WhatsApp could add icons to the three-dot menu

0
[ad_1]

When it comes to app UI design, sometimes, it’s the little things that really enhance the experience. According to a new report, it appears that one of the most popular messaging apps might actually make using it a little bit easier. After news of testing third-party chats, WhatsApp could add icons to the three-dot menu in the near future.

Since we’re talking about a feature discovered in the WhatsApp beta, you will want to take this news with a grain of salt. The company is currently testing this new addition, but it’s not a guarantee that it will push it to the masses. However, since this feature is a very small addition to the interface, it seems likely that WhatsApp will follow through and push this feature.

WhatsApp could add icons to the three-dot menu

When you are using WhatsApp, and you tap on the three-dot menu at the top right-hand corner of the screen when in a chat, you’ll see the overflow menu. If you are a veteran WhatsApp user, then you’ve seen this menu a thousand times. It should be pretty intuitive for you.

However, the company wants to make it even more intuitive. As discovered in the latest beta version of the app version 2.24.5.19 of the Android beta, the three-dot menu could have little icons next to all of the items.

In the screenshot below, we see the View Contact, Report, Block, Search, Unmute Notifications, and Disappearing Messages in the three-dot menu. Each of these items has a little icon next to it. It’s nothing spectacular, but it does add a nice little visual flair to the interface.

WhatsApp icons three dot menu

As for when we should expect to see this feature roll out to the masses, that’s anyone’s guess. Since this is a pretty minor change, we should hopefully see it rather soon. If you have the latest version of the app, you might see it. However, that’s not a guarantee that you will. If you don’t see it, then you’re going to have to wait like the rest of us


[ad_2]
Source link

March 2024 Windows 11 update brings some major improvements

0
[ad_1]

Microsoft is rolling out a slew of new features to Windows 11 with the March 2024 update, including improved Copilot, Widgets, and more. This means that as soon as you install the new update, you’ll get access to support for plugins which was for a long time exclusive to Copilot web. Plus, a bunch load of more features are landing.

Windows 11 is smarter than ever, thanks to improvements in Copilot and others

Before you move ahead, ensure that automatic updates are enabled by default in Windows’ Update settings. Most features should be available with the March 2024 optional non-security preview release update for Windows 11.

First up, Copilot is getting smarter. You can control more settings directly from Copilot, like toggling battery saver mode or other features. Plus, Copilot can show you available Wi-Fi networks and help manage storage space.

The built-in Photos app is getting a boost with a new Generative Erase feature. Say goodbye to unwanted objects in your photos with just a few clicks. Clipchamp, Microsoft’s video editor, is also leveling up with a tool to remove those awkward silences from your videos.

Widgets are getting some love too. You can now disable the pesky “Microsoft Start” feed. For reference, you could push a Google News plugin in the Widgets board to fetch news content instead of relying on the default option.

For multitaskers, Snap layouts are getting smarter. Windows 11 will remember your frequently used apps and suggest layouts for you, making it easier to organize your workspace.

If you’re a fan of Windows-powered tablets with styluses, you’ll love the new ability to write directly into text boxes across the OS. It works across apps such as Photos, Paint, WhatsApp and others. You may expect more apps to support this with future updates.

Casting features are also getting refined, with notifications for casting suggestions and smoother connections with nearby displays. Moreover, sharing content between devices could be a smoother and faster process with more updates to Phone Link. It now lets you access photos and even use your phone as a webcam, similar to Mac setups.


[ad_2]
Source link

How Static Proxies Transform Online Experience

0
[ad_1]

Just as surfing the web is better with a stable internet connection, completing tasks like web scraping or bulk purchasing is more efficient with a static IP address. But before you rush to buy static proxies, you should know how exactly they improve your tasks.

You are not better off with a static IP in every scenario. This article will explain how they work, why it matters for proxies, and when you should choose them. Let’s start with some basics.

