There was one stand-out star of Samsung Unpacked 2022 for me, and it wasn’t the Galaxy S22 Ultra or any of the other smartphones. It was a tablet: the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra .
When I first walked into the testing area for the new Galaxy devices, ready to get my hands on the new S22 or Tab S8 , it was in fact, the Ultra Tab S8 that immediately caught my eye. I had never seen anything like it before.
Why? Because it’s absolutely huge . With its nearly 15-inch screen, it makes the 12.9-inch iPad Pro look puny. You could surf on that thing.
In fact, it’s so big, that it couldn’t stay in portrait position on the stand Samsung presented it on without completely toppling over. It bears repeating: this thing is massive.
Too big? No, three big
Now immediately, I thought, "what’s the point of having a tablet this big?" Is there any added value that comes with the increase in size? The Galaxy Tab S8 and S8 Plus, after all, hover in the low, single-digit-inch sizes - and some people might find even the Plus to be too big. But after testing the thing, I think I get it.
First of all, for any type of art-related work, having a digital canvas this large was really quite useful. I could sketch in different areas without having to zoom in and out of my sheet. I also had loads of space for long swooping strokes.
Equally, for note-taking, I was never in danger of filling up a page straightaway. I could scrawl and scrawl and scrawl without fearing that I would run out of space.
I also imagine that a display this size is great for streaming, though that’s not something I actually tested.
You could set the device up on a desk and easily binge-watch sitcoms or YouTube videos while doing something else - I personally love to watch videos on a side screen while I play video games, so a tablet this size for streaming would be particularly useful for me.
A portable work station
When I’m not gaming and/or watching videos, I’m working, and I can see the Tab S8 Ultra being useful for that too.
You see, when the pandemic lockdown began, I was using a tiny laptop for work - and occasionally, a medium-sized tablet as a second screen. When it became clear that I’d be working from home for ages, I upgraded to a giant monitor - which made the tablet just too small as a secondary display.
I don’t see that being the case with the Ultra-sized tablet. I reckon I could put it alongside my big PC monitor and actually use both screens for work.
Because it’s wide-screen, I can see myself split-screening two apps on the tablet pretty easily - maybe a work chat app and my emails - and being able to see both at the same time.
Sure, the tablet is ludicrously expensive, so I don’t see it being a useful productivity tool that fits everyone. But after testing it, this tablet’s giant screen doesn’t seem as unnecessary as I initially thought - and I'm looking forward to soon trying it out for longer.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is official, and now we know how much it'll cost
Well, what time do you call this? We were expecting the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE to show up in August, and when it was a no-show, some rumors said it'd been canceled; it's finally shown up though, at the annual tech event CES 2022 .
That's interesting timing for this new addition to the Galaxy S21 family, as the new member of the line comes eleven months after its siblings, and likely only a month or so before the Samsung Galaxy S22 series debuts.
The S21 FE has a starting price of £699 in the UK and $699.95 in the US for the model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and maxes out at £749 / $769.99 for the 8GB RAM/256GB version.
While those numbers look roughly the same, the cost is anything but – when directly converted, £699 equates to around $941 in the US, which means Americans are paying far less for the same handset.
Luckily, Australian pricing for the S21 FE seems to be based on the handset's US price, starting at AU$999 for the 6GB/128GB model, and topping out at AU$1,099 for the 8GB/256GB variant. That's lower than the Galaxy S21's launch price, though not necessarily cheaper than current Galaxy S21 pricing. Aside from price, there are a few reasons to pick this newer handset over the higher-specced older one.
This is how much Samsung Galaxy S21 deals currently cost for you:
It's better to view the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE as a middle member of the line, sitting between the standard and Plus models, instead of a budget alternative like we expected.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE specs
So what's this mobile actually like? Well, you can visit our full Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review for the low-down, but we can run you through the specs now.
The phone has a 6.4-inch FHD+ 120Hz display, and as with many Samsung phone screens, this is the highlight of the mobile. The design comes in at a close second though, as it's a fairly slender mobile, and it's visually quite similar to the S21.
For photography, the S21 FE packs the same 12MP main and ultra-wide cameras as the S21, as well as an 8MP telephoto snapper (replacing the 64MP equivalent in the S21). While the older phone has a 10MP front-facing camera, the FE bumps that up to 32MP.
Running the Galaxy S21 FE is the same Snapdragon 888 chipset that certain models of S21 used (though that depended on region), with 6GB or 8GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB storage. There's a 4,500mAh battery with 25W wired, 15W wireless and 4.5W reverse wireless powering.
