The Latest on Samsung

Reviewed by Corey Noles

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Corey Noles

Samsung's calling their latest flip phone a "pocket-sized selfie studio," but here's the twist: the cameras themselves haven't changed a single megapixel. What has transformed is how you'll actually use them — and that might be the smarter play.

Picture this: You're eyeing a new phone that won't drain your savings account, but you're tired of compromising on features that actually matter. Samsung just dropped the Galaxy A56 in the US for $499, and here's the kicker—it comes with a six-year software update promise that puts most flagship phones to shame. Sound familiar? That's because most mid-range phones get forgotten after two years, but Samsung is playing a completely different game.

Samsung's about to shake up the foldable world with something we haven't seen before: an Exynos chip powering their flagship flip phone. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 marks Samsung's first flagship foldable to ship without a Snapdragon processor, instead featuring the brand-new Exynos 2500. But here's the million-dollar question: does this 3nm powerhouse deliver flagship performance, or are we looking at a beautiful compromise that'll leave you wanting more?

One UI has an exciting privacy feature that lets you lock apps, photos, videos, and files on your Galaxy device behind Samsung's defense-grade Knox security platform. Only you can unlock it using a pattern, PIN, passcode, and/or biometrics like fingerprints and iris scanning. It's like having a safe built right into your smartphone, and it couldn't be easier to set up.

An iPad can serve as a second screen for a Mac via Sidecar, available since iPadOS 13, but Apple isn't the only manufacturer to support such a feature. Samsung has had a similar tool since One UI 3.1 that lets you turn certain Samsung Galaxy tablets into second displays for your PC — and there's a hidden feature that expands it to more tablets and even Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

You don't have to see every app installed on your phone if you don't want to. Samsung One UI makes it easy to hide apps from your Samsung Galaxy's home screen, app tray, and search tool, whether you want to declutter, simplify things, or keep other people from seeing some of the apps you use.

I get along with most of my friends just like anyone else. We chat on the phone, go out drinking, and play video games—and we choose who to hang out with and when. That same sort of freedom is hard to find on Facebook.

If you actually had to look up what "DS" stands for in Nintendo DS, that probably means you weren't a huge fan of the portable game system. To be honest, I never was. It's fairly bulky and has two tiny displays.

There was a time in my life when I could think of nothing but getting home and playing Super Smash Brothers on my Nintendo 64. It was just something about tossing Mario across the map with Donkey Kong that seriously made me feel like an OG, not to mention that it was the first fighting game to compile a bunch of popular Nintendo characters together.

The world of Android gaming is much bigger than what's available in the Google Play Store. If you have a Samsung Galaxy S3 or other Android device—don't just stop there—a hidden treasure of games lies in those boxes of old, dusty game cartridges in your closet.

Nothing can beat a portable system designed specifically for gaming. There are tons of emulators available on Google Play, but most have awkward controls, large game files, resolution issues, and hardware compatibility problems. The list could go on...

Samsung included an "SOS" feature for its phones since the Galaxy S6 that could literally be a lifesaver should you ever find yourself in an emergency situation. It's one of those things that we hope to never have to use but will be very thankful for if a need ever arises.

I'm sure you've been here before: sitting on an airplane, bored out of your mind, and you forgot to install a few games or download a movie before your flight departed. No worries, though. If you have the latest Chrome Beta installed on your Android, there's a fun little mini-game baked right into the "You are offline" screen.

When the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge came to market in 2016, they were universally praised as being the pinnacle of Android smartphone design, even topping Consumer Reports' smartphone ratings.

Samsung's 2016 flagship devices are some of the most beautiful, powerful smartphones ever made. And amazingly enough, thanks to legendary root developer Chainfire, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are about to get even more powerful.