On August 5, Samsung unveiled its latest Galaxy Note Smartphone at a new unpacked event. But alongside its new flagship phone, the company says it plans to launch four additional devices. Samsung's mobile business has a new test this year: Getting buyers to fork over $1,000 during a pandemic. This year around, prices likely won't be lower. The full Note 20 lineup, at least in the US, is expected to include 5G connectivity, which boosts the cost of making a device. Consumers who've been waiting for a Note that can tap into 5G networks may scoop up the device. The Note 20 isn't the first major phone to launch during the pandemic. Samsung's phones tend to sell in much higher volumes than the devices from its Android peers. Its chief rival, Apple, hasn't yet attempted to sell a high-end, flagship phone during the pandemic. This year was supposed to be a good one for the phone industry. Last year's new innovations of 5G and foldable screens were supposed to get cheaper and more readily available in 2020, giving consumers a reason to upgrade. Instead, financial struggles and worries about COVID-19 will limit the buying power of the people.

Apple updates the iMac with better webcam and new Intel processors

Apple is announcing updates for both the 27-inch iMac. It’s updating the processors inside the iMac to Intel’s 10th Gen Comet Lake processors and also switching out the webcam to a higher-resolution 1080p HD sensor instead of the low-res 720p found in other Macs. SSDs are now standard across the line, and there will be a bunch of new configuration options including a “nano-texture” version with less reflective matte glass. The 21.5-inch iMac, which is shifting to SSDs as standard, starts at $1,099. Apple is also giving the iMac Pro a small spec bump, making the 10-core Intel chips the new baseline for $4,999. The 2020 iMacs look identical to the last generation, including the large black bezel all the way around the screen and the big metal chin at the bottom. Apple says that, as it noted at WWDC, it intends to support Intel-based Macs for many years to come. The webcam might be the biggest day-to-day upgrade for most users. Apple says the improved camera features will work in any videoconferencing app, not just FaceTime. The spec bumps for the iMac don’t seem like quite enough to entice users who have the last-generation iMac to upgrade. But if you’ve been waiting for an update for the all-in-one system, they might be worth a look.