While the exact date of Samsung’s next big Unpacked shindig remains (more or less) in question, it’s all but guaranteed that the world’s top smartphone vendor will unveil a bunch of exciting new devices by the end of July.
The number and identity of these impending Galaxy products is of course by far the greatest secret left uncovered, with many recent rumors hinting at the possibility of seeing up to five different foldables following in the footsteps of last year’s Z Fold 5/Z Flip 5 duo.
Unfortunately, the latest prediction from one of the most trusted mobile tech leakers out there is a lot more… conservative regarding Samsung’s short-term foldable release plans, although perhaps things are not as bleak as they might look at first glance.
Two new Galaxy Buds, three Galaxy Watches, but only two upgraded foldables?!
Although Blass did not explicitly reject the possibility of such a device being released at some point in the future, the ultra-high-end foldable is conspicuously absent from said “reliable” list of upcoming Galaxy products.Â
This instead includes both Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro models, no less than three new Apple Watch alternatives with Wear OS, the first-of-a-kind Galaxy Ring, a pair of Galaxy Book-series laptops, and two seemingly mysterious devices only referred to by their codenames. But Q6 and B6 are well-documented codenames believed to belong to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 (what else?), which leaves us waiting for some pretty boring announcements from Samsung on the foldable front in the “near future.”
In addition to a Z Fold 6 Ultra that a few tipsters already warned us not to take for granted, this list also lacks the Galaxy Fold FE and Flip FE models that made a number of headlines in recent months but never felt quite etched in stone either. Of course, we shouldn’t altogether give up hope of seeing these budget-friendly foldables (as well as the super-premium Fold Ultra) released… eventually.
After all, Evan Blass never defines the idiom “near future” for the purposes of this prediction, and with the Galaxy S24 FE also missing from the newly rumored roster, there’s a good chance this only covers the next two or three months. In other words, Samsung’s foldable portfolio could still be expanded beyond the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 in the final months of 2024… or even in early 2025.
Wait, what about those next-gen Galaxy Watches?
In the absence of a foldable wild card… or three, the juiciest part of today’s rumor is arguably the inclusion of Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra, and Galaxy Watch FE variants in Samsung’s summer 2024 product release plans.
The Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic (pictured here) will reportedly be followed by Watch 7 and Watch 7 Ultra models.
The first-of-a-kind Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra may or may not feature that number in its name to highlight a family resemblance with the “regular” Galaxy Watch 7 that’s likely to be otherwise pretty subtle. This undoubtedly robust and powerful “Ultra” timepiece will presumably be designed to directly take on the rugged Apple Watch Ultra line, potentially bringing important battery life improvements to the table among other key upgrades over the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic and Watch 5 Pro.
As for the budget-friendly Galaxy Watch FE model, that could still carry a somewhat bizarre but also fitting Galaxy Watch 4 (2024) name instead of joining the Fan Edition product lineup. Its design and specifications are widely expected to resemble those of the original Galaxy Watch 4 from all the way back in 2021, which may or may not be well-received by 2024 cash-strapped smartwatch buyers.
