Samsung Unpacked biggest announcements: Galaxy Z Fold 4, Flip 4, Galaxy Watch 5 and more
Everything Samsung announced at Unpacked
Samsung Unpacked has brought a ton of new products into the fold. Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, plus the Galaxy Watch 5, Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and the new Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. There's a lot to digest.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 stole the show with its new multitasking capabilities, stronger display and slimmer bezels. The Galaxy Z Flip 4, meanwhile, looks to continue its predecessor’s legacy by offering a unique clamshell form factor with more uses for Flex mode and a bigger battery.
The Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro focus on durability and extended battery life, along with new health features, while the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro goes hi-fidelity with 24-bit support.
Samsung Unpacked: Devices announced
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review (in progress): The new Galaxy Z Fold 4 promises a slimmer and lighter design, a wider front display and more powerful 50MP camera. And the new taskbar makes it easier to multitask. Don't miss our first impressions!
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 review (in progress): Samsung's more affordable flip phone features the latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip along with a tougher cover display and beefier battery. And there's more uses for Flex mode, whether you're scrolling through Instagram or snapping photos.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: The Galaxy Watch 5 series gets a new temperature sensor and some other welcome upgrades, but the Watch 5 Pro came out of nowhere. It's meant for rugged durability and long-lasting battery life.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: The new Galaxy Buds offer 24-bit audio support, improved noise cancelation and a smaller design that should make them more comfortable to wear.
Samsung Unpacked: More coverage
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs iPhone 13 Pro Max: Samsung's foldable holds its own against the iPhone and delivers better photos in some cases.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 vs Galaxy S22: What should you buy? The new Galaxy Z Flip 4 costs is more flexible than the S22, but there's some trade-offs.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 vs Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: What's the difference? The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro delivers more durability for the outdoors along with enhanced GPS.
How to pre-order
Samsung opened pre-orders for all of the devices announced yesterday. General availability starts on August 26. We've got all the info for you.
Good morning and welcome to Tom's Guide's Samsung Galaxy Unpacked live blog. We'll be rounding up all of the last-minute leaks and rumors around the expected devices in the run-up to the event, and of course bringing you all the news once it starts.
So what do we know about the Galaxy Z Fold 4? Well, thanks to lots of last-minute leaks, quite a lot. We fully expect the foldable to use a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor (say that five times fast) and we’ve heard a new 50MP main camera. But a leaked Amazon listing gave us some measurements, 155.1 x 67.1 x 15.8 mm (or 6.1 x 2.64 x x 0.62 inches) when folded (130.1mm or 5.1 inches wide when unfolded).
The front display for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is listed as 6.2 inches, which is the same as last year, but the aspect ratio is 23.1:9 (a bit wider than the Z Fold 3) and the main 7.6-inch display is 21.6:18. Both panels reportedly have a 120Hz refresh rate.
What about the Galaxy Z Flip 4? There’s a leak for that, too. Stand out specs include a 6.7-inch foldable Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 2640 x 1080 and a 425 pixel per inch density and a 120Hz refresh rate. Those are the same specs as the Galaxy Z Flip 3, but from the images it looks like the bezels around the screen may be a little slimmer.
The external display is expected to come in at 1.9 inches once again, with a resolution of 512 x 260. For durability, Gorilla Glass Victus Plus will apparently be used on the cover panel. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 battery is set to be a 3,700 mAh cell (up from 3,300 mAh on the Flip 3).
Where does the Galaxy Z Fold 4 need to improve over the Galaxy Z Fold 3? The first thing that comes to mind is battery life. In our custom battery life test, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 barely managed 7 hours, 52 seconds. The average for smartphones is 10 hours.
Durability remains a concern for foldables, so we hope that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is more durable this time around. We also want to see upgraded camera hardware; it would be nice if the Galaxy Z Fold 4 could at least be on a similar level to the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Then there’s the Galaxy Z Flip 4, which has a lot of room for growth. First and foremost in our mind is (again) its battery life. In the Tom’s Guide battery life test, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 couldn’t even manage 6 hours, clocking in at 5 hours and 43 minutes. That’s pretty sad.
We’re expecting a larger battery this year, plus the more power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. Both of those combined will hopefully make a longer-lasting Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Samsung has made a big deal about cameras in the last year or two, so we expect that to continue with the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4. The Fold needs better camera hardware to help justify its likely high price tag and the Flip needs some work on the software and nighttime photography.
Fortunately, Samsung has come a long way recently. We don’t expect either the Galaxy Z Fold 4 or Galaxy Z Flip 4 to break into our list of the best camera phones, but the Korean phone maker could surprise us this year.
