This week on The Wrap, we’ll hear all about something you can see, as we talk what’s new in TVs from Samsung, Bose’s flexible speaker, an Aussie in-car first, and the new iPad Air reviewed. All that and more in five.
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It’s nearly the end of March 2022, and you’re listening to The Wrap, Australia’s fastest technology roundup, and with the recent weeks bringing you the announcements from Apple, the week that followed was decidedly less about the maker of the iPhone, and more about one of its major competitors.
You see Samsung has a few new phones on the way meant to take on Apple’s new iPhone S E, coming in the Galaxy A series. They’re models made for the mid-range, with the A33 and A53 being what Australians can expect first, offering big screens, several cameras, and support for 5G priced below $800, with a more premium A73 on the way, as well.
Samsung’s news this week wasn’t just about how it planned to challenge Apple for mid-range phone madness, with news about the gear it also makes for other parts of your life, namely the entertainment room where you watch films and TV shows.
You see from March until about May is what we call “TV change over season”, which is when big name manufacturers release their new TVs and sound systems to Australia, often after showcasing them at CES at the very beginning in January.
And that is precisely where we are, with Samsung first off the rank to show off what’s coming to Australia.
If you’re someone looking for a big screen, you may be very interested in what Samsung is offering this year, because much of it is big.
The range covers Samsung’s Neo QLED technology, which is basically a combination of high tech bits and pieces for new TVs, marrying Mini LED backlighting with quantum dot colour honing crystals to get a screen that looks bright and vibrant, and built for today in lots of sizes.
They’ll arrive in a choice of 4K or 8K – because you have options on the level of ultra HD you want – offered in a size as small as 55 inches, if you can call that small, with a big model sized to 85 inches if you can handle the twelve thousand dollar price.
However, TVs measuring 85 inches won’t have to cost that much this year, as Samsung will offer the screen sizes in a few different styles.
If you don’t mind skipping over the quantum dot colour enhancement tech, you’ll find 85 inches for as low as three grand, while the model with quantum dots but without the mini led tech will cost almost six thousand dollars, and there will be plenty of options in between.
There will also be quote unquote lifestyle TVs, with more in Samsung’s art-inspired Frame series, the interior decorator focused Serif TV, and a rotating TV for folks who love Tik Tok so much that they want it on a big screen, coming in the Sero. And there’s even a Samsung projector in the Freestyle.
Lots of TV options on the way, with some sound gear, as well. There’s an 11 point 1 point 4 spatial surround sound system on the way in the Q990B, a big 360 degree sound system that will map 3D sound to your room, and come with a two thousand dollar price tag, but plenty of other less advanced options coming for less.
And while we’re on the subject of sound, Bose has a new speaker on the way in the Sound Link Flex, a portable wireless speaker that has a neat trick: it can orient the sound based on how it sits, stands, or lies down.
That’s not the only trick, because it’s water resistant, can float in water, and supports up to 12 hours of battery life, coming in April for around 250 bucks.
Outside of sound, some Australians have built something for your car if you have kids, and its something they claim is a bit of a world first.
If you’ve ever worried about leaving kids in the backseat, the Infalurt could be a solution, bringing a sensor to child seats and an alarm fob with your car keys. On the off chance that you slip up and forget your kids are there, this system will alert you to tell you just that, and to get them out.
Obviously, leaving your kids in a car unattended is bad, which is what this gadget aims to fix.
But we’re ending this show with something that’s good, as we review the new iPad Air, a device that brings much of what makes the current iPad Pro pretty solid, but at a more affordable price point.
You’ll find a nearly eleven inch screen here with an updated chip, and that’s really the centre piece. The chip is Apple’s M1, the same hardware in the MacBook Air, iMac, and iPad Pro, and it basically brings a lot of power to a high-end tablet at a better price point.
It takes the same accessories, such as the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard, and it performs in much the same way, replacing the face recognition sensor with a fingerprint sensor, while the screen animations aren’t quite as fast.
But they’re the main differences, with similar performance, battery life, and a better price. From 929 dollars, the 2022 iPad Air is basically the iPad Pro but at a more economical price point. That’s something we can really go for, because saving money on similar tech is always nice, and you might too.
For now, you’ve been listening to The Wrap, Australia’s fastest technology roundup. Everything on this show and more can be found at the wrap dot com dot au, and a new episode can be found at Listener, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. For now, have a great week, and we’ll see you next time on The Wrap. Stay safe, stay sane, and take care.
