But struggling shoppers shouldn’t despair. Samsung has a vast range of exciting gift ideas to dazzle the whole family come Christmas morning.

Mobiles, tablets and wearables

For the powerhouse – Today’s fast-paced world made easy with the NEW flagship Galaxy Note9. Combining the skill of a tablet with the convenience of a phone, this dynamic device is powered to adapt to even the busiest of schedules

Galaxy Note9

For the socialite – Gift a loved one with the Galaxy S9 and let them discover the Augmented Reality version of themselves using the state of the art 12MP rear camera

Galaxy S9 and S9+

For the colourful character – For those who love to be bold, the Galaxy A9 is the perfect accessory

Galaxy A9

For the style guru – Give a friend’s Christmas a splash of sophistication with the Galaxy A7. A smooth-curved smartphone they won’t want to put down

Galaxy A7

For the performers – Hook a loved one up with the newest member of the J series. Whether they are jogging to their favourite playlist or watching a festive film, rest assured they will endure an incredible sound experience with the help of Dolby Atmos

Galaxy J6+

Galaxy J4+

For the tech whizz – For those that like to stay ahead of the game, the Galaxy Tab S4 is a must-have. The Samsung DeX is a key feature and enables a true desktop-like experience on a tablet

Galaxy Tab S4

For the whole family – Watch films be brought to life in your very hands with the powerful, Galaxy Tab A 10.5. What’s more, Samsung Kids Mode provides the ultimate digital playground for your little ones

Galaxy Tab A 10.5

For those seeking balance – Get a head start in finding a good life balance this new year with help of the Samsung Galaxy Watch. This clever gadget saves on time by offering a standalone experience across devices and enables users to easily track everyday wellness

Galaxy Watch

For those on the move – Whether you are exercising or simply going about your day, these cord-free earbuds are the ultimate on-the-go accessory

Gear IconX

For the fitness fanatics – Gifts that all sports-lovers want to find under the tree

Gear Fit2 Pro

Gear Sport

Home appliances

For the culinary master – Reward the family chef’s culinary efforts with a Dual Cook Flex oven. An innovative appliance which allows users to prepare dishes simultaneously without compromising on cooking performance

 Dual Cook Flex

For domestic gods and goddesses – Transform the household laundry ritual for life with the gift of QuickDrive, it can complete a wash in a 15 minutes

QuickDrive washing machines

For the hungry household – Add a splash of luxury to the household kitchen with Samsung’s slick selection of fridges

The Family Hub Fridge

RS8000 with SpaceMax Technology, 609L

Home entertainment

For the culture buff – Indulge a friend that enjoys the finer things in life with The Frame. The first TV to become art

The Frame 2018

For the gaming gurus –  Allow your best pal to get lost in the world of virtual reality with the ground-breaking gaming range

Gear VR with Controller

49″ CHG90 Curved HDR QLED Gaming Monitor

For the film fanatics – Spruce up family film nights forever with these ultimate household editions

QLED Q9FN television

Models available in 55” 65” 75”

Soundbar – HW-N400

Blu-ray – UBD-M9000

For you, because you deserve it – Make your home entertainment dreams come true with the HW-N650 cinematic soundbar. A powerful gadget using Acoustic Beam technology to deliver a panoramic sound experience

HW-N650 Cinematic Soundbar

At the events, up and down the country, Samsung gave competitors the chance to preview the course in virtual reality with their Gear VR headsets, as well as getting ‘hands on’ with their smart watches, Gear Fit2 and Gear S3.

Photo accredited to Jack Terry

Samsung also bought along an extra obstacle for competitors to try out and capture a 360 image whilst hanging in the air. This image was captured on a Gear 360 camera and sent straight to the competitor’s inbox, for them to enjoy and share.

Additionally, Samsung was the exclusive sponsor of the finisher Legionnaire obstacle, ‘Kong’ – 30ft high gorilla swinging rings, which saw competitors take on the challenge and capture their attempt in 360.

This weekend, as the sun shone, Alice Liveing, Olivia Cox and Deni Kirkova took on the Tough Mudder challenge on behalf of Samsung at London South with Legionnaire Born Barikor.

Photo accredited to Jack Terry

Read Deni and Olivia’s experience of the day here.

For more information about the partnership, visit: http://www.samsung.com/uk/tough-mudder/ and follow the live action via #DoWhatYouCant

Celebrating its 58^th year, the Clio Awards is one of the top three advertising award festivals along with the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the New York Festival. It is judged by an international panel of advertising professionals and showcases work that pushes boundaries and establishes new precedents.

