Samsung’s annual summer launch event is almost here. The company will hold its August Galaxy Unpacked event on August 10 at 9 a.m. ET, one year and one day after last year’s foldable-focused event. And if rumors are to be believed, we’re in for a bunch of very similar announcements involving a pair of foldables: the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4, a new line of smartwatches featuring the Galaxy Watch 5, and most likely some new headphones.
We know foldables are on the way because Samsung basically showed us them in its promotional images and official trailer for its launch on August 10, with Samsung’s smartphone boss teasing the “new Samsung Galaxy foldables ” in a blog post about the launch. The plethora of Watch 5 leaks also makes us pretty sure it has to be revealed imminently. Last year also saw the announcement of a new pair of true wireless earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 2, and this year we expect to see the launch of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. We previously ran some renders of these last month, and a big last-minute leak seems to confirm that they’re ready for the event itself.
Samsung used to use its summer launch events to announce a new generation of Galaxy Note phones. But last year, it skipped the launch of what would have been the Galaxy Note 21 entirely and officially confirmed it was discontinuing the brand earlier this year. Instead, the trademark features of the Note line have been integrated into the more premium devices in the Galaxy S range, with the Galaxy S22 Ultra featuring a Note-inspired design and a built-in S Pen.
In other words, don’t expect a Note 22 to be announced this week. Instead, here’s what Samsung could offer.
Galaxy Z Fold 4
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold devices are designed to combine the pocketability of a typical smartphone with the larger screen size of a tablet. That doesn’t appear to change for the fourth generation of the foldable, which like last year, appears to combine a 7.6-inch internal foldable display with a 6.2-inch cover display, according to a leaked spec list published by Twitter leaker. ice universe
Leaked press photos of the Z Fold 4 suggest that it could also have a very similar design to last year’s phone. They show a trio of cameras on the back contained within an oval camera bump, as well as what appears to be a punch-hole selfie cutout centered on the cover display.
100% accurateGalaxy Z Fold47.6″ QXGA+ AMOLED, 120Hz6.2″ HD+ AMOLED, 120HzSnapdragon 8+ Gen 1 12GB RAM256/512GB Storage Rear Camera: 50MP + 12MP (UW) + 10MP Inner Cam: (3μm) (3μm) External camera: 10MP Android 12, OneUI 4.1.14400mAh battery, 25W
— Universe of Ice (@UniverseIce) May 30, 2022
But while the device as a whole looks similar, there are hints of some changes coming to the phone this year. For starters, while the corner-to-corner size of the internal display appears to remain the same, Ice Universe reports that the display could have a slightly wider aspect ratio that’s closer to a square than the ratio of ‘aspect of 5:4 we saw last time. time
Reports suggest that some more tangible updates are on the way as well. Obviously, there’s likely to be a faster processor rumored to be a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 this time around, but it also looks like the Z Fold 4 could get a camera upgrade. Leaked specs suggest it will now feature a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and a 10-megapixel telephoto lens on the back, according to Ice Universe, the same we saw on this year’s Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus . Last year’s model had a trio of 12-megapixel shooters, meaning we could get a higher-resolution main camera at the expense of a slightly lower-resolution telephoto lens.
Unfortunately, leaks from Ice Universe suggest that we could be getting an under-display selfie camera back inside the Fold 4, which was responsible for some really mediocre photos on last year’s phone. It’s also said to still only have a 4-megapixel resolution.
Apparent leaked press shots of the Z Fold 4. Image: Evan Blass / 91Mobiles
But perhaps the most interesting update we could see with the foldable this year comes thanks to Google, the Android 12L update released earlier this year contains a number of optimizations aimed specifically at large-screen devices. It’s also updating its own apps to work better on tablet-sized screens and pushing for third-party developers to do the same. These are all improvements that could lead to a better software experience on this year’s Z Fold 4.