So far, we've focused on Samsung's two rumored new foldables — but we're also expecting non-mobile devices to launch at Unpacked today. Namely the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 range and the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2.
Let's start with the Watch 5. We consider last year's Galaxy Watch 4 to be the best Android smartwatch, but with the Google Pixel Watch due in October, the new model will have to get better still to stay ahead of the competition.
Or rather, the new models will have to get better still, because we're expecting three of them to be launched today, in the form of a Standard version, a Classic and a new 'Pro' variant.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is the most exciting of the rumored new models. We've seen quite a few leaks about it, with the biggest (and most recent) being one from the German site WinFuture, which claims it will come in a 45mm size with a large 450 x 450 1.36-inch AMOLED display and a super-tough build, thanks to sapphire glass on the front and a titanium casing.
It's also tipped to have a beefy 590mAh battery — which will supposedly give it a run time of up to 80 hours on a single charge. Wow!
The other device we're confident about seeing today is the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2. How confident? Well, leaker Evan Blass has shared what he claims are renders of the new 'buds, and they certainly look genuine — so we'd say we're pretty sure about this one too.
We haven't seen quite so many leaks around the Buds Pro 2 as we have for Samsung's phones or wearables, but we do expect them to have Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), a slightly longer battery life and support for 24-bit audio. We also think there'll be three colors, showcased by Mr Blass above.
We're getting closer to Unpacked start time which means it's time for some last-minute leaks. This one comes from Slashleaks, and it shows two dummy units of the Galaxy Z Flip 4. One is in graphite and the other is pink gold.
In addition, Samsung has already said that as part of its Bespoke program there will be over 70 color combinations for the Galaxy Z Flip 4. So you'll definitely be able to stand out in a crowd.
Here's a mild Galaxy Z Fold 4 spoiler alert. According to this tweet from @sondesix, Samsung's new flagship foldable will come in Beige, Phantom Black and Graygreen. And you'll have three storage options: 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 maxed out at 512GB so it's nice to know that power users will be able to get that much storage. But you should be prepared to pay a hefty premium for that max amount.
#SamsungUnpacked Pre-order details for the Indonesian market 🇮🇩Deliveries from September 1.Galaxy Z Fold4:• 1-yr Samsung Care+ (2-yr for pre-registrants)• IDR 1.5m e-Voucher• Available in Beige, Phantom Black, and Graygreen• Storage options: 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB pic.twitter.com/261H128WchAugust 8, 2022
It's no secret that the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are expected to launch today, but there's nothing wrong with a little teaser image right before Unpacked to give you a glimpse of the new wireless earbuds. This comes from @TheGalox_ on Twitter.
Frankly, we like the rounded design. And we wish the AirPods Pro 2 would sport a similar look and ditch the stems. From the new Samsung buds we expect advanced noise cancellation along with 24-bit audio support but not much else is known.
The leaks and spoilers just keep coming as we approach the 9 a.m. ET event start time, with AT&T seemingly dropping an advert for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 a little early.
The post, which appeared on TikTok but which was shared on Twitter, doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know beyond the fact that AT&T will apparently be offering a free Z Flip 4 with a Galaxy phone trade in, which sounds like a pretty good deal to us.
Oops, @ATT you kinda blew the embargo with this @SamsungMobile #Flip4 ad on @TikTok... pic.twitter.com/DXz8y8y1knAugust 10, 2022
Feeling nostalgic? The Samsung Galaxy Unpacked August 2022 official livestream is up and running on YouTube. Right now you can watch the intros from previous Unpacked events dating all the way back to 2011.
If you can remember which devices launched in which years based on the graphics alone, then you should win a prize.
Welp, it looked like someone just broke an NDA for the Galaxy Watch 5. And this could be the first official image of the watch in the wild. Notebookcheck says that Samsung is launching the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro at Unpacked with improved sensors, increased battery life and sapphire crystal glass protection.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro comes with the ability to be used as an outdoors watch with enhanced GPS-based turn-by-turn and track-back navigation.
We are live at the London Unpacked event where we will checking out all the big announcements at a special watch party. There's also a New York City Samsung Unpacked Experience at 60 10th Ave. And Samsung promises a special surprise...
What’s up NYC 🇺🇸 You’re invited to the Samsung Unpacked Experience! 📩Experience the best of #GalaxyxBTS 💜 (with a special surprise! 💜🎁😉)📍: 60 10th Ave., New York🗓: From 11-31 Aug, Mon-Thu: 10:00-20:00, Fri-Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun: 11:00-20:00 #SamsungUnpacked pic.twitter.com/C1OEJOiDFWAugust 10, 2022
We're less than 10 minutes away from the start of Unpacked! We hope you're just as excited as we are.
