Hey, everyone! What’s up? It’s MKBHD here. Today, I want to talk about Samsung’s summer Unpacked event, which happened in July. They announced two new phones and three new wearables. If you count the different sizes, there’s even more. I got to try everything out, so here are my first impressions.
Let’s start with the two new phones. Samsung introduced the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, their latest foldables. Honestly, these are mostly just small updates from last year’s models—nothing groundbreaking.
I get that it might sound like I’m downplaying it by saying these are minor upgrades, like, “Oh, Samsung didn’t really innovate this time.” And yeah, that’s partly true. But you’ve got to remember, these devices are still leading the charge in some of the most advanced tech areas, like foldables and AI. So, there’s still a lot to appreciate.
As for the Fold 6, it looks a lot like the Fold 5. They’ve squared off the edges a bit more, made some changes to the camera housing, and slightly reduced the bezels, both inside and out. This makes the cover screen a bit more practical. The screens now reach up to 2,600 nits of brightness. They’ve also upgraded to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and added some new color options. And that’s pretty much it—another year, another generation of the Fold.
There are a couple of other smaller updates too, like a slightly better hinge and a new ultra-wide camera. The square edges also seem to give it a bit more internal space, which allows for a 60% larger vapor chamber, improving cooling. But aside from those tweaks, it’s pretty much the same story—same battery size, same overall design, and the same under-screen camera on the inside. A lot of it feels familiar.
What really stands out with this phone, though, is the new Galaxy AI feature they’re really pushing. Kind of like what Apple did recently, Samsung is now showcasing all their AI tools, plus some new ones, all in one place, under the Galaxy AI branding. The idea is to make these features more visible and easy for regular folks to actually use.
So, when you go into the settings app, you’ll now see a new Galaxy AI section right at the top. It’s packed with all the latest features—some genuinely useful, others maybe not so much. For example, Call Assist could be handy, and there’s an interpreter feature that lets you have conversations in different languages, which is pretty cool. Note Assist helps summarize things in the Notes app, and Transcript Assist does the same for voice notes. These are all things we’ve seen before.
If, for some reason, you prefer using Samsung’s browser instead of Chrome, there’s an AI button that can summarize any text-heavy webpage, which is a nice touch, though not entirely new.
There’s also a generative fill feature in Samsung’s Gallery app. It’s not new to the world, but new to Samsung. It lets you extend a photo’s angle or straighten the horizon by filling in the gaps, and it does a surprisingly good job at it. Then there’s Drawing Assist, which can take a rough sketch you make in Notes—even if you’re not an artist—and turn it into something that looks pretty cool in different styles. It’s very similar to what Apple’s Image Playgrounds app does. You can go for a subtle watercolor style or a more vibrant 3D cartoon look. Give it a bit of time, and it can produce some pretty impressive results. Whether or not it’s great art is another question, but hey, it’s a lot of fun to see what you can do with just some finger painting.
So, the Z Flip 6 is pretty much following in the footsteps of the Z Fold 6. It’s got the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, squared-off sides, and a slightly refreshed design. Spec-wise, it’s kind of matched up with the base S24, too. That means it’s got the same 50-megapixel main camera and 12-megapixel ultra-wide as the S24. The battery got a nice boost, going from 3,700mAh to 4,000mAh, which is promising. The inner screen is brighter now, hitting 2,600 nits, and there’s a wider variety of widgets for the outer screen, making it a bit more useful. It’s also the first Flip to get a vapor chamber, and the base model now comes with 12GB of RAM. Oh, and there are these new colored metal rings around the cameras, probably just so you can tell it’s the new model.
But we’ll have to wait and see if these folding screens last any longer than the ones from the previous generation. Sure, a slightly better hinge could help, but honestly, the crease and the feel of the hinge seem about the same as last year’s model. And here’s the kicker: both phones are $100 more expensive this year. The Z Flip 6 starts at $1,099, and the Fold 6 will set you back $1,899. So, yeah, prices are creeping up.
Now, about the wearables…
Samsung also dropped some new wearables, and honestly, these might be even more exciting than the phone updates. We’ve got two new watches, two new earbuds, and even a ring.
The Galaxy Watch 7 gets a nice refresh—not a huge overhaul, but it still looks familiar and starts at $299 for the 40mm version. The big news is the addition of the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra. We’ve been hearing rumors about it, and I even mentioned it on the “Waveform” podcast. Now it’s finally here, featuring a titanium body and a sapphire crystal display, just like the 44mm model. But the Ultra has a beefier build to house a 590mAh battery. It’s also water-resistant up to 100 meters, has a new watch face, and includes dual-frequency GPS, which is also coming to the standard Watch 7.
