Abi Clarke in ‘The Type of School Friends you Catch Up with at Christmas’ at Samsung KX

Monday 20th December 2021 LONDON, UK – With this Christmas being the first time in two years that we will celebrate the festive season with extended family and friends, a new study^[1] reveals over a third (38%) of Brits admit to feeling ‘out of practice’.

Commissioned by Samsung KX, the research reveals the conversation topics we’re dreading this Christmas and the most awkward moments of the festive season.

Almost a quarter of the nation don’t enjoy small talk over the festive period, with 41 per cent feeling ‘awkward’ and ‘embarrassed’ when being quizzed on their love life and 15 per cent admitting they get uncomfortable when answering questions about their career too.

However, Brits are still looking forward to the Christmas season, with festive favourites including tucking into the turkey (51%), watching Christmas movies (41%) and opening presents (36%) coming out top.

Samsung KX has partnered with comedian and TikTok star Abi Clarke, who entertained the nation throughout lockdown with her relatable comedy sketches, to bring to life some of our most awkward Christmas conversations.

Available to watch on the Samsung KX content hub, Abi showcases the trials and tribulations of conversations with our old ‘home friends’ at Christmas, such as ‘the one who is now engaged’ as the study reveals that a third feel uncomfortable meeting up with friends from home, but still do it, every year.

The research also found that a third (32%) of the nation expect to be interrogated by relatives and aren’t looking forward to it this year. Conversational bugbears we’re dreading include ‘what’s happening in your love life’ and ‘have you found yourself a nice partner yet?’. Other eye-rolling topics include ‘when are you going to have a baby’ and ‘why aren’t you married?’.

And those polled are in a festive fret with good reason, as over half (57%) said they get asked the same questions every year. When it comes to the topics we’d rather avoid, sex topped the list (39%), followed by love life (31%), politics (29%) and money (28%). And a fifth (21%) of respondents would rather leave Covid-19 chats behind over the festive season, too.

Abi uses the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3, crafted to give users the best capabilities for capturing and sharing memories, to film the entire sketch. For those who want style that comes with function, the Galaxy ZFlip3 is the ideal device with its stylish, sleek, compact, and iconic design and enhanced camera features. Unfold and snap a stunning selfie with Z Flip3’s studio-quality camera features with Flex mode, then add to your social feed, which scrolls smoother than ever.

Abi Clarke said: “I always like to make sketches that people can share and tag each other in, and the festive season is a time where we can all relate to similar observations and annoyances.

“There’s at least one character we can all recognise, whether it’s an old school friend trying to find the perfect baby picture (that you never asked to see) on their Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3, or the fitness fanatic showing off their running routes.”

Ashrita Seshadri, Head of Brand Marketing, Samsung UK, said: “We’re delighted to collaborate with Abi Clarke to bring to life some of the nation’s anticipated awkward conversations and get people laughing together this Christmas, finding joy in those silly, relatable moments we all experience every year.”

The most-dreaded questions at Christmas:

1. Have you put on weight?
2. What’s happening in your love life?
3. Have you found a partner/boyfriend/girlfriend yet?
4. When are you going to have a baby?
5. Why are you still single?
6. Why aren’t you married yet?
7. When are you going to get married?
1 Nationwide survey polled 2,000 adults, commissioned on 24th November 2021.
8. Do you still see/hear from your ex?
9. When are you going to get a proper job?
10. When are you going to buy a house?
11. Would you like children one day?
12. When are we going to meet your new boyfriend/girlfriend?
13. Why did you do that to your hair?
14. What happened to that nice person you were dating?
15. When are you going to move out?

Watch Abi Clarke’s sketch, ‘The Type of School Friends you Catch Up with At Christmas’ on the Samsung KX content hub.

The perfect gift for loved ones, or for yourself, this Christmas, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 is available now in a range of stunning colours from Samsung KX, Samsung.com and selected retail partners.

