Daily Authority: 👏 Unpacked and hands-on

☕ Good day all, and welcome back to the Daily Authority. It’s been a crazy week for device launches, with plenty more coming today. My coffee’s getting cold, so why don’t we leap straight into today’s main story?

The perfect foldable?

Samsung hosted its annual August launch event yesterday, unveiling its new foldable phones, smartwatches, and true wireless earbuds. We went hands-on with all before the launch, but the device that you’re probably most curious about is the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Spot the difference

• You’ll need a fine comb to find the real upgrades over the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
• In his hands-on, our Rob Triggs noted the slightly larger external and folding screens, thanks to the thinner bezels, are welcome but don’t add much to the overall experience.
• There’s also a redesigned under-display selfie camera which is a little less apparent than before.
• Wireless charging speeds are marginally up, too, from 10W to 15W. Wired charging users aren’t so lucky.
• You also get improved silicon in the form of the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC mated to 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.

The software’s the star

• While the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is by no means a total revamp, it brings the quality of life improvements that matter.
• For instance, the software is now the main star of the show.
• A new desktop-like taskbar makes commanding apps a much easier affair.
• It’s now easier than ever for new users to get to grips with a foldable phone.
• Pair this with the S Pen, drag-and-drop support for Gmail and Chrome, and Flex mode smarts, and you have a powerful pocket companion.

So, should you buy one?

• Well, if you already own a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, there isn’t a real incentive to upgrade.
• The software advancements found on the Z Fold 4 will also likely make it to the older model.
• There’s also the question of that $1,800 list price, which is steep in any universe.
• But, if you want the best foldable smartphone experience, there’s little that comes close to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in terms of refinement.

Roundup

👉 Samsung launched plenty of other devices, too, so be sure to read our hands-on of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Watch 5 series. (Android Authority).

🎧 More of an audiophile? Check out our latest match-up, pitting the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro against the Apple AirPods Pro (Android Authority).

🎤 Apple is steadily building its own in-house podcast production empire. Its latest move? Striking a new deal with Futuro Studios (Bloomberg).

📱 Motorola’s launched the world’s first phone with a massive 200MP camera. There’s also a new Razr model in the wild, too (Android Authority).

👋 Amazon is kicking off the mass rollout of its One palm print checkout system. Users in California can soon spot the technology in 65 Whole Food stores across the state’s largest cities (ArsTechnica).

📷 If you haven’t yet, grab the latest backgrounds from readers and the AA team in our latest Wallpaper Wednesday drop (Android Authority).

🤳 Nearly one in every five US teens use YouTube “almost constantly,” according to a new survey. TikTok and Instagram aren’t far behind either (Pew Research).

🤔 Uhh, so there’s a new Coca-Cola flavor that tastes of… surrealism? No idea what that means (Eater).

💲 Prepare to pay a lot more for Disney Plus and Hulu in the US from December. Prices are jumping from $7.99 to $10.99 to make way for a cheaper ad-supported tier (The Verge).

🐙 Nintendo is bringing new weapons, a redesigned lobby, and a bigger, better Salmon Run to Splatoon 3 (Polygon).

📺 “What’s a TV show’s opening credits you never skip?” (r/askreddit).

Thursday Thing

Pop culture — and art in general — is a natural byproduct of humans’ creativity formed by mass experience. But what if you tasked an AI to create art? Sometimes, the results can be pretty mind-blowing. In the case of Robomojo, it’s glorious try-not-to-laugh fuel.

In short, Robomojo employs AI to reimagine pop culture touchstones, specifically movie posters. “How?” you may ask. Well, you’ll get a good idea from the example below.

• There’s more where that came from.
• The Reservoir Dogs poster above is something I’d absolutely buy and hang in my office. Dare I say it’s better than the original?
• But in many other examples, the AI tends toward horror. The Silence of the Lambs poster is far and away more disturbing than the movie itself. Even Spider-Man is now terrifyingly literal.
• However, sometimes, the AI’s work is simply lovely. See Coyote Ugly, Dirty Dancing, and Transformers for proof.
• Do I have a favorite? Well, it’s tough to pick just one, but honestly, the Cats poster is one I’d give as a Christmas gift.
• Be sure to visit Robomojo and let us know which poster is your favorite.

I’m not sure if I just made or ruined your day, but at least now you know that AI will probably be too preoccupied with remixing movie posters to take over the world in the future.

Speaking of movies, why not check out some of the summer streaming movies we’re most excited for?

Have a wonderfully surreal day.

Andy Walker, Editor.