triumph

Samsung has been gradually shaping its super high-end range for years. And the result is the triumph of the S25 Ultra for another year

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The verdict of the jury of the Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025 has been clear. In a year where competition has been fierce in the premium segment, with Apple renewing its commitment to iPhone 17 and Chinese brands like Alive or Oppo pushing the limits of photography, there has been a traditional winner: The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has won gold in the most coveted category. Prima facie, may seem like a conservative decision. And the Galaxy S25 Ultra is not a disruptive mobile; It doesn’t make a huge leap in performance or photography. However, his victory responds to a reality that we verified during our analysis: a perfect balance. It is not a victory resulting from chance or a specific success, but the culmination of a strategy that the Korean firm began five years ago. While other manufacturers lurched in search of wow effect every twelve months (and even less), Samsung decided that its ‘Ultra’ surname already had a defined identity: the super high-end customer is not looking for experiments—faster charges, sensors with better numbers, higher capacity batteries—but rather certainties. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has not reinvented the wheel, but has made it roll better than anyone else: these are the technical and experience reasons that make it the king of 2025. Something with which I can’t agree more. When the screen matters (and a lot) If you have used a Galaxy S24 Ultrayou know the pain. Those rectangular corners that dug into the palm of the hand were the price to pay for having the largest and most spectacular screen. With the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung has smoothed over that roughness. It’s not just that the corners have been softened: it’s that the phone has lost a few grams. It may seem like a smaller figure on paper, but in the hand, the difference between one and the other is very noticeable. Maintaining the 6.9-inch screen and 5,000 mAh battery while reducing weight (and a little thickness) is the kind of change that justifies the award. Of course, perhaps after saying goodbye to those corners he has lost one of his identifying marks at first glance: now he looks like the rest of his younger brothers. That does not mean that it is at this point that the maturity of the concept is appreciated: it took Samsung years to correct the course from those curved screens, beautiful, but not entirely comfortable. The S25 Ultra is the recognition that usability must come before pretty aesthetics, even in the premium segment. And if that means sacrificing the visual identity of the extinct ‘Note’ in favor of ergonomics, then too. On the other hand, the anti-reflective treatment of its predecessor already seemed like a game changer. This year, it is maintained, and its screen is also improved with more mature brightness management. They are one of those small details that matter: I don’t need 6,000 nits if I have a panel that eliminates reflections and it offers me very pure blacks in broad daylight. This panel does not seek to win on the technical sheet, but on experience. And there is a technical detail that we often overlook but that makes a difference in everyday life: visual fatigue. Although Samsung remains conservative with PWM Dimming (492 Hz vs. 2,000+ Hz for the Chinese competition), the panel calibration and automatic brightness management in One UI have reached an exquisite point. Let’s not forget that we still have a real Quad HD+ resolutionsomething that many rivals they have sacrificed dropping to 1.5K to save battery or increase the refresh rate. Samsung has not made that sacrifice, and it is appreciated. Power without anxiety and mature chambers It was easy for Samsung to deliver high-end performance: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has given way to a Snapdragon 8 Elite who plays in another league. Although in synthetic stress tests the mobile can suffer considerable throttling, in real use – editing video or playing demanding titles like ‘Genshin Impact’ – this drop in theoretical performance is imperceptible. Samsung has prioritized system stability over raw benchmark numbers: I confirm that it is the right decision for a productivity device. My biggest fear was that the power of the new chip would eat up the battery, the reality has been the opposite. Getting to the end of the day with half the battery is possible: Samsung has shown that optimization can improve autonomy. Now, it goes without saying that to continue winning our super high-end award, the South Korean will have to join the new trend in batteries: those of silicon-carbon. This year it has not been, but next 2026 forces Samsung to take the leap that other manufacturers are experiencing. And what if it becomes notable: mobile phones with 7,000 mAh batteries and more are flooding the Android market. In the photographic field, this is where the philosophy of refinement is most noticeable. Do you miss a radical change in camera hardware? Sometimes, although if you value consistency more, not so much. The Galaxy S25 Ultra solved the Achilles heel of its predecessor: the ultra wide angle. By raising the resolution to 50 MP with a new sensor, this camera finally does not clash with the rest. Furthermore, the recording in LOG and AI noise removal are quite useful tools for content creators. An aspect in which it approaches the high level of the iPhone in video recording. No, it is not the most exciting camera of the year, but it is one of the few that does not leave you lying around: whatever photo you want to take, it offers very consistent results. Samsung has got the point of its photography. A software to match Finally, part of the prize is also for the Android software: Gone are the days of Touchwiz as well as the first versions of One UI that did not achieve the promised user experience. One UI 7 has turned AI from a curiosity into a complete tool suite; and in … Read more

