Samsung Unpacked 2023 Live Blog: all the news on Z Fold 5 & Z Flip 5
The Unpacked event is now coming to a close
Samsung's TM Roh returns to the stage to talk about sustainable innovation, and the future of Samsung. He also thanks the audience and the participants in the presentation.
Tab S9 pre-orders start today, July 26, Tab S9 price and availability
As for the availability and the pricing of the devices, we have great news for you. Pre-orders are now open for the tablets. Here are the prices for the three models from the series as well:
Tab S9 series are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
Thanks to the new chip, we get a notable improvements in performance:
The Tab S9 now also has a redesigned structure for dispersing heat, and a new vapor chamber to prevent over heating and sudden temperature spikes.
Tab S9 Specs at a glance:
The Galaxy Tab S9 series are now here as well!
The Tab S9 series come with Dynamic AMOLED 2x with adaptive refresh rate. Vision Booster detects your surroundings to maximize color contrast automatically for different lighting conditions.
Also, the Tab S9 series get IP68 rate. The series consists of the Tab S9, Tab S9 Plus, and the Tab S9 Ultra.
The Tab S9 series is ideal for creative people with its S Pen. You can also share photos effortlessly between Galaxy devices. You can now use apps like ArcSide to design CAD projects on the go.
Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic: price and availability
You can get your new smartwatch starting August 11. Here are the prices of the two smartwatches! The Galaxy Watch 6 starts at $299, and the Watch 6 Classic from $399.
Samsung Health and the new Galaxy Watch 6: here to help you make healthy habits
Samsung's now focusing on the sensors on the watch. You get an ECG sensor, BIA sensor. You also get irregular heart beat notifications, which should help with afib (atrial fibrilation). You also get a personalized heart rate zone that will help you maximize the effect from your workout and to stay in the healthy zone.
Galaxy Watch 6 series are now official
Samsung's now moving onto the Galaxy Watch 6 and the Watch 6 Classic. We see a video about sleep monitoring with the new smartwatches.
Samsung is now talking about the improved sleep monitoring for accurate and useful info about your sleep and your bedtime habits. The watch takes measurements during the night and it shows you a sleep score in the morning. You can check all of the info on your wrist. You can also get even more detailed analysis in the Samsung Health app.
We also get sleep coaching, which analyses your rest and gives you easy to follow guidance for you to improve your sleep quality.
Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 prices
The two phones will be up for pre-order today and will be available on August 11. Luckily for all buyers, the prices haven't been increased! Here are the Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 prices:
The Z Fold 5: productivity powerplayer, PC-like power in your pocket
Samsung's partnered with Bloomberg Professional and Microsoft to make the business-side of the Fold even better. Now the Z Fold 5 seems to be ideal for professionals. It's also more compact and lighter than ever.
Here are the important bits for the Fold 5 and Flip 5:
The Flex Hinge of the Z Fold 5
With this new hinge mechanism, the gap when the phone is closed is almost going to be nothing. The new hinge is still water resistant. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is powering the device, the same high-performance chipset that's found on the Galaxy S23 series.
We also are seeing K-Pop group BTS's Suga asking questions about the foldable experience. Samsung underlines the pros about having such a foldable device: the 7.6-inch large screen, with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, the immersive gaming, also, the enhanced productivity with business apps optimized for the large screen.
Also, we're getting a redesigned taskbar!
The Z Flip 5 and Fold 5 flexible display and durability
The Z Flip 5 now gets a new shock absorbent layer for better durability of its display. So far, this will be the toughest Z Flip.
Now, onto the Z Fold 5, which will now be getting its official introduction!
Portrait zoom: from the cover screen of the Z Flip 5
Samsung's first presenting some of the very cool upgrades when it comes to the cover screen of the phone. You get portrait zoom from the cover screen. Also, when you place the phone on a surface to take a photo, it will automatically switch to ultra-wide for the best selfie.
Also, we're getting a new way to customize the phone: you can choose a panel to customize to the max your new phone. You also get useful ways to quickly check the stuff in your Samsung wallet, and you swipe across the cover screen to enjoy the widgets. With a pinch of the screen, you get quick tasks.
The Z Flip 5's new cover design is a game changer
Personalization gets to the next level with the customizable cover screen of the Z Flip 5. We also get a little live demo of the phone!
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is now here
We're starting with the clamshell foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
The Flip 5 is leveling up the mobile experiences, says Samsung. Now, you'll have the ability to enjoy the best hands-free selfie experience. Samsung also talks about the expanded cover screen, which may be the biggest update this year, in our opinion. Now, we're watching a short video introducing the Z Flip 5.
The video highlights the bigger screen and its capabilities, showcasing how useful a bigger cover screen on the Flip actually is.
Here come the new additions to the Galaxy ecosystems
We are now ready to see the new devices. The Fold and Flip get a quick mention, and so do the watches and the tablets. Followed by a nice teaser video of the coming devices. Can't help but get excited!
We're greeted by Samsung's TM Roh, who welcomes us to Unpacked and Seoul, Korea
He opens the event by talking about technology and the unlimited possibilities that Samsung Galaxy grants us. He talks about the OG Fold, and now foldable smartphones are gaining traction.
He also says more than half of Samsung's users are considering foldables for their next update. Roh also compares the Z Fold to a portable PC, while the Flip is great for self expression. We're eager to see the new phones already!
Join the Flip side: the event starts with epic scenes and music
Samsung really does know how to build hype. The start of the event includes beautiful night shots from Korea, hyping us even more. We're also seeing the audience now.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 probably won't have a visible gap between its two shells
You are probably familiar with that ugly gap that appears between the two halves of the Galaxy Z Fold 4's primary 7.6-inch display when closed. Well, according to rumors, that gap will be entirely gone on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. This will give Samsung's new foldable a sleeker look.
In addition to its improved design, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will most likely come equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 silicon under the hood. Judging by how Samsung's foldables are powered by the same chipset every year, and that the rumors suggest that the Z Flip 5 will be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, we think it's safe to conclude that the Fold 5 will come with the same chipset. We also expect the phone to be available in three storage configurations — 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
In addition to its improved design, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will most likely come equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 silicon under the hood. Judging by how Samsung's foldables are powered by the same chipset every year, and that the rumors suggest that the Z Flip 5 will be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, we think it's safe to conclude that the Fold 5 will come with the same chipset. We also expect the phone to be available in three storage configurations — 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
Photo from CES with alleged Fold 5 prototype
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 - Samsung's new fancy clamshell
Every year, Samsung's foldables are among the most powerful smartphones on the market, and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 most likely won't be an exception.
According to the rumor mill, Samsung's new clamshell foldable will be powered by the immensely powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which by the way is also currently the best Qualcomm chipset for mobile devices. In addition to that, we expect the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to come equipped with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128 and 256GB of storage to be. However, we don't expect the phone to feature a microSD card slot.
According to the rumor mill, Samsung's new clamshell foldable will be powered by the immensely powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which by the way is also currently the best Qualcomm chipset for mobile devices. In addition to that, we expect the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to come equipped with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128 and 256GB of storage to be. However, we don't expect the phone to feature a microSD card slot.
Another new improvement we expect the Galaxy Z Flip 5 to have is a bigger external display. According to rumors, the new external display will be around 3.4 inches in diagonal. If the rumors are true, the Galaxy Z Flip 5's display will be much, much larger than the screen on the Z FLip 4.
Galaxy Z Flip 5 renders depicting the external screen (Image credit - Techinzo Concept)
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