7 Things at 7: MediaTek's first flagship, Samsung's new tablets, Meta's big bet, the end of an era and more!
Happy Sunday from New York City! I’ve spent a few days in the Big Apple, where I’ve been checking out new Samsung tablets (and a phone). It’s been a busy week around the world, though, with Xiaomi launching new phones in Berlin, Meta unveiling its next-generation AR, and some particularly sad news from the world’s biggest tech publisher based in the UK.
I’m also working hard on building the new Impact website and newsletter, so let’s skip the pre-amble this week and get stuck into this week’s 7 things at 7!
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🔥 Hot Tech
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1️⃣ Samsung has two new tablets…
Samsung took the stage at its flagship experience store in New York on Thursday to unveil the Galaxy Tab S10 series. Featuring two tablets — and surprisingly, no smaller regular Tab like previous generations — the Galaxy Tab S10 series offers a nearly identical experience to the Galaxy Tab S9 series with the addition of Galaxy AI features.
None of these AI features are particularly new, as we’ve seen them on the Galaxy S24 lineup and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 range. The bigger Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra features the same 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED display as the Tab S9 Ultra, while the Tab S10 Plus has the same 12.4-inch display as the S9 Plus.
For more, read my Tab S10 series first impressions at Digital Trends, and stay tuned for a full review that will also be posted there in about a week. I’ll also have a detailed impressions piece on Impact, either standalone or in next week’s newsletter.
2️⃣ …which are the first MediaTek flagships in the US
There is one particular reason I’m very excited about these tablets… they are the first MediaTek-powered flagship devices in the US. I’ve been waiting for these to launch since MediaTek first teased this in April, as I revealed on Twitter.
The Galaxy Tab S10 series is powered by the DImensity 9300+ processor, which Samsung says delivers a range of improvements over the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that powered the Tab S9 series. These include an 18% increase in CPU, a 25% increase in GPU, and a 16% improvement in NPU efficiency.
If it delivers the battery life and performance we’ve seen from other Dimensity 9300+ devices, the Galaxy Tab S10 series will greatly benefit Samsung’s tablet range. Stay tuned for the full review, but 24 hours in, I’m seeing impressive performance. I’m hopeful we’ll soon see Dimensity-powered flagship smartphones land stateside.
3️⃣ There’s also a new Fan Edition phone
Sadly, the new Galaxy S24 Fan Edition (aka FE) isn’t powered by a MediaTek chipset, with Samsung opting for its Exynos 2400e processor instead. There’s fundamentally no difference between the Exynos 2400 and 2400e other than a maximum frequency 100Hz lower at 3.1GHz.
According to tests by NotebookCheck, the Exynos 2400e slightly outperforms the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy in certain benchmarks but falls somewhat short in others. Benchmarks don’t reveal the full picture, and there shouldn’t be a huge delta in real-world performance between the Galaxy S24 FE and the vanilla and Plus S24 models powered by the latest Snapdragon processor.
4️⃣ Xiaomi’s new phones are particularly appealing
On the same day as Samsung, Xiaomi took to the stage in Berlin to launch several new phones, release its flip phone globally, and bring its outstanding SUV to more markets. It was Xiaomi’s big fall event, and several new devices are headed to global markets.
First, the new Xiaomi 14T series brings a partnership with Google Gemini for its AI features, MediaTek for the Dimensity chipset, and Leica for the camera. The Dimensity 9300+ powers the Xiaomi 14T Pro, while the 8300 powers the non-Pro 14T. Both phones also have the full range of Google Gemini features announced at I/O earlier this year.
The 14T is the latest in Xiaomi’s partnership with Leica for the camera. A strong emphasis on photography manifests itself with next-generation Leica optics, including the Leica Summilux optical lens. The Xiaomi 14T comes equipped with the Sony IMX906 sensor, while the Xiaomi 14T Pro uses the Light Fusion 900 and has three separate lenses that offer five focal lengths.
