Mobile
Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and Tab Pro 12.2
Samsung, like before, believes that you need tablets in EVERY size to bridge the gap between your phone and laptop. They have released brand new Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and Tab Pro 12.2 to bring the professionals into the tablet market. With LTE and Wifi flavors with 2.3GHZ quad-core Snapdragon 800 and Exynos Octa-core processors, these new tablets are not too different spec-wise from the older Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition. 3GB of RAM help to power the two tablets gigantic 12.2 inch 2,560 x 1,600 display. The extra-large screens do allow for four-window multitasking, which makes for a more desktop-like experience. You can pin multiple windows of apps side-by-side for comparison, and you can resize each window to your liking. When you press the home button, you get Samsung's new Magazine UX instead of your regular home screens. It is similar to the My Magazine app on the Note 10.1 2014 edition with its paneled and streamlined interface. You can have work and personal interfaces to have the apps and services easily available for your special situations. The Magazine UX looks very much like Windows Phone with Samsung's special touch. Samsung has also baked its own remote PC app, uncleverly called Remote PC setup. It is not something that we haven't seen before, but it is nice to have a service that lets us drag and drop files between your tablet and computer. Since it is a Note device, it does have a Wacom stylus and digitizier for all your writing needs.
The Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 is almost exactly like the Note Pro 12.2. It has the same Snapdragon 800 and Exynos Octa-core versions, 3GB of RAM, LTE and 3G options, and the enormous 2,560 x 1,600 12.2 inch display. The only real difference between the Tab Pro and Note Pro versions is that the Tab Pro does not have a Wacom digitizer or stylus. Both of the tablets are also not too different from the Note 10.1 2014 edition. They both have the same good performance on the Snapdragon 800 version and buggy performance on the Octa-core, same crisp display, and TouchWiz skin over Android. The software is a little different with these newer tablets, though. On the 12.2 inch Tab Pro and Note Pro, you do get the four window multitasking and Magazine UX. The four window multitasking is exclusive to the 12.2 inch tablets. The 12.2 inch tablets also get a bevy of included software with free cloud storage, free Bloomberg Business and New York Times subscriptions, and much more. They both seem like great devices, but they are not practical for everyone. The big 12.2 inch size makes them very heavy, so you will not want to hold it in your hands for long periods. The Note Pro 12.2 and Tab Pro 12.2 are more suited for bringing to a business meeting for a presentation, showing off your pictures if you're a professional photographer, a coffee table device, or if you really need a laptop replacement. If you do need a device for those situations, the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 and Tab Pro 12.2 are great choices.
Engadget: Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, The Verge: Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 &Tab Pro 12.2, Engadget: Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2
Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 & Tab Pro 8.4
Samsung can't leave you with only one new tablet screen-size; you have to see ALL of them. The Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 and Tab Pro 8.4 are the, as you can probably tell, smaller versions of the Tab pro 12.2. They both have the same 2,560 x 1,600 displays, LTE and HSPA versions, and Magazine UX. The only things that are really different are their screen sizes, no additional software, and they do not have the fancy four window multitasking. They might not have the same special features, but they still are all great devices. They offer brisk performance, a nice design with Samsung's new faux-leather plastic backs, the nice Magazine UX user experience, and crisp screens. The 8.4 inch version has an incredibly sharp screen, since the 2,560 1,600 resolution is crammed into a smaller screen. All of Samsung's new tablets will be available later this quarter at an undetermined price. If you need a tablet-shaped slice of Samsung in your life, the Tab Pro tablets will make you very happy.
Engadget: Samsung Galaxy Tab Pros, The Verge: Samsung Galaxy Tab Pros
Computer
15.6 inch Ativ Book 9 Plus
Last year, Samsung launched the 13.3 inch version of the Ativ Book 9 Plus. They upgraded it with a super high-res 3,200 x 1,800 display, and Haswell processor. Now, Samsung launched their 15.6 inch Ativ Book 9 Plus with brand-new and refreshed specs. You can choose between a Core i5 or Core i7 Haswell processor, 128GB or 256GB SSD, and all of the models have 8GB of RAM. The 1,920 x 1,080 screen is lower resolution than the 13.3 inch version, and it is more apparent on the larger screen. Samsung put a lower resolution screen on this larger model, so the laptop could have 14 hour battery life. We have not seen too many first impressions, but the 15.6 inch Ativ Book 9 Plus looks like a great laptop. A crisp enough display, great performance from Haswell, and long battery life make for a nice computer. Samsung also said that they worked on the keyboard and trackpad, so the usual troubles with Windows in those areas should be lessened. If Samsung isn't lying with all these promises of great battery life, the 15.6 inch Ativ Book 9 Plus might be one of the best ultrabooks on the market.
Engadget: 15.6 inch Ativ Book 9 Plus, The Verge: 15.6 inch Ativ Book 9 Plus
Television
85 inch "Bendable" TV
In addition to Samsung's many curved TV's, Samsung has shown off their prototype "bendable" TV. It is not bendable in the notion that you can flex it with your hands, but it can go from curved to flat at the press of a button instead. You can't decide between a ginormous curved or flat screen, so why not both? Motors on the sides of the screen push and flex the display from flat to curved or vice versa. It is a nice design and cool concept, but we cannot see this catching on. 4k televisions are already expensive enough, there are not too many reasons to get a curved TV yet, and the moving screen will probably make this set even more expensive. But hey, this future looks pretty cool.
Engadget: Samsung bendable TV, The Verge: Samsung Bendable TV
105 inch Curved Ultra HD (4k) television
One of the recent trends at CES is ridiculously big 4k, or Ultra HD, TVs. Samsung is continuing this trend by announcing their curved 105 inch Ultra HD TV. There are not too many things we can say about this particular television. It's really big, really sharp, and very curved. The display is top notch, and the high resolution makes everything look crisp and amazing. LG also released a 105 inch curved Ultra HD TV, because Samsung and LG need to copy each other 24/7. There might not be much content available for way too big curved Ultra HD televisions but if you absolutely need one, Samsung and LG have great sets.
Engadget: Samsung 105 inch Ultra HD TV, The Verge: Samsung 105 inch Ultra HD TV
Other
Samsung Giga Speaker
We are not big audiophiles ourselves, but we couldn't help to think of Samsung's Giga Speaker as incredibly interesting. It is a 2,500 watt speaker that can connect to your tablet, smartphone, or TV through Bluetooth or through the auxiliary jacks on the back. That is not particularly interesting, but what is is all the controls and knobs on the Giga speaker. It has a DJ fader knob, and different EQ's for whatever situation you are in. For example, the "football" setting boosts the bass on the speaker. Even with all the loud speakers already at CES, the Giga speaker managed to make an almost deafening sound. Its probably high price makes it not fit for most people, but it should be a good choice for DJ's on the go. Previous versions have retailed from $1,000-$1,400, so it will probably be priced around there.
The Verge: Samsung Giga Speaker
Those are some of Samsung's best and most interesting products of CES. Other things you might want to know are that Samsung's Ultra HD TV's will stream video from Amazon, Comcast/Xfinity, DirecTV, M-Go and Netflix, which should be helpful when trying to find content for your 4k TV. In more celebrity related news, Michael Bay was unable to wing it at Samsung's CES conference. Bay was supposed to talk about how 4K was important to Hollywood and to you when you buy a 4k TV, but even a Hollywood director couldn't make up reasons why you need it. Samsung put out some great electronics at CES, and their fancy 4k or curved or both TV's are really great. Stay tuned for more of our CES coverage.
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