or Series 8, you can hold off on upgrading.

The subtle changes in the Series 9 set the Apple Watch up for a promising future. I’m still waiting for workout recovery metrics and more detailed sleep insights, but updates like Siri’s ability to answer health questions and Double Tap make it clear that there’s more in store for the Apple Watch beyond new health sensors.

Samsung’s next major phone could be right around the corner, and we’re expecting it to provide a glimpse into how generative AI will show up in the company’s products.

Generative artificial intelligence, or AI that can create new content after being trained on data, took the tech industry by storm in 2023. Samsung is no exception; in November, it announced its own generative AI model and teased a new experience called Galaxy AI, which sounds like it’s poised to play a big role in the company’s 2024 phone lineup.

Samsung makes a lot more than just phones and wearables; its product lineup spans TVs, monitors, laptops and home appliances. But Samsung holds significant influence in the mobile market as one of the two dominant players that makes up the majority of worldwide smartphone shipments. Its Galaxy S launch is usually the first major smartphone launch of the year, meaning it could set the tone for what to expect throughout 2024.

Like many tech companies, Samsung tends to release new smartphones and smartwatches on an annual basis. While only Samsung knows precisely which new Galaxy products will be launching and when, it’s possible to make educated guesses based on the company’s launch patterns in years past.

For example, Samsung usually starts the product year sometime in the first quarter by releasing new versions of its flagship Galaxy S phones, while its new foldable phones typically arrive in the late summer.

Here are the mobile products we’re expecting to see from Samsung next year based on the company’s typical product launch cycle, reports and leaks.

Galaxy S24 series

Assuming Samsung follows the same launch pattern as in years past, the Galaxy S24 lineup will likely arrive in the first couple of months of 2024. Samsung announced the Galaxy S23 family in early February, while reports from Korean news outlet SBS Biz and The Elec suggest the new phones could debut on Jan. 17. If the reports ends up being accurate, the Galaxy launch would happen just days after the CES 2024 tech conference in Las Vegas.

Artificial intelligence will likely be a major focus for the Galaxy S24 series. Samsung recently announced its new generative AI model, called Gauss, which is essentially its answer to ChatGPT. As with similar AI tools, Samsung says Gauss can compose emails, summarize documents and assist with writing code.

Samsung also teased Galaxy AI in November, which it describes as a new AI experience coming next year. The company hasn’t revealed many details about Galaxy AI, but did say that it will be capable of translating phone calls. Also, in October Samsung announced its Exynos 2400 processor, which it says boasts a 14.7x boost in AI performance and enables text-to-image AI generation.

Samsung usually only puts its Exynos chip in certain Galaxy models sold in specific markets and uses Qualcomm’s latest chip in areas like the US. But Qualcomm too has supercharged its next mobile processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, with more AI prowess. Qualcomm in late October showcased the chip’s AI features during its Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii, potentially indicating that AI could be prominent on both the Exynos and Qualcomm versions of Samsung’s expected new phone. A report from the blog Sam Mobile suggests that will indeed be the case, as it says Samsung plans to emphasize AI features in the Galaxy S24.

We don’t know what that will look like yet, but the camera seems like a plausible area to infuse with AI. Samsung recently announced a new feature for its 200-megapixel camera sensor called Zoom Anywhere, which should allow future phones to zoom up to 4x when shooting moving objects. A rumor from a well-known leaker who goes by the name Ice Universe on X (formerly Twitter) says the 200-megapixel camera mode will use AI to identify up to a dozen types of objects and optimize the scene accordingly. But since these developments are specific to the 200-megapixel sensor, there’s a chance they would likely only be available on the rumored Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Samsung already uses AI for its Bixby Custom Voice Creator, which lets users record sentences that the assistant can analyze to copy one’s voice and tone. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Samsung explore more voice-related AI features following Google’s recent improvements to the Google Assistant, such as its more realistic voice for screening calls.

Galaxy A55 5G

Samsung’s Galaxy A series phones aren’t as well-known as the company’s Galaxy S devices. But they stand out for their premium features — like multilens cameras and screens with high refresh rates — at lower prices. But keep in mind that they often compromise in certain areas like performance and camera quality.

Samsung usually releases new versions of its Galaxy A phones in March, as was the case with the Galaxy A54 5G in 2023 and the Galaxy A53 5G in 2022. There haven’t been any leaks or rumors about the Galaxy A55 yet, but we can likely expect routine upgrades to the processor, camera and design.

