Latest news with #GalaxyS25Ultra
CNET
8 hours ago
- CNET
Want Better Vacation Photos? This Is the Camera Gear You Need
Whether you're flying off on an exotic adventure, going hiking for days in the mountains or simply enjoying a long weekend in the countryside, your vacations can be amazing opportunities for stunning photography. And with powerful cameras found on phones like the iPhone 16 Pro and the Galaxy S25 Ultra, along with a host of amazing mirrorless cameras from the likes of Canon, Sony and Fujifilm, capturing pro-level travel photography while on your vacation has never been easier. I've been a professional photographer for well over a decade and have traveled the world taking photos in all conditions. Here, I'll take you through the essential gear you need to bring with you on your trip, from the best travel camera, to the bags and accessories you'll need. I'll also recommend some handy extras to consider if you want to return home with creative pieces of art, rather than just holiday snaps. Read more: Take Pro Travel Photos This Summer With These Easy Tips Choose the right camera While you're unlikely going to buy an entirely new camera system just for an upcoming trip, if you're in the market already for a new camera then an imminent vacation is a great excuse to invest. Traveling with a camera used to mean hauling a big, heavy DSLR in your backpack everywhere you go, but mercifully modern mirrorless cameras are typically much smaller and lighter, making them superb for traveling. I took just my Canon R5 and a small, lightweight 50mm f1.8 lens on a three-week trip to Sicily and loved the shots I got from this compact setup. The R5 doesn't come cheap, nor is it the smallest camera around, but it offers stunning image quality from its full-frame sensor, amazing video skills and has pro features like in-body image stabilization that meant I didn't need to also drag a tripod with me. Want something a bit smaller? Look towards a micro four thirds camera like the Fujifilm X-S10 or the superb fixed-lens X100VI. Check out my guide to the best cameras if you want inspiration on which model to go for. Katie Collins/CNET Keeping your lens choices to a minimum will help reduce the weight. A standard zoom lens like a 24-70mm gives a great range for capturing wide, sweeping vistas, while providing enough zoom to get closer up on your subjects. I'd also recommend packing a small prime lens (like the aforementioned 50mm f1.8) as these tend to be lightweight and compact enough to always have in your bag or slung around your shoulder, ready to go whenever inspiration strikes. More recently I took my new Leica Q3 43 on a photo expedition to Sweden as part of a feature I was doing for CNET. With its fixed 43mm lens, the Q3 was small enough to always have around my neck, ready to capture images as I travelled around Sweden -- including into the Arctic. While just having one focal length may seem limiting, I actually found it to be a great creative challenge, forcing me to think more about my composition, rather than just standing still and zooming in and out. Read more: Best Camera Phone for 2025 But maybe you don't need a camera at all -- today's top phones can take amazing images and can shoot in raw format allowing for the same sort of editing you'd typically do with images from regular cameras. The iPhone 16 Pro takes gorgeous images -- especially using Apple's ProRaw format -- and its multiple rear lenses give creative shooting options for whatever scene you find yourself in front of. Having just my Leica Q3 43 on my trip to Sweden kept me nimble and allowed me to always have the camera ready to shoot. Andrew Lanxon/CNET The best travel tripod A tripod certainly isn't essential for all travel photography, but when the light fades and you need to slow the shutter speed to several seconds to get a good exposure, you'll need one to secure your camera. You'll definitely need a tripod if you want to nail those nighttime shots overlooking a gorgeous bay, capture the stars above those snowcapped mountains, or pull off those artful long exposures of waterfalls. By using a sturdy tripod, I was able to slow the shutter speed right down to capture the motion of the water and clouds over the Forth Bridge. Andrew Hoyle/CNET Again, size matters and you should look for a compact, travel tripod that can easily fit in your backpack -- or attach to the outside of it. Modern materials like carbon fiber will keep the weight down, but they also tend to be more expensive, so you'll need to decide how much you're willing to shell out. As its name suggests, the Peak Design travel tripod is a great tripod for traveling, thanks to its small size when folded down and its light weight. I've done all-day hikes with this strapped to my back and barely noticed its presence -- something I can't say for most tripods. Make sure to check out my full roundup of the best tripods you can buy. Or, if weight is really an issue, you can even try using your own DIY tripod. Katie Collins/CNET A proper adventure backpack A dedicated photo bag should be high on your list. After all, you don't want your fancy new gear getting knocked around and breaking, do you? A good bag will have compartments to keep your camera safe and secure, but will also let you access it quickly. It's important, too, to find one that also has plenty of space to keep other items you'll need while out and about. If you're going to be out with it all day, I recommend a backpack with two shoulder straps, rather than a single-strap messenger bag. It'll spread that weight over both your shoulders and keep you comfortable for longer. Look for things like side-access zips, so you can quickly get your camera out when inspiration strikes; plenty of additional pockets for batteries and snacks; weather-resistant materials; and mounting points to help carry your tripod. I've done a lot of the hard work for you in rounding up my top photography backpacks. There are options for all kinds of photography, from short city breaks to multiday hikes with lots of gear. Have a read through that list, and make sure that what you're taking is suitable for where you're going. Always keeping your camera handy means you're ever ready to shoot