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This trailer has developed into the most meme heavy video we’ve seen for a while with references to Nyan cat, science fiction film Arrival and Frozen. Expect to see this advert for yourself on your next trip to the cinema.
For some reason there is now a polar bear on our screens… oh, and it’s a man in a costume. This is another one of Samsung’s kooky adverts. Now the man in the bear costumer is dancing with penguins…
The Galaxy Buds 2 start at $149, and you’ll be able to buy them from August 27.
An ambient mode on these headphones allow you to switch through three modes where you can either hear everything around you or you can switch it to low so it’s just a quiet amount of background noise.
Graphite (that’s black), Olive, White and Lavender are your color options for the Galaxy Buds 2. Both the Buds and the headphones case will come in that color. That battery case will also keep your headphones running for up to 20 hours.
Headphones just appeared on the screen… it’s time to hear about the Galaxy Buds 2.
Here are more shots of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 for your perusal.
Samsung’s partnership with fashion brand Thom Browne is also continuing, so expect some very expensive versions of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic to appear on Samsung’s stores in the near future.
Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Z foldables from today. If you pre-order, you’ll also get a free screen replacement as well. That’s useful if you’re worried about the durability of your new smartphone.
Want to see the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 in action? Here’s our hands on video review of both handsets.
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BTS just appeared on the Galaxy Unpacked livestream. Exactly why is unclear so far, but it seems that partnership is continuing with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 series.
We’re onto the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, which is the company’s latest slimmer foldable phone. It’s much smaller than the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and the presenter is right that it is easily pocket-able.
Various Microsoft apps are optimized for the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which is interesting considering the Microsoft Surface Duo is an alternative foldable phone experience directly from that company.
The fold in the screen on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 made it difficult to bring S Pen functionality. Samsung figured it out though, and this is likely why we had to wait for three generations to get this.
And the Galaxy Z Fold 3 also works with the S Pen stylus. That’s a big change here, and if you were looking for a new stylus phone in 2021 it means you’ve got more options than just the Galaxy Note series.
Remember that Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra is also compatible with the stylus, so Samsung is opening up its features to other handsets.
Water resistance is here on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. Samsung is talking us through how much of a complicated project this was, especially for the hinge on the Galaxy Z Fold 3. It’s IPX8 water resistant, if you want the nerdy details.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has an under-display camera. This is something Samsung has been experimenting with for years, and it means there’s no notch on the phone.
The camera quality doesn’t seem incredible through our first time of using the phone, but we’re excited to see how it does in a variety of scenarios. Look out for our final review to see what we think of the camera after a week of using the phone.
Price continues to be a defining factor with foldable phones. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 costs $1,799 / £1,599 / AU$2,499. That’s a big discount compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 2… but it’s still remarkably high.
If you want a foldable phone in 2021, you’ll have to pay lots of money to get one. That will likely change over time, but we’re far from a stage where these phones will be readily available to everyone.
TM Roh just said these products are for everyone, and not just the select few. That’s because Samsung has dropped the price of these new foldable phones – the Galaxy Z Flip 3 starts at $999 / £949 / AU$1,499 for a device with 128GB.
That is cheap when it comes to foldable phones, but this is still a similar price to Samsung’s very best Galaxy S series smartphones such as the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
TM Roh, Head of Samsung’s Mobile Division, is now on the stream and the background suggests we’ll be hearing about foldable phones now. We’ve already told you a little about the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3, but here is where Samsung officially reveals its details.
So how much will this cost? It’s available in two sizes, the smaller of which is the 40mm model. That costs $249.99 / £249 / AU$399 for the Bluetooth version, while the LTE version is $299.99 / £289 / AU$499.
Then there’s a 44mm Galaxy Watch 4, which costs $279.99 / £269 (about AU$500) in its Bluetooth form and $329.99 / £309 (about AU$580) for the 4G variant.
Ah, there’s more. Global Goals – that’s Samsung’s charity app – is also coming to its smartwatches as well.
That seems to be it for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series, and now we’re moving onto another announcement. What will it be? It may be time to hear about Samsung’s new foldable phones.
The Galaxy Watch 4 comes with a virtual bezel, while the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is the device with the physical rotating bezel. I’ve used both, and it’s much easier to use the physical one but you’ll find the virtual one is useful and you’ll grow used to it over time too.
It’s interesting that Samsung is leaning on the Galaxy Watch 4 here rather than talking us through its new foldable phones. You would normally expect the company to lead with the headline device, which is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
Samsung says it has been experimenting with this feature for some time, and it even tried to make this work on phone cases but it never worked. A smartwatch is the natural solution here, and it’s clear Samsung thinks this feature is ready for the big time.
Sleep tracking is a big focus of this launch so far with a revamped features available through the Samsung app on your smartphone as well as the Galaxy Watch 4.
Body composition measurement is another big feature on the Galaxy Watch 4, and it works by monitoring features such as skeletal muscle mass and more. We’ve yet to try this feature, but we’re excited to see what it can do.
We’re kicking off with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 – and it’s starting with Wear OS powered by Samsung. I’ve used these features very briefly, and it does bring together the design of Tizen with the apps available on Wear OS.
Here we go… it’s the Covid-19 explainer that we’ve seen many times over the last 18 months.
We’re watching today’s show now, and it’s essentially a big cube floating around. It feels similar to the boot up screen on a 1990s games console to be honest.
Planning to watch today’s show? Do we have the YouTube link for you. You can watch along with us using the link below:
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Half an hour to go, so we’re going to briefly run you through the products we’re expecting at today’s big Unpacked launch event.
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 – the company’s next big headliner foldable phone
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 – an alternative foldable with a lower price
- Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 – the company’s next generation of true wireless headphones
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 – the company’s next-gen smartwatch with a fitness focus
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic – a more premium version of the Galaxy Watch 4
- Something else – other rumors suggest we may hear about the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE or a new tablet, but most leaks suggest we won’t be seeing much else from Samsung today.