Static and dynamic IPs

IP addresses are unique identifiers that signal who you are for each web server in contact. The abbreviation IP stands for the Internet Protocol. Simply put, it’s a set of rules that govern how online communications are handled. As per these rules, each device on the internet must have an IP address.

Smartphones, tablets, Laptops, TVs, routers, and even smart fridges have an IP address. A private IP address such as this one – 192.0.2.1 (IPv4) might be assigned by your network router to a device connecting online through it. However, IP addresses, especially public ones, might also include letters with the newest IPv6 standard.

Naming conventions aside, the most important distinction for us here is between static and dynamic IP addresses.

  • A static IP address does not change and is assigned to a specific device permanently. Multiple network sessions can be done with the same IP address without changing.
  • Best for: Static IPs are great for hosting websites, remote access points, or other advanced web applications. They are usually faster when downloading or uploading large data packets.
  • A dynamic IP address changes over time. It can happen due to the network router assigning a different address each time you connect or the service provider switching IPs to optimize performance. 
  • Best for: Since the IP changes, tracking or infiltrating such a home network is more difficult. Dynamic IPs also do not require much configuration or know-how from the user. In most cases, it’s done automatically by the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server.

Both types of IP addresses show your approximate location, but dynamic ones vary the IPs with ones from the same approximate location. That’s why static IPs are more accurate for location targeting. Web servers can pinpoint your location better when you connect from the same IP each time. These differences are crucial for running proxy servers.

Why does IP type matter for proxies?

Proxy servers are devices configured to act as intermediaries between the internet and other devices. For example, if you set up a device in Germany to act as your proxy, you could use its IP address and location to connect from Germany.

Of course, setting up a proxy device to route your internet requests requires a lot of resources and know-how. It’s easier to simply purchase it from a provider that can offer a proxy type suitable for you. The main proxy types are distinguished by IP address source.

  • Residential proxies – Residential proxies are sourced from ordinary homes. In most cases, providers pay people to run software that enables their devices (laptops, for example) to act as a proxy getaway for others. It’s a type that will arouse the least suspicion from web servers, albeit it can be slow at times.
  • Mobile proxies – Mobile proxies are sourced from devices that use mobile internet. Smartphones, tablets, or other similar devices are used to connect to the internet and run software, allowing them to act as proxy servers. Mobile connections may not be fast, but they are often the only option to access mobile-specific services.
  • Datacenter proxies – Datacenter proxies stand out for their affordability and performance capabilities. Unlike the other two types, they are created in special data centers that use commercial internet and professional equipment. One good server can host hundreds of data centre IPs virtually, which is the source of their benefits, but also makes it vulnerable to IP blocks and other restrictions.

Each of these proxy types changes their functioning when used as static or as dynamic. Mobile proxies are rarely static. To ensure support for devices on the move, mobile internet providers use dynamic IPs, so mobile proxy infrastructure cannot hold such IPs unchanging for a long time.

Residential IPs are best when used as static proxies. Since good residential connection is difficult to get by, you will likely want your IP address to stay for as long as you want. Providers usually sell them as such or, at least, provide an option for sticky sessions to hold one IP for longer.

Dynamic residential proxies aren’t the best choice because you are likely to lose a lot of performance. Household connection is simply fast enough to cover for the loss of speed when changing IP addresses.

Datacenter proxies, being much faster, are better than dynamic (also called rotating) proxies. Changing datacenter IPs frequently is proven to improve their legitimacy and help avoid IP bans. Only in rare cases, you might need a static data centre IP, but a static residential IP can transform how you use the internet.

Static proxies: top use cases

  • Browsing the internet anonymously is easy with static proxies. You only need to enter your proxy credentials in your operating system or web browser. Using one IP for a longer period ensures smooth performance and fewer suspicions from web servers.
  • Bulk purchasing might require you to keep one IP address for a longer period. Static proxies will enable you to keep the same IP address throughout the entire checkout process. 
  • Web scraping is a process of collecting online data automatically with bots. While dynamic proxies are used here as well, static proxies may be necessary to ensure a stable connection with the target server.