when you see a good opportunity. Andrew Lanxon/CNET The important extras The list above is really the essential stuff you'll need to take with you. How much more you bring will depend on how seriously you take your photography and the sort of images you hope to take. Those of you going on wildlife safaris, for example, will benefit from packing a big telephoto zoom lens. Always consider having multiple spare batteries and a charger, as even the best cameras will tend to give you only a day of photos -- or much less if you shoot a lot of video. There's nothing worse than getting to a beautiful afternoon destination only to find you exhausted your power in the morning. Keeping at least a couple of spares in your bag will let you swap it out and keep on shooting into the night. Read more: Best Accessories for Photographers The same goes for storage. It's easy to take hundreds of raw images a day in a beautiful location and all those shots can quickly fill up your card. Thankfully, SD cards are pretty cheap these days, so it's worth buying a few 64GB or 128GB cards to keep with you. Then there's the wide array of photographic filters that may help you get creative. A circular polarizer can be used to help make blue skies more vivid, or reduce the reflection on water, while a neutral density filter darkens the image, allowing you to use long exposures to blur the motion of water, cars or people. I love PolarPro's Everyday and Gold Mist 135 filters which add a haze to your images giving a softer, filmic vibe to shots. By using a neutral density filter, I was able to blur the motion of the water until it became a smooth and silky surface. Andrew Lanxon/CNET If you want to shoot video on your travels, you may need additional equipment, such as microphones, higher-capacity, faster storage cards and perhaps even video tripods or gimbals for smoother, professional-looking footage. Check out my guide to the best accessories for video production if you're keen to shoot pro-level videos on your travels.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Here's how to save £100 on the new Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 phones
Samsung has been refining the foldable phone formula for years, and with its latest generation of devices, it's clear the company is tackling the chief complaints head-on. Unveiled at this year's Galaxy Unpacked event, the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 are slimmer, lighter and more robust than ever before, while a surprise third device – the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE – aims to make foldable technology more accessible. All three devices launch 25 July, with pre-orders open now. I got hands-on with the devices to bring you some initial thoughts. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: From £1,799, The star of the show is the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which has undergone a dramatic redesign. At just 4.2mm thin when opened and weighing a mere 215g, it's now lighter than the Galaxy S25 Ultra and immediately feels less like a series outlier and more like a genuinely practical device. The cover screen has been widened to a more conventional 21:9 aspect ratio, making typing and everyday use feel far more natural when folded. Durability gets a boost from a new multi-rail 'Armor FlexHinge', a new aluminium casing, and Gorilla Glass Corning's tough Ceramic Shield 2 glass on the front. When opened, the Fold 7 reveals an expansive 8in main display, made more durable by a new grade 4 titanium lattice underneath. The camera system also gets a big upgrade, now boasting the same 200MP main sensor found on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, alongside a 10MP 3x telephoto lens and a new 12MP ultrawide. Powering the device is the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, which, combined with up to 16GB of RAM, promises to keep performance snappy. Samsung is also pushing its Galaxy AI features further, with a more optimised version of Gemini designed to work better on the wider display, and new tricks like an 'auto' button for the audio eraser, which intelligently removes background noise from recordings. Meanwhile, the fashion-forward Galaxy Z Flip 7 also sees significant upgrades. The outer display grows to a much more useful 4.1in, filling the entire front of the phone when closed, while the main display now spans 6.9in. The camera gets a bump to a 50MP main sensor, and the battery is now a much larger 4,300mAh unit, promising up to 31 hours of video playback – a huge improvement for a device where battery life has previously been lacking. The biggest surprise, however, was the introduction of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. This new 'fan edition' model aims to tear down the biggest barrier to entry for foldable tech: the price. Starting at £849, it's hardly affordable, but it's half the price of the Z Fold 7 above. It keeps the smaller cover display of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 but retains a premium feel and key features like a 50MP main camera and the promise of seven generations of OS updates. Samsung also unveiled its new Galaxy Watch 8 series, featuring a sleeker cushion design. Two watches make up the series, the standard Galaxy Watch 8 and the more traditional-looking Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, with a rotating bezel. New health features include a world-first antioxidant index sensor, advanced sleep tracking with bedtime guidance and a vascular load monitor to track how hard your heart is working during sleep. The best Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7 deals Pre-order the Galaxy Z Flip 7 or Fold 7 ahead of 25 July and Samsung will double your chosen storage option for free. You can also get £100 off either handset at Samsung's official online store when you pay with Paypal and use the code PAYPAL at checkout. All of the new devices are available to pre-order from today ahead of their launch date of 25 July. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 will start from £1,799, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 from £1,049, and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE from £849.