The opening of Shein in Paris should have been a triumph. It has ended up causing the biggest slowdown for the Chinese giant in Europe

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Days after Shein’s controversial arrival at the historic BHV Marais in Paris —an opening as massive as it is controversial—, the story takes a turn that no one in the Chinese company expected. France has decided to postpone the opening of the rest of the Shein stores scheduled for November and December, a slowdown that reveals the extent to which the physical commitment of the ultra-fast fashion giant is shaking the sector and French politics. In a nutshell. The SGM group, owner of BHV, announced that the planned openings in Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers and Limoges are postponed indefinitely. The inaugurations were to start on November 18 and extend until the beginning of December, but according to BFMTVSGM prefers to postpone them “a few days or a few weeks.” Today, the only operational Shein store in the country is the one in Paris, open November 5. A postponement that accumulates reasons. The delay does not respond to a single factor: it is a cocktail of commercial problems, reputational crisis, political pressure and regulatory turbulence. First, the Paris store disappointed its own customers. As reported days later by Le Mondedespite the more than 50,000 visitors on the first day, the result was frustrating: no men’s clothing, no children’s fashion, no large sizes, nor the ultra-low prices usual on the web. Added to this was insufficient space to manage the influx. But the hardest blow, according to the French media, did not come from the clients, but from the brands that have decided to leave BHV after the arrival of Shein and due to accumulated non-payments. Dior, Chanel, Guerlain and Lancôme – four pillars of French perfumery – leave the department store, along with more than 20 fashion and home brands. The departure comes at the worst possible time: the Christmas campaign, the month in which BHV rebalances its accounts. Furthermore, the image crisis is amplified by the breakup between SGM and Galeries Lafayette. According to Fashion Networkthe French chain has ended its agreement with SGM to avoid any link with Shein, which implies that all these centers will be called BHV, not Galeries Lafayette. Expansion meets politics. Shein’s arrival has unleashed unprecedented municipal rejection. From Liberation have pointed out that several mayors – Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers and Limoges – are explicitly opposed to the implementation. Specifically, in Grenoble, Mayor Éric Piolle even asked to suspend opening until all products were legally verified. And the straw that broke the camel’s back. As different media have describedthe French Government discovered child-like sex dolls, prohibited weapons and other illicit products on the platform. This activated a process of temporary suspension of the marketplace, exhaustive customs controls and a judicial procedure that is still open. “The postponement is temporary.” Frédéric Merlin, president of SGM, insisted: in an interview for BFMTV. In it, he explained that the group needs to adapt the offer, adjust the pricing policy, gain space in regional stores and work on “more personalized orders.” But, as Le Monde recallsits management simultaneously faces non-payments to suppliers and the largest brand flight that BHV has experienced in decades. For its part, Shein maintains a different discourse. According to Reutersthe company says the Paris store has been “a great success.” He accepts that he must adjust prices and improve the experience, but he assures that for now his priority is to optimize that first physical point before opening the following ones. However, it does not offer new dates. Meanwhile, the company will have to face a key event: a mandatory appearance at the National Assembly and a court hearing on November 26, the same day on which the Paris court must examine the request to suspend the platform. In parallel, as the French media highlightsthe European Union has agreed to advance the application of taxes on small imported packages to 2026 – an essential pillar of Shein’s logistics model –, further increasing the pressure. Downshifting. France has become the first European country to put a real brake on Shein’s physical expansion. The openings have been postponed “a few days or weeks,” but the context—investigations, protests, brand leaks and regulatory pressures—suggests that the pause could last longer than SGM and Shein would like to admit. The question now is whether Shein will manage to adapt to a market that demands transparency, legality and social commitments or if the Paris store will be remembered as the beginning of the biggest clash between ultra-fast fashion and a country that, for the first time, has decided to put a stop to its advance. Image | FreePik and DMCGN Xataka | Shein has opened its first store in Europe in Paris. Paris has reacted as always: staging a revolt