But don’t expect it to have the same chip as the Galaxy S24 lineup, considering the processor in Samsung’s Galaxy A phones is usually a step below what’s found in its flagship devices. The Galaxy A54, for instance, uses the company’s Exynos 1380 processor, which is a noticeable step back from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 series. That means if Samsung does release a successor to the Galaxy A54, it likely won’t have the same AI features we’re expecting to see in the Galaxy S24.

Galaxy Z Flip 6

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 was a significant step up from the Galaxy Z Flip 4, largely thanks to its bigger cover screen, gapless design and improved camera. The rumored Galaxy Z Flip 6 will likely build on the Z Flip 5 with typical upgrades like a fresh processor and perhaps more software features that take advantage of its foldable design. A report from the blog Galaxy Club indicates that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 could have a 50-megapixel main camera sensor, which would represent a notable step up from the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s 12-megapixel camera.

See also: I Visited Samsung’s Home Turf to See if Foldable Phones Are Really the Future

The company also usually puts the same chip from its flagship Galaxy S series into the Galaxy Z Flip, so there’s a chance it will inherit the same AI tricks as the Galaxy S24 series. Of course, this is all just speculation for now; we won’t know for sure until Samsung makes an announcement.

Samsung typically announces new Galaxy Z Flip phones in the August timeframe, although it announced the Z Flip 5 slightly earlier this year, in July.

Galaxy Z Fold 6

Like the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung’s newest Galaxy Z Fold also usually arrives in the late summer timeframe. Rumors about what’s next for the Z Fold are scarce. But a recent patent showing a device that looks a lot like the Galaxy Z Fold with an S Pen slot has generated speculation that Samsung’s next book-shaped foldable will finally have a place to store its stylus. That could make the Galaxy Z Fold 6 more useful as a productivity device.

Based on Samsung’s previous Galaxy Z Fold launches, the Z Fold 6 could have a new processor that matches the one in the Galaxy S24, some new software features and a slightly improved design. But we’ll likely have to wait until the summer to know for sure.

Galaxy Watch 7 series

While we don’t know what’s next for Samsung’s smartwatch lineup, we can expect health tracking to remain a big theme. Samsung has been focused on sleep; it even conducted what it claims is one of the largest single health sleep studies ever by examining the sleep behaviors of Galaxy Health users worldwide. Samsung’s One UI 5 Watch software update from earlier this year also puts sleep statistics front and center on the company’s smartwatches.

The biggest changes between the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 6 had to do with software, screens and battery life, as my colleague Lexy Savvides wrote in her review. It’s possible that Samsung could take a similar approach with the Galaxy Watch 7. Given the company’s expected focus on AI next year, it also wouldn’t be surprising to see AI features baked into the next Galaxy Watch.

Galaxy Buds 3

Samsung launched its pair of “fan edition” Galaxy Buds in 2023, but it’s been a while since it’s released regular and pro models. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro arrived in August 2022, and the Galaxy Buds 2 came in August 2021. While both pairs of earbuds got high marks from CNET’s David Carnoy for their comfortable design and good sound quality, there’s room for improvement.

Some Galaxy Buds 2 Pro features only work with Galaxy phones, for example, which could limit their appeal to other Android phone users. And the regular Galaxy Buds 2 have low-level, IPX2 water resistance. Hopefully Samsung’s next generation of Galaxy Buds addresses these shortcomings and others.

Galaxy smart ring

Samsung has been selling smartwatches and wireless earbuds for years, but the tech giant may expand into a new genre: smart rings. A report from Korean news outlet The Elec indicates that Samsung could release a smart ring in the third quarter of 2024 or early 2025. The ring is expected to be a wellness device similar to the Oura ring and may come in four sizes, according to the report.

While Samsung hasn’t made any announcements yet about plans to release a smart ring, health tracking seems like a plausible use case for such a device. The Oura ring, for example, has two big advantages over smartwatches: It’s more discrete and compact, making it easier to wear overnight. And it offers significantly longer battery life than a smartwatch since it doesn’t have a screen.

New Galaxy foldable

Samsung has a lot of ideas about where foldable phones could go next, but none of its future concepts have graduated to becoming real products yet. At CES 2023, for example, Samsung showcased the Flex Hybrid, which has a tablet-sized screen that can extend to provide more screen space. That’s just one of several concepts Samsung has shown over the years; it’s also created prototype mobile devices that bend in multiple areas like an accordion.

The company hasn’t said when or if any of these concepts will make it to market. But shipments of foldable phones are expected to grow, even though they only account for a small portion of the mobile market today. Worldwide shipments of foldable phones are expected to grow 43.9% compared to 2022, according to market research firm International Data Corporation.

