UPDATE: Here's what Samsung has announced so far:
- Light and Long Lasting: Hands On With Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4, Z Fold 4
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Ditches Rotating Bezel, Adds Temperature Tracking
Original Story:
Samsung is holding a big fall event today, where we expect to see two folding phones—the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4—along with two Galaxy Watch 5 watches and new Galaxy Buds earbuds.
Super-leaker Evan Blass recently published a massive gallery of all the new devices on the Indian website he works with, 91Mobiles. He shows every device in an array of different colors. I encourage you to go to Evan's story to see the full array.
The event will be virtual, held at 9 a.m. ET on Aug. 10, and you can watch it on Samsung's website or on YouTube (embedded below).
If you aren't on ET, here are some other time zones for the Unpacked event:
- 6 a.m. PT
- 2 p.m. BST
- 3 p.m. CET
- 7 p.m. in Mumbai
- 9 p.m. in Taipei
- 10 p.m. in Seoul
- 11 p.m. in Sydney
Folks in New York City get a special surprise: A massive, mysterious Samsung pop-up space has appeared on 10th Avenue near the High Line in Manhattan (photo above), and the hours on the currently closed door say it will be open from Aug.11-31.
When Will These Products Be Available?
You can currently "reserve" the new Samsung products to get a special coupon, with no commitment necessary. They are anticipated to go on pre-sale shortly after the event ends, with a sale date of Aug. 26.
They will be available at all the major US carriers as well as Samsung, Best Buy, and Amazon. Samsung will almost certainly have aggressive trade-in deals for your old phones and watches.
How Much Will They Cost?
One of the big questions around the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 is how much they will cost in the US.
Samsung's mobile head TM Roh says he's aiming to make foldables "mainstream" this year, which may signal more affordable prices. The Galaxy Z Flip3 cost $999.99 and comprised 70% of last year's Samsung foldable sales; the Galaxy Z Fold3, at $1799.99, was the other 30%.
A recent leak of a Dutch Amazon page for the Z Fold 4 claims that the phone will cost $10,374. I can say with 100% confidence that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will not cost more than $5,000.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 looks a lot like the Z Flip3, according to renders and leaks. The biggest immediate change is what looks like a less protruding hinge, which will make the whole device feel slightly smaller in your pocket.
A writer for 91Mobiles claims to have specs for the phone. The most important is a bigger battery: 3,700mAh versus 3,300mAh in the Z Flip3. I cited the Z Flip3's battery life as its biggest minus in my review. He also says the front screen is a touch bigger, going from 1.9 to 2.1 inches.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Reliable leaker Ice Universe showed a Fold 4 (right) next to a Fold3 (left) and calls it "a further optimized version of Fold3." You can see in his comparison that the Fold 4 is slightly shorter and wider, giving the front display a more natural aspect ratio; the bezel also appears to be slimmer.
Ice also tweeted some other specs earlier this year, including a new camera system with 50MP, 12MP ultra-wide, and 10MP 3x zoom cameras. Maybe I just like Ice right now because it's 90 degrees in my home office.
One Twitter leaker who I don't know, has been endorsed by Ice Universe, a leaker I trust. He gives good news about some performance improvements with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, but points out that charging is still limited to 25 watts.
Samsung Galaxy Watch5
A French website, Dealabs, appears to give many of the details on the new watches, which go on sale on Aug. 26. The main Watch5, which replaces the basic Watch 4 model, will come in 40mm and 44mm sizes in Bluetooth and 4G models. The Galaxy Watch5 Pro, a more rugged device, will come in only a 45mm size.
The watches run Google's Wear OS on Samsung Exynos W920 processors, according to the site, and are IP68 rated for waterproofing.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro
German website WinFuture claims to have full information on Samsung's Galaxy Buds 2 Pro earbuds. According to the site, the buds will have eight hours of battery life per charge, with a total of 29 hours in their charging case.
The Buds will have 10mm main drivers and a 5.3mm high-frequency tweeter. They'll offer a 33dB reduction in ambient sound with their active noise cancellation. They'll be expensive, though: at $233 in Europe, they're competing with Apple's AirPods Pro.
We hope to have hands on with these new devices right after the launch event.