Unpacked has officially started. What's first on the docket?
Looks like some kind of skit.
Samsung loves to put its own spin on popular shows. It was Bridgerton for the Galaxy S22 launch, and now it's Emily in Paris.
Okay, now the skit is over. Let's get down to business. TM Roh has taken the stage and is talking over the history of Samsung's foldables. Eight years of R&D to create the Galaxy Z Fold.
Roh says that the foldable market has tripled in the last year.
First up is the Galaxy Z Flip 4! This is the foldable for everyone with its compact clamshell design and more affordable $999 price. It comes will all kinds of unique features like Flex Mode and the use of the cover screen for notifications, selfies, widgets, and more.
The Flip 4 looks pretty similar to the Flip 3, but with slimmer bezels and flatter edges.
Flex Cam allows you to capture photos and videos from different points of view thanks to how the Flip folds. Want to use it like an old school camcorder? You can.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 gets access to Samsung's Nightography, and will hopefully get better night shots thanks to its brighter main sensor.
Flex Cam is great for Instagram and TikTok. Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, is now talking up how Instagram and the foldables will interact. He's particularly excited about Flex Mode, which can record Reels hands-free.
One of the more useful features of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 was the cover screen. The Flip 4 enhances it. Preview selfies, view notifications, check your SmartThings devices, and get to Samsung Wallet, all without opening the phone. You can also customize the cover screen with clocks, wallpapers, and GIFs.
The Flip 4 comes in four colors: Graphite, Pink Gold, Blue, and Bora Purple.
The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is more durable this time around. It has an Armor Aluminum frame, Gorilla Victus+ on the cover screen, and stronger internal glass. The phone is also IPX8 rated to survive splashes.
The battery life is supposedly better and has gotten bigger, thanks to a slimmer hinge.
Oh, and we got a BTS appearance.
The Flip 4 is designed to be unique. And Samsung wants to take that a step further with the Bespoke program that first appeared with the Flip 3 last year. This lets you customize your Flip 4 with one of several color combinations to make a device unique to you.
OneUI 4.1 allows for further customization with themes and such.
Next up are the Galaxy Buds Pro 2. They support 24-bit audio for richer sound. This is possible via Samsung's new codec and a two-way coaxial speaker. Samsung claims the new Buds Pro match wired earbuds.
There's also directional filters for a surround sound vibe. The Buds Pro 2 features advanced ANC and can adapt to your voice to let you answer people. And calls and videos should be clearer thanks to Samsung's beamforming.
The ergonomic design should be more comfortable.
The Galaxy Watch 5 is the next device. It comes with some new watch faces, plus making your own with photos and clocks. There are two sizes and four colors. The screen is coating in sapphire crystal glass.
The new workout algorithm lets you track more workouts and changes in body composition. Sleep tracking is also here, tracking snoring, blood oxygen, and heart rate, too. The new bioactive sensor can track a lot of things at once.
There's a new infrared temperature sensor. It can provide more accurate readings, but its utility remains unclear at this time.
It uses the Qualcomm AP 4nm chipset.
Samsung is talking about its new environmental initiatives. The company is set on reducing waste and carbon emissions. We can respect this journey.
TM Roh is back on stage. He's detailing Samsung's engineering prowess and getting us primed for the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Now it's time for the Galaxy Z Fold 4! It's looking pretty good time around. The old Folds used a gear hinge design, but that made for a heavier device. But the Fold 4's new hinge uses a rotational effect. That allowed for a reduction in weight and size, but it's just as durable.
The Fold 4's new display design removes the metal reinforcement, and instead made the digitizer stronger. The panel has a stiffer material and the damping mechanism uses a stronger sponge so that the Fold can absorb shock better.
The cover display is wider with slimmer bezels. The inner display also has slimmer bezels. The under-display camera has also gotten better, and it's less visible. We'll have to see if Samsung is right.
Android 12L will help make the Galaxy Z Fold 4 more productive, such as the new taskbar.
The new taskbar looks pretty nice, and it should certainly help multitasking. You can pin apps or it will suggest some of your most-used ones. And if you're a Microsoft user, the Fold 4 looks like an ideal device.
New cameras, too! 12MP main camera, 10MP 3x telephoto, and 50MP ultrawide. There's also Nightography support onboard, too. Space Zoom is also here.
Take selfies with the rear cameras, too, just like the Flip 4.
Samsung promises that it's working with developers to enhance the Fold 4's special functionality. You can even game and chat at the same time. And with the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 onboard, you can have a great gaming experience.
Samsung says the Fold 4 is like a console and PC all in one. Is that actually true?
