After teasing its re-entry into the NBN market in June, Amaysim has revealed how much its upcoming internet plans will cost.
Set to launch “in the coming months”, Amaysim’s NBN plans will start from $60 per month, with no plan costing more than $100. Here’s how much each plan will cost, including promotional offers:
Plan
Peak hour speeds (download/upload)
Promotional price
Regular price
Quick As
25 / 8 Mbps
$60/month for the first 6 months
$70/month
Speedy As
50 / 18 Mbps
$75/month for the first 6 months
$85/month
Fast As
100 / 18 Mbps
$80/month for the first 6 months
$90/month
Superfast As
240 / 22 Mbps
$90/month for the first 6 months
$100/month
As an incentive to bundle your phone and internet plans with Amaysim, the cheaper pricing remains if you have an active SIM plan with the telco, working out to be a monthly $10 discount. It’s expected that Boost Broadband will offer a similar bundle offer, although it hasn’t revealed its pricing yet.
Some existing Amaysim mobile customers will also receive invitations to try out the new NBN plans at no cost for the first three months in exchange for providing feedback.
Based on the available data though, Amaysim’s prices when bundled with a SIM plan sit comfortably below the average. $90 for the Superfast As speed tier is one of the most affordable NBN 250 plans.
Here’s how the Amaysim NBN plans stack up to the current cheapest NBN plans:
While there are a lot of competitors in the smaller folding phone space, Samsung is still pretty much on its own in the premium folding phone market in Australia. But some of the novelty has worn off, and now all that’s left is an extremely powerful productivity machine with some quirks that will make people either love it or hate it with few in between.
Samsung’s latest, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, only has minor improvements, with software providing most of the meaningful meat and potatoes. The slowdown in progress can be speculated in many different directions. But how has this already excellent (if flawed) phone been improved?
The main thing I noticed as a long-time Fold user is that it’s a bit more comfortable in the hand – a bit thinner, a bit smaller, but the inner screen seems to be roughly the same size (if a little different). Setting it up is easy, and whether you’re a long-time Fold user or even a new convert, it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it.
Image: Alice Clarke.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 specifications
CPU
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Dimensions (H x W x D, mm)
153.5 x 132.6 x 5.6
When folded: 153.5 x 68.1 x 12.1
Weight: 239g
Display resolution
Main display: 2160 x 1856 (QXGA+)
Sub display: 968 x 2376 (HD+)
Cameras
Three rear cameras (50 MP + 12 MP + 10 MP) with Optical Zoom 3x, Optical quality Zoom 2x (Enabled by Adaptive Pixel sensor) and Digital Zoom up to 30x
One cover camera with 10 MP resolution
The biggest news here is that it’s IP48 rated, whereas the Fold 5 was only IPX8. What that means is that it now has a solid particle rating in addition to a water resistance rating. However, you still should absolutely not take the Fold to the beach or anywhere small grains could get caught in the hinge or in the middle screen. The “4” means that particles larger than 1mm in diameter can’t get in. Most of the things you’re worried about with a folding phone are probably smaller than 1mm. Still, better than nothing.
The other good things are that it’s a bit lighter (239g vs 253g), the front screen is a bit bigger (6.3 inches vs 6.2 inches), and it’s 1.52mm thinner. These numbers are small, but they’re a march in the right direction for a very chunky phone.
The negative is that the battery isn’t any bigger, and it really needed to be, given how power-hungry this phone is. 4400mAh is nothing to sneeze at, but it’s the area that most needed improvement.
Performance
The whole point of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold range is productivity, so this is a high-performance phone that means business in both the metaphorical and literal senses. But, aside from incremental benchmarking gains, the temptation to just link to my review from last year and call it a day is pretty strong, given the phones are so similar, aside from software and AI features that came to the whole Samsung range of phones this year.