Wrapping up

Although static IP addresses might be easier to track, sometimes you want to shield your identity consistently. Static residential proxies are best for such a purpose. From simple anonymous browsing to advanced web scraping projects, static proxies will transform how you use the internet.

  1. Tools for Testing Your Proxy Servers
  2. Proxy or VPN for Netflix – Which is Best?
  3. Can You Secure Your Smartphone with a Proxy?
  4. Almost Every Major Free VPN Service is a Glorified Data Farm
  5. What is Dark Web, Search Engines, What Not to Do on Dark Web

[ad_2]
Source link

The Google Play Store is getting a new design for its bottom sheet

0
[ad_1]

The Google Play Store has a pretty modern look that’s consistent with Google’s design language. However, there are still a few elements of the UI that could use an update. Well, according to a new report, the bottom sheet in the Google Play Store will get a new design.

This revamp comes right after the same was done for Google Maps. Currently, if you try to install an app from the discovery feed or if you are prompted to update an app, you will see a little panel slide up from the bottom of the screen. This is the bottom sheet, and it gives you a few quick options that you can perform right then and there.

The bottom sheet UI doesn’t quite reflect the most modern Material You aesthetic. Sure, it has rounded buttons, but the corners of the panel itself are still flat, which is something that Google is looking to change with its apps. The rounded corners are in, and they’re what Google wants for its ecosystem of apps.

Google Play Store is getting a revamp of its bottom sheet

Right now, Google is in the process of changing up the way its bottom sheet looks. This is going to give it a more modern look. Looking at the screenshots below, we see that the panel will have larger buttons. Also, the corners of the panel will be very rounded. Lastly, you will see a little bar at the top of the sheet that will let you drag it up to have it fill the screen. To get rid of it, you would swipe downward.

This was discovered in Google Play Store version 39.8. However, the latest stable version of the Google Play Store is version 39.7. So, it’s going to be a little wait before this change makes it to the public. When it arrives, it will make using the Google Play Store a little bit better.


[ad_2]
Source link

Elon Musk is suing OpenAI for not developing ‘Open’ AI

0
[ad_1]

Elon Musk is in the process of suing OpenAI because he believes that the company is not living up to the philosophy of developing open artificial intelligence for humanity. In the case, he marked the company CEO Sam Altman and President Gregory Brockman as defendants. While Microsoft has been mentioned a lot in the case, the company was not indicated as a defendant.

Why is Elon Musk suing OpenAI?

This case came a little bit out of left field. You would expect Elon Musk to sue OpenAI if the company was scraping data from X or if ChatGPT generated mean comments about the billionaire. However, that’s not the case. In fact, it appears that Musk is suing OpenAI for being closed off. He believes that OpenAI’s original vision was to craft open-source artificial intelligence for the betterment of humanity. He claims that OpenAI’s current state constitutes a breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, and unfair business practices.

“OpenAI, Inc. has been transformed into a closed-source de facto subsidiary of the largest technology company in the world: Microsoft,” Elon Musk says in his suit, “Under its new board, it is not just developing but is actually refining an AGI to maximize profits for Microsoft, rather than for the benefit of humanity.”

Even though Microsoft is not a defendant, the company is brought up a lot. Musk brings into question OpenAI’s true motives for developing artificial intelligence. He says that, rather than being an open-source non-profit company developing AI technology for humanity, it’s basically become a company developing AI just to line Microsoft’s pockets.

Microsoft’s role

A big part of the case has to do with Microsoft’s influence over OpenAI. Microsoft is one of the biggest companies in the world. Elon Musk claims that Microsoft’s motives are only to maximize profits. He feels that this has skewed OpenAI’s endeavors. So, instead of developing artificial intelligence tools to help push humanity forward, the company is, allegedly, being pushed to be a profit machine for Microsoft.