The triumph of the “artisanal” games in the industry

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Once it is an isolated phenomenon, two chance. But they are already too many times in the last months when a game that is not a triple A, but a relatively modest title, makes the heads of the entire industry turn for their quality and daring. Now is the turn of ‘Clair Oscur: Expedition 33‘, a wonder of Rolera architecture that has become a supervantant and the beautiful girl of critics despite not having the means of production of the greats Blockbusters. Everyone talks about ‘Clair Osccur’. And it’s not for less. Greeted as a Modern classic Of the role -playing games, it has been developed by Sandfall Interactive, French independent study founded in 2020 and based in Montpellier. The project is an RPG in classic shifts, a gender that In Sandfall they thought that was being mistreated by the great studies. It is not its only original detail: its atmosphere is based on the Belle Epoque French, and bets on a mature narrative and a certain complexity: every year, the mysterious Pentresse paints a number in a monolith, and all the people who reach that age disappear. People live knowing the exact date of their death, which generates a highly melancholic atmosphere. Modern classic. The combat system and its narrative daring have made the game considered a genre renovator. The result has been both critical and financial: in Metacritic it is already valued as The best game of the year And in just three days he managed to overcome The million copies sold. A milestone that is reinforced by the modesty of its development: just thirty people make up the study. Or not? Thirty -Pico. Since its launch, it has been said that ‘Clair Oscur: Expedition 33’ was developed by just thirty people, which turned the project into an almost handmade achievement, especially taking into account how polished the combat system and the findings of its artistic direction, at the height of the Japanese classics to which you mimic. However, A rapid calculation Like the one they have done in Jeux Urs allows you to go beyond those thirty people, which undoubtedly make up the hard -creative nucleus of the game. To them are added a good amount of essential external teams: at least, a Korean team of eight people dedicated to animations is accredited. In Poland, dozens of game testators reside. The entire audio part is: the dubbing cast and the orchestra of about thirty people who have interpreted the very large soundtrack. It is important not to make this type of contributions that since the beginning of this century add up to development, sometimes without accrediting, in teams often outside Europe or the United States, in countries such as Malaysia or China. The irresistible lightness of the medium games. The video game industry continually lives on its trends, and we currently attend a curious devotion to medium games. The events of recent years (framed in mastodon financial catastrophes such as Sony, EA either Ubisoft) have given a very notable impulse to medium games, as we did not see since the time of PlayStation 3. The public seems to have assimilated, wrapped up with the success of consoles that favor the No-Typically-Triple-A gameslike Nintendo Switch, that games do not need a team of three thousand people behind to be captivating, effective and fun. At the top. We talked about how ‘Clair Osccur’ had perched to the top of the games best considered by criticism this year, but let’s see who follows him: with his same 92 score, ‘Blue Prince‘, this one developed by a single person; With a 91, ‘Split Fiction‘, a modest production and indies airs, but that will soon have a cinemas version; In the twenty positions we see titles such as ‘The Rotters Are Dead’, ‘Bionic Bay’ or ‘Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders’, openly independent. And remember that two of last year’s greatest successes, ‘Space Marine 2’ And the winner of the game of the year, ‘Astro Bot‘, have been developed with limited resources. Brand and image. Being a “small” game is no longer an obstacle, but from a while to this part it is a more impulse at the image level. There is nothing more to see the expectation with which the tiny advances of an indie sequel like ‘Silksong’, whose potential as meme exceeds any Blockbuster. More reason for not minimizing the achievements of an extraordinary game such as ‘Clair Oscur’: thirty or one hundred, the size of the team matters little. The remarkable thing is the result. In Xataka | The great romantic novel of the year is not a book: it is a Chinese video game where you choose your own “digital husband”

The triumph of the daytime raves where the raveros consume coffee instead of alcohol

