The wait for the Galaxy S11 is almost over, as the Samsung has officially announced the date for its next big smartphone launch event: Tuesday, February 11.
Samsung's Unpacked keynote will take place in San Francisco at 11am Pacific Time on February 11, according to the official invite sent to TechRadar and other media outlets. This mirrors last year's Galaxy S10 launch event timing and city.
There are some differences in 2020: we're expecting three Samsung Galaxy S11 phones instead of four, all containing a 5G modem. That means there’s no need for a sequel to the standalone Galaxy S10 5G. While we still expect the new phones to be dubbed S11, there have been rumors of Samsung will leapfrog nine names and use the Galaxy S20 numbering scheme.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 could show up at the Unpacked event as well. And, if Samsung has sorted out the issues that held up the first Galaxy Fold, the new model could manage to launch on time (last year, the Samsung Galaxy Fold release date was delayed by five months). It may also take on a completely different form, as the foldable flip phone we saw in a Samsung video back in October 2019.
Samssung Galaxy S11 expectations
At present, we're expecting the Galaxy S11 line to include a base model, a Plus model, and an Ultra model, per a recent rumor. The lineup is also expected to offer display sizes from 6.2 inches up to 6.9 inches. And all should be powered by either a new Samsung Exynos chipset and the Snapdragon 865 chipset, region dependent.
Given the fact that the event lines up with 2019's timeline, we can expect to see the new Galaxy S11 phones go on sale toward the very end of February or early March, right around MWC 2020. Last year's phones first released on March 8.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 is less of a certainty. While we expect the company will include a new foldable device at its February event, there's less concrete evidence of an immediate release date. After all, there was gap between the original Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy S10 phones.
It's also unclear if we can expect the new flip phone-style design like the new Moto Razr, or whether Samsung is planning a direct follow up to the mini-tablet-like Galaxy Fold, one that's expected to have a similar design but further refinements.
The February Unpacked event isn't the only place to see new Samsung tech though. Keep an eye on our CES 2020 coverage for more, and we'll let you know if we hear more about the device from Las Vegas.
My buying advice for 8K TVs is basically "don't," but Samsung is debuting an 8K model that's about more than resolution at CES 2020. The world's biggest TV maker's best new 2020 TV, the Q950TS, has a superthin frame around the picture. When I looked at it straight on, it was really tough to make out any bezel at all. The effect replicated a disembodied moving image, except this was a bright TV, not a projector. Samsung says the set is 99% picture compared to 95% for most TVs, and yes, that 4% made a big difference.
Seen from the front it's 99% picture.
Samsung
Samsung achieved the superthin, 2.3mm bezel by eliminating the black matrix around the edge of the panel so the picture goes basically right up to the metallic edge. The TV itself is only 15mm deep, despite housing a full-array local dimming (FALD) LED backlight -- the hallmark of a good LCD TV, QLED or otherwise.
Don't care about 8K resolution? Try this
So yeah, 8K TVs are expensive, the image quality improvement they provide over 4K models is modest, at best, and the kicker: there's no 8K content available now and little possibility of it coming this year (2020 Olympics, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X notwithstanding). Those are some of the reasons experts expect 8K sales to remain tepid for the next few years.
To make its 8K TVs more appealing Samsung isn't just touting the extra resolution, it's talking up other picture-quality improvements, too.
That FALD backlight has new "local power distribution" tech that improves peak brightness by more than 20% and controls blooming (stray illumination) better.
Improved quantum processor 8K with better AI upscaling, which will have a deep learning neural network that can, yes, can start teaching itself algorithms to improve the picture.
The Q950TS also hassame superb antiglare and improved viewing angle screens found on flagship 2019 models.
Whether any of these extras will allow Samsung's 8K QLED TVs to match the image quality of OLED televisions is an open question.
Samsung did not announce pricing or availability on the Q950TS.
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CES 2020 preview: Surprise booths, slim screens and smart...
Because each individual day of 2019 felt like it stretched on for 100 years, you would absolutely be forgiven for forgetting that the largest technology show of the year immediately follows the start of the new year. But folks, the Consumer Electronics Show is happening—mere days from now, in fact—which means that the Gizmodo staff will be heading to Sin City to cover the conference’s most innovative, peculiar, and covetable tech at the event.
If you’ve missed some of the news and rumors leading up to this year’s event, we’ve got you covered. From this year’s oddball appearances to wearables to sex tech, here’s what you can look forward to hearing about during this year’s consumer tech showcase in Las Vegas.
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Foldables
One of last year’s CES highlights was the FlexPai, a foldable phone from Royole—and while neat, it also sucked. But it did kick off a big year for foldable tech. Then, in mid-2019, Lenovo showed off a concept laptop with a flexible OLED display but didn’t reveal anything about price, specs, or even an official name, which makes CES a perfect time for Lenovo to follow up with new developments.