The company has an observer seat on OpenAI’s nonprofit board. While the company does have a seat on the board, Microsoft does not have any control over company decisions. Also, Microsoft gained exclusive rights to OpenAI’s GPT-3 technology back in 2020, a full two years before the generative AI explosion.

The board

In the suit, one thing that Elon Musk brings up is the fact that the current non-profit board members are no longer scientists. Up until late last year, OpenAI’s nonprofit board consisted of AI researchers and scientists. However, the board was replaced after the firing and subsequent rehiring of Sam Altman in November 2023. Musk says that the board members now consist of people who are driven by profit rather than the development of AI technology for all.

Musk says, “OpenAI, Inc.’s once carefully crafted non-profit structure was replaced by a purely profit-driven CEO and a Board with inferior technical expertise in AGI and AI public policy. The board now has an observer seat reserved solely for Microsoft,”

OpenAI isn’t so “Open”

Another thing that Elon Musk complains about is the fact that OpenAI isn’t developing open-source artificial intelligence. Rather, the code powering ChatGPT is behind closed doors known only to OpenAI. He also says that Microsoft could also have insight into OpenAI’s internal details as well. In the case, Elon Musk wants OpenAI to make its source code public. So, if Elon Musk ends up winning the case, that could be a possibility. Suddenly making its code open source would be a huge ask for open AI. Also, if that were to happen, we’re pretty certain that both companies, OpenAI and Microsoft, would push back hard.

Details are still scarce

This lawsuit was filed on Friday, March 1st, so it’s still fresh. We’re not sure if Musk will be able to take this to court. As of now, neither Elon Musk nor OpenAI have commented on the lawsuit.


[ad_2]
Source link

CryptoChameleon Phishing Scam Targets Crypto Users and FCC Employees

0
[ad_1]

So far, the CryptoChameleon phishing scam has successfully phished over 100 victims, with many still active.

Lookout has discovered a multi-pronged phishing campaign, dubbed “CryptoChameleon,” that mimics legitimate login pages for cryptocurrency platforms and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) via mobile devices.

The kit uses carbon copies of SSO pages and phishing via email, SMS, and voice to trick victims into sharing sensitive information, including usernames, passwords, password reset URLs, and photo IDs, mainly targeting US-based users. 

Researchers detected the suspicious phishing kit when they found a suspicious new domain registration, fcc-oktacom. The phishing kit targets cryptocurrency platforms and SSO services and can impersonate various company brands, with Coinbase being the most frequently targeted service. Researchers identified other websites using the kit, with most using a subdomain of official-servercom as their C2.

The attack as reported by Lookout in its blog post, has successfully phished over 100 victims, with many still active. Notable files in the kit include the C2 server URL, client-side logic, and style sheets. Cybercriminals use RetnNet hosting for most sites.

Victims have to first complete a captcha using hCaptcha, which prevents automated analysis tools from identifying the site and creates a sense of credibility for the site. Once done, a login page mimicking the FCC’s official Okta page is launched, where victims enter their credentials and wait for a login or MFA token. 

The attacker monitors this page via an administrative console and can select where to send the victim’s information. They try to log in using the victim’s credentials in real-time and redirect them to the appropriate page based on the requested information from the MFA service. 

The phishing page could be customized by providing the victim’s phone number and choosing between a 6- or 7-digit code. The phishing kit targets cryptocurrency platforms and SSO services, impersonating various company brands, with Coinbase being the most frequently targeted service. 

Additionally, victims are lured through phone calls, emails, and text messages, while phishing emails are disguised as legitimate messages from cryptocurrency platforms or the FCC containing malicious links, while SMS messages resemble legitimate notifications.

Furthermore, Voice phishing involves impersonating representatives to trick victims into revealing confidential information over the phone. Most legitimate victim data came from iOS and Android devices, indicating the attack is primarily targeted at mobile devices. 

