The S Pen is what’s special about these phones, and Samsung says the precision and responsiveness of its bundled stylus has improved. The new pen-specific feature this year is called “Anywhere” actions: You can make five specific gestures with the S Pen to trigger customizable functions on the phone. For example, a swipe to the left in mid-air with the S Pen could launch an app.
Samsung also updated its Notes app, which now can auto-save notes and sync them across all of your devices. It can also convert your handwriting into text, and you can annotate and highlight PDFs in the app. Later this year, these notes will be able to sync to your Microsoft OneDrive and Outlook accounts. Speaking of Microsoft, the Note range now has tighter integration with Windows. With the Link to Windows app, you can create shortcuts on Windows to access your mobile apps quickly, and in the fall, you’ll be able to run multiple apps side by side on your PC. Microsoft’s Game Pass will also be available on Note 20 devices, so you can stream Xbox titles wherever you are on the phones (you’ll need a very good internet connection).
More surprisingly, Samsung announced it’s promising Android version upgrades on all its devices for three years, matching Google’s Pixel phones. That’s up from the two years of support Samsung usually provides. The Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra are available for preorder starting August 6, and they’ll officially be available on August 21.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and S7 Plus
Samsung’s newest tablets, the 11-inch Tab S7 and the 12.4-inch Tab S7+, are the first tablets that support 5G in the US—not that it means much, since the new network technology is still sparse and inaccessible for most people. Still, these are powerful slates. You get the same Snapdragon 865+ processor, just like the new Note 20 phones, a 120-Hz screen refresh rate, and four speakers with Dolby Atmos support. They’re not just different in size, though. The S7, for example, doesn’t come with an AMOLED screen but instead an LCD, whereas the S7+ sports an AMOLED panel.
Many of the Microsoft integrations are here too, and in the fall, Samsung says you’ll even be able to use the Tab S7 as a second screen with your Windows machine.
An S Pen stylus is included with each Tab, but if you want to add other accessories, like the keyboard with the trackpad, you’ll have to cough up more money. And these tablets are already quite pricey, starting at $650 for the 11-inch model and $850 for the 12.4-inch Tab S7+. They’ll be available on August 21.
Samsung Galaxy Watch3
