Another Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is in the books, and another deluge of Galaxy products has arrived in its wake. Most notably, Samsung used the event to announce its latest pair of foldable phones: the book-style Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 5, which start at $1,800 and $1,000, respectively. Those are joined by a trio of new tablets in the Galaxy Tab S9, Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra, as well as a pair of new smartwatches in the Galaxy Watch 6 and the Watch 6 Classic. We’ll have full reviews in the near future, but if you’re already looking to grab one of these new Galaxy devices, we’ve broken down what’s new and compiled all the appropriate pre-order links in one place.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
$1,800 at Samsung
$1,800 at Samsung
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
$1,000 at Samsung
$1,000 at Samsung
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra
$800 at Samsung
$800 at Samsung
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Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
$300 at Samsung
$300 at Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is up for pre-order today, with wider availability beginning on August 11. Like its predecessor, the device starts at $1,800 for a model with 256GB of storage. However, if you pre-order the device by August 10, Samsung says you can upgrade to the higher-capacity 512GB model for no extra cost. Over at Amazon, you can get the same upgrade, plus a $200 Amazon gift card. A 1TB variant is available on Samsung.com, while all three SKUs come with 12GB of RAM.
You can read our hands-on preview for a full rundown, but the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s main upgrade centers on its “Flex Hinge,” which largely eliminates any gap between the phone’s halves when it’s folded. The device is slightly thinner in that mode as a result, though it’s still a bit thicker than Google’s Pixel Fold. The whole thing now runs on a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, and the main display has a higher peak brightness of 1,750 nits, up from 1,200 nits. (But it still has a visible crease.) There are some new gestures aimed at boosting the software’s multitasking chops, as well as a thinner S Pen stylus.
That said, the broad strokes of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 are similar to before. The camera hardware, displays and battery aren’t drastically different, and the price is still high. But if you’ve been looking to upgrade from an older Galaxy Z Fold, or if you’ve just been looking to hop on the foldable train, this looks to be a close follow-up to a premium device we recommend in our smartphone buying guide.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
The new Galaxy Z Flip 5 is also available to pre-order today, with an official on-sale date of August 11. It starts at $1,000, just like last year’s Z Flip 4, but the base model now comes with 256GB of storage instead of 128GB. As with the Z Fold 5, you can upgrade to a 512GB unit for no extra cost if you pre-order by August 10. Both variants have 8GB of RAM. If you pre-order through Amazon, you can get that same storage upgrade alongside a $150 store gift card.
The big upgrade here is a significantly larger cover display. Whereas the Z Flip 4 had a 1.9-inch external panel, now you get a 3.4-inch screen. That brings the device more in line with the Moto Razr+ from earlier this year. Samsung is touting improved widget support thanks to that expanded screen space, though only a handful of full-on apps are designed to run on the outer display for now. Still, it should be easier to preview photos, control music, reply to texts, view the weather, check notifications and so on without having to physically unfold the device.
Like Samsung’s larger foldable, there’s a redesigned hinge that flattens the gap between the phone’s two halves and makes the device slightly thinner when folded. Samsung has bumped this device up to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset as well, and it claims that some new processing tricks will help with low-light photos in particular. The rest of hardware isn’t much different outside of that, but you can check out our hands-on for more info.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
Beyond foldable smartphones, Samsung refreshed its Galaxy Tab lineup with a trio of new tablets: the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S9, the 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S9+ and the 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. Those start at $800, $1,000 and $1,200, respectively, with pre-orders available today and general availability starting on August 11. The base Tab S9 comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while the larger two models include 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage by default. Pricier variants with 5G support are also available.
Much like the foldables, those who pre-order a base Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra can upgrade to a variant with 512GB of storage for no extra cost. The standard Tab S9, meanwhile, is eligible for a free upgrade to a 256GB model. According to Samsung’s store listing, anyone who pre-orders a Galaxy Tab S9 device can take $115 off a pair of the company’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro wireless earbuds as well.
While not radically different from last year’s Galaxy Tab S8 series, the new slates do bring a handful of meaningful changes. The entry-level Tab S9 now comes with a richer AMOLED display instead of a TFT LCD panel, while all three tablets now have an IP68 water resistance rating, so you can feasibly use them in the pool or shower with less worry. Each device now runs on a faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset as well.
In general, these are still high-end Android tablets, with slim aluminum frames, vivid displays and strong speakers. The question, as always, is whether you’re willing to pay this much for an Android tablet, even with Samsung’s usual modifications for productivity and multitasking. If so, the Tab S8 is the top Android pick in our tablet buying guide, and the Tab S9 appears to deliver similar pros and cons. Our hands-on has more details.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
Samsung also introduced two new smartwatches at Unpacked: the Galaxy Watch 6 and the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Like everything else unveiled today, both wearables are up for pre-order today and will be more widely available beginning on August 11.
The Galaxy Watch 6 starts at $300 for a 40mm case, which is a $20 bump over the Galaxy Watch 5. A larger 44mm model starts at $330. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is broadly similar to the standard model but brings back the physical rotating bezel of older Galaxy Watches, a mechanism many users preferred for navigating the OS. That one comes in 43mm and 47mm sizes, which start at $400 and $430, respectively. Samsung says anyone who pre-orders one of the new models will receive a bonus fabric watch band for no extra cost. At Amazon, you can get the Watch 6 with that band and a $50 gift card. Bluetooth and LTE variants will be available, and the company is keeping last year’s Galaxy Watch 5 Pro around for those who want a more rugged option.
The Galaxy Watch 6 comes with a bit more display real estate compared to its predecessor, thanks primarily to bezels that Samsung says are 30 percent thinner. The smaller model of each device has a 1.31-inch, 432 x 432 resolution OLED panel, while the larger variants bump that up to a 1.47 inches and a 480 x 480 resolution. Both use sapphire crystal glass and are said to reach a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. On the Galaxy Watch 6, the screen sits flush with the lugs.
Samsung has slightly increased the size of each watch’s battery: 300mAh for the smaller models, 425mAh for the larger ones. The company rates the overall battery life at up to 40 hours with the always-on display mode off, though, which is 10 hours less than the Galaxy Watch 5’s max estimate.
Beyond that, both devices come with faster Exynos W930 processors, 2GB of RAM (0.5GB more than before), 16GB of storage and an IP68 water resistance rating. They also run on Samsung’s One UI 5 Watch software, which, as previously noted, brings a heavier focus on sleep tracking, plus features like personalized heart rate zones and notifications for irregular heart rhythms. We currently recommend the Galaxy Watch 5 to Android users in our smartwatch buying guide, but we’ll give the new models a full workout soon to see how they stack up. You can read our hands-on for more details in the meantime.
Author: Jeff Dunn
Source: Engadget