 

LONDON, England – 15^th September 2021 – With 1 in 5 Gen Z’s** (18-24 year olds) expanding their cooking and baking skills over the past 18 months, the record number of young students leaving the family home and heading to University this year are now looking for ways to create top trending dishes that won’t break the bank. To inspire this generation of aspiring foodies, Samsung KX has partnered with Mob Kitchen’s food producer, Seema Pankhania, to upskill the nation on how to create, capture and share delicious recipes – all for just £1 per person!

Having amassed over half a million TikTok followers with her savvy recipe creations, content creator and foodie extraordinaire Seema takes over the Samsung KX experience space in Coal Drops Yard to show both new and returning students that they can still create and enjoy delicious and nutritious dishes for both themselves and their flatmates, no matter the budget. Using every day essential ingredients for a cheap and cheerful price tag of just £4.88, Seema’s recipe provides almost a £40 saving compared to using higher end alternative produce, at a whopping £44.55.

Available to watch on the Samsung KX content hub now, Seema gives a step-by-step tutorial of how to recreate her succulent vegan Miso Mushroom Risotto recipe for 5 people, whilst also giving her expert tips and tricks for how best to capture and edit food content for maximum effect on TikTok.

Seema uses the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G to film the entire tutorial, capturing every detail with its Quad Rear Camera and showcasing its toolbox of AI-powered features for both shooting and editing TikTok videos, to help elevate every single frame.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G pushes the boundaries of what a smartphone can do. It boasts Samsung’s most advanced and powerful pro-grade camera system, enabling users to capture stunning studio-quality content on its brightest, largest and most intelligent display. Its Quad Rear Camera enables users to level up their photography game even further, allowing them to move seamlessly between Ultra-Wide, Wide and Dual Tele-Lenses. Plus, with a 12-bit RAW file option, never miss a single detail when editing content.

Seema Pankhania, content creator and Food Producer at MOB Kitchen, comments:

“It’s been so much fun working with Samsung KX and showing how simple it is to batch-cook delicious recipes that are super cheap! As young students head to University this month, I really want to show them that eating on a budget doesn’t have to mean dull meals. This tutorial is great for those aspiring foodies who are looking for culinary inspiration, with hints and tips for how to effectively capture and share your own masterpieces online. Thanks to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s incredible pro-grade camera, I was able to capture and elevate each step of the recipe for stunning quality.”

Seema’s top TikTok tips for capturing and sharing recipes:

1. Natural light – Natural light is key when capturing pictures and videos of your recipes, and having objects positioned around the photo that match the final dish such as cutlery, napkins or a tablecloth, will make your overall content pop

2. Get equipped – A tripod is crucial for creating engaging recipe content, as viewers can have a bird’s eye view of what you’re doing throughout. I personally like to have it really close and super zoomed, so you can see every little detail

3. Remove smoke and steam – Often smoke and steam can cloud the camera, so make sure you turn on the extractor fan, open a window or add a fan near your work surface so it can be blown away.

4. Angle awareness – Don’t forget to move your camera into different positions and angles as you work through your recipe, to ensure every step is fully in shot. When initially setting up your tripod, you want the angle of your camera to be facing directly towards the sun, so that it shines through onto your board to get the best light possible. When frying off ingredients in the pan, moving the camera above will allow you to see everything in full.

5. Preparation is key – When making TikTok videos, make the movements clean and slick by putting all ingredients into separate bowls before filming. So when each ingredient goes into the pan, it makes it smoother rather than stopping to gran the chopping board multiple times.

6. Give yourself options – Take multiple shots when you’re frying off ingredients in the pan, as when it comes round to editing you can pick which one you like the best.

7. Slow it down – When it comes to plating up your finished meal, stir and spoon it out of the pan slowly, as it will help to make it look super glossy.

Ashrita Seshadri, Head of Marketing for Samsung KX said:

“It’s such an exciting time for students who are heading off to university this month, however flying the nest can prove costly. It’s been great to partner with Seema to show how Samsung innovation can inspire and encourage students to create affordable and delicious dishes that makes for engaging content, while having fun in the kitchen.”

Watch Seema’s full recipe tutorial and TikTok tips on the Samsung KX content hub now.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is available now in a range of stunning colours from Samsung KX, Samsung.com/uk and select partners.