As you can see, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip is an absolute beast. There is almost nothing you can throw at this phone that it won’t handle as well as or better than any other flagship phone in the market. I had a great time using it for gaming, running three apps at once, and generally getting stuff done.
Screens
The larger front screen on a thinner device makes this phone so much more usable than last year’s model. That bit of extra space makes it easier to type on, which instantly makes this feel more like a fully realised phone than just a fun concept.
Opening the phone up is a bit difficult, given there’s no lip around it, so opening it one-handed is an unwieldy and challenging task. That said, in previous years I’ve found that it becomes easier to open as the hinge softens with use.
It’s a specific person who will be able to take full advantage of all these dual screens have to offer, but that group of people will be living their best productivity life.
Cameras
On paper, the cameras are basically the same as last year. In reality, they are extremely similar to last year, with some key differences. For example, the wide lens lets in more life for nighttime photography.
Fold 6 without night mode.Galaxy Z Fold 6.Galaxy Z Flip 6.iPhone 15 Pro Max.Images: Alice Clarke.
As you can see from these photos on a Fold 6, Flip 6 and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Fold does, indeed, let in more light. Just look at the photo without night mode on to be impressed. However, there are clarity issues with the Samsung phones’ night photos that let them down a bit. On light alone, they win for me. But the subjects of the photos don’t look as good as I would like, and they’re kind of the whole point of taking a photo.
Galaxy Z Fold 6.Galaxy Z Flip 6.iPhone 15 Pro Max.Images: Alice Clarke.
This selfie was taken with the front-facing camera on the front screen of the Fold. But, of course, if you want the best quality selfie you can get, you can just unfold the phone and use the main camera. As a quick photo here, though, you can see how the Samsung phones are a bit kinder to my exhausted, sleep-deprived face and new mum hair styled with newborn vomit.
As I said in my Galaxy Z Flip 6 review, normally I dislike Samsung’s default towards smoothing of features in the same way that I think the iPhone cameras exaggerate my flaws. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. However, I think Samsung is striking a slightly better balance on that here, and I’ll take all the kind and soft lenses I can get at present.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 portrait mode.Galaxy Z Flip 6 portrait mode.iPhone 15 Pro Max portrait mode.Images: Alice Clarke.
What Samsung cameras and screens are always best at, in my opinion, is green. I love the way these portrait photos bring out the very best of this pot plant. I prefer the effect to the iPhone.
Galaxy Z Fold 6.Galaxy Z Flip 6.iPhone 15 Pro Max.Images: Alice Clarke.
Without the portrait effect, you can see how the AI zoom has done a better job of framing the plant than I did naturally with the iPhone. I’m torn about how I feel about AI framing, because I think it takes some of the spontaneity of a photo, and I often disagree with machines about what I want to focus on. You can turn it off if you don’t want it, but despite my reservations, it does an excellent job.
AI features
Samsung has gone all in on generative AI, and it’ll be interesting to see how that goes for them. A lot of the features (like Sketch to Image and Portrait Studio) are silly gimmicks in the same vein as when we used the accelerometer in our iPhones to make it look like we were drinking a beer.
But the feature that has me paying more attention is the conversation mode for the Interpreter translation app. I think the Samsung folding phones have often tried to pretend that they’re phones with only one screen, you just have to choose which one, but conversation mode uses both at the same time in a way that makes me excited for the different ways Samsung is going to take full advantage of the dual screens in the future.
Image: Alice Clarke.
Conversation mode shows translations on each of the two screens, so you can half-fold it, have it in the middle of the table at a restaurant, and chat with your companion more naturally, even if you’re speaking different languages. That’s powerfully useful. Sure, not all the translations are perfect, but it’s better than nothing.
While I had Interpreter mode open, I said “Eu como massa e morango. Eu falo Português, e eu sou uma tartaruga.” What that should have translated to was “I eat pasta and strawberry. I speak Portuguese and I am a turtle”.