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We carry consuming alcohol Since the beginning of civilization. Beer is an example, helping to endure empires, but there is something that is changing: being abstemious is fashionable. At least, that indicates the trendsand it is something that young people seem to have less present on a day -to -day basis. Coffee consumption … that does not decline, even When prices go up. In fact, coffee is gaining ground to alcoholic beverages where it seemed impossible: in raves. Because it seems that there are those who think that electronic music combines with coffee better than milk. Coffee alcohol. If you follow coffee content on social networks, you are likely to crossed Videos of somewhat peculiar electronic parties: videos of rooms during daytime schedule full of young people who dance to the sound of electronic music, but instead of with a cubata in the hand, with an espresso or a capuchin. There is many, manybut what many videos (and could continue putting Links) that these show coffee raves In cities around the world, with the girl giving everything and socializing in cafes converted into discos. At least for a while. World. And there is not much more than you can see in networks: they are coffee shops (usually specialty) that take DJs to do their own while the public jumps, shouts, sings and drinks coffee. The lighting is totally different from what we associate with a night rave and the schedule is in the morning or in the afternoon, that at the taste of each establishment. In Spain, for example, Madrid coffee shops such as Santanera Coffee They already organize these events. See coffee In Barcelona it is also being seduced by the idea and is not something exclusive to Europe: coffee shops Buenos Aires and of Mexico City They also offer this unique experience. Ultimate Barista Fights. Ok, if you like coffee, surely you will now be looking on the Instagram of your favorite cafeteria to see if they plan to do something similar, but something important to know is that it is rare that something comes out of nowhere. Yes, it seems that that of the Coffee Raves is becoming a trend, but if we go back to the London in the late 2000s, we find something … similar. In some London clubs there was what was known as the ‘Ultimate Barista Fights’, a scenario that, in the purest battle style of Gallos or ‘The Club of the fight’ gathered enthusiastic baristas who competed to make the best coffees. They demonstrated their skills in Latte Art or even faced creative challenges, everything to the rhythm of music, in the purest underground style, with friendly provocations and with rules that could change to the flight. Coffee fight. In these competitions it was encouraged that the contestant baristas were challenged, but all in a friendly environment with a clear objective: create a community around coffee. It was a coffee celebration and it could be, perfectly, one of the germs of those ‘coffee parties’ that we see right now. Morning Gloryville. The other ingredient of the coffee raves may also have left London, specifically from the London culture of the early 2010s. While the raves are associated with what we have already commented (electronic music, night, drugs or alcohol), in 2013 Samantha Moyo and Nico Themmes gave life to the Morning Gloryville. It was the opposite: electronic music was maintained with live DJs, but they were daytime parties and were drugs free of drugs and alcohol. Not only was it aim of starting the day well, but they were spaces in which families had their hole and activities such as yoga, massages, healthy smoothies and … coffee were done. It expanded to other countries, reaching cities such as New York, Barcelona, ​​Paris or Tokyo and the main interest was to create an event to have a good healthy way possible. In my opinion, Morning Gloryville and what were the Ultimate Barista Fights are the ancestors of what we now see in coffee raves. It only remains to wait to see if it stays in a nice passenger fashion, in a trend or in something that the big ones Franchises will seek to capitalize. Images | Matthew T Rader In Xataka | It looks like toothpaste, but it is coffee in tube: the Swiss invention that wants to revolutionize how you consume caffeine

The installation is one of the barriers for the total triumph of the solar panels. China wants to fix it with “stickers”

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Betting on the installation of solar panels is something that seems key in the Ride for decarbonization in which we are immersed. And the country that has proposed to dominate the production and sale Of these panels is China. Multitude of companies have risen to the ship of the production of photovoltaic panels, so much that a Price war that is not favoring To the industry itself. And in that wild competitiveness, betting on innovation is key. As a result, one of these companies has recently shown its new products. The objective: fill all the roofs of these flexible solar panels. The keys. That company is Polyshine Solar, a Shanghai -based company that has been focusing solar panels that can boast something very unique: being light. This is not easy, but at the opening of the World Smart Energy Week, held in Tokyo, the Chinese company has shown His new flexible panels. These panels stand out for three key features: their simple installation with an adhesive layer that allows a fast deployment, its flexibility to adapt to various surfaces and a weight 70% lower than conventional glass panels. Behind those happy lords are the panels “Paradigma change”. Although what attracts attention is the weight of the panel and a flexion radius that the company has affirmed that it is 0.5 meters, which define As a “paradigm change” in the energy transition is the ease of application of the panel. Thanks to this simplification of the installation by reducing the action to a process of “paste and generating electricity”, Polyshine Solar considers that it will be something that democratizes access to renewables. Characteristics. On the margin, these modules are available in several versions with powers that vary between 505 W and 535 W. The energy conversion efficiency is between 19 and 20.1% and the panels have dimensions of 2,246 x 1,185 x 2.5 mm and a weight of 7.5 kg. This combination of weight, flexibility and the ease of placing them, “eliminate installation barriers on curved surfaces or structures with low load capacity, without additional reconditioning costs,” Comment The company. Apart from the adhesive surface, you can also hang and hold with straps. Guarantees. Polyshine states that, after 25 years, their panels will maintain at least 84.8% of their output power. They have IP68 protection against water and dust thanks to an EVA encapsulated and can operate in a temperature range between -40 ° and 85 ° Celsius. For a few years, the company’s light panels have been placed In areas such as acoustic barriers for roads within cities, resisting vehicle vibrations. And challenges. Now, as well Comment The company, getting a reduction in weight is not easy and is something that is at odds with efficiency. Each 0.1% increase in lightness and flexibility represents a challenge because it is something that can affect energy production. To face this, these years have opted for highly transparent materials, and the fruits are modules that generate 2% more energy in the same conditions as similar products. They do not specify what these similar products are, but they do comment that, although 2% look little, when 1,000 m² of their panels are installed, there are additional 5,000 kWh per year. Beyond corporate discourse, this progress reflects a change of focus on industry: they not only seek Improve energy efficiencybut optimize weight and ease of installation for Accelerate the adoption of renewables. Images | Polyshine (LinkedIn) In Xataka | The biggest problem of Perovskita’s solar panels was its durability. China has just resolved it

