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If the $1,380 price tag of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip wasn’t enough to make a dent on your pockets, Samsung also has the fashion focused Thom Browne Edition up for grabs soon. If you can tolerate forking over the anticipated $2,480 to pick it up.
That’s close to buying two Galaxy Z Flips. At least it’s packaged with the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, Galaxy Buds+, and a pebbled leather cover for the smartphone. All of them are decked out in the hues and patterns of fashion designer Thom Browne’s suits. For the Samsung faithful, it’s an opportunity to go all-in on brand fandom and look good while doing it.
So, is the Thom Browne edition striking enough to be worth the extra scratch? Well…that depends on how much you like Thom Browne’s apparel.
The phone is decked out in a grey matte finish with the designer’s iconic red, white, and blue striped pattern running down the length of the phone’s rear. The matte finish helps in keeping fingerprints and smudges from showing, unlike the mirror finishes we’ve seen previously. But, it’s a moot point if you intend on buying a case.
The included leather cover adds a bit of sophistication. Yet it’s a reminder that you can emuluate the look with leather accessories from a third-party company. You might as well buy the standard version of the phone, spend no more than $50 on a case, and call it a day.
Unless, of course, you’re a diehard fan of Thom Browne.
Beyond aesthetics, the Galaxy Z Flip feels solid, especially in the hinge. The display’s crease is still noticeable, but it’s not distracting when you’re looking at the display, a gorgeous 6.7-inch AMOLED with a slightly strange 21.9:9 aspect ratio. If you want to know about the Z Flip itself, check our our Z Flip Hands-on.
Samsung customized the look of the interface for this special edition, using a theme that follows the tradition of Thom Browne’s designs. It’s not as flattering as the stock look and feel of Samsung’s One UI, however, as the theme’s backdrop is painted in grey, and the icons appear to be sketched on.
Though there are few cases available at the moment, I’m certain we’ll see something similar in style from a case maker. Tommy Hilfiger sells a number of its cases online for different phones, all of which seem to be priced under $20 — and closely resemble Thom Browne’s design.
Samsung fans who want the most exclusive version of The Z Flip will obviously flock to the Thom Browne edition. Otherwise, as special editions go, it’s tepid. It certainly doesn’t compare to more dramatic phones like the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 Winter Olympics 2018 limited release.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.