It came out as a bunch of nonsense the first time (apparently I speak podcast and am both pasta and roango), but it absolutely nailed it the second time. It also interpreted a cough as “no entanto” which apparently translates as “Howeverk” (not a typo on my part). It’s not perfect, but also neither is my accent.
Either way, when Interpreter works, it’s an absolute game changer.
Who is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 for?
I’m not really sure, and I’m not 100% certain Samsung knows, either. That said, people who travel a lot for work, students who want to multitask on their phones, and people who like neat gadgets will love it.
The very, very expensive price point will limit the audience significantly. But it’s a great phone, which can do so much, and the people who can make the most of it won’t know how they ever lived without it.
I’ve certainly been a Fold devotee for years because of the multitasking abilities, and the sheer novelty of it all. The Fold 6 might only have small improvements, but they are absolutely improvements that make a difference.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
The whole point of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold range is productivity, and this is a high-performance phone that means business in both the metaphorical and literal senses.
Features
9
Value for money
6.5
Performance
9
Ease of use
7.5
Design
8.5
Positives
Bigger front screen makes it easier to type
Improved hinge
Thinner and thus easier to hold
Seven years of software updates
Negatives
No improvement to battery life
Still doesn’t take full advantage of the dual screens
Asus has launched its new range of AMD laptops in Australia, led by the Zenbook S 16, an ultra-thin device tipped to have an extremely long battery life.
Alongside the all-around lifestyle laptop are new entries in the creative-centric ProArt range, in addition to Zephyrus and TUF gaming PCs. Powered by AMD’s latest laptop processors, the top-of-the-line models sport the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chip, reported to be one of the most powerful on the market.
Building on the rise of AI-based technologies, Asus pointed to a recent report from Microsoft and LinkedIn highlighting Australians’ work habits. The report claims that 84% of Australians use generative AI technologies at work, noticeably higher than the global average of 75%. Meanwhile, a 2023 CSIRO report found that 68% of Australian businesses had already rolled out AI in workplaces.
According to Bradley Howe, Asus Australia’s Head of Consumer, the brand’s new laptops aren’t just for AI workloads.
“Even for those not using AI daily, our devices’ performance and extended battery life are greater than our previous generations, making them smarter and more powerful than ever,” Howe said.
Asus Zenbook S 16 wields AMD’s latest and greatest
As revealed at Computex 2024, the Asus Zenbook S 16 is the company’s new foray into the 16-inch form factor. It’s only 1.1cm thick and 1.5kg, making it a slender big-screen laptop sporting a 3K OLED display. Asus claims the laptop reaches upwards of 20 hours of battery life, with the maximum spec reaching 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD.
Similar to the Zenbook, Asus also launched two new AMD Vivobook S laptops; a 16 and a 14-inch variant. They sit alongside the Snapdragon-powered 15-inch model as another thin laptop replete with plenty of I/O ports. The Vivobook range sits one step down from the Zenbook laptops, providing a more affordable alternative.
For creators, particularly video editors who need high-end graphical processing power, there are two new ProArt laptops. Between the ProArt P16 and ProArt PX13 models, they support up to RTX 4070 Nvidia graphics cards. Aside from the size, the main difference is the PX13’s 360-degree hinge design, supporting both traditional clamshell and tablet configurations.
Image: Asus.
Rounding out Asus’ fresh AMD laptops is a suite of entries across the ROG and TUF gaming lineup. Leading the range is the ROG Zephyrus G16, packing as much as an RTX 4090 GPU into a laptop less than two kilos heavy. We reviewed an earlier 14-inch Zephyrus earlier this year – it’s an extremely nice laptop.
A cheaper gaming option comes in the form of the TUF series. The latest A14 and A16 iterations wield up to RTX 4070 GPUs and smooth 2.5K 165Hz displays suited to gaming.
Image: Asus.
Price and availability
Most of the latest AMD Asus laptops are out now in Australia, except for the TUF A16, which is due out in September.