Galaxy VR headset

It’s been a big year for mixed reality, with Apple introducing its first headset, called the Vision Pro, Meta launching the Quest 3 and Sony debuting the PlayStation VR 2. But Samsung’s plans for mixed reality are still largely a mystery.

Samsung, Qualcomm and Google are working on a mixed-reality project, although we haven’t heard much about it since the three companies announced their partnership in February 2023. It’s possible that we’ll hear more at Samsung’s expected Galaxy S24 launch event since it may take place roughly one year after the partnership was announced.

Samsung hasn’t mentioned whether any specific mixed reality products, like a new headset, are under development.

“It’s more of a declarative announcement about how we are going to get it right in trying to build the XR ecosystem,” T.M. Roh, president of Samsung’s mobile division, said through a translator in an interview with CNET in February.

Although we don’t know what the company’s plans for mixed reality are yet, Roh hinted in a separate CNET interview in July that phones will play a big role in the experience.

“So for the short term, perhaps many features or experiences [in] mixed reality would be in connection with [the] smartphone,” he said.

We’ll know more about Samsung’s product plans as 2024 unfolds. But what seems clear, given the tech industry’s direction, is that AI will be a big part of what’s next.

From quantum computers to brain implants, a lot of companies are pushing forward in areas that have previously been the stuff of science fiction. Here are the top three future tech trends we’ll be keeping an eye on in 2024.

With computing at the heart of so much tech, we’re kicking off with a technology that could revolutionize the very act of computing itself: quantum computers.

IBM recently revealed its Quantum System Two. At 22 feet wide and 12 feet tall, these modular computing units can be linked together to amplify their power.

When quantum computing technology like this becomes mature, extremely complicated problems like those at the forefront of medicine, ecology, economics and more that are beyond modern computers’ ability to solve could finally be made solvable.

That’s why the race is on between players like IBM, Google, Microsoft, Honeywell and China to create a viable quantum system.

The road to quantum computers is long and full of challenges, but with its transformative potential, we’ll be keeping an eye on all the big players in 2024.

Another trend to watch is the diverse array of new electric vehicles covering land, air and sea. We’ve seen the development of personal eVTOLs like the Jetson One, electric trucks like those developed by Tesla and Einride, electric boats like the Arc One and electric scooters like the Honda Motocompacto.

In 2024 I’ll be looking forward to hopefully test-drive the Aptera solar car which I got to ride in last year, Zapata’s recently announced Air Scooter and the new boat in development from Arc.

Last but certainly not least, we’re going to be watching the brain-computer interface space. Our team visited Synchron headquarters this year to get a demo of their stentrode, a device that can be inserted via catheter, bypassing the need for open brain surgery.

Synchron has implanted stentrodes in several patients who have used the device to navigate their phones, computers and beyond using only their thoughts. The stentrode is implanted in a blood vessel near the brain’s motor cortex, where it detects the user’s intent to move and transmits it wirelessly to take the desired action.

Elon Musk’s Neuralink hasn’t shied away from open brain surgery, instead developing surgical robots to install its devices. Neuralink recently announced open recruitment for its clinical trials in September of 2023.

Blackrock Neurotech, another leading company in this space, is preparing its MoveAgain system for a commercial launch as a medical device. It also announced a product it calls Neuralace, an ultra-thin flexible electrode that it claims could capture much more data than current technology.

To see these technologies in action check out the video in this article.

Some reporters (ahem, myself) thought it would be the year of phone-to-satellite connectivity. Sike! It didn’t manifest, and now it looks like we’re headed straight into 2024 as a year of on-device AI. What happened?

This cresting of a fad wave only to see it plummet was probably only seen by phones fans. Apple began to make waves with the release of Emergency SOS via Satellite within the iPhone 14 in late 2022. The tool lets iPhone owners send texts to emergency services through satellites.

Then Qualcomm kicked off 2023 with a big pitch: by midyear, handsets with Snapdragon chips would be able to tap into satellite owner Iridium’s network to relay emergency texts at first, then eventually send data and videos. At CES 2023, the company took reporters out into the Las Vegas desert for a demonstration of satellite-connected phones. Motorola and robust phonemaker Bullitt teased their own tough satellite handset solution, which caused more ripples.

But by the end of 2023, no phones had come out with Snapdragon Satellite and Qualcomm ended its deal with Iridium. Further, the satellite solutions proposed by AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile have yet to come online.