Finally, the phone runs Android 12 with the company's One UI 4 laid over the top.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is just one of a few phones we're expecting to debut at CES 2022, and it was unveiled at the same time the OnePlus 10 Pro received its first official tease , so expect more phone news over the next few days.
Nintendo Switch Sports couldn’t be coming at a better time
In case you’ve spent the past few days living under a Donkey Kong barrel, it’s finally happened. Nintendo has confirmed the upcoming release of Nintendo Switch Sports , a successor to one of the best-selling video games of all time, Wii Sports, even if it was a pack-in title.
As announced during the company’s first Nintendo Direct event of the year, the Wii game is getting a full refresh in time for an April 2022 release. And while some people may typically have mixed feelings about companies remaking their most popular games, it’s hard to deny that news of a Wii Sports remake has been incredibly well-received.
Finally, a worthy successor
From what we’ve seen so far about the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch Sports, it’s set to reintroduce updated versions of fan-favorite minigames such as tennis and bowling. The newest installment will add badminton, soccer, volleyball, and chambara into the mix, while golf will also make a comeback later on this year as part of a free update.
All the sports will be available for online multiplayer, making them that much more competitive than ever before. That’s almost exciting enough to forgive the fact that my personal favorites, boxing and baseball, are both notably absent from the Switch version.
The original Wii version was and still is one of the best-selling video games in history. As it stands, it’s safe to assume that the Switch version is expected to sell well too. Apart from the painfully obvious fact that the Switch is the company’s current flagship device, there are several reasons why I believe that it’s the perfect console for a remake of the classic Wii game.
The Switch has outsold the Wii
First of all, Nintendo Switch Sports will be available to one of the largest player bases Nintendo has ever had, barring the various iterations of the Nintendo DS and the Game Boy.
As Nintendo announced during its latest financial results , the Japanese video game company sold 18.95 million Switch units so far this fiscal year. This means that overall, Nintendo has shipped 103.54 million units throughout the Switch’s lifecycle, outselling the Wii by 2 million.
The company also expects to sell even more consoles in the coming years, supported by how often Nintendo executives highlight that the Switch is only at the “mid-point of its life cycle” . And since it’s unlikely that we’ll see a Switch Pro model anytime soon, releasing Nintendo Switch Sports now makes perfect sense when the console is already so widely available.
The Joy-Con are perfect for exercise games
Looking back, another big part of Wii Sports’ success could boil down to how much people loved the Wii Remote. At the time, the iconic controllers were almost revolutionary, encouraging both children and parents to replace family nights with more engaging activities.
Enter the Joy-Con controllers.
Since the release of the Nintendo Switch, its dual wireless controllers have been a huge selling point for the device. The versatility of the controllers enables the Switch to work as a hybrid device that can be played either in handheld or docked mode, adding a certain level of convenience that other current-gen consoles cannot. The fact you also have two controllers from the get-go means multiplayer can be enjoyed without having to purchase another accessory.
The Joy-Con are much more technologically advanced than the Wii Remote. Both have motion-sensors that replace typical button inputs with movement, though the Joy-Con are significantly better in measuring this more accurately. Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure was a good example of how well the Joy-Con works with exercise-oriented games, and even used the rather underutilized IR sensor to measure your heart rate after a workout.
Incidentally, one of the accessories used in Ring Fit Adventure will also play a prominent role in Nintendo Switch Sports too. Physical copies of the game will include a leg strap, which users will be able to use to attach a single Joy-Con to their thigh for a more interactive experience in the football minigame. This feature won’t be available at launch though - it’s set to arrive in a later update.
Come out swinging
Of course, the hardware used in the Joy-Con is by no means perfect. Nintendo recently confirmed during a Q&A session that Joy-Con drift - a well-known issue that causes the controller’s analog sticks to break down with constant use - is more or less unavoidable .
However, in Nintendo Switch Sports you'll generally be using the Joy-Con controllers motion-sensing capabilities, and swinging them through the air, no matter how many times you do it, won't cause any wear and tear.
Although the game is set to release in April, Nintendo is planning to hold a technical test on February 18-20 to ensure that its servers can accommodate a large user base. If you’re planning on participating, my advice would be to make sure that your Joy-Con straps are firmly secured to avoid breaking any TVs, something which was an all too common occurrence back when the Wii originally launched.