At the company’s most recent online event Samsung announced the third generation Galaxy Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3, two editions of the next Galaxy Watch, namely Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic and the new Galaxy Buds 2.
Both new foldable phones from Samsung feature 5G, IPx8 water resistance and a bunch of other overall structural and internal improvements to make them better and more durable than the previous generation. They’re also cheaper and lighter this time around.
The Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic are the first Samsung watches to feature the new Wear OS developed jointly by Samsung and Google. Just a few days prior, Samsung had also announced its industry-leading 5nm SoC for its upcoming watch as well. Lastly, there’s a new pair of wireless earbuds launched as well. The Galaxy Buds 2 are a pair of $150 earbuds that feature active noise cancellation.
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Fold 3 gets the creases ironed out
The third-generation Galaxy Z Fold might be Samsung’s best foldable device so far. The company has fixed major problems regarding durability and even added in IPX8 water resistance. There’s also S Pen support. For a limited period, users will get the new Fold Edition S Pen along with the Fold 3.
The design has also changed, giving the phone a modern look. However, it doesn’t come without compromises. The phone has a smaller 4400 mAh battery than the Fold 2’s 4500 mAh. The cameras on the phone aren’t that great either.
Fold 3’s 7.6-inch Infinity Flex display has a protective film made of stretchable PET, making the screen about 80% more durable than previous devices, as claimed by Samsung. Both the Fold 3 and the Flip 3 also feature Gorilla Glass Victus and a new Armor Aluminum coating which is being claimed as the toughest Aluminium ever used on a Galaxy device.
| Specifications | Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G |
|---|---|
| Cover Screen | 6.2-inch HD+ AMOLED, 2268 x 832, 387ppi, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate 1500 nits peak brightness |
| Main Screen | 7.6-inch QXGA+ AMOLED, 2208 x 1768, 374ppi, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate 1200 nits peak brightness |
| Processor | Snapdragon 888 5nm 64-bit Octa-Core processor up to 2.85GHz |
| Memory | 12GB RAM with up to 512GB internal storage (UFS3.1) |
| Battery | 4400 mAh dual battery 25W fast charging 10W wireless fast charging 4.5W reverse wireless charging |
| OS | Android 11 |
| Cover Camera | 10MP, F2.2 |
| Under Display Camera | 4MP, F1.8 |
| Rear Camera | 12MP ultrawide (FOV 123 degrees) 12MP wide-angle (FOV 83 degrees) 12MP Telephoto (2x optical zoom) Dual Optical Image Stabilisation, HDR10+ recording, Tracking AF |
| Connectivity | WiFi 6: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax HE160 MIMO, 1024 QAM Bluetooth v5.2 (LE up to 2Mbps) |
| Sensor | Capacitive Fingerprint sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, Proximity sensor, Light sensor |
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G will be available for pre-order from August 11, starting at $1,799.99. The phone will launch on August 27 in select markets, including the U.S, Europe, and Korea.
The Flip 3 flips around
The biggest improvement on the new Flip 3 apart from the addition of 5G is the bigger cover screen, which is now four times larger than on the Flip 2 and lets users add widgets and check notifications without flipping open the phone. The cover screen wallpaper can also be coordinated with the new Galaxy Watch 4.
The Fold 3 and the Flip 3 share the same Snapdragon 888 processor, the IPX8 rating and the stretchable PET protective layer.
| Specifications | Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G |
|---|---|
| Cover Screen | 1.9-inch AMOLED 260 x 512 302ppi 935 nits brightness |
| Main Screen | 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED 2640 x 1080 425ppi 120Hz adaptive refresh rate 1200 nits peak brightness |
| Processor | Snapdragon 888 5nm 64-bit Octa-Core processor up to 2.85GHz |
| Memory | 8GB RAM with up to 256GB internal storage (UFS3.1) |
| Battery | 3300 mAh dual battery 15W fast charging 10W wireless fast charging 4.5W reverse wireless charging |
| OS | Android 11 |
| Front Camera | 10MP, F2.4 |
| Rear Camera | 12MP ultrawide (FOV 123 degrees) 12MP wide-angle (FOV 78 degrees) Dual Optical Image Stabilisation, HDR10+ recording, Tracking AF |
| Connectivity | WiFi 6: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax HE80 MIMO, 1024 QAM Bluetooth v5.1 (LE up to 2Mbps) |
| Sensor | Capacitive Fingerprint sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, Proximity sensor, Light sensor |
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G will be available for pre-order from August 11, starting at $999.99. The phone will launch on August 27 in select markets, including the U.S, Europe, and Korea.
The new Galaxy watch is galaxies apart from its predecessors
Next up in the announcement train were the new Galaxy Watches — The Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. These are the first smartwatches to feature the new Wear OS developed jointly by Samsung and Google. The new Exynos W920 SoC Samsung powers the watches announced a few days back.
There’s a brand new design in the watches too. The Galaxy Watch 4 ditches the bezel for a clean, minimalist look and a cheaper price tag. The Watch 4 Classic goes all out and includes the bezel as well. There’s a special rhodium-plated Galaxy Watch 4 Classic Thom Browne limited edition also coming in late September.
| Specifications | Galaxy Watch 4 | Galaxy Watch 4 Classic |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 44mm – 450 x 450 Super AMOLED 40mm – 396 x 396 Super AMOLED | 46mm – 450 x 450 Super AMOLED 42mm – 396 x 396 Super AMOLED |
| Processor | Exynos W920 Dual Core 1.18GHz | Exynos W920 Dual Core 1.18GHz |
| RAM + Memory | 1.5GB RAM 16GB internal storage | 1.5GB RAM 16GB internal storage |
| OS | Wear OS Powered by Samsung | Wear OS Powered by Samsung |
| Battery | 44mm – 361 mAh 40mm – 247 mAh | 46mm – 361 mAh 42mm – 247 mAh |
| Sensors | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor |
| Durability | IP68 water resistance up to 5ATM MIL-STD-810G | IP68 water resistance up to 5ATM MIL-STD-810G |
| Connectivity | LTE Bluetooth 5.0 WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4 + 5GHz NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo | LTE Bluetooth 5.0 WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4 + 5GHz NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo |
The watches will be available for pre-order in select markets, including the US, Korea and Europe, starting August 11 and will be available from August 27.
The Galaxy Watch 4 will be available in 44 and 40mm variants starting at $249.99 for the Bluetooth model and $299.00 for the LTE variant. The Watch 4 Classic will come in 46mm and 42mm, starting at $349.99 for the Bluetooth variant and $399.99 for the LTE variant.
The new Galaxy Buds 2
Finally, the last item announced were the Galaxy Buds 2. These pair of $150 earbuds come with active noise cancellation with up to 5 hours of battery life (with ANC enabled).
There are three adjustable ambient sound levels, two-way speakers and a new machine learning-based system that filters out background noise when you speak. The company is also claiming that these are the smallest and lightest earbuds so far.
| Specifications | Galaxy Buds 2 |
|---|---|
| Speakers | 2-way speakers (Woofer + Tweeter) |
| Microphone | Three mics + Voice Pickup Unit |
| Battery | Earbuds: 61 mAh Charging case: 472 mAh |
| Charging | Bluetooth 5,2 |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Hall, Touch |
The Galaxy Buds 2 will retail for $149.99. However, the company hasn’t yet announced an availability date
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