The range of Samsung is not limited to smart gadgets, they also produce a variety of electronics and even household appliances. The idea to establish their interaction is obvious, but the task itself is very non-trivial.
To test the convenience and evaluate the chips, I took a Galaxy S22 smartphone, a Galaxy Tab S8 tablet with an S Pen stylus, a Galaxy Watch4 Classic watch and Galaxy Buds 2 headphones – that is, the entire current line. Separate sections of the article will be devoted to the role of each gadget in the ecosystem, so you can see what benefits the purchase of a particular device gives. Go!
Where to start: Galaxy S22
It all starts with a smartphone, and in my case with the flagship Galaxy S22. This year, the entire older line is good, but it was the compact that sunk into the soul – it is special. Details in the review.
The software part is presented by Android under the One UI shell. And if the smartphone is the center of the ecosystem, then the shell is its forming element. The latest version of One UI 4 and its updated version One UI 4.1 brought a new visual look with support for the Android 12 Material You dynamic color algorithm in accordance with the latest Google guidelines. Material You adjusts the color scheme of the interface to the selected wallpaper. If we talk about One UI 4 in general, with it the interface on smartphones, tablets, wearable devices and partly on computers has become uniform and more understandable in development.
The convenience of the ecosystem begins with the first acquaintance – setting up a new device. Samsung offers to transfer data from an old device and immediately surrounds it with its own service for data synchronization. The corporate account stores not only applications, contacts, call log, SMS, settings, but also little things like the location of icons on desktops and alarm clocks. That is, when moving from smartphone to smartphone, a minimum of actions is required.
After you start using it, you notice a lot of options that other manufacturers do not have, One UI is one of the most functional and customizable shells. The company even worked with Microsoft on the ability to pair a Galaxy smartphone with a Windows-based computer. This will help you to be aware of all the events and perform many actions directly from the PC, without being distracted by a smaller screen. The bundle provides access to notifications, messages, calls and photos. Cherry on the cake: broadcast any application from your smartphone to your computer screen. In total, up to five applications can be launched in this way, each will work in its own window.
Smartphone companion and more: Galaxy Watch4
Smart watches have become an essential accessory. With this generation, the Galaxy Watch has moved to Wear OS with a One UI skin, giving it more features out of the box and a variety of third-party apps on Google Play. I also note the support for eSIM, which made the watch more independent. More about this in the review.
The watch is compatible with Android smartphones of all brands, but when paired with Samsung, a number of unique features open up to improve the interaction experience. In particular, for the first connection between Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy S22, you don’t even need to go into the settings. An invitation will appear on the screen, with which you need to agree, and then follow simple instructions – the system is as automated as possible.
You should also consider data synchronization. All measured health indicators, the number of steps taken, completed workouts are stored in the Samsung cloud and are synchronized with each new device. If you wear the watch for a long time, you can track your physical condition in dynamics, since all the data is in one place.
Also, the watch helps to take the smartphone out of your pocket less often, when it may not be completely convenient. For example, they receive notifications with the ability to respond. With their help, you can control the music player and perform other more serious actions – it all depends on the specific case. For myself, I noticed the synchronization of alarm clocks, available only within the ecosystem. This allows you to set the wake-up time on your smartphone, and wake up silently to others using the watch.
And Galaxy Watch4 can be recharged from the Galaxy S22 using reverse wireless charging. That is, when traveling, you can do without a standard magnetic “tablet”.
Big screen for more interesting tasks: Galaxy Tab S8
A tablet is an independent device for work and entertainment. A photographer colleague of mine recently appreciated the usefulness of the Galaxy Tab S8+ in his craft, I recommend you check it out.
I will only supplement his story with the “Exchange with the environment” chip. It makes it possible in a couple of clicks and very quickly to exchange files between a smartphone and a tablet or vice versa. I describe a real case: I took pictures all day long on a smartphone, then transferred all the pictures to a tablet, processed them on a large screen and started posting on social networks, transferring them back to a smartphone. Files are transferred over Wi-Fi, that is, with virtually no delay, and this is especially true for RAW photos. By the way, the Expert RAW photo editor built into One UI 4.1 fully works with such files.
As for the ecosystem, for the tablet, I note the synchronization of Samsung Notes notes. Immediately after creation, they instantly go to the cloud, and after that – to all devices connected to the Samsung account. Samsung notes also sync with OneNote and Teams, another point of contact with Microsoft services. In a proprietary browser, it is possible to start working on a smartphone, and continue on a tablet, and vice versa.
The Magic of Wireless Sound with Samsung Galaxy Buds
Fully wireless headphones Samsung Galaxy Buds 2. Yes, with noise reduction, yes, light and with good autonomy, but quite simple in themselves. Testing Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 in a separate review.
However, when you consider their interaction with other Samsung gadgets, things start to change. Let’s start with the magic when connecting, when the smartphone finds the headset on its own, by analogy with the clock. A pop-up window with important information appears every time you connect.
The headphones also support automatic switching: while watching a video on a tablet, you can interrupt for a phone call, and then continue playing – the headphones will automatically change the active device. Speaking of shared browsing, you can connect two pairs of Galaxy Buds to one device.
Following the convenience of connection comes customization. Galaxy Buds 2 has plenty of settings, there is also an equalizer. All of them are hidden in the Wearables app.
You can also change the noise reduction mode and block touch control directly from the watch. This is another handy feature available within the Samsung ecosystem.
Other aspects of the ecosystem
Interaction between Samsung gadgets is not limited to smartphones, tablets, watches and headphones. For example, you can display photos from your smartphone on a large TV screen so that you do not have to transfer the small screen from hand to hand. And for more serious tasks, there is a DeX desktop mode that turns a smartphone or tablet into the actual equivalent of a desktop PC. All this works, by the way, without wires. And the SmartThings platform allows you to control compatible home appliances.
Samsung is also developing auxiliary accessories. In particular, Smart Tag wireless beacons will help you not to lose important things, whether it’s a bunch of keys or a suitcase with things. They connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth and operate at a distance of up to 120 meters. If you need to find a beacon away from your smartphone, the search occurs through the network of Galaxy users – Smart Tag interacts with other people’s devices and transmits data from the built-in GPS.
Instead of a conclusion
The overall impression is that Samsung has a solid and well-thought-out ecosystem, which, moreover, does not require phenomenal skills to configure. Everything works out of the box and is accompanied by clear explanations. I have listed many, but not all the chips. Their number cannot be covered by one material. Here everyone will notice something relevant for themselves, you just need to figure out all the possibilities once and take into service the most necessary.
Second observation: Samsung is constantly improving its ecosystem – updating existing features and adding new ones. This is usually associated with the release of new gadgets or updates to the One UI shell. Therefore, if you already use a bunch of Samsung gadgets, keep an eye out for new chips, there may be something interesting among them.
Source: Trash Box
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