And with Microsoft having surprised everyone with multiple dual-screen gadgets last fall, we’re expecting even more dual-screen systems from other laptop makers, especially following releases like the Omen X 2S and ZenBook Pro Duo from HP and Asus back in the fall. Like it or not, there’s a big wave of dual-screen notebooks on the way.
Mountains More Wireless Earbuds
The sea of options for a truly wireless earbud grows steadily by the day, meaning no one is really forced to contend with Apple’s one size—and one very high price!—fits all AirPods (even the AirPods Pro buds with their silicon tips aren’t for everyone). In 2019 we reviewed several veritable AirPods competitors in the Jaybird Vista, the Master & Dynamic MW07, and Powerbeats Pro. But everyone’s looking to muscle their way into the space. Hell, even Amazon is looking to get into the wireless earbuds space—expect quite a few of them to crop up at CES.
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Apple
Well, well, well! Look who decided to show up at this year’s hottest tech party after publicly shaming its competitors during last year’s event!
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That’s right, Apple’s senior director of global privacy Jane Horvath is set to speak alongside other tech giant moguls during a Chief Privacy Officer Roundtable on Tuesday. (The panel will also, ironically, include an appearance by an executive for privacy bastion and known protector of the people Facebook.) Apple will also promote its HomeKit, and Bloomberg reported this week that the company is “likely to roll out new software capabilities.” But don’t expect new hardware.
We Have the Meats
As someone with an absolutely shameless enthusiasm for plant-based meats, I’m thrilled to share with you, reader, that CES once again has the (faux) meats. Impossible Foods, maker of the dumb delicious Impossible Burger, will be at the conference again this year to reveal some presumably new and almost assuredly delicious news. Trust that you’ll be the first to know when we find out what that is.
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8K Expansions
CES is home to impressive debuts of masterclass displays (if not highly, highly expensive ones). Samsung, Sony, and LG will all be expanding their 8K lineups, so expect to hear plenty on this front at this year’s event. Perhaps some rollable TVs to look forward to?
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Wearable and Pleasure Tech
Remember all that hubbub when Consumer Technology Association, which puts on CES, revoked an award it had given to sex toy while at the same time calling it “immoral, obscene, indecent, [or] profane”? Well, CES fucks now. Following last year’s fiasco and the ensuing public relations nightmare, the conference announced that it would permit sex tech under its Health and Wellness category but that it must “be innovative and include new or emerging tech to qualify.”
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Elsewhere, as always, expect more wearables in the wellness category. Many of the changes to tech in this category may be iterative, but expect to see hybrid devices and advances in medical applications and wellness tracking.
Politics
Technology and innovation are inherently political, from security and privacy to social responsibility to manufacturing to lobbying efforts and foreign trade. But politics aren’t necessarily always front-of-mind at a consumer trade show. This year, CES is ensuring they will be.
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The conference this year is hosting a “fireside chat” with Ivanka Trump and CTA chief Gary Shapiro for a discussion about “how the administration is advocating for employer-led strategies that invest in reskilling workers, create apprenticeships and develop K-12 STEM education programs.” In a highly controversial move, the trade show named her a keynote speaker. This, coupled with the ongoing Huawei mess, and a trade war with China that’s focused on technology ensures that no one will be escaping the politics of tech at this year’s event.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it should give you a good of the scale of announcements we’re expecting to be announced in the coming week as news trickles out of the conference. We’ll be on the ground keeping tabs on all the highlights, so be sure to check back with us to make sure you don’t miss a beat.
At this year's CES consumer electronics show, better known as CES, companies hope toimpress reporters, investors, and ultimately consumers with a flashy mix ofsmart assistants and smart cars, giant TVs and, of course, robots. Some of these products may make waves in the year ahead, others will likely be forgotten by the time the conference wraps up next week.
It's been years since major tech players have made revolutionary announcements at CES. After all, many of the biggest companies, including Apple(AAPL), Google(GOOGL) and Amazon(AMZN), host their own product launch events at their respective headquarters. However, the event remains a key platform for some companies, especially startups, to launch new products and make some noise.More than that, CEStypically helps set the tone for which tech trends stick for the rest of the year.
The lineup of companies getting stage time this year extends well beyond the usual CESheadliners, includingSamsung(SSNLF), Sony(SNE) and Panasonic. Impossible Foods, Delta and evenJohn Deere are all readying announcements this year too, ina nod to how CES has grown beyond its roots.