The commercial tells a story about an ostrich who learns to fly after donning a Samsung Gear VR headset and launching a virtual flight simulator. The campaign taps into the basic human urge to push beyond what is normal and demonstrates the company’s commitment to providing products and services that allow people to break boundaries and do the incredible.

In June of this year, ‘Ostrich’ took home 3 gold awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity under the film craft category for best direction, animation, and visual effects. This golden hattrick was complimented by 4 additional silver and bronze awards, bringing the final tally to 7 awards.

“The Ostrich, which has now won awards both at Cannes Lions and the Clio Awards, is an emotional piece that conveys Samsung’s commitment to defying barriers and making the impossible, possible,” said Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics. “As a human-focused lifestyle brand, we continue to focus our efforts on creating real human value and this commercial is a great example of this.”

Photo accredited to Tom Atkinson 

Music festivals don’t really get much quirkier than Bestival. And as the crowds  – decked out in wellington boots, colourful fancy dress and glittery face paint  – descended upon a rainy field in Dorset, it felt like a great way to say good-bye to another British summer.

Photo accredited to Tom Atkinson 

Looking at those festivalgoers taking shelter from yet another shower, you might wonder why so many people choose not only to pay those hefty admission prices, but actually count themselves lucky to get tickets to these sold-out events. Of course there’s a lot of fantastic music on offer, but you could listen to great music in the comfort of your own home, without enduring the smell of portaloos, paying five pounds for a pint, or getting covered in mud.

It all comes down to one thing though: Creating a truly memorable experience. And technology’s greatest magic is to help people create, capture and share those special moments. This is also what drew so many people to the Samsung 360 Infinity Selfie experience at Bestival, which gave people the chance of creating a truly unique souvenir of their festival experience. That souvenir could then be shared with friends, strangers and those who hadn’t been lucky enough to get a ticket and be there to share the moment in person.

This is also why immersive technologies such as 360 degree capture and virtual reality are proving so popular. It’s becoming a lot easier to capture life in all its vivid glory. I, for one, always love watching people try Virtual Reality for the first time. When I visited my family in Brazil last year I took the Samsung Gear VR and Galaxy S7 with me, and treated everyone in my family to their first VR experience. I literally never get tired of seeing them gasp in wonder and delight.

I had a similar experience at the Bestival Hypercube. Because even though I had seen the Hypercube in action at Reading Festival the previous week, I enjoyed seeing each new group being genuinely wowed and delighted as the doors opened and the mirror chamber was revealed in all its glory.

So I made my way over to the shiny structure, which managed to gleam even in the cloudy weather. Anywhere else the iridescent 40-foot cube would have stood out as the strangest thing around, but at Bestival it was competing with towering sculptures of robots and astronauts, a giant mirror disco ball, an inflatable cathedral were couples were invited to get married (I have my doubts whether the ceremonies were legally binding, but they looked like good fun anyway) a Helter-skelter, and a real castle which belonged to the estate hosting the festival.

As I joined the queue, the friendly ushers in the black Samsung Hypercube t-shirts did a brilliant job of psyching up the crowd lining up for their turn, and letting them know what to expect once they stepped into the cube’s antechamber. “There are mirrors EVERYWHERE, vain people LOVE it.” our friendly guide joked. I remembered him as we’d met him the previous week at Reading, and although his voice was finally going a bit croaky after introducing so many groups to the concept of the infinity room and a collective 360 degree selfie, he still managed to sound enthusiastic about it.

While they waited the crowd was also invited to experience some exclusive VR content on the new Samsung gear, and register their email addresses so that they could receive their selfies via email after the experience.

Photo accredited to Tom Atkinson 

When it was our turn to go in, each person got handed some distinctly unfashionable plastic overshoes, but the reason for that soon becomes clear as you enter the dazzling inner hypercube chamber. Every single surface is covered with glittering mirrors, and that includes the floor. Muddy wellies, while essential for getting that authentic festival look, would rather spoil the effect.

At the centre of the room was a pillar with about a dozen or so Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphones, setup so that users could quickly choose what kind of music and graphics they wanted to be part of their hyper-selfie experience. Every individual choice went into the collective mix, causing groups of strangers to bond, as it felt like we were making a connection to each other through the process of creating that moment together.