Android Authority
9 hours ago
- Android Authority
After 6 months, I'm still not over Samsung's lazy Galaxy S25 launch
Back in January, when Samsung launched the three main phones in the Galaxy S25 series, I wasn't shy with my criticism. I openly wondered why the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus even exist, and pointed out how the Galaxy S25 Ultra is such a nominal upgrade over the Galaxy S24 Ultra that it's a wonder Samsung didn't drop the price. Surprisingly, at the time, Samsung teased that a significant part of the Galaxy S25 family was yet to come: an ultra-thin, ultra-lightweight phone called the Galaxy S25 Edge. This piqued my interest, as I thought it might be the one upgrade that really elevates the series from ho-hum to amazing. However, it's no secret that the Galaxy S25 Edge has landed with a thud. The company has reportedly seen sales nosedive much earlier than expected. Even die-hard Samsung fans have seemingly already forgotten about it, judging by online discourse and Android Authority's traffic stats on the topic, both here and on YouTube. People just don't care about a thin and light phone if it lacks the necessary features to make it tangibly good at being, well…a phone. This leaves me back where I started. It's been six months since the original Galaxy S25 launch event, and I still think that this is one of the laziest and most uninteresting flagship families Samsung has ever released. How did Samsung do this year with the Galaxy S25 series? 0 votes Samsung killed it in 2025! NaN % Eh, the phones are fine. NaN % The Galaxy S25 series is bad. NaN % I don't know/don't care. NaN % Samsung, you can't just repackage things forever Lanh Nguyen / Android Authority There has been plenty of backlash against my comments on how the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus seem completely trivial and inessential. The first, and most prominent one, comes from Americans, and it centers on the idea that carrier subsidies, trade-in values, and other discount opportunities make the two phones more attractive over other Galaxy S phones, chiefly because of the processor upgrade to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The second rebuttal, which comes from mostly non-Americans, is that the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus having an Exynos processor in most areas of the world makes the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus worthy of existing, thanks to the superiority of Qualcomm silicon. While these are sound and accurate arguments, they both hinge on the idea that slapping a new chipset into a carbon copy of last year's phone is a fine strategy for Samsung to adopt. I'm sorry, but I just can't handle that. From a smartphone fan's perspective, rehashing the same phone with a slightly better processor is so lazy that it borders on insulting. From an environmentalist perspective, it reeks of irresponsibility towards our e-waste crisis. And from a brand loyalty perspective, it must make at least some Samsung fans feel like jumping ship to any number of more innovative competitors. The three main Galaxy S25 phones are good, but they are barely advancements over the last three years of Galaxy S devices. Even the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which does feature at least a few upgrades over the Galaxy S24 Ultra, left me extremely underwhelmed. The fact that Samsung nerfed the S-Pen by removing Bluetooth connectivity and kept the ludicrous $1,300 price tag for an iterative upgrade over last year's model just left a bad taste in my mouth, too. The worst part about this, though, is that this is not a one-off issue. It's not like Samsung has been killing it over the past few years, and these 2025 smartphones are just the anomaly. The Galaxy S25 series is so close to even the Galaxy S22 series that the only real reason to choose one over the other is the processor. One year of iteration is totally fine, and even two years is acceptable. But three years of repackaging the same thing? Samsung can't get away with that forever. The Galaxy S25 Edge is a masterclass in missing an opportunity Ryan Haines / Android Authority In 2024, I wrote an article about a hypothetical Samsung Galaxy S25 Pro (I made a video about it, too). The Galaxy S25 Pro, in my imagination, was a direct competitor to the Pixel 9 Pro, in that it was more compact than a Galaxy S25 Ultra but carried over most of the important specs and features. Obviously, Samsung didn't get around to actually launching a Galaxy