Features

Samsung Galaxy S8 secrets revealed

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Inside secret conference rooms at Samsung’s Suwon Headquarters in South Korea, their next flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is being passed around.

Following the fiery disaster that was the Note 7, the team of engineers working on the Galaxy S8 are hard at work to ensure the phone becomes a runaway success, nothing less is demanded.

Initially slated for a February 26 launch in Barcelona, the Galaxy S8 launch is said to have been pushed back to sometime in late March – giving the company two extra months to dot all their I’s and cross all their T’s.

If you are a fan of the Note 7’s design, good news, we expect the S8 to take Samsung’s curved form factor even further.

READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy S8 shows up with specs, pricing, and launch date

TWO SIZES

Industry sources tell GadgetMatch, the next Samsung phone will come in two sizes. One that’s as big as this year’s S7 and the other as large as the S7 Edge. This means that while you’re not getting bigger phones both S8 models will have larger displays.

The display on the Galaxy S8 will be 5.8-inches, the larger model the Galaxy S8 Plus will have a 6.2-inch display (instead of 5.1 and 5.5 on the S7 and S7 Edge).

[irp posts=”8909″ name=”Latest Lenovo flagship could be a precursor to next year’s Samsung Galaxy S8″]

How? Like many 2017 flagships are expected to deliver, the Galaxy S8 will be completely bezel-less with a display that hugs the edges of the phone on all sides.

ALL DISPLAY

The front of the phone will be all display, with just a tiny shin on both its top and bottom. Our source tells us the top bezel will house a selfie camera, headpiece, and an iris scanner for added security.

The bottom chin has room for a logo but in the current version that is being passed around, the logo is not present.

GadgetMatch worked together with Plethora Creatives to imagine the Galaxy S8. Below is our artist’s 3D rendering of how it might look like. These 3D models are based on the descriptions of our source.

Samsung Galaxy S8 renders based on our source’s descriptions. Image © GadgetMatch.com 2016

There is no physical home button that doubles as a fingerprint sensor. All buttons will be on screen. We’re told the fingerprint sensor will be underneath the display, possibly using the just announced optical fingerprint sensor by Synaptics that can read fingerprints under a 1mm glass display.

NOTE 7 REBORN

The S8 will share the same front and back dual edge curves of the Note 7. In fact, apart from its size differences. The S8 looks almost identical to the Note 7 from behind.

While it was initially a planned feature on the larger model, Samsung is reported to have made a last minute decision to ship the S8 with only one main camera, not two. The model being passed around only has one.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 will have dual edge displays like on the Note 7 with hardly any bezel. Image © GadgetMatch.com 2016

Samsung retains its choice of materials – Gorilla Glass and high strength aluminum. The S8 will come in an assortment of colors Black, Grey, Rose Gold and Blue. Our renders imagines a blue and black model. The phone will mostly likely still have a headphone jack and will still be water resistant.

PERSONAL ASSISTANT

Software-wise the S8 may take a page from Google’s playbook with a virtual assistant of its own, making it the smartest Galaxy phone ever. If it materializes the company will use technology from its acquisition of Artificial Intelligence firm Viv.

Samsung’s decision to give itself more time is both good and bad news.

Two extra months gives them more time to change their mind about certain features, which given their track record wouldn’t come as a surprise. But inside Samsung, there is greater pressure to get it right and that means finishing early and spending the extra time testing for and ironing out kinks.

A lot is at stake, how the Samsung Galaxy S8 is received will greatly affect the future of Samsung’s smartphone business. Here’s to hoping they succeed.

[irp posts=”9899″ name=”Samsung Galaxy S8 shows up with specs, pricing, and launch date”]

Update: This post was updated on January 27th to reflect the new launch date (from April to late March)

Tutorials

How to set up Apple Pay on your iPhone

It’s as easy as a single tap.

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Apple Pay is officially in the Philippines!

Pushing the country forward into a cashless and cardless future, Apple has now brought its contactless payment system to the Philippines. As with other countries, Apply Pay will work seamlessly and easily even for those who have problems with technology.

Now, despite how easy it is, sometimes we need to be pointed in the right direction. Here’s how you can set up Apple Pay on your iPhone:

Everything starts with the Wallet app. First, open your Wallet app. Tap the “+” button on the top and select “Debit or Credit Card.”

Normally, this is where you can input your card details (which you can still do, by the way), but the default method now is to just tap your card on the back of your iPhone. Your phone does the rest. You might need to confirm with your bank, but it’s as easy as a single tap.

Pick which cards to use. Once you have your cards online, you might need to change which one is the default card. Again, it’s easy. Just drag your preferred card to the front.

Afterwards, you can tap to pay in supported stores by priming the Wallet app for use. Tapping to pay is also available for Apple Watch. Meanwhile, online transactions can also work on MacBook.

Secure, all the time. If you’re worried about your security especially with online transactions, Apple keeps your information only between you and the seller. They don’t store your data.

Also, it’s not easy to make a transaction without your consent. You need Face ID, Touch ID, or your password. If you lose your phone, you can easily shut your phone down with the Find My app to prevent malicious parties from making transactions.