Model
Availability
Price
ProArt P16 H7606WI-ME124XS
Out now
$4,499
ProArt PX13 H7606WI-ME124XS
Out now
$3,999
ProArt PX13 HN7306WV-LX035XS
Out now
$3,599
ASUS Zenbook S16 UM5606WA-RJ055W
Out now
$3,499
ASUS Vivobook S16 M5606WAI-MX092WS
Out now
$1,999
ASUS Vivobook S14 M5406WAI-QD075W
Out now
$2,699
ROG Zephyrus G16 GA605WI-QR017W
Out now
$5,099
ASUS TUF A16 FA608WI-QT012W
September
$2,999
ASUS TUF A16 FA608WV-QT015W
September
$2,699
ASUS TUF A14 FA401WV-RG010W
Out now
$2,599
ASUS TUF A14 VSNR0J11-BU1000
Out now
$2,499
It feels like there hasn’t been this much to choose from in the laptop space for some time. Now with Snapdragon and AMD laptops on shelves, it’s only a matter of time until Intel’s Lunar Lake chips arrive.
Playing the Star Wars Outlaws preview surprised me. After losing interest in the franchise after The Rise of Skywalker and an endless run of spin-off series, Outlaws might just bring me back.
It may even thaw my fatigue of open-world games. Known for making sprawling in-game locations, Ubisoft has potentially balanced the scope between grand scale and character-based intimacy. After Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the developer-slash-publisher responded to player criticism of excessive bloat with more scaled-down experiences, like Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Having worked on The Division, Ubisoft’s looter shooter series, Swedish development studio Massive Entertainment appears well-positioned to deliver the deeper experience players like myself crave.
Star Wars Outlaws also refreshingly sidesteps the Jedi fetishism plaguing much of the franchise. Lightsabers are undeniably cool, but in a galaxy purported to be as large as this, what happens when the Jedi aren’t around?
Image: Ubisoft.
That’s exactly the question Outlaws answers, casting light on a shadowy part of the universe in an interesting way – even if the gameplay loop feels almost as familiar as the franchise it depicts.
Star Wars Outlaws preview: reputation era
Star Wars Outlaws is a game of competing allegiances. In the scrappy boots of Kay Vess, a scoundrel trying to survive an unforgiving underworld, you take jobs from major factions, including one led by the infamous Jabba the Hutt. None of them are loyal to you, nor should you be loyal in return.
As part of driving the story forward, the bulk of Kay’s quests come from one of several syndicates. These tasks often involve sabotaging one of the other groups, consequently reducing your reputation with them while earning favour from your employer.
It’s an engaging system that sees you balancing the competing interests of rival syndicates in a futile attempt to keep everyone happy. Being buddies with one gang nets discounts from allying vendors, and access to restricted areas. Conversely, angering a group enough causes them to become hostile on sight.
Image: Ubisoft.
Much like the fragile power balance of the underworld, nothing is permanent. It’s not possible to lock yourself out of quests forever by twisting Jabba’s tail in a knot (metaphorically, to be clear).
This lack of lasting consequences for your actions does highlight the gamified nature of the system. But it’s also thematically appropriate; when money and power is the language spoken by all criminal gangs, today’s nemesis can be tomorrow’s friend.
Much of Outlaws revolves around being a scoundrel, fighting desperately to survive every day and using all manner of deception in the process. While Star Wars games have dealt with dubious morality before – see the Jedi Knight series or The Force Unleashed – rarely have they depicted it from the perspective of such a grounded character.
Dealing with legacy
Let me briefly take a step back and examine the recent films to illustrate my point. What I adored most about The Last Jedi was its acknowledgement of what came before it, before forging a new path unshackled by legacy or familial ties. Anyone, no matter their background, could change the galaxy.
Then came The Rise of Skywalker. Instead of carrying the torch of breaking free from tradition, it reinstated the status quo. The ninth main film reverted to the series’ obsession with bloodlines, ignoring the multitude of possibilities laid before it.
