It's because timezones. It's already Saturday in Taiwan.

One UI doesn't use that much more space compared to other skins if you judge by the size of the super partition. Unfortunately, ArsTechnica jumped the gun on the topic without doing proper research.

I'll edit this comment later with a list of pre-installed apps on the US unlocked model later.

Edit: List of pre-installed apps on the (* denotes it can be uninstalled)

-In the Google folder: Google, Chrome, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Drive*, Google TV*, Meet. And Photos*.

-In the Microsoft folder: LinkedIn*, Microsoft 365*, OneDrive, and Outlook*.

-In the Samsung folder: Find*, Health*, Members*, Messages, My Files, PENUP*, Shop Samsung*, SmartThings*, TV*, Voice Recorder*, Wearable*.

Apps outside the folder: Assistant, Calculator*, Calendar*, Camera, Clock*, Contacts, Facebook*, Gallery, Gaming Hub*, Global Goals*, Internet, Messages, Netflix*, News, Notes*, Phone, Play Store, Settings, Spotify*, Store, Tips*, Wallet*, and YouTube Music*.

We'll be taking a bunch of photos later today, and I have my S23U with me to compare with. I took a quick shot with 10x on both devices, and at a glance the S24U is sharper.

Noticed a few things here:

-They're still advertising UPC Plus which means there probably hasn't been any changes from the Fold4. Software processing for the camera might be different though.

-They're not advertising Eco² OLED which means it's probably still using an Eco² OLED Plus display. I was hoping for a third generation since they announced a brighter inner display. That probably means it's the same panel found in the Fold4 which was likely artificially limited, similar to what Samsung did with the S21 Ultra and S22 Ultra.

-The fold testing numbers are the same compared to the Fold4 found here. They did manage to maintain the same durability with a new waterdrop hinge at least.

Also if you were wondering, the Flip5 crease is similar to the Flip4, while the Fold5 crease feels a lot more subtle compared to the Fold4. I had hands-on with the Flip5 for a few days, and currently have a Fold5 review unit, all provided by Samsung.

Here are some of my observations:

-The crease on the Fold5 has improved a lot. The Fold4 crease had noticeable depth, while the Fold5 is subtle. That being said, I wouldn't let the crease be the deciding factor in purchasing any foldable. It really does disappear while you're looking at it straight on.

-The Samsung logo that was previously carved out on the hinge has been replaced with no carving at all. That's an improvement since the letters can collect dust, dirt, and oil, and actually also had stickers that could fall out, revealing what was left after they carved out the letters on the hinge.

1. To a certain extent, all phones these days are arguably just incremental upgrades. It's up to you to determine whether those upgrades make a difference for you. It's also worth noting sometimes the upgrades aren't immediately reflected in the design, and you might need to dig deeper to see the changes and improvements. For example last year, I feel like both the Fold4 and Flip4 got meaningful upgrades. The Fold4 got the GN3 50 MP primary sensor, the Flip4 got a larger battery, and both got the 2nd gen Eco OLED display along with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Coming from the Snapdragon 888 on the Fold3 and Flip3, that's already a major upgrade for efficiency (battery life) and performance. All of this was coupled with the software addition allowing you to set the performance profile to light, which supposedly gives you the performance of the 8 Gen 1 and further increases efficiency (and thus battery life). For me, that meant I could make it through the day on the Fold4, while I couldn't on the Fold3. The larger outer display on the Flip5 could mean using the inner display less, depending on whether you will actually be able to run any app on it. Apparently you will be able to with a future update to Multistar, a Good Lock module. Why would you want to use the inner display less? Maybe you prefer using a more compact device. Maybe you want to use your phone less, and the act of unfolding the phone encourages you to use it more. In that case, a fully functional outer display might help discourage needless use. Maybe you want better battery life, assuming that display consumes less power compared to the inner display.

2. I only took pictures of the case on my way out. It looks reasonable to me. I'll update you if I get my hands on it.

3. In addition to Mishaal's reply, you could also just turn the whole thing off. I never used it with the Fold4, and will probably never use it if I get another foldable. Just my preference.

4. I only saw all of the Fold5 variants, minus the exclusives. The blue is really doing it for me, followed by the cream with that subtle hint of gold.

I thought it was pretty overwhelming with how many people there were. Everyone was just recording with their phone or camera, a bunch of flashes constantly going off. Apparently that's business as usual for this type of thing.

Yes and yes for the Flip5 and Fold5 inner displays. The outer displays for both didn't have a screen protector, but that may not be indicative of what you'll get with a retail unit. Also, IIRC, the Fold4 did away with the screen protector on the outer display.

It's always good to keep in mind that one app might be considered bloatware for one person, while it might not be for another person. Bloatware is subjective.

No

I thought the article explained it well.

Android 14’s work profile changes also mean you’re never truly away from work even if you pause the work profile. You’ll now definitely know when your boss or a colleague is calling you, and you’ll never show up as offline to work colleagues. Google basically replaced the previous behavior with an aggressive do-not-disturb mode, but we all know that not all jobs will respect that you’re off the clock.

Mishaal also mentioned that this could negatively affect battery life, and also allow work apps to continue accessing your location.

I mean beep boop beep

The company actually skipped Android 12 to deliver Android 13 due to all that "build the BSP yourself" work. Monthly security updates probably don't arrive all that regularly either.

This might be a dealbreaker for many people.