It's that time again. Samsung's annual Galaxy Unpacked event has revealed the latest and greatest updated in Samsung phones, wearables and personal devices.
Undeniably, the theme for this year's event was wellness, with many of the devices receiving some seriously impressive updates to the accuracy of their health and fitness tracking. And of course, the introduction of the new health-tracking Galaxy Ring.
Straight from Paris, these are the major announcements and changes you need to know from Galaxy Unpacked 2024.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6
We love the flip phone resurgence and I'm so glad it's here to stay. With the new upgrades, Samsung is making the Z Flip better to live with than ever. There are strength upgrades to the frame and the glass; the hinge is stronger and the screen is tougher - so you can flip with confidence.
But it's the camera upgrades where you can truly see the impact of a year of work and development. It finally has a 50-megapixel camera like its Galaxy S24 siblings, with some AI thrown in to make capturing the right shot better. The night photography capabilities have been improved - in fact night shot capture feature is now available in-app on Instagram. AI and the new zoom functions will frame you up in the selfie camera. It will also recognise the objects around you to make sure that the shot is perfect when you're shooting solo. Hello, new travel camera.
From a security standpoint, the Flip will get Samsung Knox, Samsung Galaxy’s multi-layer security platform - which I explained in more detail when reviewing the A Series phones.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
It's a phone when it's closed. It's a tablet when it's open. And now it's lighter than its ever been, while packing more power - and with smarter batteries to keep it all going. The external screen of the Fold6 is just a smidge larger than the previous model, and Galaxy AI makes its way over from the S24 series for better and smarter ways to get all your stuff done on the go. It might actually be the phone that can replace your laptop and your tablet all at once.
My favourite new feature here is the live translate function. While Samsung has had voice translation tech for a while, you can now use your Fold6 to show one language on one side and the other language on the flipside. Meaning you can have a conversation without having to hand the device back and forth.
The Fold will also be secured by Samsung Knox.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
This is the smart watch you can take up Mount Everest. Literally. Samsung has built and tested this thing to literal military specifications to ensure it's ready for the toughest adventures.
It has a screen brighter than some laptops and TVs so you can always see it, and it's absolutely massive at 47mm.
It's designed for extreme athletes as well as extreme adventurers: multi-mode sports tracking means you can transition from measuring your run pace to your swim pace and then to your bike pace with just one button. No clickety-clack to fiddle with.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
Most of the upgrades to Galaxy Watch revolve around health tracking. Samsung wants to bring all your health tracking together so you can have one simple number to measure your health and fitness. It calls this the "Vitality Score". It's a score out of 100 that rates how well you're going, from how soundly you slept to how much you're moving around, right down to how hot your skin is and how often your heart beats.
There are a bunch of upgrades going on here to make this possible, all in a familiar yet sleek design. It also has a new enhanced GPS to help you track your location if you're the type that likes to hike off-road.
Samsung has also made a range of new bands that are easier to take on and off so you can match one to your style or even just that day's mood.
Samsung Galaxy Buds
You've got two new pairs of headphones to choose from, and each are designed for different users.
There are the new Galaxy Buds Pro which Samsung calls a "closed-tip" experience where nothing gets between you and the music. Noise-cancelling is the name of the game here with five different levels of external sound dampening to choose from. And the tech under the hood has been vastly improved to give better sound performance all-round.
Then there are the Galaxy Buds3. These are an "open-tip" experience designed for people who wear their headphones all-day, everyday. Samsung has taken 3D scans of ears from all over the world and used AI to get a more comfortable fit. They're also now dust- and water-resistant.
As with the Fold6, my favourite feature is the translation tech. For example, you can wear your Galaxy Buds as you take a tour in a foreign language and the Buds will translate for you with little to no delay.
What about the Galaxy Ring?
We've written about the Galaxy Ring in detail before - its Samsung's solution to seamless health metric tracking without perpetually looking like a Spy Kid. But at Galaxy Unpacked we've finally received some information on when we might see it. According to Samsung, it will be dropping into "select" markets on 31 July.
