Samsung has confirmed that Galaxy Unpacked will kick off on July 10, where it will show off its latest wearables, foldables and even a smart ring. That means Samsung has a lot of old stock to clear out quickly. And with Amazon Prime Day just a week after Unpacked, you might be better off waiting for the new Galaxy Watch 7 or Watch Ultra rather than a cheaper Galaxy Watch 6 or FE.
Last year’s Prime event took place before Unpacked, but Samsung still took a fire-sale approach. You could get a Galaxy Watch 5 for $151, or $128 off, which was the lowest price we’d ever seen it. The LTE variants were also $100 off. And you could get your hands on a Z Fold 4 for an absurd $700 discount.
At the moment the Galaxy Watch 6 costs $239 ($60 off), and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 gets $400 offwhich are pretty good deals in their own right. But if you’re patient, I predict these prices will drop to new lows once Prime Day starts on July 16, just six days after Unpacked.
Of course you can Reserve a Galaxy Watch 7 pre-order for $50 off from Samsung, if you want the most advanced technology and features. That’s not a bad deal! Then again, Galaxy Watches tend not to change much from one generation to the next, and you may want to prioritize the expense as little as possible.
All current rumors surrounding the Galaxy Watch 7 say it could have 32GB of storage and a slightly faster CPU, but it should be fairly similar in styling and sensors to the Watch 6, and all the new Wear OS upgrades like Galaxy AI health metrics will be coming in the Watch 6 just a few weeks after the Watch 7 launches.
Last year I wrote that Samsung needed to give Galaxy Watches more storage , and some people need double the space for music playlists or extra apps. Otherwise, if you can save $100 or more on a Watch 6 with three more years of promised upgrades, you might be better off downgrading to our favorite Android watch of the past 12 months.
Don’t forget that Samsung quickly ran out of Galaxy Watch 5 stock after Prime Day last year. So if you want a cheaper last-gen option, July or August is the time to buy one.
Now if you want the leaked Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra, with all the top specs and the multi-day battery life that brings, ignore the deal hunting and pre-order it. But I imagine it will cost more than many of you are willing to pay if the price comes close to that of the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
We’ve heard conflicting rumors about whether Samsung will sell a new Watch 7 Pro or Classic in addition to the Ultra. The Watch 5 Pro has been around for two years, but I would expect an everything-must-go sale if the Watch 7 Pro actually exists.
Your other money-saving option is the new Galaxy Watch FE, which is essentially a Galaxy Watch 4 reissue with added sapphire glass and a new set of software updates. It starts at $199 and you can drop the price to $99 with a smartwatch trade-in. So if you have an old pre-Wear OS Galaxy Watch lying around in a cupboard, you can get a solid smartwatch for less than an Amazfit.
Now, we can always hope that Samsung will surprise us with the Galaxy Watch 7 announcement at Galaxy Unpacked. The leaked renders make up for it though Look quite similar to the Watch 6, apart from some colorful stitching on the standard silicone strap. We’ll have to hope for more intangible upgrades, like better battery life or updated health sensors.
We’ll find out more on July 10th! But since it’s shipping a few weeks after Unpacked, you have time to watch Prime Day 2024 first and see if Samsung makes the Galaxy Watch 6 cheap enough to tempt you. That way, you can put that extra money toward a new Galaxy Ring or foldable phone.