Galaxy Z Flip 4
Leaks suggest we’re also in for a year of minor updates with the Z Flip 4, the next entry in Samsung’s foldable lineup. Leaker Evan Blass has also posted what appear to be official press renders of the Flip 4, which show a device similar to last year’s phone. There’s a dual-tone design on the back with a pair of cameras alongside a small external notification display, and internally it looks like we’ve got another punch-hole notch instead of a bottom-display camera (thanks to Ten).
Apparent leaked photos of the Z Flip 4. Image: Evan Blass / 91Mobiles
That doesn’t mean there won’t be noticeable changes. A couple of different leaks have suggested that the Z Flip 4 might have a less noticeable crease where the internal display folds in half. Leaker Ice Universe reports that it will be “deeper” than the Z Flip 3’s notch, which appears to be the case based on some apparent leaked photos of the device. That’s not to say the Z Flip 3’s fold was particularly problematic; my colleague Dan Seifert said he basically forgot about it after a couple of days of use, but hey, we’ll never say no to industrial design improvement.
If leaks are to be believed, it won’t just be the internal display that will get some updates. Ross Young, a reliable source of screen leaks, has said that he expects to see a larger notification screen on the Z Flip 4 of two inches or more instead of the 1.9-inch screen we saw on the Z Flip 4 model last year. Other rumored improvements include a larger 3,700mAh battery and a faster Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor.
Galaxy Watch 5
Of all the devices on this list, we might have the best idea of what to expect from the Galaxy Watch 5. While last year’s Watch 4 lineup was split into the standard Watch 4 and the Watch 4 Classic (which came with a fan favorite). rotating bezel), this year it looks like we’re getting a Watch 5 and a Watch 5 Pro, and there’s no physical rotating bezel in sight.
Images of the two smartwatches were made public in early July by leaker Evan Blass (who else?). The Watch 5 Pro appears to only be available in a larger 45mm size (which will apparently allow it to pack in a larger battery), while the standard Watch 5 will be available in two smaller sizes, which are supposed to they are 44mm and 40mm. in line with last year’s Watch 4.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (left) and the Watch 5 (right). Image: Evan Blass / 91Mobiles
Details are slim on what new functionality the watches could offer. An FCC filing from June suggested we could see fast charging in this year’s models, while another report claims we could see temperature sensing available (potentially useful for seeing if you have a fever).
The watches will presumably include support for Google Assistant at launch, while Google’s voice assistant only came to the Watch 4 months after its launch. Considering the huge splash Samsung and Google made on Samsung smartwatches running Wear OS instead of Tizen last year, it seems very likely that the Galaxy Watch 5 will continue to run Wear OS 3.
Galaxy Buds Pro 2
We didn’t get a ton of leaks about the Galaxy Buds Pro 2 until just this week, when WinFuture.de shared what it said were official photos and specs of the earbuds.
According to this report, we expect the big features of the Buds Pro 2 to be a revised design and improved active noise cancellation so that “even the loudest ambient noise” (to quote WinFuture, apparently quoting Samsung) can algorithmically suffocate. Other specs include waterproofing up to IPX7, 10mm drivers, 360 degree audio, Bluetooth 5.3 and a runtime of eight hours on a single charge, extendable to 29 hours with the case. We assume the eight-hour battery life is without ANC, given that the Galaxy Buds 2 offered 7.5 hours of non-ANC battery life and five hours with ANC on.
9to5Google previously reported that the headphones could cost $230 (compared to $200 for the original Buds Pro) and have support for 24-bit audio, while WinFuture says they’ll be priced at €229 in Europe. Since last year’s more affordable non-Pro Galaxy Buds 2 were so good that they undercut Samsung’s Pro models, the company needs to up its game to make the Buds Pro 2 stand out.
Leaked images purportedly showing the Galaxy Buds Pro 2. Image: WinFuture.de
Some surprises
While most Samsung announcements tend to leak before events like these, there’s always some hope that the South Korean company might have a surprise or two. Could we see the company announce new laptops? Any new smart home features for SmartThings? Or maybe even the return of the Galaxy Home Bixby smart speaker? I’ll be honest, the latter is unlikely. But it’s fun to dream, huh?