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The concept of ads on a smartphone is not new. Quite a number of phone manufacturers have implemented it on their devices. What is new is ads on a $1,400 premium phone – Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip phone.
CNBC’s Tod Haselton reports that Samsung has ads displaying in the Z Flip’s phone dialer app, AKA phone app – that’s the app you make calls with.
Samsung Galaxy Z flip phone opened up
Here is the originating tweet by Tod:
https://twitter.com/robotodd/status/1229768673352724480?s=19
As said earlier, other mobile phone brands have done it, but they are brands known for making budget devices. Brands like TECNO, Infinix, and Xiaomi come to mind. What makes this news striking is that this is happening on a top dollar smartphone. Ads on a premium device is something that should never happen.
Some will argue that since there is a way to disable the ads, all is well and this is no big deal. But it is a big deal. There are things that should not be seen in a BMW or a Mecedes Benz. Being premium items, there is an expectation of an exclusive experience. That is what users expect from a premium smartphone.
Why On Earth Should The $1400 Galaxy Z flip Phone Have Ads On It?
It is arguable that ads on entry-level and budget smartphones can be overlooked and accomodated. But on a premium device like the Galaxy Z Flip phone? A $1,400 smartphone!
Is it that Samsung is selling the phone at cost. Or perhaps even lower than cost? If that were the case, why? Anyone who has $1400 to splurge on a smartphone should be able to spend $1,500 or even $1700 to cover any margins that the manufacturer could have added to the cost price.
There is no point of view that I can imagine in which this is acceptable. Perhaps it can even be excusable on a cheap Android phone to cover cost. But on a smartphone as expensive as the Galaxy Z flip phone, it is an absurdity and should be condemned.
Could it be that the world as we know it is changing and someday we might see ads on an Apple iPhone as well? Even if that were to happen, the only appropriate response would still be, “Hell no!”
You can check out the originating tweet HERE . Meanwhile, should you need the info, here is how to block ads on TECNO smartphones .
June 2020 Update : This new phenomenon of ads on an expensive phone is not limited to the Galaxy Z flip phone. Max Weinbach of XDA Developers has also complained of ads on his $1,980 Samsung smartphone. That would be the Galaxy Fold . In his words, ads show up in Samsung’s own apps, including: Phone, Music, Weather, Galaxy Apps, Bixby, Samsung Health, and Samsung Pay [1].
It gets even worse. Another user has complained about ads showing up in his Samsung Galaxy S20 [2].
So we have seen Samsung users complain about ads on the Galaxy Z flip phone, the Galaxy Fold, as well as the Galaxy S20. All of these are super expensive smartphones – the very last kind of devices on which a user should ever have to suffer ads.
Digging around a bit to explore the phenomenon, it appears that this new fad of ads on premium smartphones appears to be a regional thing, similar to what obtains with Xiaomi. So Samsung users in some regions around the world get this annoying experience, while users in other regions do not.
One can only hope that Samsung users who are experiencing it kick against it as loud as possible and get the idea killed completely before it becomes the new normal globally.
References:
- Samsung Apps with ads ( source )
- “Excessive ads” on Samsung ( source )
Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
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Game streaming platform Google Stadia may have a number of kinks to work out, but is still on the path of improvement, with a number of new features and games to look forward to on the platform this year.
Google will be releasing Stadia to a variety of new smartphones on the 20 th of February, rather than keeping the platform restricted to the Pixel device family as previously stated in earlier reports.
Stadia may be experiencing a number of issues, but with the lack of mobile options one of the more prominent ones, this decision to release the Google Stadia to more Android devices looks like a step in the right direction.
According to reports, the new set of devices to get Google Stadia are mostly made up of Samsung devices. A total of 14 from a possible 18 devices to get the Google Stadia are Samsung Galaxy devices. The Galaxy S8 and the recently released S20 series will be included, with the remaining four devices being the Razer Phone 1 & 2 and the ROG Phone 1 & 2.
With platforms like Microsoft already supporting all Android devices with versions running on 6.0 and above on its game streaming platform, this move by Google to open up its streaming service is one that is welcome, as we hope they can eventually get around to solving a number of problems that have plagued the game streaming platform in the coming days.
References
- Source ;
- Source .
Author:Alfa Baye
Staff Writer
