Samsung wrapped up its Galaxy Unpacked summer event yesterday, and there weren’t too many surprises. Pre-event leaks pointed to new Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold phones, along with a pair of new watches and more information about the Galaxy Ring. What we got were… announcements of the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch Ultra, and a fitting reveal of the Galaxy Ring. Leakers — is there anything they can’t do?
Perhaps the only surprise was the news from Google that WearOS 5 will debut on the new Galaxy watches before appearing later on the products. If you want to relive less of the drama as it happened, you can either re-read our live blog or watch a replay of Samsung’s stream. If you don’t have time for all that, we’ve compiled all the news into an easy-to-digest form below.
Galaxy Ring
The beginning is a brand new product category for Samsung: smart ring. The company has already made it clear that this device (much like the Oura Ring) is focused on health and wellness, and now we have a clearer idea of how that might work, as well as how much you’ll have to pay to get your hands on the Galaxy Ring.
Samsung claims it has managed to cram its existing sensor technology into a smaller ring form factor. The titanium Galaxy Ring has an accelerometer, PPG sensors to measure blood flow and detect skin temperature. It can track metrics such as sleep score, movement during sleep, heart rate, respiratory rate, and menstrual cycles. Samsung will give you an overall energy rating to help you get a snapshot of your overall health and offer suggestions on how to improve things. By the way, no subscription is required for any of this, which is welcome news.
Along with automatic workout detection, the ring can deliver heart rate alerts and prompt you to move a little if it hasn’t picked up much movement from you recently. Oh, and you can use the Smart Ring to take a remote photo with your Galaxy phone.
The Galaxy Ring, which is claimed to last up to seven days on a single charge and has a quick-charge case, will set you back $400. Pre-orders begin today in the US. The wearable will begin shipping on July 24. Another thing worth noting is that if you wear the Galaxy Ring and the Galaxy Watch together, the former’s battery life will last up to 30 percent longer, Samsung claims.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6
Samsung’s foldable phones are getting their annual refresh just in time to take them to the beach, perhaps to test how well those folds hold up these days. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 are the thinnest and lightest models in their respective series yet, and Samsung says they’re more durable than ever. The company says it has a reinforced folding edge to support the dual-rail hinge, while “enhanced layers” for the main screen help improve creases without reducing strength. Both the smartphones have Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 which makes them more durable.
The handset runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. As for cooling, the Z Fold 6 has a larger vapor chamber than its predecessor. The Z Flip 6 is the first Z Flip to include a vapor chamber, which should improve cooling.
Since it’s 2024, phones have a lot of AI features (some of which appeared on the Galaxy Ultra S24), including a fully integrated Google Gemini app. They can generate a more detailed image based on a sketch and draft emails based on a prompt, while there are a bunch of AI-powered camera upgrades.
One undeniably cool feature on the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 is that the Interpreter app makes the most of the dual-screen format, so both the primary and main screens include translations to encourage more natural conversations. Translations are processed on the device, not through the cloud.
Speaking of displays, they’re a bit bigger this year. The 7.6-inch main screen is 2.7mm wider, while the roof screen is 1mm wider. At 2,600 nits, the displays are also the brightest seen on the Galaxy Fold, matching those on the Galaxy S24.
As for the Z Flip 6, one of the main improvements is the new camera system. The foldable features 50MP wide and 12MP ultra-wide sensors (the same as the base Galaxy S24). The former has a 2x optical zoom with artificial intelligence powering a zoom function up to 10x. Samsung also increased the main memory from 8 GB to 12 GB.
Both smartphones are available for pre-order today, with general availability starting on July 24. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 starts at $1,900, while the Z Flip 6 starts at $1,100. Those who pre-order the Z Fold 6 will get a 256GB to 512GB or 512GB to 1TB boost, while you can get a free 256GB to 512GB storage boost with a Galaxy Z Flip 6 pre-order.
If you’re still interested in learning more about the devices before taking the plunge, you might be happy to know that we’ve had some hands-on time with them. You can read our first impressions of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 now or watch the video above.
Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra
Of all the possible words Samsung could have chosen for its new premium smartwatch, it had to go with ‘Ultra’. It’s not like any of Samsung’s big competitors have a smartwatch with that name or anything.
Anyway, there’s a new high-end Samsung smartwatch in town and it’s called the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The Wear OS 5 device uses a new cushion design to boost protection and what Samsung calls “visual completeness.” The Watch Ultra is designed for durability, perhaps with extreme athletes in mind.
For one, it is said to operate at a wider range of altitudes, from 500 meters below sea level to 9,000 meters above sea level. It is water resistant to a depth of 100 meters and has a titanium frame. Adventurers don’t have to worry about the device running out of power in a hurry, as Samsung says it will last up to 100 hours in power saving mode and 48 hours when exercise power saving is enabled. Either way, it should have the longest battery life of any Galaxy Watch.
Other features include multi-course workout tracking (for things like triathlons), an advanced custom heart rate zone, and an emergency siren for increased safety. The screen has a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, so it should be viewable in very sunny conditions, and there’s also a night mode. Samsung says the Galaxy Watch Ultra can even look for signs of sleep apnea. On top of that, there’s a new programmable hotkey.
For those who just want Samsung’s latest no-frills smartwatch, there’s the Galaxy Watch 7. This model is the first with a 3n processor, which Samsung says can deliver three times faster CPU performance and 30 percent better energy efficiency. It has a dual-frequency GPS system to increase location accuracy, health tracking upgrades, and the ability to control the device via double-pinch gestures. Um, where have we heard that before?
The Galaxy Watch Ultra only comes in a 47mm size and costs $650. As for the Galaxy Watch 7, it comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes. It starts at $300. It’s the same deal as with all the other new gear: pre-orders are open now, with shipping and general availability starting on July 24th.
We also had the chance to get our hands on the Galaxy Watch Ultra, so you can read all about our first impressions of Samsung’s take on a higher-end smartwatch.
Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro
We’ve got some new Galaxy Buds on the ring, watches, and foldables. When Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro are paired with Z Flip 6 or Z Fold 6, the Interpreter app can translate live audio into your ears. This can be useful for anyone studying abroad or taking a foreign language course.
Both models use their microphones to analyze internal and external sound to optimize sound quality and active noise cancellation. Buds 3 Pro can automatically adjust the volume through the adaptive noise control, siren detection and voice detection functions.
In-ear Buds 3 Pro have a new blade design (i.e. handle) with built-in lights. You will be able to control the volume by pinching or dragging up or down. They boast dual amplifiers, flat tweeters and a super wideband calling feature.
Once again, pre-orders for the headphones are open today, with general availability starting on July 24. The Galaxy Buds 3 start at $180, while a pair of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro will set you back $250.
See all news from Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2024 here!
Update, July 11, 1 p.m. ET: This story was updated after publication to include links to the Samsung store and more links and references to Engadget’s stories from the Galaxy Unpacked event.
