News
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip fails a scratch test
Scored as low as Galaxy Fold
Today, the average smartphone has a tougher display than it did years ago. You can’t scratch a smartphone display as easily anymore, even without a screen protector.
That said, the arrival of the foldable smartphone sets the industry back by a decade. Because of the flexible display, the current standards don’t necessarily apply. Case in point, last year’s Galaxy Fold kept breaking down in controversial fashion. It was no surprise, though; the first foldable phones were built with plastic.
Now, 2020 has promised an improved generation for the foldable smartphone. Unfortunately, Motorola has proved the year wrong already. Reported previously, the new Motorola razr’s screen failed way before its advertised usage rate.
Recently, Samsung launched the new Galaxy Z Flip. This time, Samsung’s foldable phone advertised a glass screen, instead of the former’s plastic. As expected, eager reviewers subjected the new phone to the fiercest conditions. Like its contemporaries, the new foldable kid on the block failed.
Renowned stress tester JerryRigEverything brought the sharpest knives over the Galaxy Z Flip’s screen. As always, the tester used knives with increasing sharpness.
The Galaxy Z Flip started getting scratches as early as the second level of sharpness. For reference, most smartphones today usually last until level 6. Also, the previous Galaxy Fold and the Motorola razr both got the same low score.
Still, the Galaxy Z Flip’s failure is much more resonant this time around. Before launch, Samsung advertised a more resistant screen for the foldable display, owing to its glass construction.
Unfortunately, the boast might be a marketing ploy. The screen definitely lasted shorter than glass. If anything, it might not consist of 100 percent glass, having a mix of plastic in some way. Most of the time, Samsung has not commented on the surface’s actual composition.
However, in a statement to The Verge, the company clarified that “while the display does bend, it should be handled with care. Also, Galaxy Z Flip has a protective layer on top of the Ultra Thin Glass similar to Galaxy Fold.” If true, the knives were affecting the topmost layer, rather than the glass itself. Regardless, take good care of your Galaxy Z Flip.
WhatsApp is about to get an extra later of protection. After thriving on number-based chatting, the platform will soon add usernames, eliminating the need to share your number with strangers.
Usernames are the standard way of maintaining your anonymity online. Though most platforms today require users to log their email addresses or phone numbers, establishing a username can prevent other users from seeing this information way too easily.
Today, Meta has started rolling out reservations for WhatsApp usernames. The feature itself isn’t available yet, but early adopters can grab theirs as soon as the setting becomes available on their app.
To access the reservation, users can go to Settings > Account > Username. Of note, this isn’t available for everyone yet. But if you want to take dibs on a specific name, be on the lookout for the setting.
As for the username itself, users can reserve anything as long as it’s unique. Business owners and creators can also use their Facebook or Instagram handles as their WhatsApp usernames.
The feature, once it launches, will stop users from accessing your phone number when messaging. Similarly, other users will now need your exact username to start a conversation. Users can also set a separate code to protect conversations further.
SEE ALSO: Meta adds subscriptions for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp
For Apple, the next holy grail is a foldable iPhone. However, for Samsung who’s already had an iron grip on the foldable market for years now, the next evolution might be a rollable phone.
According to several Korean sources, Samsung’s next project is a rollable phone. Samsung Display is currently discussing the technology with the company’s smartphone arm for a potential consumer-ready product.
As is normal with new technologies, it might take a while for a rollable phone to enter the market. Samsung is reportedly planning a 2028 release for the device.
As for the name, the brand might settle for the Galaxy Z Slide. With how Samsung names its devices, “Slide” makes sense.
Now, a rollable phone has been a dream for a few other brands. For example, LG, before they gave up on the smartphone market, dished out a concept for a rollable display in the TV and the smartphone space. Sony, Motorola, OPPO, and TECNO have also experimented with the technology.
With its resources, Samsung stands to be at the forefront of the rollable market, just as it did with the foldable phone. But, as always, take the rumors with a grain of salt. There’s still quite a bit of time before 2028 arrives. The brand can easily change its mind.
SEE ALSO: Samsung brings the Galaxy Z series into Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Cameras
DJI Osmo Pocket 4P launches with dual lenses and a 1-inch sensor
The biggest upgrade yet to DJI’s compact gimbal camera
The original Osmo Pocket launched in 2018 as a pocket-sized gimbal camera for people who wanted smooth footage without carrying a full rig. DJI has been building on that idea ever since, and today, with the Osmo Pocket 4P, they made the biggest jump yet.
A significant change
The most significant change in the Osmo Pocket 4P is the introduction of a dual-lens system. While previous Osmo Pocket models limited creators to a single, fixed field of view, the 4P provides two distinct options.
The camera features a wide-angle lens backed by a new 1-inch CMOS sensor alongside a 60mm medium-telephoto portrait lens boasting an f/1.8 aperture and 3x optical zoom. This second lens fundamentally changes how creators shoot on the ground.
At the 60mm focal length, backgrounds compress naturally to separate the subject from the environment without relying on artificial software rendering, offering an invaluable tool for capturing people at events, during travel, or throughout daily life.
The wide lens captures 17 stops of dynamic range through what DJI calls LOFIC technology, which handles high-contrast scenes like backlit windows or golden hour without blowing out the sky or burying the shadows.
Advanced sensor tech, color latitude
For high-contrast environments, the wide-angle lens captures an impressive 17 stops of dynamic range utilizing DJI’s new LOFIC technology.
This hardware addition allows the camera to effortlessly manage difficult lighting scenarios, like backlit windows or golden hour horizons, keeping the sky intact while preventing shadows from turning muddy.
On the color processing side, DJI has introduced a 10-bit D-Log 2 profile capable of recording over a billion colors. This shift provides editors with significantly more latitude to grade footage in post-production, avoiding the limitations of a baked-in, in-camera look.
High-speed motion, smart framing
In terms of capturing motion, the 4P supports 4K slow motion at 240fps, making it ideal for fast-moving subjects that benefit from a stylized, slowed-down perspective.
A slow shutter video mode is also included, allowing users to organically capture light trails in low-light environments. Physical stabilization continues to rely on a mechanical 3-axis gimbal, drawing directly from the heritage of DJI’s professional Ronin systems.
Weighing just 230 grams, the compact unit incorporates ActiveTrack 8.0 to handle automated subject tracking, maintaining precise focus through the entire 12x digital zoom range — a feature that proves essential for solo creators who need the hardware to handle framing duties.
Practical updates for daily use
DJI has also focused heavily on the realities of on-the-go shooting. The 4P introduces gesture controls, letting users trigger subject tracking or start recording without physically touching the device.
A new 4K Live Photo mode automatically captures a 1.5-second clip alongside every still image, while the main sensor allows for high-resolution 37-megapixel photos that offer plenty of room for cropping in post-production.
The battery charges from zero to 80 percent in just 18 minutes and delivers up to 210 minutes of runtime on a full charge.
Furthermore, files transfer via USB 3.1 at speeds up to 800 MB/s, ensuring that offloading a full day of content is a near-instant process.
Price, availability
The camera launches in both classic black and pearl white, accompanied by a modular accessory ecosystem and DJI Care Refresh protection plans.
It retails for PhP 37,790 for the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Standard. Meanwhile, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Vlog Combo retails for PhP 42,290.
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