S25 Pro, but when I first heard about the Galaxy S25 Edge, I thought it might scratch that itch. Unfortunately, the Galaxy S25 Edge dropped the ball on so many levels. It's thinner and lighter than any other Galaxy phone, but it's not smaller. It's still difficult to use one-handed, and it still takes up plenty of pocket real estate. Likewise, the specs Samsung decided to leave behind from other Galaxy S phones were confusing. Who really wants an $1,100 phone with a small battery, slow charging, and no telephoto lens? Samsung seemed to bank big on the Galaxy S25 Edge wowing the crowd — but almost everyone just shrugged in response. Even from a design language perspective, the Galaxy S25 Edge makes no sense. Why did Samsung redesign the camera lenses on the Galaxy S25 series to make them more uniform across the Galaxy S and Galaxy Z lines and then, just months later, abandon those design elements for the Galaxy S25 Edge? It's a minor thing, but it just adds to the pile of confounding decisions made with this phone. As mentioned earlier, the Edge has fallen flat with most Samsung fans. Yes, there are some folks out there who absolutely love it — just check out the comments on my YouTube video going over its announcement. But the overwhelming response to Samsung's creation appears to be, 'No thanks.' What was supposed to be something that injected some much-needed originality into the Galaxy S25 family just ended up dragging it down even further. The Galaxy S26 series better be a banger Joe Maring / Android Authority As I'm writing this, I can already see the comments section filling up with people saying that I clearly hate Samsung phones. They'll say that I don't have an objective viewpoint on this year's launch because I came in with my mind already made up. Although me saying this likely won't prevent it, please understand that this is not true. I really like Samsung. In fact, for well over a year, my daily driver was a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which is still, to this day, my favorite Samsung phone ever. One of the reasons I left Samsung behind is because of this trajectory it's been on. The company just seems wholly dispassionate about its products, and it's failing to deliver anything innovative anymore. I'm not expecting a reinvention of the wheel every year — there's a lot to be said about brand consistency and stability — but I am expecting something to get excited about. For me to get passionate about a phone, it takes much more than knowing in my logical brain that it has better performance than last year. It needs to have something that no other phones have, and it needs to look and feel unique. The Galaxy S25 series simply doesn't do any of these things. C. Scott Brown / Android Authority Of course, Samsung phoning it in (forgive the pun) hasn't seemed to hurt its bottom line. According to the company itself, Galaxy S25 series sales have been 'strong,' and Hana Securities posits that Samsung has sold over 9 million units — and that was at the beginning of May. If this number is accurate, adjusting for differences in launch dates, the Galaxy S25 series is likely selling as well as the Galaxy S24 series. I am not a Samsung hater, even if it seems like it. I say these things because I want Samsung to succeed — and this is not the way to do that. Regardless, I really hope Samsung ups its game in 2026 with the inevitable Galaxy S26 series. The Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus need better cameras and a fresh design update. The Galaxy S26 Ultra needs a design refresh as well, and it needs to offer something new to justify its exorbitant price tag (which could be even higher in 2026 thanks to the tariff situation). Samsung needs to do this not just to impress nitpickers like me, but to stay relevant in the market. Here in the United States, Samsung commands the Android market. You're either an iPhone person or a Samsung person, and there are still people here who call any non-iPhone they see a 'Galaxy.' That's a great position for Samsung to be in, but it can't rest on its laurels. Apple is only gobbling up more market share, and Android enthusiasts — the backbone of Samsung's standing worldwide — are starting to notice that Google, Motorola, OnePlus, OPPO, HONOR, and other brands are delivering innovative, beautiful, and useful products that far outshine anything Samsung is doing. Samsung has a grace period in which it can coast on its reputation alone — but that window is closing fast, and 2026 might be the deadline.