The year is poised to end with no other mainstream phones getting satellite texting, let alone voice or video. That leaves the iPhone as the sole handset that can connect to and use satellites to augment their communications in an emergency. It’s a reality check on the hype, including buzz echoed by media, and a recognition that there are more obstacles to tackle before we’re all texting with our smartphones from the middle of nowhere.

What happened to the year of Satellite Texting, as this reporter was so bold (or foolish) as to predict? And when will satellite service expand beyond iPhones to help hapless Android owners?

Everyone but Apple is at a satellite standstill

After the iPhone 14 debuted with satellite connectivity last year, Qualcomm and wireless carriers rushed to follow. But no other company has been able to pull it off just yet.

Efforts by US carriers to use satellites to reach subscribers traveling outside their mobile networks have yet to materialize. T-Mobile teamed up with SpaceX to use its thousands of microsatellites, which would seemingly give it a lead on competitors. But we haven’t heard an update since March when SpaceX said it would start testing sometime in 2023. AT&T asked the FCC in May to block that partnership.

AT&T has partnered with AST SpaceMobile, which has been connecting satellite calls for years and even put through a test satellite call using an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22 on the carrier’s network back in September. But there’s no update on when the carrier’s customers will be able to put that tech to use. Likewise, it’s unclear when Verizon customers will benefit from the carrier’s satellite partner, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which in October launched its first pair of proto-satellites of its eventual 3,236-satellite network.

While the carriers haven’t outlined exactly how their solutions would work, they have cursorily noted that their offerings will be compatible with a variety of handsets. That could set them apart from Apple and Qualcomm’s solutions, which are gated by hardware.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite was envisioned as a service that enabled phonemakers to tap into Iridium’s network if they implemented the then-latest premium chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, in their handsets. Like other features made available in Qualcomm’s silicon, it was up to device manufacturers to determine how they wanted to implement it. Evidently, no phonemaker took Qualcomm up on the offer.

At Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii in October, company executives remained optimistic about using satellites for emergency and worldwide mobile coverage. We could see that implemented in two or three years, said Alex Katouzian, senior vice president and general manager of mobile, compute and XR at Qualcomm. That’s when the expanded coverage will justify the extra cost of a satellite service, and the mobile industry will get there “when OEMs want to carry the extra cost,” Katouzian said.

Even the future of Qualcomm’s own offering is seemingly in question. Weeks after the Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm announced that it’s ending its partnership with Iridium. For its part, the satellite company remained bullish that “the direction of the industry is clear toward increased satellite connectivity in consumer devices,” Iridium CEO Matt Desch said in the press release. But without a satellite network to tap, the future of Snapdragon Satellite in its current iteration is unclear.

The biggest roadblock to satellite texting is money, said Avi Greengart, president and lead analyst at Techsponential.

“Pricing is an open question for any of these services, and negotiating the service and cost structure is likely as much a stumbling block as technical issues,” Greengart said. “The most widely used cellular-satellite service is Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite, and thus far Apple has footed the entire bill as an ancillary benefit to buying an iPhone 14 or 15.”

But the other roadblock potentially in Qualcomm’s way is that Snapdragon Satellite is a proprietary solution. Instead, phonemakers wanted a standards-based solution — something that adhered to what the 3GPP communications consortium established for non-terrestrial networks (NTN). If devicemakers went for Qualcomm’s solution and the rest of the industry shifted toward 3GPP’s NTN standard, those devices might be left behind if Qualcomm’s proprietary connection dried up.

Apple’s deep pockets go a long way

The iPhone’s Emergency SOS is a singular solution that’s tough to replicate given the measures Apple has taken to ensure it works. Apple partnered with Globalstar, using its satellites to relay messages from phones (for now, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15) to get help. Those messages are sent to a dedicated Apple-funded-and-organized triage team that forwards them to appropriate emergency response services near the iPhone owners.

Since launching in late 2022, Apple’s satellite service has provided potentially lifesaving help for a number of iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 owners who have tumbled into canyons beyond cell service and even been stranded in the Maui fires. Apple showcased these rescues during its press events to help promote its latest phones. It evidently believes it’s a worthwhile investment, considering the company expanded its initial two years of complimentary Emergency SOS service into a third free year for iPhone 14 owners.

But to achieve that level of service, you’d need to have Apple’s level of finances. That’s why other satellite solutions required different approaches to shoulder the financial and logistical burden.

When Emergency SOS for satellites launched in November 2022, Apple stated that the company had invested $450 million to make its system work, a majority of which went to satellite company Globalstar to power the phone-to-satellite experience (including 300 Globalstar employees who support the service). Apple declined to comment on how much that service costs to maintain in the year since Emergency SOS went live. But Apple’s deep pockets and resources likely played a big role in making the service a reality.