Rumor has it Samsung will also unveil its Galaxy Buds 2 today. Olivia Tambini, Audio and Music Editor for TechRadar, says, “Samsung releases new true wireless earbuds more frequently than any of the other big tech companies – and that means it can be hard to get excited about them in the same way I would for a new pair of AirPods, for example.
“So far, Samsung has made small, incremental improvements with each new model, rather than huge leaps forward. This time around, I’m hoping to see an improved audio performance from the Galaxy Buds 2, as well as features like active noise cancellation to bring the entry-level earbuds into competition with the likes of the AirPods Pro.
“I think Samsung will make the price of the Galaxy Buds 2 cheaper than the AirPods Pro; that, as well as better Android-compatibility could give it the edge over Apple.”
Want to see the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 ahead of time? Famed Twitter leaker Evleaks has shared a video of the foldable an hour and a half before it’s scheduled to be unveiled on stage. You can watch the video below.
Not expected: Galaxy Tab S8
While the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 was launched at the late 2020 Samsung Unpacked event, the Galaxy Tab S8 is said to be delayed, something the relatively-recent launch of the Tab S7 FE backs up.
We’re expecting a Galaxy Tab S8 Plus and Ultra as well as the standard device, with screens of 11, 12.4 and 14.6 inches, which would make the Ultra pretty huge. The super-spec Ultra has been leaked most and is said to have a 12,000mAh battery, Snapdragon 888 chipset, multiple rear cameras and a 120Hz screen refresh rate.
Most recent leaks suggest the Tab S8 line will launch alongside the Galaxy S22 range in early 2022, and with all the tech already slated to appear at Unpacked on August 11, we seriously wouldn’t expect three tablets to be in attendance too.
Not expected: Galaxy S21 FE
Like the Note 21, it seems the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has possibly been canceled, and even if not it’s very likely delayed. We say this because, though there are quite a few leaks about the phone, recent leaks suggest it won’t appear in August.
The S21 FE will apparently have similar specs to the Galaxy S21, including the Snapdragon 888 chipset, three rear cameras and a similar amount of RAM. We’re also expecting a 6.4-inch screen, a 4,500mAh battery and 45W wired charging.
While the Galaxy S21 FE might not show up at Unpacked, it might come in the following months, with an October launch date rumored. It probably won’t get a dedicated launch event though, as the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE didn’t.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
Samsung’s smartwatch game may be a little confusing – we were expecting the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch Active 4, but leaks suggest there will actually be the Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic, with the ‘Classic’ replacing the standard watch and the ‘Active’ name being dropped from the sporty version.
In any case, we’re expecting two different smartwatches, both running Google’s brand-new Wear OS 3 software. Leaks suggest different sizes for both, ranging between 40mm and 46mm, with perhaps three side buttons and a brand-new Exynos chipset.
It’s hard to know for sure though, both with the naming confusion, and the myriad contradictory leaks we’ve seen. More so than the other devices on this list, we’d recommend watching the Samsung stream with an open mind and no expectations.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
Another foldable phone that could come alongside, or instead of, the Z Fold 3 is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 – there wasn’t actually a Z Flip 2, not unless you count the Z Flip 5G. This is set to be a small-body ‘clamshell’ style foldable phone, similar to the original Galaxy Z Flip.
According to leaks, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 could have a 6.7-inch screen when unfolded, with a smaller information panel on the front of the device when it’s folded up, a bigger battery than the original Flip, and perhaps up to three rear cameras, though this sounds unlikely.
There have been a good few Galaxy Z Flip 3 leaks, but we’re still struggling to get a clear picture of the folding device, so our eyes will be peeled during the event to get a better picture as to how it could look and function.
Will we see any computing announcements today? Matt Hanson, TechRadar’s Computing Editor says, “Samsung has recently released a pair of (rather good) laptops – the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro and Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360, so I don’t expect to see any laptop-related announcements today.
“Although all laptops are technically foldable, I doubt we’d see a foldable laptop in the same vein as the Galaxy Z Fold 3 any time soon. Samsung needs to justify its foldable phone ambitions, so it would be wise to concentrate on the new handset today, rather than throwing out a load of other products as well.”
Throughout today we’ll be running you through the products we’re expecting to see today. We’re starting with the big one, which is Samsung’s next big exciting foldable phone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
Samsung has confirmed there will be foldable phones at its August 11 event, and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is set to be the headliner. This is Samsung’s third-generation book-style folding device.
We’re expecting a handset with three rear cameras, a 7.5-inch 120Hz main screen (for when the device is opened up), a smaller battery than the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and compatibility with Samsung’s S Pen stylus – with one possibly coming bundled with the smartphone.
The odds on this phone coming are pretty high, since the Z Fold 2 debuted at Samsung’s similarly timed event in 2020, and loads of leaks are pointing to the device being on the way.
Welcome to our Samsung Unpacked 2021 live blog, and it looks like it’s going to be a big day for anyone interested in products from the South Korean company.
In a traditional year, we’d be expecting to talk about a new Samsung Galaxy Note phone today, but that won’t be happening today. In fact, that won’t be happening at all in 2021.
Last month TM Roh, Samsung’s President and Head of Mobile Communications, said, “Instead of unveiling a new Galaxy Note this time around, we will further broaden beloved Note features to more Samsung Galaxy devices.”
Leaks and rumors suggest the S Pen stylus is making its way to foldable phones, and that’s likely what TM Roh is speaking about there in that quote.
Today we’re expecting a variety of new products from Samsung including two new foldable phones, two new smartwatches, a pair of headphones and there may even be a few other surprises on the way too.