The 13 nominations for ‘Emilia Pérez’ are another historic triumph for Netflix. But a hugely controversial one

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‘Emilia Pérez’, the film by Jacques Audiard that tells the personal journey of the head of a Mexican cartel who undergoes a gender change operation, is the production with more nominations this year for the Oscarsa total of 13. It thus surpasses other rivals that were believed to be equal or even above, such as ‘The Brutalist’ or ‘Wicked’, with 10 nominations each. However, this film produced by Netflix does not come without controversy, something that at the moment does not seem to be affecting his career. The nomination count. In its 13 nominations there are main categories such as Best Film, Best Lead Actress (Karla Sofía Gascón), Best Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldaña), Best Cinematography, Best Direction or Best Adapted Screenplay. The rest are divided between Best Editing, Best International Film, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Music and Best Sound. Significantly, despite the 13 nominations, it cannot win more than 12 awards, since in Best Original Song it opts for two songs, of which it can win a maximum of one. Another triumph for Netflix. Although it is no longer new, once again Netflix has won more nominations than any other Hollywood production company, traditional or newcomer to the industry. There are a total of 18 nominations for the platform, since those for ‘Emilia Pérez’ are joined by ‘The Only Woman in the Orchestra’ for Best Documentary Short, ‘Anuja’ for Best Live Action Short, ‘María Callas’ for Best photography, ‘Six Triple Eight’ for Best Song and ‘Wallace and Gromit: Revenge Served with Feathers’ for Best Animated Film. It is not a new situation for Netflix, which has been every year since 2020 the most nominated studiowith a high so far of 36 nominations in 2021. Controversial AI. During its time at the Cannes Festival (where it won the Jury Prize and Best Actress for its female cast), the film was unanimously acclaimed, but after three also very celebrated awards at the Golden Globesthe film hit theaters, and the controversy began. The first protests were for the use of AI: similarly to how has happened with ‘The Brutalist‘ with her dialogues in Hungarian, ‘Emilia Pérez’ has used the Respeecher program to get Karla Sofía Gascón to sing outside her vocal range, and also to touch up the Spanish accents of Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez. But that has only been the beginning. trans rejection Despite the visibility of Karla Sofía Gascón being the first openly trans actress to be nominated, as she was the first to win at Cannes, and also the first nominated at the Golden Globes, the transgender community has criticized the film for its vision. schematic and Manichaean that it presents. It has been said that the vision of transsexuality is made from a completely CIS perspective, creating a film focused on trans problems but with only a transgender interpreter. The activist and philosopher Paul B. Preciado, for example, asked “to European binary cinema to stop using our trans bodies to plant their amusement parks.” Unreal Mexico. However, the en bloc rejection occurred when the film reached Mexico, where it premiered in January and where the issue of drug cartels is especially sensitive. The country’s media have criticized her almost unanimously. The popular Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez has defined Selena Gómez’s performance as “indefensible”, being one of the most ridiculed aspects of the film on the internet. In general, the vision that is not very empathetic towards the victims, but very compassionate towards the criminal protagonist, has also been highly criticized. Header | Netflix In Xataka | Netflix breaks subscriber records, but stops reporting its numbers. The reason: it can’t grow any more

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