One standout feature is the big orange button called the Quick Button (not to be confused with the Action Button). It’s customizable, so you can set it to start any activity, workout, or function you want. It’s pretty clear that Samsung is aiming this directly at the Apple Watch Ultra—they’re even using the same “Ultra” name. But Samsung’s version comes in at $650, which is more affordable than Apple’s $800 price tag.
The big question is how these two watches stack up against each other. In terms of battery life, the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra might actually come out ahead, with claims of up to 100 hours in power-saving mode. As for features and accuracy, we’ll have to wait and see. Samsung is also introducing something new called the Energy Score, an AI-driven metric that combines all your health data into one number. I’m curious to see how that works out too.
So, in a nutshell, the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra is Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Ultra watch, giving consumers another high-end option to consider.
Samsung also rolled out the Galaxy Buds3 and Buds2 Pro, which have their equivalents in other ecosystems, of course. But what’s cool here are the new cases and fresh designs. A lot of people are saying they look a lot like the first-gen AirPods, especially around the top, and honestly, they’re not wrong. But the Buds Pro have these long stems with blade lights that change color to show different modes or statuses, which is pretty cool. The Pros also have some upgraded features over the regular buds, like Ambient Mode, soft tips, and a new adaptive noise cancellation that adjusts based on your surroundings, like if it hears sirens. Price-wise, the Buds3 will cost you $179, and the Buds Pro are $249.
The Ring
And finally, they gave us the details on that ring they teased months ago. It’s a simple idea: a ring that’s a 24/7 fitness tracker. You can wear it all the time—when you’re awake, sleeping, in the shower, or even swimming. It’s designed to be something you just never take off.
So, fun fact—I’ve never actually tried a smart ring before. I play a lot of sports with my hands, so wearing a ring for any length of time isn’t really my thing. But from what I’ve heard, the Oura Ring is pretty much the gold standard everyone knows about. So naturally, I’m expecting Samsung to at least match what the Oura Ring offers.
Now, we’ve finally got a look at Samsung’s new smart ring, and honestly, it looks a lot like other smart rings out there. The design is pretty minimal, with a slightly concave shape to help avoid scratches—which I think is a smart move. It comes in three finishes on a titanium frame: matte black, silver, and gold. I’ll let you guess which one’s my favorite. The ring is 7 millimeters wide and 2.6 millimeters thick, with all the usual sensors tucked inside—heart rate, skin temperature, accelerometer, and so on. It’s also water-resistant up to 100 meters, which is nice.
Samsung says the battery should last about seven days, depending on the ring size. When it does run out of juice, you can pop it onto this cool little charging case that lights up around the ring to show you how much charge it’s got left. The case should give you about one and a half extra charges before you need to recharge it. The price? $399, which is $100 more than the base price of the Oura Ring. But here’s the kicker—there’s no subscription fee. The Oura Ring, on the other hand, has a $6 per month subscription, which can add up over time. Samsung’s ring is a one-time purchase, and you get all the features, plus integration with Samsung Health. The catch? You’ll need a Samsung Galaxy phone and the Samsung Health app.
Overall, I’m pretty happy to see some competition in this space, especially one that doesn’t come with an ongoing subscription fee.
And that’s pretty much everything Samsung announced today—two new phones, two new earbuds, two new watches, and of course, the ring. All this stuff will be hitting shelves soon, and yes, it’s all priced on the premium side. That was a lot of P’s—totally unplanned, by the way! But yeah, keep an eye out because these products are dropping soon.
But hold on a second—what if I told you this phone is worth $1 million? Okay, it’s not, but let me tell you what’s going on with our channel sponsor, dbrand. They’ve just released something called Case Hardened. If you’ve ever played “Counter-Strike,” you probably know about the in-game economy for Case Hardened skins. Just last month, someone bought an AK-47 skin for over $1 million—real money! This particular Blue Gem skin is ultra-rare, with odds of about one in 21 million.
Now, I know the hardcore “Counter-Strike” fans are probably already typing up comments about how dbrand’s Case Hardened isn’t random, and there aren’t any actual Blue Gems. But here’s the cool part: dbrand made thousands of unique Case Hardened patterns, and while it’s not exactly one in 21 million, some of them are stunning, like the Blue Gem. The metallic sheen and the way the light hits these designs make them really eye-catching. You might even find yourself staring at the back of your phone more than the screen—is that a good thing? I’ll let you decide. If you want to check it out and give your device a fresh look, I’ll drop a link in the description. Because let’s be real, Samsung isn’t exactly known for wild color options.
Anyway, that’s it from me. Let me know what you think about these new devices and wearables, and which ones you’d like to see reviewed first.