CryptoChameleon Phishing Scam Targets Crypto Users and FCC Employees
A phishing page masquerading as the FCC, along with a malicious text message containing a phishing link, was discovered by attackers, (Credit: Lookout)

Researchers suspect that Scattered Spider could be behind this attack because Scattered Spire also impersonates Okta, registers domains using companyname-okta.com, and homoglyph swapping. However, the phishing kit has significantly different capabilities and C2 infrastructure.

CryptoChameleon is a unique phishing campaign that targets multiple devices, mimics genuine login pages, and uses advanced techniques like hCaptcha to bypass detection tools and enhance the legitimacy of their websites, making them difficult to distinguish from legitimate ones.

Researchers suggest users be cautious with unsolicited messages, verify the source of messages, and avoid sharing sensitive information online. Moreover, users must use strong, unique passwords, and stay informed on the latest phishing tactics and best practices for online security.

Experts Opinion

For insights, we reached out to Jason Soroko, Senior Vice President of Product at Sectigo, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based provider of comprehensive certificate lifecycle management (CLM) who stressed moving from traditional login and password and providing cybersecurity training and social engineering to employees.

“Neither the usage of fake login screens nor lookalike domain names is novel, however, each of these techniques is effective in harvesting username and password credentials. What security teams should be doing is getting away from username and password authentication. If this isn’t possible, we have to go back to fundamental training in social engineering.”

“We have been taught not to open attachments in emails that have specific characteristics, however, people also need to be taught to scrutinize the domains of websites they are entering credentials into. Ideally, we must get away from weak forms of authentication that can be harvested this way,” Jason advised.

  1. EvilProxy Phishing Kit Hits 100+ Firms, Bypasses MFA
  2. Russian Hackers Employ Telekopye Toolkit in Phishing Attacks
  3. NPM Typosquatting Deploys r77 Rootkit via Legitimate Package
  4. Storm-1283 Sent 927K Phishing Emails with Malicious OAuth Apps
  5. Telekopye Toolkit Used as Telegram Bot to Scam Marketplace Users

[ad_2]
Source link

Galaxy S24 series grabs March update on the first day

0
[ad_1]

Samsung is rolling out the March security update to the Galaxy S24 series. The update is available for all three models in Europe and Canada. It doesn’t bring anything more than the latest security fixes. Users in other regions, such as the US, should get it soon.

The Galaxy S24 series gets the March update

In mid-February, Samsung released the first software update for the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra. It brought the February security patch and a few other changes, including a screen vividness slider and camera improvements. The update debuted in the firm’s homeland, South Korea, and gradually made it into other markets.

As it reached users globally, Samsung recently pushed a second February update to the new flagships in South Korea. We expected the new release to arrive in more regions. While a second update is now rolling out in Europe and Canada, it surprisingly comes with the March SMR (Security Maintenance Release).

This update comes with the firmware build number S92*BXXS1AXBG in Europe and S92*WVLS1AXBG in Canada. The OTA (over-the-air) package weighs 285MB for the European version of the Galaxy S24+. It weighs 441MB and 428MB for the Ultra in the two regions, respectively. The official changelog supplied by Samsung says the update brings the latest security patch.

This isn’t surprising since the new flagships picked up a feature update just about a week ago. That said, the February build failed to fully address the camera complaints Galaxy S24 users have had. Samsung seemingly didn’t optimize the update properly. We are optimistic that the latest release will bring further camera improvements, though we can’t confirm anything yet.

March security patch details are not known

As far as the new security fixes are concerned, neither Samsung nor Google has published the patch details for March 2024. As usual, the latest SMR for Galaxy devices should bring dozens of Android OS fixes and a handful of exclusive fixes directly from Samsung. We expect the companies to reveal the details early next week.

If you are using a Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, or Galaxy S24 Ultra on the February patch, the March update should be available to you soon. Watch out for a notification in the coming days. You can also manually check for updates on your phone. Open the Settings app, go to the Software update menu, and tap on Download and install.