Samsung has a Google guest. He's talking about Wear OS 3. That means a new Assistant and better app support. Eventually, you'll be able to use Google Maps on your watch without your phone.
The Play Store will have a better way to discover watch apps. The watch Play Store app is also getting an overhaul.
Now it's the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro! It's a big upgrade over previous Galaxy Watches, really leveling up the game for people who want a bigger and more durable smartwatch.
There are a lot of watch faces for outdoor workouts. Sunset, compass, etc. There's a new route workout experience to keep you focused on the workout. Track Back helps you get back to your starting point.
There's a large 590 mAh battery, too, which should lead to some excellent battery life. The display is also sapphire crystal and the frame is titanium. It comes in two colors, black and grey.
It can stand up to nature. It's available on August 26 starting at $449.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is available on August 26 starting at $1,799. Pre-orders start today with one year of Samsung Care+.
Samsung closed out with some Queen. We love it.
Samsung is wrapping up with showing off its London and New York stores where you can see all of the new devices in action.
And that's it for Unpacked! Thanks for joining us.
@tomsguide ♬ original sound - Katrina Wright
Ahead of Samsung Unpacked, we got a sneak preview of a limited-time Galaxy-themed installation in NYC. (It’s also set up in London!) Check out this awesome “vending machine” where we customized a Galaxy Z Flip 4 Bespoke Edition.
First photos from Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. I like what I see so far...especially portraits pic.twitter.com/ScR2MTm9HPAugust 10, 2022
We've been taking some photos for our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review in progress, and so far we like what we see. I'm especially impressed with the portrait we snapped, as it doesn't look washed out like other Samsung phones we've tested.
Check out the fruit tart for colors, flower for detail and statue for bringing out highlights in the shadows.
Our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 review in progress is live, and we have good news and bad news. The good news is that you're getting a bigger battery this time around, and content creators will really like how Flex mode is optimized for apps like TikTok and Instagram. You can also do more with the cover display now, and the price is still a relatively affordable $999.
The bad news is that the cameras don't seem very impressive based on our early testing, and the display is still quite noticeable...
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is taking a lot of heat because of its $1,799 price. That's the same price as the Z Fold 3, but given the state of the economy and inflation it's easy to see why people were hoping for something cheaper.
The good news is that you don't have to pay anything close to that amount if you take advantage of some early Galaxy Z Fold 4 deals. Here's how to not pay $1,799 for the Fold 4.
Don't miss our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review in progress if you're at all curious about what life is like with the company's latest flagship foldable.
With its slimmer, more elegant design and improved multitasking, the Fold 4 feels like a more capable phone. But with a starting price of $1,799 it has a lot to prove, and the crease has to be seen to be understood. Check out our hands-on photos in the full review, and stay tuned for further coverage!
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 comes in a plethora of colors — in fact, the Bespoke Edition has 71 different combinations!
We've taken a deep dive into exactly what the Galaxy Z Flip 4 color options are to help you choose the right one.
While we're generally quite impressed by what we've seen of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 so far, some on the Tom's Guide team aren't completely convinced by it yet.
Managing Editor Roland Moore-Colyer, for instance, feels it doesn't offer enough improvements over the Z Fold 3 to make it a worthwhile upgrade. In fact, he'd go as far as to say that the Galaxy Z Fold 4's upgrades are a big letdown. Does he have a point? You'll have to read it yourself and decide.
One of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5's big new features is its skin temperature sensor — but what does it actually do? Well, Samsung says it will mainly be used for sleep tracking — although it's worth noting that it won't actually be operational until an as-yet-unspecified point in the future.
That caveat aside, it looks like giving Samsung's new smartwatch an advantage over the wearable competition, so our Kate Kozuch takes a look at exactly how the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 skin temperature sensor works.
With all the excitement around the new foldable phones and watches, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro got a bit lost in the noise. But it shouldn't. As you'll see as Nick Pino breaks down why the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro was the most exciting product at Samsung Unpacked.
It all comes down to the Buds 2 Pro being among the first wireless earbuds to support Bluetooth 5.3. This enables the buds to process more information in less time and likely enables them to offer better noise cancellation and handle higher bit rates.
The new Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 looks great and offers a bunch of solid upgrades, including a stronger front display, longer battery life and improved sleep tracking with a new skin temperature sensor. But it's missing one key feature according to staff writer Malcolm McMillan. And that's the rotating bezel. Here's the one reason why he won't buy the Galaxy Watch 5.
Want to know how the Galaxy Z Fold 4 stacks up against the top-end iPhone? Check out our Galaxy Z Fold 4 vs iPhone 13 Pro Max face-off, which includes benchmark comparisons and a photo face-off. The Z Fold 4 more than holds its own against Apple's best.