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Samsung just announced a slew of new AI-powered Galaxy products at its summer Unpacked 2024 event in Paris, including the launch of an all-new wearable: the Galaxy Ring.
The company also unveiled two new foldable phones: the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, as well as a new Galaxy Watch Ultra smartwatch focused on extreme sports, which will compete with the Apple Watch Ultra, plus the Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro.
Here’s everything you need to know about the latest products Samsung announced at its Galaxy Unpacked event, including its latest innovations in AI.
Samsung Galaxy Ring
The Samsung Galaxy Ring, a passive health tracker for your finger, has been hotly anticipated. First announced in January, the titanium bling is set to challenge the market-dominating Oura Ring when it launches later this month.
The Galaxy Ring has a wireless earbud-like housing and can monitor the wearer’s heart rate and sleep quality. It also has a skin temperature sensor for tracking menstrual cycles and fertility windows. It can also automatically track walks and runs.
Thanks to Galaxy AI, Samsung takes all the data the ring receives to give you an overall energy score and a sleep score that tells you how well you slept. You also get personalized wellness tips based on your health goals.
Interestingly, you can double-squeeze to remotely take photos and snooze or stop alarms, and like a smartwatch, you’ll get inactivity notifications if you’ve been sitting for too long. It works with any Android 11 phone, but works better with a Samsung Galaxy device.
Available in nine different sizes (5 to 13), it costs £399 – more than the Oura Ring – but, remarkably, doesn’t require a monthly subscription to access your data and wellness tips. It launches on 24 July.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy Ring hands-on review: is this the Oura ring killer?
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6
Samsung’s line of foldable phones is now in its sixth year, and as with previous versions, the hardware upgrades aren’t huge. The most interesting stuff is in the software.
The latest Galaxy Fold 6 only has a few minor tweaks to keep it current for 2024. It’s powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, and makes use of a 1.6x larger vapor chamber for better performance when running demanding tasks.
The screen is also slightly shorter and wider, addressing concerns that Samsung’s cover display feels too cramped in the hand. It also has a brushed metal finish around the bezels surrounding the cameras. The cameras themselves are unchanged, though, as is the battery. It launches on July 24 for £1,799 and up, and will be available in blue, silver and pink.
The smaller Galaxy Z Flip 6 gets a bigger hardware upgrade compared to the Fold 6, with a better camera and a bigger battery, while still remaining compact.
It now features a 50MP camera, the same one found in Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S24 Plus, which should deliver better night photos. It also has a larger 4,000mAh battery inside. Like the Fold 6, it’s powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and gets a vapour chamber for the first time, helping to keep performance peaked.
The Galaxy Z Flip 6 launches on July 24, starting at £1,049. It comes in blue, silver, yellow and green.
Look beyond the hardware and you’ll find a suite of Galaxy AI features that give foldable phones a real boost. New to Galaxy AI, for example, is Sketch to Image, which lets you draw on your photos and have your drawing appear as a photorealistic edit. Samsung demonstrated this by sketching a pair of glasses onto a dog.
Other features already on the S24, like Live Translate, Note Assist (which transcribes and translates meetings), and more intelligent suggested replies, are also coming to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Fold 6: our first impressions
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 7
Samsung also announced two new smartwatches at its Galaxy Unpacked event: an upgraded Galaxy Watch 7 and a brand new, extreme sports-focused Galaxy Watch Ultra. Both smartwatches are the first wearables to run Wear OS 5.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is the company’s answer to the Apple Watch Ultra, featuring a more robust design with a larger, brighter display and longer battery life. The case is made of titanium, can withstand extreme temperatures in hot and cold environments, and depths of up to 100 m.
Triathletes can pair the watch with a power meter, and it’s smart enough to know when runners are at the start of a route. It also has a brand new quick action button that can be programmed to do a number of things. You can long-press, double-tap, and single-tap to perform different actions.
Available in one size – 47mm (slightly smaller than the Apple Watch Ultra), it launches on 24 July and costs £599. It comes in grey, white or silver, and comes with LTE as standard.
The Galaxy Watch 7 is a more iterative upgrade, but should be more powerful than before. It features the world’s first 3nm processor, making it three times faster than the Galaxy Watch 6, and comes equipped with a bioactive sensor, improving the overall accuracy of the watch.
You also get new stitched sports bands that pair with your watch. The watch still tracks 90 different activities, suggests answers and supports double squeezes.
Available in either Bluetooth or LTE versions, it launches on July 24, with prices starting at £299. You can get it in 40mm or 44mm, and in green and silver or green and cream.
Read more: Samsung has launched the brand new Galaxy Watch 7 series – we got our first look at it
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
Both of Samsung’s Galaxy earbuds have gotten a radical redesign for 2024. They now look more like AirPods, but ditch the clamshell charging case and feature AirPod-like stems.
The Galaxy Buds 3 keep their open-ear design, but add IP57 dust and water resistance. They will have active noise cancellation, but that’s mostly a design change. Battery life also remains the same, at 5 hours.
The biggest upgrades come to the premium Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Again sporting an AirPods-like design, they sit in your ear, but they feature an all-new blade lighting system. That system makes the buds flash when they’re on, shine brightly when you’re trying to find them in the dark, and flash suddenly when they’re in pairing mode.
In a truly game-changing feature, Interpreter is coming to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. You can set the earbuds to listen to 40 different languages and have them translated to your ear in real time. They also feature Galaxy AI-powered Adaptive ANC, which adjusts the level of noise cancellation and changes the tone and equalizer based on wearing conditions.
Call quality has also been improved: Samsung has trained its database on thousands of sounds, so the company knows how to ignore those sounds and focus solely on your voice.
The Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro come in silver and white, launch on July 24, and cost £159 and £219 respectively.