That’s why Star Wars Outlaws intrigues me. It explores the underside of a universe not oft examined, from the perspective of a relative unknown character. It’s not all doom and gloom, mind you – Kay’s main partner in crime is Nix, an adorable creature known as a “merqaal” that looks like a fluffy axolotl. I would die for Nix.
A scoundrel through and through
Star Wars Outlaws leans right into its scoundrel themes beyond the syndicate interplay, too. Kay isn’t a military-trained operative or someone born into privilege, which feeds into the gameplay. Her movements are uneven and unsteady at times, yet effective. It’s also a nice narrative foil for the game’s RPG elements, letting you acquire upgrades to improve your blaster aim.
Its gameplay is what feels most familiar about Star Wars Outlaws. It’s a third-person action-adventure game through and through, feeling like many games you’ve played before. Combat encounters are littered with conveniently-placed hip-high objects to use as cover, there are plenty of climbing sections, and a big reliance on stealth.
Derivative as some of the gameplay elements may look on the surface, they work nicely in practice. In a firefight, Kay muscles her way from cover to cover, en route to unlocking a “Dead Eye” targeting system a la Red Dead Redemption, letting you mow down several enemies in quick succession. She’s not blessed with Bacta tanks’ worth of health, so while hand-to-hand combat is viable in a pinch – the way Kay punches armoured goons out cold, she must have titanium fists – you need to think several steps ahead to avoid getting flanked.
Image: Ubisoft.
Shooting inept Stormtroopers is just one part of Outlaws, with stealth a core part of the gameplay loop. Most quests involve sneaking behind enemy lines to obtain precious objects or intel, and getting caught resets you back to the previous checkpoint. In addition to his inherent cute charm, this is where Nix gets to shine.
At any time, you can direct Nix to distract or attack enemies, helping Kay take down multiple foes at once. He also acts as a sonar, locating nearby dangers to help you plan your approach. A personal favourite Nix intervention involved the little critter dramatically playing dead in front of an unsuspecting Stormtrooper. In these moments, Kay takes advantage of the ensuing confusion, knocking the trooper into next week.
While you don’t control Nix directly, issuing commands to him is easy and feels intuitive. There’s a satisfying cadence to stealth and combat sections that relies on you using everything around you, whether it be Kay or Nix’s abilities, or the environment around you.
Getting lost in space
It wouldn’t be a Star Wars game if there wasn’t any galactic travel, would it? Outside of the main areas, you can ride speeders across picturesque environments, and also take to the stars in Kay’s ship.
Image: Ubisoft.
Although the space flight isn’t quite as intricate as what featured in Star Wars Squadrons, interplanetary travel still offers great variety to the on-foot action. It’s tough to beat the thrill of slamming the brakes on, turning on a dime, and then punching the engines to pursue a TIE fighter in aerial combat.
Flying between planets also imbues a strong sense of scale. Once you begin your descent planetside, the game takes over, playing a dazzling animation of entering the atmosphere that’s infinitely better than any loading screen.
This sense of scale doesn’t lessen once back on foot; if anything, it grows stronger. My favourite moments of the preview session came from slowly meandering around the densely populated areas and taking everything in. Conversations between bystanders not only add nice flavour and worldbuilding, but also potential leads for quests. Each location felt lived in, with everything placed for purpose, not filler.
Image: Ubisoft.
True to open-world tradition there are still plenty of fun distractions along the way. Some locations house arcade machines loaded with slick mini-games. I’m not a high-score chaser, but they grabbed my attention for longer than expected – largely due to how ridiculously hard the synthwave beats went. I also lost plenty of time to “Sabacc”, a high-stakes card game that I anticipate playing much more of when the full game launches.
Familiar as Star Wars Outlaws may feel at times, its reversal of the mile-wide, inch-deep approach to open-world design has me keen to play more.