Apple will also mark an unofficial return to the show for the first time since former CEO John Sculleydebuted the Newton personal digital assistant (PDA) in 1992. A senior executive will speak on a privacy-related panel, alongside panelists from Facebook and the FTC.
The conference also has the potential to get political this year as Ivanka Trump -- daughter of President Donald Trump and one of his White House Advisors -- will address CES attendees on Tuesday on the topic of "future of tech."
Although we can expect a ton of oddball gadgets, like atrash can that ties up bags when they're full or an Alexa-enabled shower head, here are the overarching topics likely to get the most attention out in the desert this year:
5G was a hot topic last year at CES as US carriers were just months away from launching their networks across the country. But now that the infrastructure is starting to fit into place, albeit slowly, expectcompanies to further outline how they plan to use the fifth generation of cellular network technology, which is nearly 30 times faster than 4G and about 10 times faster than the average American home broadband speed. It's an especially hot topic among car companies -- think: how traffic lights could communicate with your car to keep you abreast on traffic patterns.
Auto innovation
Car companies will almost certainly bring even more tech integration to vehicles this year. We could see anything from smart assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant getting built into dashboards to announcements around augmented reality displays and advancements in self-driving technologies. Beyond cars, expect updates to electric scooters and the introduction of some unique concepts, including this self-balancing Segway wheelchair.
At last year's CES, the Consumer Technology Association -- the group behind the event drew controversy forstripping a woman's innovation award for a high-tech vibrator after it was deemed "immoral, obscene, indecent, profane or not in keeping with CTA's image ...." The CTA ultimatelywalked back its decision in Mayand returned the award to the vibrator company. This year, the category will be in force, from build-your-own vibrator workshops, intimate gadgets for couples and a sex toy already in the running as a finalist for Last Gadget Standing, an annual competition hosted in partnership with CTA.
After more than a year of intense scrutiny over how the tech industry handles user data, expectgadget makers to play up new privacymeasures to help earn back user trust. Executives from BlackBerry(BB), Apple, Facebook(FB), Verizon and others will also discuss on a series of panels how they aretackling growing concerns around privacy and security at their companies.
AI and smart assistants
Amazon, Google and Samsung are expected to make software updates to theirsmart assistants this year, paving the way for new features and capabilities to make gadgets brainier than ever. But perhaps the most anticipated AI update is a rumored Samsung project called Neon, a more visual digital assistant -- or "artificial human," as Samsung teases it. Although it's unclear what this expected CGI-like system could bring, it could befar more sophisticated than the existing Alexas, Google Assistants and Bixbys of the world.
TVs and streaming services
CES is always a crowd pleaser when it comes to new TVs: the bigger, the flashier the better. In past years, we've seen rollable TVs, a giant modular wall of TVs and 8K TVs. This year will be more of the same, but with limited 8K content available, it will likely remain a niche product. We will, however, likely see more 4K HDR sets show up on the trade show floor.
Although Netflix(NFLX), Hulu and Disney+ aren't expected to share news, smaller streaming services, such as short-form mobile platform Quibi, and new platforms from traditional broadcasting companies, including NBCUniversal, are expected to announce news at scheduled keynotes.
What else?
Other categories to watch include advancements in augmented reality and virtual reality. Although we won't see too many system updates, companies are expected to showcase accessories with sound and touch vibrations, which makes it seem like you're in a virtual world. Changes are also coming to wearables, with a focus less on fitness tracking and more on extra features, such as help you shop or regulate your body temperature.
Segway-Ninebot has unveiled a handful of new electric kick scooters ahead of next week’s annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, including one that the company claims is the “most compact, lightweight, and energy-efficient kick scooter ever introduced to navigate a city environment.”
That new $799 e-scooter, called the Air T15, is different from the ones that Segway-Ninebot provides to the e-scooter-sharing services around the world in that it doesn’t have a throttle. Instead, Segway-Ninebot says riders will simply kick the Air T15 along, and the e-scooter will instantly calculate “the friction and condition of the road and automatically adjusts your speed so you can maintain a constant rate of travel.” Speeding up will be as simple as giving the pavement a few more kicks, while slowing down will be managed by tapping on the rear wheel brake. In other words, it’s like an electric scooter with cruise control.
Segway-Ninebot is also promising portability with the Air T15. To that end, the scooter folds up with one touch of a button into a nearly flat structure. It does weigh 22 pounds, which is not light, but that is half the weight of Boosted’s rugged electric scooter.
The Air T15 is powered by a 300-watt hub motor that will get the scooter up to a top speed of 12.4 miles per hour, even on inclines of up to 15 percent. The scooter can regenerate energy back into the battery during braking, which helps squeeze out a range of a little more than nine miles. It also has an integrated display in the handlebars.
