Samsung has unveiled its latest foldable smartphones — the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Flip4 — and they will soon be available to customers in the UAE.
The unveiling comes just weeks ahead of Apple's expected release of the iPhone 14 as Samsung aims to stay ahead of its rival as the leading smartphone maker by market share.
How much will UAE customers have to pay for the new devices and can they order in advance? The National has all the details:
Are orders open in the UAE and when will the phones be released?
Yes, pre-release orders are now open, until August 25, in Samsung stores and authorised online channels and retailers.
There is, however, no confirmed date for when the phones will actually be available in the UAE.
Samsung has a pre-release-order offer for its customers in the UAE whereby they get twice the storage for the same price.
That means when choosing the Galaxy Z Fold4 128GB, customers will get the 256GB version for the same price, and the same for the Flip4.
Customers who opt to order from Samsung.com until August 25 will also enjoy benefits that include access to exclusive colour options, opportunity to customise their device, one-year Samsung Care+, up to 24-month instalment plan with 0 per cent interest rate, free delivery, five-times Samsung Rewards points, plus trade-in opportunities with doorstep evaluations for the first time with pre-release orders.
Etisalat is offering flexible monthly payment starting from Dh170 per month, while du is offering the Flip4 from Dh152 a month plus VAT and the Fold4 from Dh272 per month plus VAT.
What is the price in the UAE?
What are the main features of the new devices?
The Galaxy Z Flip4 has an upgraded camera, a larger battery and expanded customisation, according to Samsung.
"Its compact clamshell design offers unique experiences not available on any other smartphone," Samsung said.
"Users can shoot hands-free videos or capture full group selfies at various angles by partially folding the Galaxy Z Flip4 to activate FlexCam."
The Fold4, meanwhile, offers PC-like multitasking features, in addition to advanced camera technology and powerful mobile processors, according to Samsung.
It is the first device to ship with Android 12L, a special version of Android created by Google for large-screen experiences, including foldables.
It comes with an upgraded 50-megapixel wide-lens camera and 30x Space Zoom lens.
Samsung promises better performance in night and low-light conditions.
What colours do the phones come in?
The Galaxy Z Flip4 comes in bora purple and graphite, pink gold and blue.
The Galaxy Z Fold4 comes in grey green, beige and phantom black.
When is Apple releasing the iPhone 14?
That isn't far away. Its launch event is expected in September, as it usually is each year, and possibly as early as September 6, according to insider leaks.
The highly anticipated event is expected to unveil the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro (both 15.5 centimetres), as well as the iPhone 14 Max and the iPhone 14 Pro Max (both 17cm).
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Samsung Galaxy phones through the years
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
More from Aya Iskandarani
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E268hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E380Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh208%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam
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UAE%20FIXTURES
%3Cp%3EWednesday%2019%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Kuwait%3Cbr%3EFriday%2021%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Hong%20Kong%3Cbr%3ESunday%2023%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Singapore%3Cbr%3EWednesday%2026%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Bahrain%3Cbr%3ESaturday%2029%20April%20%E2%80%93%20Semi-finals%3Cbr%3ESunday%2030%20April%20%E2%80%93%20Third%20position%20match%3Cbr%3EMonday%201%20May%20%E2%80%93%20Final%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"