Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2022 live blog: Z Fold 4, Flip 4, Watch 5 are here and we have all

Shruti here, I was the one initially writing everything and forgot to introduce myself yesterday morning. So now that you’ve seen all the devices have you thought about what you’re going to get? 

My colleague Andrew Myrick wrote a fantastic piece yesterday on all the things you could buy instead of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, Watch 5 Pro, and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro (which btw came to a Total: $2,477). 

These types of articles always intrigue me because we can see the amount of money people are now having to spend on devices and it’s a lot!! 

I read this morning from Reuters the following detail: “Counterpoint Research forecast global shipments of foldable smartphones to grow to 16 million units this year, just 1.2% of the 1.36 billion smartphone shipments forecast, but a jump from 9 million foldables shipped last year.

“Although the overall smartphone market is seen shrinking this year as consumers spend less, foldable smartphones are likely to fare better, as their quirky form factor, large screens and portability attract interest, analysts said.”

I look forward to when we hear more details on how well these devices sold…just some food for thought. 

If you have last year’s Watch 4, you might be wondering if there’s enough new action happening this time around on the Watch 5 to warrant an upgrade. There’s not a huge difference, especially in terms of aesthetics, that’s for sure.

But the battery is bigger, and there are some new sleep-coaching features and a few other things. Check out Andrew’s Galaxy Watch 5 vs Galaxy Watch 4 comparison for the full rundown.

You might be wondering if the Z Fold 4 crease on the display is any better than the Fold 3? Well, as you can see from the image above, it’s very much still there. But in fairness, it’s not as visible and doesn’t feel as deep either.

The crease is always the first thing friends spot and talk about whenever I show them a Flip or Fold device, and it’s pretty hard convincing them that it’s not a big deal and they’ll forget it’s there, and you don’t even see it from most angles.

This will be what a lot of potential buyers are thinking about too and Samsung really needs to get better at this next time around, especially with a few Chinese brands having successfully eliminated the crease on their phones, albeit at the cost of no waterproofing. 

On the other hand, if you’d told me I’d be this fussy about a foldable display on a phone ten years ago I would have thought you were insane. This is still a very cool time in mobile tech!

Let’s face it, the Fold 4 is super expensive, even if you’re taking advantage of the trade-in deals. So protection is a must, and we’ve got you covered with a roundup of the best Galaxy Z Fold 4 cases we’ve found so far though.

I’d certainly recommend one with a kickstand if you want to watch video content on it regularly so you can prop it up. Sure, you can use it in the L-shaped Flex-mode to keep it upright, but why not go full-screen instead?

Order the Fold 4 from Samsung direct, and it will throw in a free standing cover and an S Pen – not a bad $90 freebie at all!   

If you’re going to bag yourself a Flip 4, you’ll want to check out Namerah’s guide to the best Galaxy Z Flip 4 cases.

The Flip 4 is quite sturdy, and yes your internal screen is protected nicely when the device is closed, but the outer body is still glass, and you’ll want to keep that new and improved outer display in top condition too. Our guide has plenty of options to choose from, including the tempting Samsung picks with a very useful ring holder.

Want to see one of the coolest differences between the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 4? Samsung completely redesigned the sub-pixel arrangement of the under-display camera located under the large, foldable display on both Z Folds. The result is an under-display camera that’s less visible than ever and, at least from our initial tests, it looks like it takes slightly better pictures, too!

Here’s a peek at the sub-pixel arrangement under a macro lens:

You can see the difference by stepping back just a little bit, which shows how much better the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s under-display camera looks than the one Samsung included in the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Amazing what just a year can do!

Nick here, signing on to today’s liveblog to let you know about some crazy, crazy deals going on today.

Are Samsung’s latest foldables right up your alley? Maybe you prefer the chic looks of the Galaxy Z Flip 4? You can preorder the Galaxy Z Flip 4 (opens in new tab) online or at your carrier of choice, and just about everyone is offering an incredible deal. Carriers like AT&T are offering up to $1,000 when you trade in your old phone for a new Galaxy Z Flip 4, which makes the phone completely free.