Beyond the Xiaomi 14T series, this event also saw the launch of the Xiaomi Mix Flip into global markets. This is an interesting flip phone thanks to its unique approach to the front display, which has a vertical array — like a regular phone — plus a few widgets you can cycle through just above the camera. Stay tuned for a full review of this, but check out my quick hands-on below.
5️⃣ Orion is Meta’s big bet on Augmented Reality
If you’ve been waiting for true Augmented Reality, it’s finally here, but there’s one catch: you can’t buy it… yet. Meta has been working on AR and VR products for years, and Orion is the closest we’ve come to true AR glasses. The implementation is neat, but they would cost $10,000 per unit to make, and Meta wouldn’t turn a profit.
Essentially, Orion is a fancy computer you wear on your face. Unlike devices like the Apple Vision Pro, it keeps the weight down by offloading most of the computing tasks to a wireless puck. It also solves the other biggest problems with most face computers, namely low resolution and a small field of view.
Orion has been custom-designed by Meta and features Micro LED projects that beam graphics in front of your eyes via waveguides in the Silicon Carbide lenses. These lenses are more durable and lighter, and the 70-degree field of view is better than plastic or glass lenses. They represent a true future where you can have high-quality AR on your face, and hand tracking works through the neural wristband.
Read more on Orion in The Verge’s hands-on!
6️⃣ And there’s an update for the Ray-Ban Meta as well
Meta Connect wasn’t just about the Orion, although those stole the show. Meta also announced the new Meta Quest 3S — which you can read about at The Shortcut — and updates to the fantastic Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which I absolutely love!
There are new transition lenses that will transition much faster, and I’m a little frustrated, having spent nearly $1,000 on a pair of the older transition lenses earlier this year! The new translucent frame is so nice I may have to buy a new pair!
Alongside all the new hardware, Meta also announced an update for the Ray-Ban Meta. “Reminders” lets the glasses take a photo of what you’re looking at and remind you about it later via a notification on your phone. You will also be able to scan QR codes or call phone numbers that you’re looking at directly from the glasses.
Translations have been a big part of AI features released on all devices this year, and the Ray-Ban Meta is no different. The glasses could already translate languages from still images, and now the company is working on real-time language translation between English, French, Italian, and Spanish. This will make them transformative for travel, allowing you to have real-time conversations with people who speak other languages. I can’t wait to try it out when the feature launches in the coming months!
7️⃣ The end of an era in iPhone coverage
This week marked the end of one of my old favorite iPhone coverage websites: iMore. I wrote a few articles on iMore during my time at Mobile Nations, and some incredible people have graced its masthead, including the phenomenal Rene Ritchie and the outstanding Lory Gil. Read this goodbye article from the iMore Staff and this evoking post from Rene to understand why iMore was so great.
📆 Upcoming
A lot is happening, at least at Impact. There’s a ton of reviews and coverage coming your way; here’s just a sample of what you can expect in the coming weeks:
- This coming week: Honor Magic V3, iPhone 16 Pro, AirPods 4
- Next week: Apple Watch Series 10,
- Later: Asus ZenBook S14, Plaud Note AI Pin & more!
There’s still much more to cover, but I’m also working on something special around iPhone accessories. Stay tuned for a detailed look at the best iPhone 16 cases and covers in video form next week and a roundup on Forbes in the coming days!
👀 Two carve-outs this week!
What about beyond tech? Here are a few bonus things that may interest you!
- I stopped by the Mobile Tech Podcast on Thursday to discuss all the topics in this week’s newsletter! You can listen to the episode on your favorite podcast player or via this link!
- Check out this awesome new series rounding up the top tech stories in 60 seconds from NBTJacklyn. She was one of the inaugural winners of the HoT 24 this year, and she’s gone from strength to strength this year! Hit subscribe if you haven’t already!
That’s all for this week. See you next week, and stay tuned for lots of content this coming week as well!
Impact by House of Tech is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.