Disclaimer

All prices of recipe ingredients correct at time of filming

*National Union of Students report, 2020

**Mashroom poll, 2020

London, UK – 26th April 2021 – Samsung Electronics UK Ltd; – The UK has been busy learning new skills in lockdown, with dancing (15%), sewing (14%) and DJing (10%) amongst the top things Brits have taught themselves over the last year.

Research commissioned by Samsung UK has revealed the nation’s newfound love for dance in anticipation of restrictions fully lifting, with almost a sixth (15%) of adults taking up dancing as a new hobby, a fifth (22%) mastering a dance trend form social media and 65% even stating that dancing has lifted their mood.

What’s more, dance challenges on social media have been the main inspiration for over half of those polled – with 71% claiming to have watched dance moves on the popular social media platform.

This dance renaissance has led to dances trending on social media following popular dance culture shifting its audience to the digital world, with the top five trending dances list below:

• The Woah (22%)
• The Swagg Bouncee (21%)
• The Cosby Walk (21%)
• The Kangsta Wok (16%)
• The Smeeze (16%)

Despite this lockdown dance fever on social feeds, three quarters (75%) of young people still admit to feeling anxious about dancing in public. So, to give people the confidence to hit the real-life dance floor, UK dance sensation Perri Kiely has revealed his top tips on how to brush up on the latest trending moves.

Perri Kiely’s top tips for dancing like a pro:

• Wow with “The Woah”: To those not in the know, “The Woah” is all about that tension in your body, you want to go from a chilled position to tensing when the beat drops in a song. Once you’ve got that, add a bit of your own spice and you’re good to go!
• Look fresh with “The Cosby Walk”: To pull this off, you want to walk as if you were walking down steps… then imagine you’re out with your mates and want to look at someone without being obvious. Step, lean, look and boom
• Swing with “The Swagg Bouncee”: This requires you to pick your legs up, sway your hips from side to side (don’t be afraid to double hip!) and make it your own
• Make it feed ready: Make sure you’ve got a strong set up with your camera. The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G’s Pro Mode is perfect for tailoring your dance content. It just acts like a professional video camera. Oh, and don’t get me started on Ultra-Wide, it has a quad camera set-up and gets everything in shot
• And finally, have confidence: Do your thing and have fun. This is what it’s all about.

“Lockdown hasn’t been easy but it’s great to see so many people have to used the time to learn to dance.

Social media has been massively influential in getting people to shake their bodies and learn some new steps. And I’ve loved editing and sharing my routines – made super easy with the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G and its awesome video editing features.” said Perri Kiely.

“But there are a lot of people still feel daunted and are yet the catch the bug – hopefully my tutorial will encourage some of those to have the confidence to dance like no one’s watching.”

Sharon Hegarty, Marketing Director, Samsung UK & Ireland, commented: “More time at home over the last twelve months has given us a unique opportunity to try things we normally wouldn’t. I know I’ve had a lot of fun learning the latest dance trends with my kids at home during lockdown. With the UK opening up, we want to give people the confidence to create the best moves and content both at home in real life when it’s safe to do so. Using Perri’s tips and our amazing Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, people can take their new-found love of dance and share it with the world.”

With innovation that’s accessible to everyone, Samsung has set the bar high for camera quality, and the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is no different. People can capture and enjoy more fun and versatile photos and videos as well as having other standout features such as water resistance^[1] and a long-lasting battery life^[2] – all powered by 5G^[3].

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G1 also gives access to the wider Samsung Galaxy ecosystem of connected devices, such as Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, Samsung Galaxy SmartTag, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7/S7+^[4] to always keep you connected.

Perri Kiely will be running the Samsung Awesome Upskills Dance Tutorial – a virtual dance class hosted on the Samsung KX Hub from Tuesday 4^th May, shot and streamed on the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, for people to sharpen up their dance moves from home.

In the Samsung Awesome Upskills tutorial – Perri will be giving step by step tutorials on how to master the UK’s all-time favourite dance trends including The Woah, The Cosby Walk and The Swagg Bouncee.