If you’d rather go with a retail outlet, instead, Best Buy is offering up to $900 for your old phone and will even throw a free silicone case for the Flip 4 in for free!

Or maybe the Fold 4’s versatility is more your style? My wife loves the Z Flip 4, but I’m more of a Fold guy myself. Opening the phone up to a literal tablet-sized screen inside is totally game-changing, and you’ll find it nearly impossible to go back to a smaller screen once you get used to the Fold. That’s even more true of the Fold 4, which now includes a taskbar on the bottom, making it a true multitasking powerhouse.

While you won’t be getting a Fold 4 for free, Galaxy Z Fold 4 preorder deals (opens in new tab) could get you up to half-off the device, making it much more affordable than the $1,799 outright might otherwise be. Definitely something to consider if you’re at all considering picking up a Fold 4 this year!

Naturally, we’ve spent a lot of time focusing on the improvements coming to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4. But you could argue that the Galaxy Watch 5 stole the show. Samsung managed to bring longer battery life, new health tracking features, and even Sapphire Glass to its latest wearable. We compared it to the Galaxy Watch 4 to help you decide whether you should upgrade, or stick with what you already have. 

Say you’re in the market to pick up the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Your wallet is definitely not going to be a fan after everything is all said and done. But it got us wondering what else you could buy for the same cost as Samsung’s latest devices. The possibilities are (almost) endless.

As a resident owner of the Galaxy Z Fold 3, I was really keeping my fingers crossed that the next iteration would be enough to warrant an upgrade. If you’re in the same boat as me and are wondering how the Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4 stack up, then you’re in luck. The Fold 4 has been slimmed down, sports newer cameras, and thanks to Samsung’s trade-in program, you can save a boatload of cash. 

One of the biggest concerns when it comes to foldable phones is the durability of the screen. To coincide with today’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 announcement, Samsung shared the process it takes in order to create the “Ultra Thin Glass.” The company also revealed that the glass can survive being opened and closed “up to 200,000 times” before any concerns should arise.

If you’re wondering how the comparison looks between the Galaxy Z Flip 3 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 4, you might be surprised. In our comparison, we found that while the Z Flip 3 introduced a stylish design, partially thanks to the Bespoke Edition, the Z Flip 4 “delivers in all the areas you care about.” So if you’re on the fence about upgrading, you can rest easy knowing that Samsung looks to have made all the right decisions this time around.

Samsung’s odd color combinations continue to leave us scratching our heads. The “Graygreen” Galaxy Z Fold 4 definitely looks blue in the right light. Also, shout out to the Michaelangelo dbrand skin on the Pixel 6 Pro. 

Many might be wondering whether their carrier of choice will be offering any special promotions, and we’re starting to learn more about just that. AT&T is giving away a free Galaxy Z Flip 4 when trading in “any Galaxy phone of any age and condition.” That’s an insane deal if you want to get the upgrade to Samsung’s most popular foldable phone of 2021. 

Hey y’all, Andrew here. If you’re like me and trying to pre-order Samsung’s shiny new lineup of toys, then you might be stuck. It looks like we have another year where Samsung’s servers can’t handle the hype. But we have seen some that were able to get their pre-orders in, so we’ll just have to keep hitting that refresh button.

Just as Samsung said in the presentation, the boxes for both the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 are very small, but they aren’t any different from what Samsung has been doing in recent history. Here’s the comparison between both phones and some previous-generation Samsung devices like the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy S22 Ultra, and even the baby Galaxy S21.

Oh, hey! LOOK AT THIS TIMING! Unpacked ends and our review devices have officially arrived. Look at that beautiful Bora Purple on the Galaxy Z Flip 4…

…and the classy (but strangely named) Graygreen on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Definitely no green here but plenty of gray (and blue).

That’s all folks! Unpacked is now over! 

I’m not sure but that looks like discount Keanu Reeves. 