[ad_2]
Source link

Meta pulls the plug on Facebook News in the US & Australia

0
[ad_1]

After Europe, Facebook News is shutting down in the US and Australia. Starting in April, the News tab will no longer be available in these markets. Meta says this change is part of its ongoing effort to better align its investments. The company plans to focus on products and services that its users value the most.

Facebook News is shutting down in the US and Australia

Facebook News is a dedicated section for news within Facebook. Launched in the US in October 2019, the social media behemoth paid publishers to show their news stories. It signed multi-million-dollar deals with major media houses to bring the latest news from all industries directly to the app. Things got off to a great start and Meta (still called Facebook back then) expanded news to other regions.

It arrived in the UK in August 2020 before gradually making its way to other European countries, including France and Germany. Facebook News also arrived in Australia. However, the hype was short-lived, likely because very few people used Facebook as their primary source of news. As such, Meta decided to discontinue News. The section was pulled down in the aforementioned three European markets last December.

Now, Meta has announced that it will deprecate Facebook News in the US and Australia. The deprecation will begin in “early April.” The company will honor existing agreements with publishes until they expire. The section will slowly disappear from the app once all agreements expire. You can still see news and news links posted directly on the feed of a Facebook account, be it a publisher or an individual.

According to Meta, “news makes up less than 3% of what people around the world see in their Facebook feed.” The company made the same statement last September when it announced the deprecation of Facebook News in the UK, France, and Germany. It appears the situation hasn’t improved. “The number of people using Facebook News in Australia and the US has dropped by over 80% last year,” Meta said in its official press release.

Meta is done with news content and news-related products in these countries

With Facebook News shutting down, Meta’s experiment with news content and news-related products is coming to an end, at least in these five countries. It no longer plans to sign “new commercial deals for traditional news content.” The company will also no longer develop “Facebook products specifically for news publishers.” The social media giant says it will invest more in products and services that drive user engagement.


[ad_2]
Source link

BEAST AI Jailbreak Language Models Within 1 Minute

0
[ad_1]

Malicious hackers sometimes jailbreak language models (LMs) to exploit bugs in the systems so that they can perform a multitude of illicit activities. 

However, this is also driven by the need to gather classified information, introduce malicious materials, and tamper with the model’s authenticity.

Cybersecurity researchers from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, discovered that BEAST AI managed to jailbreak the language models within 1 minute with high accuracy:-

  • Vinu Sankar Sadasivan
  • Shoumik Saha
  • Gaurang Sriramanan
  • Priyatham Kattakinda
  • Atoosa Chegini
  • Soheil Feizi

Language Models (LMs) recently gained massive popularity for tasks like Q&A and code generation. Techniques aim to align them with human values for safety. But they can be manipulated.

The recent findings reveal flaws in aligned LMs allowing for harmful content generation, termed “jailbreaking.”

BEAST AI Jailbreak

Manual prompts jailbreak LMs (Perez & Ribeiro, 2022). Zou et al. (2023) use gradient-based attacks, yielding gibberish. Zhu et al. (2023) opt for a readable, gradient-based, greedy attack with high success. 

Liu et al. (2023b) and Chao et al. (2023) propose gradient-free attacks requiring GPT-4 access. Jailbreaks induce unsafe LM behavior but also aid privacy attacks (Liu et al., 2023c). Zhu et al. (2023) automate privacy attacks. 

BEAST is a fast, gradient-free, Beam Search-based Adversarial Attack that demonstrates the LM vulnerabilities in one GPU minute. 

Beam Search-based Adversarial Attack (BEAST) (Source – Arxiv)

It allows tunable parameters for speed, success, and readability tradeoffs. BEAST excels in jailbreaking (89% success on Vicuna-7Bv1.5 in a minute). 

Human studies show 15% more incorrect outputs and 22% irrelevant content, making LM chatbots less useful through efficient hallucination attacks.

Compared to other models, BEAST is primarily designed for quick adversarial attacks. BEAST excels in constrained settings for jailbreaking aligned LMs.

