HeyWhatsNew: Samsung Launches the Z TriFold and Netflix Pulls Mobile-to-TV Casting
Welcome back, Heyuppers! This week, we’re bringing you the latest shifts, launches, and standout moments across tech, innovation, and gaming for the week of 01/12/2025.
Samsung Unveils the Z TriFold
Samsung has finally pulled the curtain back on the Z TriFold and it’s every bit as bold as people hoped. It opens into a roomy 10 inch display that feels more like a tablet than a phone, complete with smooth 120Hz visuals and enough space to run three apps at once. When you fold it down, you get a comfortable 6.5 inch outer screen that works like a regular phone. The build feels premium with reinforced materials, sturdy titanium protected hinges, and water resistance. Even with all the moving parts, it still lands in the same size and weight range as Huawei’s Mate XT.
Inside, Samsung packed in serious hardware. There is a 200 megapixel main camera, two selfie cameras, a big 5,600mAh battery split across the panels, and a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor with 16GB of RAM. It is missing S Pen support, which Samsung confirmed, but everything else points to a device built for power users. Samsung has not revealed the price yet, but given what it can do, it is clearly aimed at the top tier of the market.
OpenAI Deepens Its AI Footprint with Thrive Holdings Partnership
OpenAI is taking a stake in Thrive Holdings, a company that gathers businesses in areas like accounting and IT and helps them adopt AI in meaningful ways. As part of the partnership, OpenAI will actually embed its own engineers, researchers, and product teams inside Thrive’s companies to help them build smarter tools and work more efficiently. If those companies grow, OpenAI’s stake becomes more valuable. It is a hands-on approach that fits into a broader pattern. OpenAI has been making similar strategic investments in partners like AMD and CoreWeave, creating relationships that benefit both sides.
Thrive says the goal here is meeting real demand, pointing to companies already using AI to save time and boost productivity. But because Thrive Capital has ties to both sides and OpenAI will be directly involved in making these companies successful, some investors are watching with caution. The big question is whether these businesses can continue growing on their own or if their success relies too heavily on OpenAI’s direct support. For now, all eyes are on whether this partnership leads to lasting, profitable companies powered by AI rather than short-term hype.
Intern Quits After Company Tries to Take His NVIDIA Raffle Win
An intern in Shanghai found himself in an unexpected tug-of-war after winning an NVIDIA RTX 5060 graphics card during a business trip to an NVIDIA event. The trip was fully funded by his company, and when he scored the 3,000 yuan prize in a raffle, a coworker falsely claimed the finance department wanted it handed over. The intern later learned this wasn’t true, but the rumor caught fire. Management eventually heard about the win and began calling him into multiple meetings to pressure him into giving up the card.
Instead of backing down, the intern stood his ground. As the pressure increased and hints were dropped about finding a new job, he chose to resign and keep his prize. The story spread quickly across Chinese social media and later internationally, sparking a heated discussion about workplace ethics and whether companies have any right to claim employee winnings earned on company trips.
Genshin Impact Gets Its Own Limited Edition PS5 Controller
Genshin Impact fans have a new reason to get excited this holiday season. Sony and Hoyoverse are launching a Limited Edition DualSense controller inspired by the Traveler twins, Aether and Lumine. The design is full of thoughtful details, from Aether’s earring on the right grip to Lumine’s hair flowers on the left, star symbols on the Touchpad, and Paimon on the back. The controller has a pearl-white frame with blue accents and gold-trimmed buttons, blending style and functionality. It works just like any standard DualSense on PS5 or PC and even supports multi-pairing with up to four devices.
Pre-orders open on December 11 through PlayStation Direct and select retailers, with prices ranging from $84.99 in the US to ¥12,480 in Japan. The controller will first hit select Asian markets on January 21, then roll out globally on February 25, but supplies will be limited. Between this new collector’s item and the Genshin Impact Version 6.2 update, which adds new quests and characters, fans have plenty to look forward to as the year wraps up.
Netflix Pulls Mobile-to-TV Casting for Most Users
Netflix has removed the ability to cast shows from your phone to most TVs, a move that has frustrated many users. Previously, you could browse on your phone and send a show to the TV, controlling playback, volume, and captions from your device. Now, you’ll need to use the TV app itself. Netflix says the feature wasn’t widely used, so retiring it allows the company to focus on features that benefit more subscribers. Casting will still work in limited cases, such as older Chromecast devices, but most newer smart TVs and the ad-supported tier are affected.
The change has sparked backlash online, with users pointing out the convenience and accessibility the feature offered, especially for those who can only log in on a mobile device. Netflix clarified that the update isn’t related to account sharing, but rather about prioritizing core experiences. For anyone who still wants mobile-to-TV casting, a compatible Google Cast device may still offer a workaround.
Fortnite Chapter 7 Sparks Buzz Over AI Art
Fortnite Chapter 7 is here, bringing a new map, updated loot, and smoother gameplay—but it’s also stirring debate among players about the game’s art. Some fans on Reddit spotted unusual details in certain images, like a poster for the fictional movie Mile High Retreat showing a yeti with an uneven number of toes, and speculated that AI might have been involved. A few accusations were quickly cleared up, including a Back to the Future 2-themed spray, where the artist explained that the odd details came from collaged stock images, not AI.
The conversation comes amid broader questions about AI in games. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney recently said that AI disclosures don’t make sense for game stores since AI will be part of most future production, and he confirmed that Epic isn’t using AI coding tools in Unreal Engine. Still, fans remain curious and divided over whether generative AI played a role in Fortnite’s newest chapter. Epic has yet to comment, leaving the debate open as players explore the new content.
That’s it for today, Heyuppers. Don’t miss next week’s roundup of tech, gaming, and innovation highlights!
