Samsung and Google are both looking to get ahead of the iPhone 16 tidal wave this fall. Google announced earlier today it will “showcase the best of Google AI, Android software, and the Pixel portfolio of devices” on August 13, months earlier than its past Pixel events held in the fall. Now it’s Samsung’s turn; its next Galaxy devices will be announced on July 10.
As a worldwide partner of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Samsung is using the city as the backdrop for its next Galaxy Unpacked launch event, where the company is widely expected to announce its next-generation foldable phones and smartwatches. We’re also expecting Samsung to introduce redesigned wireless earbuds and maybe even reintroduce the Galaxy Ring smart ring that it announced in January.
Squint a little and you can see in the Unpacked invite below the silhouette for foldables and a bunch of stars, suggesting Samsung will announce even more Galaxy AI features. Here’s what to expect in two weeks.
Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Flip 6
Following up on last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5, Samsung’s new flip and book-style foldables are expected to again be iterative refreshes rather than complete reboots. Dummy images of the alleged Z Fold 6 show a book-style foldable phone with sharper corners, but otherwise looks a lot like the Z Fold 5. It should at the very least get upgraded with new specs including Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip found in the S24 Ultra.
That’s not surprising at all, given how Samsung has taken a slow but intentional approach to refreshing the Z Fold series. Those hoping Samsung might make the Z Fold 6 shorter when folded and wider when unfolded like the OnePlus Open or Google Pixel Fold will likely find the new foldable disappointing.
Last year, during my visit to Samsung’s R&D Design Center in Seoul, Hubert Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of MX (Mobile eXperience) Design Team, said the company needs to create its own identity for its foldables, not just copy what others are doing. Here’s what Lee told Inverse:
Everything needs to start from the brand's originality when we start designing. Whatever we do, we need to stand out from the crowd. There are so many OEMs out there, we need to be recognized as, ‘Oh, that’s a Samsung Galaxy.’ This is easier said than done. We have to create this distinction through identity.
As for the Z Flip 6, the flip-style foldable is looking to be mostly internal. Rumored improvements, previewed through many leaks, suggest the Z Flip 6 will have a larger 4,000 mAh battery, the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, more RAM (12GB), and a new 50-megapixel main camera (Z Flip 5 has a 12-megapixel shooter).
Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra
In addition to new foldables, Samsung will likely reveal new WearOS-based smartwatches, expected to be called Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra.
An early listing on Amazon Canada suggests the Galaxy Watch 7 will come in a 40mm version with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It might even come with a price increase.
More interesting is the so-called “Galaxy Watch Ultra.” X user Tim Tom 0 leaked what is believed to be Samsung’s largest, most powerful, and most rugged smartwatch yet. As you can see in the image below, Samsung seems to be keeping the same round shape, but expanding the case around it.
Do you see similarities between the Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Ultra? Cause we see two smartwatches with orange buttons and ribbed bands. Clearly, Samsung was inspired by the other.
Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Ring
Speaking of inspired design, if Samsung announces new Galaxy Buds 3 and they look like the leaked images, well, Samsung is basically just making AirPods. It’ll be disappointing if Samsung makes wireless earbuds with stems. The company has tried several stem-free wireless earbud designs, including the bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live.
Switching to an AirPods-like design with stems — a silhouette companies like Nothing are shameless in copying — would be an admission that Apple got it right from the get-go. It’d also go against Lee’s mission to make Samsung Galaxy products distinct from the competition. A clear top cover isn’t exactly a big design differentiator.
Personally, I’m most excited to hear more about Samsung’s Oura smart ring competitor, the Galaxy Ring. Samsung surprise announced it as a “one more thing” at its Galaxy S24 launch event and since then we’ve heard very little about it.
How will the Galaxy Ring compare to the Oura in terms of health and fitness-tracking features? How will the two differ? Considering how much people who own Ouras love their smart rings (I count myself as one of those people), we’re all waiting to see what kind of deep integration Samsung can offer.