However, researchers found that it struggles with finely tuned LLaMA-2-7B-Chat, which is a limitation.

Cybersecurity analysts used Amazon Mechanical Turk for manual surveys on LM jailbreaking and hallucination. Workers assess prompts with BEAST-generated suffixes. 

Responses from Vicuna-7B-v1.5 are shown to 5 workers per prompt. For hallucination, the workers evaluate LM responses using clean and adversarial prompts.

⁤This report contributes to the development of machine learning by identifying the security flaws in LMs and also reveals present problems inherent in LMs. ⁤

⁤However, researchers have found new doors that expose dangerous things, leading to future research on more reliable and secure language models.

You can block malware, including Trojans, ransomware, spyware, rootkits, worms, and zero-day exploits, with Perimeter81 malware protection. All are incredibly harmful, can wreak havoc, and damage your network.

Stay updated on Cybersecurity news, Whitepapers, and Infographics. Follow us on LinkedIn & Twitter.


[ad_2]
Source link

Release date, specs, price & more

0
[ad_1]

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is one of the two phones the company will announce during its second Unpacked event of the year. It will arrive alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Based on everything we’ve seen thus far, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 won’t be a major change compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Things could change, though, as more and more information arrives on our way to the launch. In this article, we’ll go over what we know about the device thus far, think of it as a rumor/leak roundup post of sorts. Having said that, let’s get to it.

This article will be regularly updated with new information on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (this is a preview article) — both official teasers and credible leaks, rumors, and insider claims — as it becomes available in the run-up to the release of the upcoming Android smartphone. This is the original posting of this article.

When will the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 be released?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is coming in the first part of July, based on the latest information. The phone is said to launch before July 15, and the likely date is July 10, as that’s a Wednesday. Samsung allegedly wants to announce the phone before the Summer Olympics start on July 26. That date would actually be ideal for Samsung’s second Unpacked event of the year, as that’s the exact date the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 arrived last year. It’s understandable why the company doesn’t want to do the event on the same date as the start of the Olympics, though.

Furthermore, the company’s Unpacked event will allegedly take place in Paris, as will the Olympics, so… it’s not exactly all that surprising Samsung wants to do it earlier. As a reminder, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 launched in August, and Samsung usually hosted its second Unpacked of the year in August. Last year the company moved up the launch event for whatever reason. Samsung still hasn’t confirmed anything, though, and we likely won’t get a confirmation until late June / early July.

What models are coming?

Unlike what the rumors have been saying about the Galaxy Z Fold 6, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is coming in a single variant. There is no ‘Ultra’ model to speak of, at least we haven’t heard anything about it thus far. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 will arrive as a direct successor of the Galaxy Z Flip 5. At the moment, we don’t know what RAM and storage variants will Samsung offer. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 offered 8GB of RAM and two storage options. Something similar could happen this time around too, but we’re expecting the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to include more RAM. If we had to guess, we’d say it’ll ship with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and come in two storage variants, 256GB and 512GB UFS 4.0 flavors.

How much will the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 cost?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6’s price tag did not appear just yet. Chances are that the phone will have a similar price tag to its predecessor, however. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 launched with a $999 price tag in the US, for its 256GB storage model. We’re confident that Samsung will want to keep the price of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 below the $1,000 mark too. If we had to guess, we’d say that the price tag would be identical. It remains to be seen, though. Who knows, perhaps Samsung can lower it a bit more, or it plans to add more features and bump it up a bit. We do expect more specific info to surface in the coming weeks/months.

What will the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 look like?

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 did surface in CAD-based renders already. Those renders do give us a very good idea as to what to expect in the design department. As we presumed, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 won’t be all that much different than the Galaxy Z Flip 5 from the design standpoint. The curvature from the frame to the backplate will be a bit different, but not much else. Samsung is sticking with its current design language. The phone will utilize aluminum and glass as its build materials.