[1] Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is rated IP67, water and dust resistant.

[2] Estimated against the usage profile of an average/typical user Independently assessed by Strategy Analytics between 2021.01.20-01.31 in UK with pre-release versions of SM-A725, SM-A525, SM-A526, SM-A325, SM-A326 under default setting using 5G Sub6 networks (NOT tested under 5G mmWave network). Actual battery life varies by network environment, features and apps used, frequency of calls and messages, number of times charged, and many other factors.

[3] 5G functionality requires compatible network connection.

[4] Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, Samsung Galaxy SmartTag, and Samsung Galaxy Tab sold separately.

• Just one in five workers use their lunch break to eat, with most using the time to run errands
• 67% of Brits will frequently skip their midday meal altogether
• 40% of people want to make more time for hobbies and interests during their lunch-break as work has taken over, while nearly 50% want the midday break to be more entertaining
• Samsung KX has launched a fun two-part ‘Lunch & Listen’ series to help Brits achieve the perfect work-life balance and inspire us to do more in our lunch breaks
• Episode one, featuring host Clara Amfo with guests Munya Chawawa and Amelia Dimoldenberg, is available via the Samsung KX website with episode two featuring Katherine Ryan and Reggie Yates from 16th September

LONDON, England – Wednesday 9^th September:  Samsung KX today launches the ‘Lunch and Listen’ series to mark the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note20 device. This two-part online series, available to watch via the Samsung KX website, has been created to help the UK reclaim its lunchbreak, as new research reveals that the average break in the day has become consumed by work, mundane errands and throwaway social media scrolling.

The lunchbreak was traditionally an important time to unwind from the stress of work, enjoy a healthy meal and return to work recharged and refreshed. However, work is taking over with 67% of the UK frequently skipping the meal altogether, while the typical hour break has been cut to 39 mins. Out of all the research respondents, 40% wanted to use this time better, and 50% wanted this time to be more fun, while a third highlighted that they lacked inspiration and instead ended up either working, running errands or indulging in pointless online browsing.

Some UK familiar faces, including Reggie Yates, Katherine Ryan, Munya Chawawa and Amelia Dimoldenberg, have partnered with Samsung KX to create a solution to this dilemma. During the ‘Lunch and Listen’ series, the guests reveal their hidden talents and skills with the aim of encouraging Brits to take time each day for a better work and play balance and return to work refreshed, motivated and stress-free.

Both episodes of ‘Lunch and Listen’ were filmed at the Samsung KX hub of innovation in London’s King’s Cross to a limited audience, where host Clara Amfo discovered how her guests approach their own work and play habits, along with tips on how to strike the perfect balance using Samsung technology.

The first show reveals Munya Chawawa’s passion for video games, as he performs an original rap written about his love for gaming. Later on in the episode Munya shows off his skipping talents using the Galaxy Watch3, a form of play that he has had since a young child that he has continued through his adult life.

Amelia Dimoldenberg reveals her new found passion for poetry, reciting a poem she wrote during lockdown titled ‘Alone Together’  following a split from her boyfriend. Amelia goes on to discuss her love for quizzes, and using the new Galaxy Tab S7 she challenges Clara and Munya on guessing what she is drawing live – creating some questionable artwork in the process.

Tanya Weller, Director of Samsung Showcase, KX said “Many of us often overlook the benefits of taking a proper lunch break during the working week, so we’re thrilled to bring our new ‘Lunch and Listen’ event series to life both physically and virtually at Samsung KX. We hope these engaging 15 minute sessions, powered by Samsung technology alongside our guests, Munya Chawawa, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Katherine Ryan and Reggie Yates will empower people in these current times to get more out of their free time, whether it’s focusing on a hobby, spending time with loved ones or just taking a well-earned break.”

Switch off and take back your break! To watch the first Samsung KX ‘Lunch & Listen’ episode featuring host Clara Amfo with guests Munya Chawawa, Amelia Dimoldenberg head to: www.samsung.com/uk/

Episode two featuring Katherine Ryan and Reggie Yates, with host Clara Amfo, will be available from 16^th September via the Samsung KX website.