For the last few years, when Samsung holds a Galaxy Unpacked event during the summer, foldable phones are the undisputed headliners. That may not be the case with the latest edition of Galaxy Unpacked taking place this Wednesday, July 10.
Oh, foldable phones will be on the agenda and given a prominent place during Samsung's presentation. The Unpacked invitation features a foldable phone silhouette, and rumors paint such a complete picture of both the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, it's not exactly going out on a limb to claim that both phones will get some time in the spotlight this week.
But it's the other rumored products likely to appear at Unpacked — new Galaxy Watches and a finalized version of the already teased Galaxy Ring — that figure to generate most of the buzz around the event. And that says as much about Samsung's apparent focus coming out of Galaxy Unpacked as it does about the state of Samsung foldable phones.
An uneventful day for foldables?
Make no mistake — the current Fold and Flip continue to rank high among the best foldable phones, even if stepped-up competition from Motorola, OnePlus and Google means those device are no longer the default choices for shoppers seeking out foldables. You would expect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 to build on that position.
And yet, rumors suggest that the hardware changes planned for both phones aren't the sort of thing that sets hearts racing. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 should see the more significant change with a 50MP sensor replacing the 12MP main camera found on the Galaxy Z Flip 5. That should mean sharper pictures from the new Flip that better compete against the cameras of the Motorola Razr Plus (2024). The latest Flip could also get a dust resistance rating, something consumers have been clamoring for, as they look for foldable phones to become more durable.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 improvements could be more scaled-back, with the biggest change a potential shift in the aspect ratio of the phone's cover display. The idea is to make that screen less narrow so it's more comfortable to type on. Otherwise, the same improvements tabbed for the Galaxy z Flip 6 — dust resistance, along with an upgrade to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset.
Again, those aren't bad changes — some will be quiet welcome. But it's not going to blow anyone away the way a foldable with a lower price tag might. (A lower-cost version — the Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE — may still be in the works for a 2025 release.) If anything, rumors tip the prices on the new Samsung foldables to go up over the cost of the current models.
Health and fitness in the spotlight
Even if the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 underwhelm, Samsung can at least turn elsewhere to generate some thrills at Galaxy Unpacked. Rumored products likely to debut this week include the Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Ring. The former figures to be a new addition to Samsung's smartwatch lineup while the other got a sneak preview at the last Unpacked event back in January.
Both products will surely generate some interest because they're new additions to Samsung's lineup. Why Samsung has other watches and will likely show off the Galaxy Watch 7 on Wednesday, the Ultra will be its first attempt at a high-end wearable that can take on the Apple Watch Ultra. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Ring marks Samsung's first entry in the fledgling smart ring market and the first time a company of this size is ready to take on the likes of Oura and its Oura Ring.
But the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Ring likely have something else in common — both indicate a sharper-than-ever focus by Samsung on health and fitness tracking.
Take the Galaxy Ring. We know what it looks like, but we have only the roughest idea of what it will monitor. Leaked details about the Galaxy Ring's feature set claim it will monitor heart rate and stress levels, as you'd expect, while also tracking skin temperature, menstrual cycles and snore detection.
Samsung has also talked up something called a "Vitality Score," which will collect data around the intensity of your workouts and the quality of your sleep to measure how alert you are. Booster Cards are supposed to deliver wellness tips, presumably also drawing on data the ring collects.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra's selling points likely center around greater durability and a longer-lasting battery than the regular Galaxy Watch. But health and fitness figure to be a focus here, too, as the new Watch is widely expected to include sensors for monitoring sleep apnea. It's also no secret that Samsung would love to include blood-sugar monitoring in its watches, though the prospect of this possible feature feels less nailed on.
Whatever features the Galaxy Watch Ultra does offer, expect it to sync up with the Galaxy Ring, as Samsung touts a holistic approach to gathering data about your workouts and your health. And that could be why those two products become the headliners at Galaxy Unpacked. If slight upgrades to our foldables don't grab you, Samsung seems to be saying, maybe we could interest you in devices that promise a healthier you.
How foldables could impress at Unpacked
There is one way in which the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 could force their way back to center stage at Unpacked, and it involves another big focus at Samsung these days. When it's not pursuing health and fitness tracking, the company has also made artificial intelligence a big part of recent product launches. Think back to the debut of Galaxy AI features alongside the Galaxy S24 flagships in January.
Samsung has already indicated it's not through with delivering AI features to its devices. Won-Joon Choi, a Samsung executive vice president who heads the company's mobile R&D office in its Mobile Experience business, wrote in a blog post that Samsung was planning to optimize Galaxy AI features with the Fold and Flip in mind.
"Our foldables are the most versatile and flexible form factor in Samsung Galaxy and when combined with Galaxy AI, these two complementary technologies will together unlock all new possibilities," Choi said.
We're not sure what those possibilities could be, though all evidence points to either multitasking on the devices' expanded interior screens or extending the continuity features that let you start a task on the cover display and pick up where you left off once you open the phone. Or Samsung could have completely different AI features in mind for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6.
But Samsung smarts built around the unique designs of the company's foldable phones? That's something that could even stand out from the shine of the new Galaxy Ring.