In a spending race, only Samsung, which made around $52 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2023, seems to be in Apple’s league ($81.8 billion in revenue in the same period). And Samsung is working on a satellite solution for its phones, and a recent SamMobile report suggested that functionality it’s coming in the rumored Samsung Galaxy S24 expected early next year. That’s still too late for the closing bell of 2023.

Beyond having the finances to support satellite systems, expanding such services beyond iPhones could just be a matter of waiting for the infrastructure to catch up. Even if Snapdragon Satellite had gotten device support, its partner Iridium’s 25-year-old satellite constellation is closer to 2G than 5G, Snapdragon Vice President Francesco Grilli noted when the service was revealed at CES. That means it could handle texting just fine but not voice calls unless Iridium added newer satellites to its cluster.

While Apple’s iPhone 14 and 15 can send Emergency SOS texts over partner GlobalStar’s network, it’s not clear if the current setup can handle voice calls or video. And the other solutions proposed by carriers are still a ways away from handling their text loads, let alone voice and data. We could just be in a waiting game, said Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy.

“I think it will still be a few years before this comes to fruition,” Sag said. “And I think it’s very dependent on the deployment of these [low Earth orbit) constellations.”

Whether or not you’ve had issues with your blood pressure in the past, it’s important to regularly keep an eye on it — especially if you’re extra stressed due to the holidays. Fortunately, if you already have an Apple Watch, tracking your blood pressure at home will be much easier.

Daily tracking can help you establish a baseline for your version of “normal,” and chart any changes to your levels over time. Work and life stress can cause a spike in your readings, and so can some of the foods you eat. Tracking your blood pressure can also help with early diagnosis and false readings (like if you only have high BP at the doctor’s office), and help you keep an eye on the effects of any new blood pressure medication.

Though at-home monitoring won’t replace a visit to the doctor’s office, it can give you the data you need to know when it’s time to go in.

The Health app on your Apple Watch is a convenient way to sync your blood pressure data in one place on a device that’s always with you.

The smartwatch isn’t equipped to measure your blood pressure alone, but there are tools and devices you can pair it with it that can — usually wireless monitors that connect to youriPhoneor Apple Watch and come with an arm cuff and their own app. These devices will automatically sync the data with your Apple Watch’shealth app
.

Here are some ways your Apple Watch can help keep your blood pressure and health in check.

Blood pressure devices that work with Apple Watch

These five wireless blood pressure monitors sync to your Apple Watch’s Health app.

Omron Evolv Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor ($64): This portable monitor takes clinically accurate readings, and has a built-in screen that shows your readings so you don’t have to consult your phone screen each time. The Omron BPM syncs to your Apple watch via the Omron Connect mobile app usingBluetooth
.

Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor ($130): Provides instant color-coded feedback and creates a chart of all your past measurements for easy tracking in its Health Mate app. You can sync your Withings BPM to your Apple Watch via Bluetooth.

QardioArm Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor ($89): Geotracks your readings across locations. Measures your systolic and diastolic blood pressure and can detect an irregular heartbeat. You can set up reminders to notify you when it’s time to check your blood pressure. Connect your QardioArm BPM to your Apple Watch via Bluetooth.

iHealth Feel Wireless Arm Blood Pressure Monitor ($80): Offers up to 200 offline readings. Shows your systolic and diastolic blood pressure on the iHealth App and lets you know if your reading is normal or above average. The iHealth blood pressure monitor syncs to your Apple Watch using Bluetooth.

Control your blood pressure through exercise

It’s well known that regular exercise can help your heart stay strong and healthy.

• You can use your Apple Watch to count your steps so you know if you’re hitting your goal.
• Your watch can track your heart rate with the sensor on the back to help you get fit — you’ll know you’re reaching your goals when your resting heart rate is getting lower.
• You can track your workouts — the watch offers 12 workouts you can choose from, or you can begin any workout and the watch will automatically detect it.

While working out, you can easily monitor your heart rate and set up heart-rate thresholds that notify you in case your heart rate is too high or low.

Keep an eye on your heart rate

If you monitor your blood pressure regularly, you’ll likely also want to keep tabs on your heart’s health. The Apple Watch has FDA clearance for its an ECG feature that records your heart rate rhythm to detect if you have atrial fibrillation (AFib) or another abnormal heart rhythm.

You can use the new ECG app (this is the same as EKG, an electrocardiogram) on your watch after setting up the ECG feature in the Health app. We also recommend importing your health records so you can stay on top of any changes.