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Tom's Guide
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE just tipped for a surprising Ultra-level upgrade
A new report has revealed that the next phone in Samsung's affordable FE series, the Galaxy S25 FE, might feature one advantage over the Galaxy S25. With Galaxy Unpacked having come and gone, you might think Samsung's big phone launches are done for the year. However, the Galaxy S25 FE is expected for release later this year, and while the FE series often features slightly worse hardware, a new report has indicated a substantial charging upgrade for the phone. According to a report from SammyGuru, device quality and safety testers TUV Rheinland have published a listing with the model number SM-S731, which is believed to refer to the Galaxy S25 FE. While the listing in question contains few hardware details, there is one thing of note: the apparent confirmation of 45W charging speeds for the phone. This would mean that the cheaper Galaxy S25 FE would match the charging speeds seen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Plus, and exceed the 25W seen in the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S24 FE. As we don't know the battery size of the phone, we can't state for certain how speedy a charge you'll get. However, when we tested the Galaxy S25 Ultra, with its 5,000 mAh battery, it managed to reach 71% battery after charging for 30 minutes with a 45W charger. As such, if this news is accurate, we'd imagine the S25 FE to charge impressively quickly too. Aside from the battery, we've heard a few rumors about the rest of the Galaxy S25 FE's hardware. For instance, we've seen reports that the phone will feature the same camera setup as the Galaxy S24 FE, meaning a 50MP main lens, supported by 12MP ultrawide and 8MP telephoto cameras. On the plus side, it appears that Samsung could update the selfie camera to 12MP, compared to the 10MP selfie camera on the current FE. We don't know much about the screen, but we'd expect the phone to at least have the same 6.7-inch display seen on the current S24 FE. There's also a lot of conflicting information when it comes to the chip coming with the phone. We've heard that Samsung could reuse the Exynos 2400e featured on the current phone. However, leaked benchmarks have shown the phone running the Exynos 2400, which would offer a marked performance increase, although it would still lag behind Samsung's other flagship devices and their Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon. Samsung released the Galaxy S24 FE in October last year. While we can't be certain Samsung will stick to the same date, it would seem fair to expect a Fall release date at least. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
Phone Arena
2 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Amazon is now selling the supreme Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra at a $350 discount for all shoppers
You know that gigantic $365 Amazon Prime members were allowed to shave off the list prices of Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra in both 256 and 512GB storage variants last week? Well, you can now save... slightly less than that without meeting any special requirements whatsoever. Yes, Amazon is currently selling probably the best Android phone in the world for 350 bucks less than usual with 256 gigs of local digital hoarding room in a single Titanium Whitesilver paint job. And because this is not a Prime Day deal restricted to just a small group of the e-commerce giant's customers, there's clearly a good chance the S25 Ultra will go back up to its regular starting price of $1,299.99 (or at least closer to that mark) very soon. 5G, Unlocked, 256GB Storage, 12GB RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Processor, 6.9-Inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X Display with 3120 x 1440 Pixel Resolution and 120Hz Refresh Rate Technology, Corning Gorilla Armor 2 Protection, 200 + 10 + 50 + 50MP Quad Rear-Facing Camera System, 12MP Front-Facing Camera, 5,000mAh Battery with 45W Wired and 15W Wireless Charging Support, Galaxy AI, S Pen Included, Whitesilver Color Buy at Amazon Naturally, $350 is the second-biggest discount offered by a major US retailer on this particular 6.9-inch powerhouse since its commercial debut almost six months ago, and I certainly wouldn't be surprised if Amazon doesn't match (let alone beat) this promotion until Black Friday in November. After all, you're looking at a nearly flawless product here, as highlighted by our comprehensive Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review. The Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X screen with 120Hz refresh rate technology is a beaut, the titanium build makes the handset an absolute tank, the 200 + 10 + 50 + 50MP quad rear-facing camera system is about as competent and as versatile as it sounds, and the 5,000mAh battery is more than capable of keeping the ultra-high-end phone powered all day (and, if you're frugal, all night) long. At $350 off its normal price, the S25 Ultra (which, by the way, comes with a built-in S Pen as well) is a lot more affordable than Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max while incredibly also undercutting something like Google's compact Pixel 9 Pro flagship, at least for the time being. While all the early signs are of course pointing at the Galaxy S26 Ultra bringing a bunch of key upgrades to the table in 2026, that's still about six months away... and about 12 months away from rivaling the S25 Ultra in terms of (relative) affordability. Not to mention the possible absence of the aforementioned built-in S Pen. In short, Amazon is making you an offer you simply cannot refuse right now if you happen to be in the market for a super-premium Android smartphone this summer. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase This offer is not available in your area.