If you check out the images in the gallery below this paragraph, you’ll see the device in the flesh. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 features flat sides, though the very edges of those flat sides do curve towards the front and back, just a little bit, for comfort’s sake. The corners of the phone are rounded, while the back and front sides are flat. The main display once again includes a centered display camera hole, and the bezels around it are quite thin.

The shape of the cover display will not change

The cover display has a folder shape once again, as did the Galaxy Z Flip 5’s cover panel. That display will retain the same size, allegedly. The two cameras on the back sit in the same spot, above the cover display. They’re horizontally aligned, and they do protrude a little bit. The power/lock and volume rocker buttons are placed on the right-hand side. The phone’s power/lock key will also double as a fingerprint scanner, as expected. That is also unchanged compared to the current-gen model.

The phone is said to have very similar measurements to its predecessor. It’s tipped to measure 165 x 71.1 x 7.4mm. It will be a bit thicker than the Galaxy Z Flip 5, though, it seems. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is 6.9mm thick. That’s barely a difference, but there you go. We do hope that the crease will be less noticeable than on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, though. Also, the phone will fold flat, in case you were wondering, as does the Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Do note that there was some talk that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will include a slightly larger cover display than the Galaxy Z Flip 5. A 3.9-inch panel was tipped, instead of a 3.4-inch one. We’re not sure that will be happening considering the dimensions CAD-based renders suggested, but keep it in mind.

What specs will the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 have?

We don’t really have a lot of information about the Galaxy Z Flip 6 specifications thus far. Some info did surface, though, so let’s check that out and try to fill in the blanks. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 will be fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy processor. That much is a given. Both of Samsung’s foldables that will launch during the second Unpacked event will use that processor. We’re presuming that Samsung will update the RAM count this year, from 8GB to 12GB LPDDR5X RAM. That’s just a guess, though, as no specific info appeared. The company will likely offer 256GB and 512GB UFS 4.0 storage models of the phone.

A 6.7-inch fullHD+ main Foldable Dynamic AMOLED display is expected. Do note that one rumor did suggest larger displays are a possibility, so… we’ll see. The cover display will likely be a 3.4-inch panel, even though one rumor said a 3.9-inch display is coming. Regardless, that will also be an AMOLED panel. It will likely be a 60Hz panel, unlike the main display, which will utilize a 120Hz refresh rate.

A larger battery will be used

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 could include a larger battery pack than last year. The phone’s batteries did get certified, and it will once again include two of them. Instead of a 3,700mAh battery pack overall, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 could include a 4,000mAh capacity. That could also point to larger displays, even though that doesn’t seem as likely considering the dimensions reported by CAD-based renders. Either way, more battery juice is a good thing. Samsung likely won’t offer faster charging here, though. We’ll most likely get 25W wired charging once again, along with 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.

Samsung’s next flip phone could include better cameras. The current-gen model has a 12-megapixel main camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is said to be tested with a 50-megapixel main camera. The same camera used in the Galaxy S23. That rumor is rather old at this point, but there you have it. If that ends up being the case, a 50-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture will be used, and a 24mm lens will also be a part of the package. That camera will also support OIS and Dual Pixel PDAF. The second camera will likely be a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit.

Android 14 will come pre-installed and stereo speakers

The phone is expected to ship with Android 14, and Samsung’s One UI skin on top of it. Stereo speakers will be a part of the package, and so will some sort of water resistance. The device will likely be IPX8 certified, just like its predecessor. Don’t expect an audio jack to be a part of the package, though.

Should you wait to buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6?

The question is, should you wait to get the Galaxy Z Flip 6, or get the Galaxy Z Flip 5 now? Well, if you really need a new phone, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 launch event is not that near at this point. Based on what we’ve heard thus far, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 also won’t be a huge upgrade over the Galaxy Z Flip 5. So, you should be fine getting that phone. If you’re not in a hurry, however, be patient, and see what exactly will the Galaxy Z Flip 6 offer. Samsung will also have some great trade-in deals in the US, that’s for sure.


[ad_2]
Source link