Photo accredited to Tom Atkinson 

Having recently upgraded to the Galaxy S8 and new Samsung gear, I can see how far the technology has evolved in less than a year, making it so much easier not only to watch, but also to capture and share your own enhanced, immersive content. That’s the game changer, because experiences are so much more vivid when they manage to be both personal and collective. Just like going to a great music festival, or dancing your heart out in the Samsung Hypercube.

The ability to create social content that people can (and want to) share is will take such technologies to the next level and make consumers use them as routinely and naturally as they check their smartphone. Striking the balance between simplicity, intuitive design and providing a wow factor is crucial, and we’re quickly getting to that point. But with experiences like the Hypercube, and technology like we see in the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the latest generation Samsung Gear headsets, I believe we might get there even sooner than a lot of people think.

Photo accredited to Tom Atkinson 

You can check out some of the best highlights from both Reading and Bestival by searching for the #ShareTheStage hashtag on Twitter.

Author Bio

Alice is a technology journalist, consultant, and enthusiast. She is an experienced communications strategist advising many innovative start-ups as well as large corporations. In addition to running her own Tech Trends blog she regularly freelances for other tech and lifestyle titles.

Visitors in the queue were able to view VR content from rock duo Royal Blood, and took selfies on the 360 cameras, before entering the tunnel that led them into the Hypercube. Once inside, the Samsung Galaxy S8 took centre stage, controlling the audio and visual effects, building to create a fully immersive experience. On Sunday evening, DJ Max Hagenbach joined the action to entertain guests within the Hypercube.

Over 4000 festival-goers enjoyed the experience, with users continuing to share their #ShareTheStage moment.

The Hypercube will complete its summer festivals journey at Bestival next week (7 – 10^th September), in Dorset.

For more info on the Hypercube, please visit: www.samsung.com/uk/hypercube.

To read more about the Hypercube at Boardmasters see here.

Follow the action live via #ShareTheStage.

This weekend, Samsung’s Hypercube opened its doors to excited Boardmasters festival-goers. The interactive, audio visual experience gave visitors the chance to create their own personalised ‘360 Infinity Selfie’, that was then sent straight to their Inbox.

The Hypercube structure was unmissable with its bespoke iridescent finish shining in the sun. Whilst in the queue, visitors were able to get hands-on with Samsung Gear VR headsets and Gear 360 cameras. Once inside the Hypercube, the Galaxy S8 took centre stage, controlling the audio and visual effects, building to create a fully immersive experience and exciting atmosphere.

A total of 6,000 festival-goers enjoyed the visually engaging experience, with users sharing their #ShareTheStage moment.

The Hypercube will be continuing its summer festivals road trip at Reading Festival (August bank holiday weekend, 25^th – 27^th August) and Bestival (7 – 10^th September) with new exciting aspects to be revealed.

For more info on the Hypercube, please visit: www.samsung.com/uk/hypercube.

Follow the action via #ShareTheStage.

27 July 2017 – Samsung has announced an official partnership with Tough Mudder, the leading global sports, active lifestyle and media brand, to deliver exclusive content and training tips across Samsung devices and unique on-site experiences at Tough Mudder’s UK events.

The partnership will kick off at the Tough Mudder Yorkshire event on 29th July and run through to the end of the Tough Mudder 2018 event season. Samsung will enable participants to live life unscripted and use the technology in their Gear VR headsets, Gear 360 portable cameras and wearable fitness devices – with S8 smart phones at the heart of the activation, for a truly hands on experience.

Ahead of each Tough Mudder event, participants will have access to 360 preview video content of each obstacle course event, helping them prepare for the challenge ahead and allowing people all over the world to enjoy the full Tough Mudder experience from their devices. Samsung will also be developing training programmes across its best wearable fitness devices, including the Gear S3, designed to facilitate Mudders’ training ahead of each event. View the film here:

Samsung is the sponsor of Tough Mudder’s new-for-2017 Finisher obstacle Kong, which has been developed exclusively for Tough Mudder Legionnaires (those who have participated in at least one Tough Mudder event). During each event, participants and supporters can be part of the action with Samsung, as they capture content from Kong using the Gear 360 camera.

At Tough Mudder’s UK events in 2017, Samsung will also have an on-site presence in the Mudder Village, enhancing the experience for participants and spectators by providing exclusive VR footage of Tough Mudder courses on Samsung devices, product displays and the chance to go head-to-head in a challenge fit for the toughest of Mudders.

Also in the ‘Mudder Village’ participants and spectators will have the chance to capture a memento of their Tough Mudder experience in 360, by being photographed hanging from the side of the container on ‘Kong 360’ which replicates the ‘Kong’ obstacle most participants cannot attempt.

