The Samsung Galaxy S22 family is leaking thick and fast at the moment, and the latest report includes images of the largest member of the family in four different color options.
We've seen similar images from a variety of sources, but this is the first time we've seen all four color options leak at the same time from the same source.
The source of these images is Ishan Agarwal (in collaboration with MySmartPrice ), who has a good history of providing accurate leaks. The photos match what we've seen previously from other sources, so we're mostly confident these are accurate images.
The phone is on show in its white, black, burgundy and green color options that we've previously heard about from other sources. It's currently unclear if there will be further color choices.
The photos are relatively low-res, but you can see the phone in each of these shades from the front and the rear. The most interesting is that green shade, which has been the most elusive model in previous reports.
As for the rest of the design, you can expect a more Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra -like look from this smartphone with a boxier shape than the Galaxy S21 Ultra .
There's room for the S Pen stylus to fit inside the phone, and we're expecting four cameras on the rear of the handset. That's expected to be a 108MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide and two 10MP telephoto cameras.
We expect the front to feature a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440 x 3088. There may also be a 40MP selfie camera on the front of the phone.
Analysis: A surprising choice for color
Green is an interesting choice for a new color on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. It isn't a shade we've seen on the company's flagship phones for a while, and it's a rare choice of a color for most top-end phones.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE comes in a shade called Olive Green, but it's a notably lighter shade than the green we've seen above.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra only came in three colors, so it's good to see the company is offering more color options even though this is a spiritual successor to that phone.
However, the Galaxy S21 Ultra came in six color options so it isn't as good as we saw in 2021. Whichever color options are available to you will become clearer when the Galaxy S22 series is announced, which is expected to be on February 8 at an Unpacked event.
Via GSMArena
Apple Watch 7 vs Apple Watch SE: big screen or big value smartwatch?
The Apple Watch 7 is an incremental update on the Apple Watch 6 , with an almost identical set of core features married to a slightly larger display.
So where does this leave Apple’s value-oriented alternative, the Apple Watch SE ? Unlike the Apple Watch 6, it’s still available to buy from Apple.
Here’s how these two smartwatches stack up. You might be surprised at our conclusion.
Apple Watch 7 vs Apple Watch SE: price and availability
The Apple Watch 7 went on sale on October 15, 2021. Prices start from $399 / £369 / AU$599 for the non-cellular 41mm model, rising to $429 / £399 / AU$649 for the 45mm model.
As for the 41mm cellular version, that’ll cost you $499 / £469 / AU$749, while the cellular 45mm model costs $529 / £499 / AU$799 – not counting the price of a data plan, of course.
The Apple Watch SE went on sale September 18, 2020. Unlike the Apple Watch 6, however, it’s still on sale. Pricing has remained largely the same, except for a drop for UK users due to currency adjustments.
Prices for the iPhone SE start from $279 / £249 / AU$429 for the 40mm GPS model. Adding LTE to that equation will cost you $329 / £319 / AU$429.
The larger 44mm GPS model costs $309 / £279 / AU499, while the 44mm LTE model costs $359 / £329 / AU$549.
Essentially each Apple Watch 7 will cost you a more than $100 / £100 premium over its Apple Watch SE equivalent. Is that price bump worth it?
Apple Watch 7 vs Apple Watch SE: design and display
Despite the price disparity, the design of the Apple Watch 7 and Apple Watch SE are similar. Apple’s ‘rounded square’ approach holds true of every Apple wearable, after all.
There are two essential differences here. The Apple Watch 7 has a tougher body and a bigger display.
The former comes in the form of an IP6X rating, which makes it dust-resistant, as well as a hardened sapphire crystal glass display that’s more resistant to scuffs and scratches than the Watch SE’s Ion-X strengthened glass. Both devices are water-resistant up to 50 meters, however.
In the latter’s case, the Apple Watch 7 display is 1.9 inches, which is 20% larger than the 1.78-inch Apple Watch SE equivalent. This grants a noticeably clearer view of content, and it also enables Apple to add things like a full keyboard and some more information-dense clock faces.
The Watch 7’s display curves away more than the SE’s. Apple’s new Contour watch takes advantage of this, making the numbers visible from the side.
What you don’t get with the Apple Watch SE that you do with the Watch 7 is an always-on display, which instantly hands a pretty large usability advantage to the newer and more expensive device. It continues to frustrate that Apple didn’t implement this in the Watch SE, as it still has the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) technology that would make it possible.
Despite this larger display, the Apple Watch 7 as a whole is only a little bigger than the Apple Watch SE. It’s exactly as wide, 1mm taller, and a fraction of a millimeter thicker. The smallest Apple Watch 7 weighs 6g more.