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Accessories

DJI Osmo Mobile 8P: From a videographer’s perspective

Better tracking, fewer buttons

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DJI’s smartphone gimbals have always chased one goal: delivering cinema-smooth footage without forcing you to carry a heavy rig.

The Osmo Mobile 8P (OM 8P) makes its priorities clear right out of the box. This is not a simple refresh. DJI rebuilt how you control the gimbal, and that decision shapes the entire shooting experience.

Freedom behind the lens

The biggest change is the FrameTap remote, and it’s the kind of upgrade that fixes a problem you didn’t realize was slowing you down until it’s gone.

On the standard OM 8, adjusting your framing meant reaching for your phone every time, which broke the flow of shooting and pulled you out of the moment.

FrameTap puts that control back in your hand. You can reframe shots and manage the gimbal without touching your phone at all, and for anyone shooting solo, that alone changes how usable the whole setup feels. Tracking has taken a real step forward too.

ActiveTrack 8.0, paired with Module 2, held onto its subject even after they stepped out of frame for a moment, then picked them back up without much fuss.

It also lets you sit off-center in the shot instead of forcing you into the middle every time, which gives you more room to compose something that doesn’t look like every other gimbal video.

None of that would matter much if the gimbal itself wasn’t solid, and it still is. The OM 8P holds onto the same foldable design, magnetic phone clamp, and built-in tripod that made the OM 8 easy to live with.

And it remains one of the better compact options for stabilization, tracking, and portability in one package.

The tripod legs are a touch wider this time, and that extra width does make a noticeable difference on uneven ground.

The trade-offs in touch

The trade-off for all that new remote functionality is a control scheme that takes more getting used to. More of the gimbal’s functions now live on the FrameTap touchscreen, the joystick is smaller, and switching between shooting modes takes a few extra taps compared to the OM 8. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s a learning curve you’ll need to budget time for.

DJI also removed the zoom and focus wheel, so if you leaned on that dial for quick adjustments, you’ll feel its absence here. Module 2 no longer lets you plug a DJI wireless mic in directly either.

You’ll need to connect it to your phone instead, which adds a step to a setup that used to be simpler. Phone compatibility is still a limiting factor as well. DJI lists support for phones up to around 300g and 11mm thick, so bigger phones or ones in chunky cases may not clamp in properly.

Finding your ideal workflow

The OM 8P makes the most sense for solo creators who want dependable tracking and the freedom of remote framing without stepping up to a dedicated camera like the DJI Osmo Pocket.

If you’re already shooting on a phone with a solid camera, this fills the gap nicely. It’s a tougher sell if you prefer physical buttons over touchscreen menus, or if your phone runs on the larger and heavier side, since fitting it onto the clamp might be a problem before you even get to shooting.

Price, availability

DJI is offering the OM 8P in three combos, so how much you pay depends on how much of the ecosystem you actually need.

  • Standard Combo (PhP 7,499): the gimbal itself, with 8th-gen stabilization and the detachable FrameTap remote included.
  • Advanced Tracking Combo (PhP 9,199): adds the Multifunctional Module 2 for the improved subject tracking we tested.
  • Creator Combo (PhP 11,099): the full kit, built for creators who want everything DJI bundles in from the start.

Is the DJI Osmo Mobile 8P your GadgetMatch?

The DJI Osmo Mobile 8P asks you to relearn a few habits in exchange for a gimbal that finally lets go of your phone. If hands-free framing and steadier tracking matter more to you than a dedicated zoom dial, this is worth the adjustment.

If you’d rather keep things exactly as they were on the OM 8, that learning curve might be the deciding factor.

Swipe right if you shoot alone often and have been waiting for a gimbal remote that actually works. The FrameTap remote alone justifies the upgrade if reaching for your phone mid-shot has been slowing you down.

Consider this if reliable tracking matters to you, especially if you’ve had a subject wander out of frame and stay lost on older gimbals.

And of course, get this if you already own a capable phone under the weight and thickness limits, and you’d rather invest in a smartphone rig than jump to a dedicated camera like the Osmo Pocket.

Swipe left if you lean on physical dials for zoom and focus, and moving those functions to a touchscreen sounds like a downgrade rather than an upgrade.

This is not for you if you use a DJI wireless mic and want it plugged directly into the module without routing through your phone first. Or, your phone runs heavier or bulkier than DJI’s limits allow, since no amount of enthusiasm fixes a clamp that won’t close.

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Features

GadgetSnaps: Westminster Abbey

A thousand years of history, unfolded with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra

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Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Westminster Abbey isn’t just another stop on the London tourist trail.

It’s the stage for coronations, royal weddings, and burials that span nearly a thousand years, all still playing out under the same vaulted ceilings that have been standing since before most countries had names.

Once you get past the crowds and the audio guides, a quieter version of the abbey starts to show itself: worn stone steps, poets resting a few feet from kings, light that shifts across the nave like it’s in on the performance too.

While losing track of time in Poets’ Corner (yes, me, playing amateur historian for an afternoon), I unfolded the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and decided the abbey deserved more than a quick tourist snap.


All photos captured using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra.

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