Samsung is rolling out a slate of new devices across three categories, all of which it made official during its Unpacked event in Paris. There are two new foldable phones, two new Galaxy Watches and two new pairs of Galaxy Buds wireless earbuds.
Some are iterative improvements, whereas others sport very different designs indicating a departure from previous norms for the company. AI features will also figure prominently going forward, particularly on the phone side, as software upgrades proved a bigger focus this time around. I got to see the devices prior to the event in Paris to get a better sense of what you can expect.
What to expect from the latest Samsung foldables
Galaxy Z Fold6
The Galaxy Z Fold6 looks different this time, mainly because it cuts a thinner profile than before. A recessed hinge slims the phone just a little while the edges lose the chrome-like finish from before and take on more of a matte surface instead. Samsung also removed the rounded corners to give the phone a decidedly more rectangular shape.
It feels lighter in hand, and the Cover Display gets a minor 0.1-inch increase. The Main Display is still a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x—essentially the same exact screen as the previous model. Same with the battery, which is the same as before. Apart from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, the Fold6 has a lot in common with its predecessor. The cameras are also exactly the same, as are the memory and storage options.
As before, Samsung won’t be including the S Pen with the latest Fold, but you can use either the Fold Edition or S Pen Pro with the Fold6. You’ll just need a case with a holster to keep it safe and handy at all times.
The Galaxy Z Fold6 will be available on July 24. It will come in silver shadow, navy and pink, and you can pre-order yours now.
Galaxy Z Flip6
The Galaxy Z Flip6 tells a similar tale, with no change in either dimensions or layout compared to its own predecessor. One notable difference to my eyes is the brushed finish for the edges, taking away some of the fingerprint magnetism of the shiny finish on past Flip models. The Flip5 made an impact because of the larger 3.4-inch Cover Display, and that exact same panel comes back again. Flip the phone open and you get the same 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x Main Display, only with a slightly less noticeable crease in the middle this time around.
Two things pop out about the camera. One is the ability to now capture images at full 50-megapixel resolution on the main lens. The other is an AI zoom feature that will close in on you or another human subject when the rear camera sees one enter the frame. It works best when laying the phone down either upright or on its side. I only got to see it in action a couple of times, and given these were pre-production models, I can’t be sure how good the software will be in detecting subjects. I’ll be testing that out once I get a Flip6 to review.
Like its Fold6 sibling, the Flip6 will run on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, giving it a power boost that may also mean improved battery life in spite of the same size battery. This chipset performs more efficiently, so you may be able to squeeze an extra hour out of it per day.
That will matter because widgets are supposed to play a bigger role for the Cover Display. I saw many of the same ones I experienced with the Flip5. Standard ones for weather, calendar, audio recording and Samsung Health tracking are still there, along with the likes of YouTube, Netflix, Google Maps and the Camera app.
The Galaxy Z Flip6 will be available on July 24. It will come in silver shadow, blue, mint, and yellow, and you can pre-order yours now.
AI features play a bigger role
Samsung is doubling down on the Galaxy AI features it first introduced when it launched the Galaxy S24 series in January 2024. While many of those were camera-focused, this latest round leans more towards real-time translation and Generative AI art. For example, it will be possible to draw anything you want and conceptualize it as artwork straight from the phone. Moreover, you can take a photo of something or someone and use the AI to create a comic book, 3D cartoon, watercolour or sketch.
On top of that, you can add to an existing photo, like generating a hat on a person’s head, for example. Much of what I saw felt a little unpolished but the potential seems really interesting. It could be a way for creatives to visualize ideas and concepts before they take them to more sophisticated programs.
As for the AI-driven translation features, those expand to include the ability for the phone to respond to incoming messages based on your own messaging history. For example, if a friend sends a text, the AI can generate responses based on your conversation thread, thus keeping with the parlance and word choices you generally choose. Samsung says this works on device rather than the cloud, so wouldn’t be snooping on conversations. The advantage in something like this is the ability to respond hands-free or when you’re busy.
Live Translate and Interpreter will now work on the Cover Display, which could be effective for the person not holding the phone where it’s easier to read the translated text. Interpreter still works on-device, whereas Live Translate needs an Internet connection to work in real time. Features like these even extend to drafting emails where you can choose whether you want a casual or professional tone.
Without fully testing them all, it’s hard to know how efficient they prove to be. I asked whether it would be possible for Galaxy AI to translate a show or movie in real time when there are no subtitles but got no definitive answer. We’ll see soon enough.
Galaxy Watch7 and Watch Ultra
One thing to know off the bat is there will be no Galaxy Watch Classic in 2024. Not that Samsung is retiring the line, only that it focused on a new Ultra model this year. The Galaxy Watch Ultra effectively replaces the previous Watch 5 Pro, which up to this point was the most durable and rugged smartwatch Samsung had launched.
The Ultra follows the same path with a titanium body and sapphire crystal for the 1.47-inch AMOLED display. Its IP68 protection gets some help from the 10 ATM water resistance capable of reaching depths down to 100 metres. It can withstand temperatures as high as 55° Celsius and as low as –20°. With the same battery as the previous Watch 5 Pro, it can last a full one or two days longer than the average Galaxy Watch can.
It’s also the largest watch Samsung’s made to date at just north of 47mm, yet somehow didn’t feel huge when I first put it on. We’ll see if it stays that way after testing one out. Samsung is touting it as a serious smartwatch for athletes and active users. It will track a wide range of activity with the ability to link in certain third-party apps to go further than before. It will run on Google’s Wear OS (with Samsung’s own skin) like other Galaxy Watches do, making it just as impactful as an everyday watch.\
Galaxy Watch7
Meanwhile, the regular Galaxy Watch7 comes in 40mm and 44mm variants, as always. It bears a really strong resemblance to the Watch6, so is much more an iterative upgrade over its predecessor. Apart from the newer Samsung Exynos W1000 processor, the guts and feature set largely stay the same, leaving primarily functional improvements. As always, there are Wi-Fi and LTE variants for both watches.
The Galaxy Watch7 and Watch Ultra will be available July 24. The Watch6 Classic will come in green in both sizes, with cream a 40mm exclusive and silver a 44mm exclusive. The Watch Ultra comes in titanium grey, titanium white and titanium silver. Pre-order your own Galaxy Watch7 or Watch Ultra now.
Checking out the new-look Galaxy Buds
I’ll wait to try these out before drawing any conclusions, as I wasn’t really able to listen to either pair. What caught my immediate attention is the design for both the Galaxy Buds3 and Buds3 Pro. For the first time, Samsung is using stems on its earbuds and replicating the AirPods’ style. More interesting is opting to go with very different forms for each. The Buds3 use an open-ear design that’s eerily similar to what the regular AirPods have.
The Buds3 Pro are Samsung’s latest flagship wireless earbuds and they differ from the regular Buds3 in that they use ear tips like the Pro pairs that came before them. Samsung says everything is better here—sound, active noise cancellation, call quality and battery life. We’ll see about that but they felt comfortable to wear for the very short period I tried them on.
You can pre-order the Galaxy Buds3 and Buds3 Pro earbuds before they’re available July 24. Both come in silver or white.
Pre-order the new Samsung products today.
