A few weeks after CES, Samsung moved a little closer to home and held the Southeast Asia leg of their 2014 forum to bring the latest devices to the region.
We got our hands on a lot of great stuff, and we’re here to share a few of those awesome things with you.
At the top of the list is Samsung’s foray into the curved TV market. Apart from the regular ultra-slim, flat TVs and monitors, they launched the massive u9000, a 78 inch, UHD/4K TV that boasts the greatest curve (4,200 radii) to offer the best viewing experience outside of an IMAX theatre. We were looking at this curvy, sexy beast, and couldn’t help but be impressed by the picture quality, size and viewing experience. Say what you want about this latest trend of curved screens, but there really is a noticeable difference when it comes to how immersive watching something on a screen like that can be.
The U9000 and the elegant curve it carries is a response to a few concerns brought about by consumers wanting bigger televisions. Larger screens are great but regular 2K HD just won’t cut it, hence the need for 4K TVs and their extremely fine image quality. Large flat screens also have the added complication of having the corners significantly farther from the viewer than other parts of the screen. The curve puts each point on the screen at the right distance from the viewer at the recommended three to four meter viewing point in front of the screen.
The TV also offers improved Smart features, including an updated quad-core processor, to better handle navigation and loading time for apps, while instant on gets the TV up and running mere moments after you hit the power button. The curved UHD TVs will come in three sizes: 78, 65, and 55 inches.
Samsung also showed off their newest slates. The 12.2-inch NotePRO, as well as the 10.1- and 8.4-inch TabPRO all come with industry-leading WQ-XGA displays, that allow for excellent sharpness in whatever screen size they choose.
The tablets aim to give users superb productivity without sacrificing portability when on the go. An enhanced Multi-window function gives users up to four apps on their screen at any given time, as well as an extremely useful software suite to handle all their mobile office needs, without the bulk of a full laptop.
The 12.2-inch NotePRO still comes with the amazing S-pen that allows users to draw, scribble, cut and doodle with precision, and unlocks additional usability not available in other tablets in the market. It offers a startling resolution of 2560×1600 and more than four million pixels, making it perfect for mobile entertainment, particularly full-HD content. The tablets will also have accompanying accessories, such as various book covers, a wonderfully useful USB LAN hub, a Samsung-produced Bluetooth keyboard and a purpose-built S Action Mouse.
Shutterbugs will be pleased to know that the latest member of the NX line has finally been revealed. The NX30 is a mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera that gives users the DRIMe IV image processor, a 20.3 Megapixel sensor, and NX AF System II technology that ensures excellent color fidelity. It still features the convenient tilting touchscreen display, but adds to this a tilting electronic viewfinder, so you can compose your shots without breaking your back.
Here’s a closer look at the tilting viewfinder:
The NX30 also has both Wi-Fi connectivity and NFC to allow seamless communication between it and a compatible device, allowing you to share your shots instantly. MobileLink lets you send photos to up to four distinct devices at a time, Auto Share links the camera to a smartphone or tablet, and lets it receive each photo instantly, while Remote Viewfinder Pro gives you the ability to use a second device as a screen for the camera, and letting you trigger the shutter remotely from the second device.
The NX30 is capable of full HD recording, as well as HDMI Live streaming at 30 FPS with the option to connect a microphone to its 3.5mm jack, and lets you use one of over a dozen lenses to suit your needs.
More casual users will appreciate the release of the new Samsung Galaxy Camera 2. The clever little device runs a full version of the Android mobile operating system, giving users access to the huge number of apps that make the platform so versatile, and allows for instant sharing of memories. The Galaxy Camera 2 has a 16 megapixel BSI sensor that captures the action perfectly down to the last detail. A 21x optical zoom helps the handy little snapper get the job done, even at range.
Users that complained about the first Galaxy Camera’s battery life have less to be concerned about, as the second iteration of the smart camera has a larger 2000mAh battery that lets you keep shooting and sharing for hours on end. The camera also has a huge 4.8-inch screen that lets you see exactly what’s going on without having to squint at a tiny little display. It’s all backed up by a large 2GB of RAM and beefy 1.6GHz quad-core processor.
Wi-FI, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS round off the little camera’s amazing capabilities.
We were hoping for, but not expecting, mobile phones, but seeing as MWC is just about to happen, we’re probably going to see the latest smartphones and updated wearable tech there. Give it another day or two.
The event also saw the release of quite a few home appliances and business solutions, which we’ll tackle in a separate post. Hang on for the next one!