There’s also been a millimeter added to both base strap sizes, but there really isn’t much in it overall.
More fundamentally, the Apple Watch 7 comes in aluminum or stainless steel, while the Apple Watch SE is only available in aluminum.
Apple introduced five new colors with the Apple Watch 7: Starlight, Midnight, blue, green, and Product Red. They’re hardly the most showy or exciting colors, but they certainly beat the Apple Watch SE’s meager gold, silver and Space Gray options.
Apple Watch 7 vs Apple Watch SE: fitness and features
The core feature sets of these two smartwatches are similar, with both watches running on WatchOS 8.
They also have a similar array of health-tracking sensors. Both watches support GPS and heart rate monitoring which makes them broadly competitive with most dedicated fitness trackers. They’re not quite as accurate or fully featured as the very best of these, however.
Another shared feature is sleep tracking, though it’s relatively basic in both cases.
Where they really differ in this respect is that the Apple Watch SE lacks the Apple Watch 7’s electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood oxygen (SPO2) facilities. These were introduced in 2020 with the Watch 6, but didn’t find their way into the cheaper Apple Watch SE.
The ECG gives the Watch 7 the ability to read heart rhythm data and detect irregular heartbeats could potentially enable you to head off more serious heart conditions, if that’s a concern.
Of course, one of the biggest health and fitness features Apple has come up with in recent times is the Apple Fitness+ service, which gives you a full on platform of guided video content for your Apple TV, iPad or iPhone. And that’s available regardless of the device you’re using.
Apple Watch 7 vs Apple Watch 6: OS, power and battery
The Apple Watch 7 is powered by Apple’s latest wearable S7 chip, though it’s essentially the same as the S6 before it. This means that it’s only effectively a generation more advanced than the Apple Watch SE’s S5 chip.
Ultimately, you’re unlikely to notice any major performance difference between these two smartwatches. They’re both among the slicker, smoothest runners in the smartwatch field, thanks to Apple’s custom processor expertise and expert optimisation.
You also get a generous 32GB of internal storage with both devices.
Both now run on WatchOS 8, so there’s no difference between the two beyond a few unique watch faces (like the Modular Duo face) that accentuate the Watch 7’s larger display. Features such as the new Portrait Mode photos watch face, handwashing notifications, and Assistive Touch are available to users of both wearables.
Apple claims that both watches can attain 18 hours of battery life. The Apple Watch can stretch beyond that to around 24 hours in our experience, and the Apple Watch SE can stretch even further.
We were able to get up to 36 hours on a single charge with the Watch SE. You can likely thank the lack of an always-on display and those advanced tracking features for this extended stamina.
The Apple Watch 7 hits back with faster charging. Thanks to the use of faster coils and a speedier USB-C charging cable, the Apple Watch 7 can charge from 0% to 100% in a speedy 64 minutes, which is about twice as quickly as the Apple Watch SE.
Takeaway
The Apple Watch 7 is without doubt a superior smartwatch to the Apple Watch SE. It has a larger display that remains active at all times, a wider range of finishes and colors, ostensibly faster performance, and the ability to test with an electrocardiogram (ECG) and track blood oxygen (SPO2).
However, we suspect that these bonus features won’t matter to most potential buyers. Or at least, not enough to warrant a more than $100 / £100 price premium.
If you want the best wearable that money can buy, and a device that will be usable for many years to come, then the Apple Watch 7 is the best money-is-no-object smartwatch around.
If you’re simply looking for a compact, multi-functional smartwatch that grants access to basic fitness tracking and Apple’s unique apps and services – including Apple Fitness+ – then the Apple Watch SE will suit most people better.
The most exciting laptops of CES 2022: Alienware, Asus and Razer give us a taste of the future
CES 2022 hasn't been like any previous CES. While last year's event was entirely virtual due to the pandemic, this year's show went ahead as planned in Las Vegas, but many big companies and tech publications (including TechRadar) haven't attended in person.
However, that hasn't stopped some of the biggest names in technology from announcing new products both virtually and in person, and CES 2022 was particularly exciting when it came to laptops.
Not only did Intel, AMD and Nvidia all show off brand-new mobile components that will be powering the laptops of the future, but laptop manufacturers including Dell, Asus, and Lenovo revealed some of their upcoming devices.
So 2022 looks like it's going to be an exciting year for laptops, and below we've rounded up the best laptops of CES 2022 that caught our eye, including some innovative devices that hint at what the future holds for the form factor.
Due to Covid restrictions we've not had a chance to go hands-on with many of the laptops here (unlike previous years), so we're basing our early impressions on their specs and design.
