The next Samsung Unpacked event will come alive July 26 at 7 a.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, with the company hosting a live event at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. At the same time, Unpacked should be livestreamed on the company’s website and YouTube channel. Based on the artwork for the event (and online rumors and leaks), it looks like Samsung is promoting that something big is going to—ahem—unfold for the Galaxy brand later this month.
After taking time earlier this year to unveil the Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra among a slew of new laptops, Samsung’s latest tech demo seems to be more than a little dedicated to upcoming foldables. The teaser’s hint of “Join the flip side” makes an obvious hint of the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 5, though it does leave out the much more expensive cousin the Z Fold 5 which is expected to also debut.
Samsung is already hoping you’ll be willing to drop money on its phone, though we still don’t have official word of its ticket price. The company is promoting to customers they get $50 credit on the next Galaxy device if they preorder.
The Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 have seen their fair share of leaks recently, including some early renders that showed the device folded much flatter than earlier Z Fold 4 devices, something that could remove unsightly gaps and reduce internal screen crease. Rumors have also mentioned the Flip could hold a much larger external screen than previous renditions. Other leaks claim the specs on the Fold 5 will be only a slight jump from the Fold 4, with the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. The phone could even maintain the same 6.2-inch size, which if true could be disappointing for anybody hoping for a slightly smaller device.
Samsung Finally Has Real Competition for Foldables
Google unveiled its $1,800 Pixel Fold at its I/O conference earlier this year. While we found the Pixel Fold was passable as far as high-end devices go, it didn’t manage to win out in many categories against Samsung, although we liked its overall design and and camera. While the fourth generation of Samsung’s foldables increased screen fidelity and survivability, the Fold 4 still cost a whopping $1,800. These devices devices need to come down in price before most consumers consider them as anything more than a novelty.
Read more: Google Pixel Fold Review: A Folding Phone That Still Has Some Wrinkles to Work Out
While brick-sized foldables remain on the high end, the next big advance for foldables could be the clamshell design. Earlier this year OnePlus revealed its Oppo Find N2 Flip while Motorola released its $1,000 Razr+ flip phone with plans to sell a cheaper version with a smaller external screen sometime later this year.
With other companies hot on its heels, Samsung may be hoping to prove that it’s been able to iterate and innovate with its next release.
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