“Tough Mudder is thrilled to welcome Samsung to our family of UK sponsors for the 2017 and 2018 season,” said Adam Slutsky, President of Tough Mudder, Inc. “Like Tough Mudder, Samsung is committed to innovation and developing products that enhance its customer experience, and we are proud to partner with Samsung and continue to enhance the Mudder journey for hundreds of thousands of participants across the UK. We look forward to working with Samsung and providing exclusive 360 content and training tips across their best-in-class products.”

Sam Grant, Marketing Director at Samsung Electronics UK said: “Being outdoors and enjoying sport is a massive part of summer in the UK, and we’re thrilled to be aligning with one of the fastest growing participation events in the country, Tough Mudder. For the activities we have planned throughout the season we are focussed on delivering experiences only Samsung could, using our Gear 360 and wearable technologies to engage with both participants and supporters alike”.

From now until the 1st October 2017, Samsung is offering all Tough Mudder participants 15% off GearS3 and GearFit2 when they order from Samsung.com. Redemption codes will be sent with the Tough Mudder registration email.

For more information about the partnership, visit: http://www.samsung.com/uk/tough-mudder/ –

London, UK – May 30, 2017 – Samsung Electronics today announced VR Live Pass on Gear VR, a line-up of exciting global, live entertainment partnerships with the UFC®, X Games and Live Nation. Samsung will stream select live events so fans can enjoy immersive virtual reality broadcasts of their favourite action sports and music events through the Gear VR platform.

The VR Live Pass on Gear VR events will be available through the Samsung VR app in early June, enabling Gear VR users to watch live entertainment events and performances no matter where they are. In addition, Samsung recently expanded its global presence to 45 countries, enabling more consumers around the world to enjoy the Gear VR platform.

“We are excited to offer Samsung Gear VR users the opportunity to experience their favourite live music and sporting events through our industry-leading VR ecosystem,” said Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics. “Partnering with these companies to expand our VR services helps us to open up a new gateway of opportunities for fans and demonstrate our commitment to delivering experiences that make the seemingly impossible, possible.”

“We’ve always felt that the potential of combining UFC events with virtual reality would give our fans the ultimate enhanced experience,” UFC Chief Operating Officer Ike Lawrence Epstein said. “We’re excited to partner with Samsung on this game-changing initiative to further revolutionise how fight fans consume our content and live events around the world.”

“The X Games is the premier action sports event that continually provides a platform for athletic progression,” said Tim Reed, Vice President, ESPN X Games. “From never been done tricks to awe-inspiring competition, Samsung’s Gear VR technology is perfect to showcase dynamic action sports to viewers across the world.”

The one-of-a-kind live broadcasts will kick off in June 2017 and will include the following:

• UFC® 212: ALDO vs. HOLLOWAY, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 3, 2017: For the first time in UFC history an event will be live streamed in Virtual Reality. Fans will witness this highly-anticipated event in high-quality 360-degree live stream and will have access to additional VR content, including pre-event and post-event show highlights with UFC featherweight champion José Aldo and interim UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway*.

• X Games Minneapolis, USA, July 13 – 16, 2017: Gear VR users will be able to experience the thrill of the X Games from the comfort of their homes as they watch the world’s best BMX riders and skaters, including Jimmy Wilkins, Chad Kerley and Jagger Eaton, compete at the biggest action sports event of the year.

• Live Music Concert with International Artist, USA, August, 2017: Music fans around the world will get the best seats in the house to watch one of the most exciting, high-energy and renowned music acts with Live Nation, the largest live event company in the world.

Through these partnerships, Samsung will provide fans with an electrifying new way to experience live entertainment without the need to physically attend the events.

Gear VR users will be given an unrivalled ‘live pass’ to shows, where they will witness live action shots and extreme close-ups, taking spectatorship to an entirely new level. Gear VR users will be able to access this content at no cost.

Samsung continues to push the boundaries and lead the way in high-resolution VR entertainment, bringing users closer than ever to their favourite music artists or watching the world’s best extreme athletes doing their tricks for a breath-taking, true-to-life experience.

For more product information, please visit:

http://www.samsungmobilepress.com

https://samsungvr.com/portal/vrlivepass

*Live streams of the UFC 212 main card, including the championship main event, are available in countries where Samsung VR is available, except the US and New Zealand. Gear VR users in the US will have access to the UFC FIGHT PASS early prelims.

Samsung VR is available on web, mobile and Gear VR (compatible with S6, S6E, S7, S7E, S8 and S8+)