The best laptops of CES 2022
1. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3
We do love it when companies push the envelope when it comes to laptop design. It's not always successful, but we think the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 , could be a hit, especially for creatives.
For a start, this laptop comes with a unique 21:10 ultrawide aspect ratio screen. This makes it a long laptop, but it also gives you extra space to work with. We love ultrawide monitors on desktop PCs, especially for when you need to have multiple apps open at once, so it's cool to see an ultrawide laptop.
In addition to that wide screen there's also a secondary 8-inch screen to the side of the keyboard, which can be used to open apps, or as a drawing tablet with a stylus.
This is definitely a laptop aimed at digital creatives, and it's packed with some great hardware. While it won't be for everyone – and its $1,399 (about £1,080 / AU$1,960) starting price will be beyond many – it shows that innovation in the laptop space is alive and well.
2. Alienware X14
Many years ago buying a gaming laptop meant having to put up with a big, bulky and – let's face it – ugly laptop, but these days we're seeing more stylish and svelte devices, and the Alienware X14 is the latest example.
Alienware is a brand known for making luxury gaming devices, and the Alienware X14 continues this tradition, with Alienware's iconic design language now added to a thin and light laptop.
With an Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, this isn't the most powerful gaming laptop out there, but it'll still be able to handle modern games on its 14-inch 144Hz Full HD screen.
If you want a stylish gaming laptop for playing the latest games on the go, the Alienware X14 could be just what you're after.
3. Asus ROG Flow Z13
As usual, Asus had some of the most interesting laptops at CES 2022, including the Asus ROG Flow Z13 , which comes with a fully detachable keyboard.
Removing the keyboard turns laptop into a powerful gaming tablet – sort of like a souped-up Surface Pro device. The tablet is incredibly thin at just 12mm, but it features some impressive specs, including an Intel Core i9-12900H processor and Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics card.
This means it's not just easily portable, but it'll handle modern games with a bit of tweaking. The screen comes with a 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, and there's also an option for a 4K screen with 60Hz refresh rate.
If you want more power you can plug in an external GPU (Asus launched some new ones at CES ). If it lives up to our expectations the Asus ROG Flow Z13 could be one of the most exciting gaming devices to come out in 2022.
4. Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED
Asus also caught our CES eye with another innovative laptop, the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED .
As the name suggests, this is a laptop with a foldable screen. Unfolded, it's essentially a huge 17.3-inch tablet, and you can fold it into an L shape and use it in 'laptop mode' with a 12.5-inch main screen, with the lower half serving as an on-screen keyboard.
We're still not convinced by foldable screen laptops , but the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED does come with some impressive-sounding specs, with 12th-generation Intel chips and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity.
However, it's the screen tech that really impressive, with the OLED panel being Pantone-validated, as well as supporting Dolby Vision and 100% DCIP3 color gamut.
We'll likely see a few companies launch foldable screen laptops in 2022 ( according to Intel , at least), but the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED already looks like it could be the one with the best chance of being successful.
5. XMG Neo 15 with XMG Oasis
Keeping powerful gaming components cool has always been a struggle for manufacturers of gaming laptops. Unlike desktop PCs, there's limited space in a laptop's body for airflow and cooling options, and this means that many gaming laptops either run very hot, and end up throttling performance, or become incredibly noisy as loads of fans kick into gear.
The XMG Neo 15 gaming laptop presents a novel solution to this problem in the form of the XMG Oasis external liquid cooler. It plugs into the laptop's existing cooling solution to help keep temperatures under control, and according to XMG, the using the Oasis drops the temperatures of the processor and GPU of the XMG Neo 15 by an impressive 68F / 20C.
The XMG Oasis will be sold separately for around €200 (around $225 / £165 / AU$310), but combined with the XMG Neo 15, which sports up to an RTX 3080 Ti, 12th-gen Intel Core i7 and 64GB of DDR5 RAM, it offers a unique way of eking out the maximum possible power from a gaming laptop.
6. Razer Blade 14 (2022)
You know what? We think 14-inch laptops are going to be the size to get in 2022. While 13-inch and 15-inch laptops may be more popular, we've seen some great 14-inch laptops at CES 2022, which represent a happy medium of offering more screen space than the smaller 13-inch models while being more portable than 15-inch devices.
The Razer Blade 14 (2022) is the perfect example of this, with the 14-inch model coming with AMD's new Ryzen 6000 series processors (the Blade 15 and Blade 17 that were also shown off are Intel-only), and can be kitted out with up to an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPU. So, not only is it small and portable, but it'll be a gaming beast as well.