Segway-Ninebot isn’t just unveiling the Air T15 next week. There’s another kick scooter called the T60, which the company calls “a revolutionary product,” referring to it as a “roboscooter.” The T60 has a “reverse tricycle chassis” and says the vehicle is made for global scooter-sharing service providers. It’s not clear what will make it a “roboscooter,” though, as the company didn’t release any more specifics.
Segway-Ninebot will also show off a new version of its popular Max e-scooter, which it says is tailor-made for “the challenges of an urban fleet.” That means it will have bigger wheels, cables that are hidden away to protect them from the elements, and other ruggedized features that the company says will make the e-scooter easier and more stable to ride. The new Max will also have a swappable battery, which would make it easier to recharge without making people take them home or to an overnight facility to be plugged in.
There’s a slew of other non-scooter vehicles, too. Last December, Segway-Ninebot announced that it would show off the company’s first electric motor scooter and moped at CES 2020. And just today, the company announced that it will also debut the S-Pod, an egg-shaped self-balancing wheelchair at next week’s show.
After weeks of rumors and leaks, Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite ahead of CES 2020. The phones are budget versions of Samsung’s popular 2019 flagships, and they promise to bring premium features from those high-end phones down to more affordable price points (although Samsung hasn’t said what those prices will be just yet).
Both phones feature 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O displays at 2400 × 1080 resolution, with center-mounted hole-punch front-facing cameras, 4,500mAh batteries, and either 6GB or 8GB of RAM with 128GB internal storage. But the rest of the internal hardware differs greatly between the two devices.
The Galaxy S10 Lite features a Snapdragon 855 processor, while the Galaxy Note 10 Lite offers Samsung’s in-house Exynos 8895 chipset. The rear camera systems both offer triple-lens setups, but they are also completely different on the two phones.
The S10 Lite offers a 5-megapixel f/2.4 macro lens; a 48-megapixel F2.0 wide-angle lens featuring “Super Steady OIS,” a feature that the Note 10 Lite doesn’t offer; and a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide featuring a 123-degree angle lens.
The Note 10 Lite has an entirely different configuration: a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide; a 12-megapixel f/1.7 wide-angle lens with dual-pixel technology and OIS; and a 12-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto lens (also with OIS).
Rounding out the differences, of course, is the S Pen on the Note 10 Lite, which isn’t included with the S10 Lite. The S Pen features the same Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) support introduced with the Note 9 in 2018, allowing it to be used to control the phone.
There’s no word yet on the prices or release dates for the S10 Lite or Note 10 Lite or the markets where they’ll be sold.
Tesla has announced its 2019 Q4 delivery and production numbers. The automaker delivered much higher than expected with record deliveries of 112,000 cars.
CEO Elon Musk told employees that Tesla’s top priority was to deliver every car in inventory by the end of the year and it looks like they took him seriously.
It was believed that Tesla was going for a new record of 100,000 deliveries in the fourth quarter, but the automaker has now confirmed 112,000 deliveries during the last 3 months of the year.
Tesla confirmed that they have produced 104,891 vehicles during the fourth quarter (also a new record) and delivered an additional 8,000 cars:
Model S/X: 17,933 cars produced and 19,450 delivered
Model 3: 86,958 cars produced and 92,550 delivered
Total: 104,891 cars produced and 112,000 delivered
This story is still developing… refresh for more details.
Here’s the full press release:
PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In the fourth quarter, we achieved record production of almost 105,000 vehicles and record deliveries of approximately 112,000 vehicles. In 2019, we delivered approximately 367,500 vehicles, 50% more than the previous year and in line with our full year guidance.
Production
Deliveries
Subject to lease accounting
Model S/X
17,933
19,450
14
%
Model 3
86,958
92,550
7
%
Total
104,891
112,000
8
%
We continue to focus on expanding production in both the US as well as our newly launched facility in Shanghai. Despite breaking ground at Gigafactory Shanghai less than 12 months ago, we have already produced just under 1,000 customer salable cars and have begun deliveries. We have also demonstrated production run-rate capability of greater than 3,000 units per week, excluding local battery pack production which began in late December.
Lastly, we want to thank our customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders and supporters who made another record-breaking year possible.
Our net income and cash flow results will be announced along with the rest of our financial performance when we announce Q4 earnings. Our delivery count should be viewed as slightly conservative, as we only count a car as delivered if it is transferred to the customer and all paperwork is correct. Final numbers could vary by up to 0.5% or more. Tesla vehicle deliveries represent only one measure of the company’s financial performance and should not be relied on as an indicator of quarterly financial results, which depend on a variety of factors, including the cost of sales, foreign exchange movements and mix of directly leased vehicles.
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