News Weekly: Samsung’s new Galaxy devices, Meta launches the affordable Quest 3S and more
AC News weekly
News Weekly is our column where we highlight and summarize some of the week’s biggest stories so you can stay up to date on the latest tech news.
This is Android Central’s News Weekly, your go-to source for a quick recap of the week’s top tech stories. Here we dive into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.
This week, Samsung launched a new phone and some tablets, Nothing unveiled an impressive pair of open-ear earbuds, Disney Plus is cracking down on password sharing, Google launched Wear OS 5 for older Pixel Watch models to pause the rollout, and Meta showed off its affordable new VR headset next to its AR glasses.
The Galaxy S24 gets a new brother
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After months of rumors, Samsung has released the Fan Edition of the Galaxy S24. The new Galaxy S24 FE looks almost identical to the other phones in the S24 family, with a flat design and a triple camera system. The phone has a 6.7-inch display, placing it between the Galaxy S24 Plus and S24 Ultra.
Being a Fan Edition phone, the specs aren’t as strong as its siblings. As such, the phone is powered by an Exynos 2400e, a low-power version of the Exynos 2400 that powers select versions of the Galaxy S24 series. There’s also 8GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage, and access to Samsung’s Galaxy AI features like Generative Edit, Circle to Search, and more.
On the back there is a 50MP primary sensor with a 12MP ultrawide and 8MP 3x telephoto. Keeping the phone powered is a 4700mAh battery with 25W wired charging. The phone is available in blue, graphite, gray, mint and yellow for $649 in the United States.
In addition to the Galaxy S24 FE, Samsung also launched the Galaxy Tab S10 series, consisting of the Galaxy S10 Plus and S10 Ultra. The former has a 12.4-inch display, while the latter has a 14.6-inch panel. Samsung has changed things up this year and instead of using a Snapdragon chip, both tablets are powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus. Additionally, both models also support 5G connectivity, making them ideal for use on the go.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and Ultra start at $999 and $1199 respectively, and are available for pre-order now.
Finally, Samsung launched the LTE version of the Galaxy Watch FE, which was introduced earlier this year. The watch is available in three colors and costs $249.
Read more here.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off Meta Connect 2024 by unveiling the new Meta Quest 3S, a more affordable version of the popular Meta Quest 3 VR headset. The new model has a similar design with a different lens array on the front, and is powered by the same Snapdragon XR2 chip. Meta has reduced costs by using cheaper lenses with lower resolutions and a narrower field of view. It also uses a software-based depth sensor and has a smaller battery, but you should still be able to play the same games as the flagship model.
The Quest 3S starts at $299 for the 128 GB model and also comes in a 256 GB model. Meanwhile, the Quest 3 is now only available in a 512GB version, which now costs $499, the same as the now-discontinued 128GB model.
Meta also showed off its Orion AR glasses, which are currently in development. The glasses display holographic images of the real world so you can interact with it. The glasses use AI to accurately determine what you’re looking at and help you identify items. You can also video chat with friends, check messages and even play AR games with others.
The glasses are larger and thicker than Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, but much smaller than other efforts. However, they are still in development and it is unclear when Meta will release them to the public.
Nothing’s open earbuds are basically perfect
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None is known for making good audio products, but the new open-ear earbuds might be the best yet. Like other open-ear earbuds, the Nothing Ear (Open) has a design that allows you to hear your music while remaining aware of your surroundings.
The earbuds feature 14.2mm dynamic drivers, and according to Android Central contributor Tshaka Armstrong, they have excellent bass that comes close to “experiencing an open design that sounds like traditional earbuds sitting in your ear canal.” “
The earbuds have a battery life of eight hours, while the case offers an additional 30 hours of charging time. The earbuds and housing are also IP54 rated and there’s ChatGPT integration for any questions.
The buttons are available for pre-order now and cost $149.
Wear OS 5 update is being pulled from Pixel Watches
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Wear OS 5 has been available for some time on the latest Pixel Watch 3 and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch devices. Google finally started rolling out the update for the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 earlier this week, bringing new features like an app grid, a recorder app, and more. However, there have been some issues with the rollout, forcing Google to pause the update.
Some users have complained that the update brought their devices, with one user saying that their Pixel Watch 2 became unresponsive after the update and only showed a blank screen with a Bluetooth symbol. One Pixel Watch owner says the update took almost four hours to complete, but worked fine when it was done.
Not everyone experienced issues with the update, but the issues were enough for Google to withdraw the update while the issues were resolved. In the meantime, affected users can check this out support page to hopefully fix their devices.
Disney Plus is getting greedy
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Netflix started a trend with streaming services, effectively punishing users for sharing their passwords with others. Now Disney Plus is following suit with a similar policy of its own, going live in the US and other regions.
Disney say that a subscription is “intended to be used within your household, which is a collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence and used by the individuals who live there.” That means anyone who wants to access Disney Plus will have to get their own account or be added as an additional member for $6.99 per month, at least for a Basic account. Premium members must pay $9.99 for an additional account outside their household. Please note that account holders can only have one additional member.
According to Disney, the new policy is available in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Europe and the Asia Pacific region.
These are some of the biggest stories this week. In the meantime, here are some other stories worth catching up on:
