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Samsung announced seven new products at Unpacked 2024 today. That may or may not be a record – I’m not entirely sure, but what I do know is that it gives people like me an awful lot of work to do.
This isn’t a moan – I have a wonderful job – but it does mean that I need to suss out what I think my audience is most interested in. That’s tough when we have two new phones from an incredibly popular and divisive range, the first ever Galaxy finger-born wearable, a totally redesigned set of earbuds, and what looks like a serious Apple Watch Ultra 2 competitor.
I still need to mull all of this over, but I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of people are interested in the latest iteration of Samsung’s foldable – the Galaxy Z Fold 6. So, today, I want to give you my first impressions of that new device, because I was lucky enough to get a quick hands-on with it in London last week.
Don’t worry – I will also, of course, give you a quick run through of the other six devices, too (because I got to play with them, as well!).
Galaxy Z Fold 6 specs and pricing
The Z Fold 6 is running the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, albeit one that is, as always, tuned for Galaxy. It has 12GB of RAM (that’s the only option, but a sensible one) and three storage choices, which I’ll come to in a moment.
It weighs 14g less than the Fold 5, the cover display is 1mm wider, and the internal display is 2.7mm wider. The bezels have also been reduced and the hinge has been redesigned and, you guessed it – made smaller. It’s thinner overall than the Fold 5, too.
The displays have received a significant boost in brightness, going from 1,750 nits to an S24-equalling 2,600 nits. The battery is actually the same size as the Fold 5 but Samsung has somehow managed to squeeze an extra two hours of video playback from the Fold 6 with a bunch of efficiency-based tweaks.
Colour-wise, we get the choice of Silver Shadows, Pink, and Navy, all of which look typically flagship-understated but rather posh in person.
When it comes to the price, you’ll pay £1,799 for the 256GB version, £1,899 for the 512GB version, and £2,099 for the 1TB version. So, it’s still a pricey device, to put it mildly (it’s slightly more expensive this year, too). This begs one big question: what do you get for that outlay?
Galaxy Z Fold 6 first impressions
I think the big question for the Z Fold 6 is how different it is from its predecessor. Although the Fold series has a legion of fans, some have been calling out for a wider cover display, a lower price, and, well, to be fair – that’s pretty much it. As wish lists go, it’s not particularly big.
Let’s remind ourselves of the differences between the Fold 5 and the Fold 6. The latter is thinner, lighter, and has cover and internal displays that are just a few millimetres wider. The bezels have also been reduced and the hinge has been reworked and made smaller, too.
The impact of this, in the hand, isn’t seismic, as you might expect. But it is tangible. It’s amazing what a difference a tiny reduction in bezel size can do, and those millimetres are noticeable. Just. I’m one of those Fold admirers who would love to see a wider cover display on the Z Fold series – maybe not quite as wide as the Pixel Fold (which is so good you barely open the thing up), but somewhere in-between. We haven’t got that this year, but it’s a step in the right direction and I reserve full judgement until I commit to serious time with the Z Fold 6.
I will say that I like the new design. It’s a mild iteration rather than a massive leap forward, but that’s ok. It follows the same design cues as the S24 series with polished sides swapped for a matte finish and a much more squared-off overall look. The Z Fold 6 looks as premium and impressive as it should for the price.
Galaxy AI makes its way into the Fold
Samsung has ported over the Galaxy AI features from the S24 line, but they’ve smartly decided to make better use of the Fold 6 form factor. This extends to taking advantage of that huge internal canvas for features like Note, Transcript and Browsing Assist, live translation, and Circle to Search – but they’ve gone further.
For instance, the translate app makes use of both displays by providing the user with the ability to talk into the Fold 6 in their native language and have someone standing opposite view the live translation on the cover display. When that person responds in their native language, the user can see the live translation on the half-folded internal display. It worked well during the demo I was given and looks genuinely useful.
There’s also a new feature called Sketch to Image where you can take a photo of someone, draw something on them (for instance, a crown) and have Galaxy AI magically turn your messy scribble into something far more impressive.
I remain tentatively cautious about the real world application of every AI feature on devices like the Z Fold 6 but most users will probably find at least one that sees relatively consistent use. It’s certainly nice to see the Z Fold6 getting some special treatment for Galaxy AI.
You can buy it here for $699.99.
The other stuff launched at Unpacked
During my time in London last week I managed to get hands-on time with everything Samsung has launched today at Unpacked. It was limited, as you might suspect, but here are my quick-fire initial impressions.
Z Flip 6 first impressions
This year isn’t a huge one for the Z Flip, but Samsung definitely hasn’t left its cute little foldable out to dry. It feels and looks pretty much the same, but the updates are considerate.
The Z Flip 6 gets the same internal updates as the Z Fold 6 (including a vapour chamber for the first time ever), but also a new 4,000mAh battery, which is the biggest ever to go into a Z Flip.
The Galaxy AI stuff has been ported over, of course, and the camera has received a significant update (earmarked by colour-coded camera lens rings) thanks to the inclusion of the 50MP camera from the S24+.
The Z Flip 6 starts at £1,049 – so, no price change. Which is nice.
You can buy the Z Flip 6 here for $399.99.
Galaxy Ring first impressions
Originally teased at the S24 launch event and CES earlier this year, the Galaxy Ring is, according to Samsung, “the new era of AI-powered health”.
That’s quite a big statement, but one I’m looking forward to digging into when the Galaxy Ring goes on sale later this month. It’ll cost £399 and is made from titanium. Black, silver, and gold are the colour choices, and the ring itself is 7mm wide, 2.6mm thick, and waterproof. If you’re wondering, there’s a ten-piece ring sizing kit featuring the most common sizes to help you pick the right one.
The Galaxy Ring is packed with sensors for measuring heart rate, sleep activity (and inactivity), and body temperature. Those measurements are combined into an ‘Energy Score’, which is a numerical indication of your overall body conditioning and training readiness.
In person, the Galaxy Ring feels very lightweight and is as understated as the Ultrahuman Ring Air I’ve been wearing for the last couple of months. How this holds up in terms of durability and value for money remains to be seen, but it’s something I’ll be digging into as soon as I get my hands on one.
You can buy the Galaxy ring here for $349.99.
Galaxy Watch 7 first impressions
The Galaxy Watch 7 is a relatively minor update this time around. Coming in 40mm and 44mm sizes, the price ranges from £289 to £369 depending on which size and model you go for (you can choose between bluetooth or LTE).
The good news is that the Watch 7 is the first wearable on the market to feature a 3nm chip (of the Exynos variety) and the first on the market to run Wear OS 5 in partnership with Google.
However, my attention was admittedly completely diverted from the Watch 7 because of another Unpacked announcement.
You can buy the Galaxy Watch 7 here for $249.99.
Galaxy Watch Ultra first impressions
That’s right – Samsung has jumped on the Ultra watch bus with what is clearly a missile launched squarely in the direction of the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is made from Grade 4 titanium and is water resistant for up to 10ATM. It’s also capable of working in temperatures between -20 to 55 degrees centigrade, and has military testing to back up its ultra fitness tracking capabilities.
More importantly, the 47mm Galaxy Watch Ultra will cost £599 – a full £200 less than the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
It looked satisfyingly chunky on my wrist, and I particularly liked the white version (although that grey edition with the lairy orange strap was a bit of a looker, too).
As you might guess, I’ll be seriously putting the Watch Ultra through its paces as soon as I get it on my wrist.
You can buy the Galaxy Watch Ultra here for $599.99.
Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro first impressions
Finally, we were treated to some new Galaxy Buds, in the form of the Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro.
The big news is the switch from a stemless to a stem design which is, according to Samsung, because their own research revealed that this is the best form factor for fit and overall comfort. I couldn’t agree more.
There’s a fancy ‘Blade Light’ built into each earbud to indicate charging, pairing, and to assist with locating lost earbuds. Sound has been improved, and they’re the first Galaxy Buds to feature IP57 water resistance.
You can buy the Buds 3 here for $129.99 and the Buds 3 Pro here for $199.99.
Wrapping up: my Z Fold 6 plan
Back to the Z Fold 6 and I can confirm that I will be switching from the S24 Ultra to Samsung’s flagship foldable full time later this month. I want to give it every opportunity to impress me and prove that it’s worth that considerable outlay.
Stay tuned for my full review of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, but in the meantime, let me know in the comments if you’ll be buying anything that was unveiled at Unpacked today.