As much as the Watch 5 Pro looks great, AC’s Chris Wedel questions what it would be like spending your time outdoors with it because the “screen won’t be able to be visible unless you wake it.”

As you would expect, Samsung is debuting a slew of new features with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro that are geared toward athletes and folks that regularly work out.

And don’t forget quality of life improvements like better battery life.

Or mega-strong frames and glass.

Android Central has some fun commentary about what’s happening: 

Chris Wedel “Samsung doing Microsoft on a foldable better than Microsoft.”

Derrek Lee “Telly..Stop Gen Z”

Nick Sutrich “TELLY (tubbies)”

Rob Dolen “I thought telly was slang for TV”

lmao

The new Fold 4 is here…and yes it is very beautiful. 

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 tightens up last year’s design by lowering the height of the phone by a few millimeters to make it a bit more compact, reducing the weight in the process. Like the Galaxy Z Flip 4 (opens in new tab)(opens in new tab), the Galaxy Z Fold 4 debuts with new cameras and 45% stronger foldable glass to ensure your foldable experience is better than with any other foldable on the market.

Samsung is also adding a new Note package to the lineup, which includes a newly redesigned “Note-style” case with an S Pen holster, along with a duo of new S Pen colors to match the two new colors the Z Fold 4 is launching with.

We like saving turtles for sure, thanks Samsung. 

New watches folks….

Samsung has just announced two new Android smartwatches, and we’ve even had an opportunity to try them for ourselves. First up, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 comes in 40mm and 44mm display variants, and initially appears to be a modest upgrade on the Watch 4. 

There’s no Classic model this year, as the new Galaxy Watch 5 Pro steps into that top-tier category, with a 45mm display and a range of other upgrades. One enhancement in particular might just push your inner Philip J. Fry into “take my money” mode.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro promises a charge that will last 80 hours, thanks to the new 590mAh battery — that’s 63% more mAh than the largest Watch 4 Classic. 

Buds buds buds, we have new ear buds folks! Samsung’s latest earbuds sound like a refined successor to the previous Galaxy Buds Pro. Samsung says the Buds Pro 2 “pack a studio-worthy listening experience into our most comfortable design yet.” The South Korean company has also brought in new “intelligent audio technology,” and at the forefront of this is the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro’s active noise cancellation (ANC). While the previous iteration also had this to some degree, Samsung is hoping to take it a step further with its new release.

Android Central’s Andrew Myrick says in our group chat “Sammy brings back the wing tips right when Google gets rid of them.”

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 follows up last year’s hit flip phone with a shinier, more squared-off design that looks closer to what a Galaxy S22 foldable might. But the Galaxy Z Fold 4 (opens in new tab)(opens in new tab) isn’t the only phone getting new cameras or a bigger battery. That’s right, the Z Flip 4 is also getting a camera upgrade, along with a larger battery, faster charging, and 45% stronger foldable glass inside.

Here’s our hands on for the Fold 4…check it out! 

Samsung and Meta partnership closer?? That’s kinda interesting…Samsung wants to help you have a better experience on Instagram. 

Flex mode helps you put your phone down and record content without having to use your hands on the Flip 4. 

New Foldables, new Watch, read our hands on here from Brendan Griffiths and Nick Sutrich! Fold 4 and Watch 5 ya’ll !!

Samsung has been using many shows to market it’s phones and it’s doing a smart thing by doing so read what Nick Sutrich has written in the past about it. 

SHOW TIME YA’LL!!! UNPACKED HAS BEGUN !

There are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding Samsung’s latest devices, such as whether they will be the first phones to ship with Android 13. Will Samsung drop the prices again? Could we see incredible trade-in offers like the last few major Galaxy phone releases? All of these questions, and plenty more, should be answered in just a few minutes!

Something that came as a surprise last year was the introduction of the Bespoke Edition Galaxy Z Flip 3. The odd thing is that this didn’t ship until a couple of months after the phone was initially launched. With the Z Flip 4, it seems that you won’t have to wait or miss out on creating a custom foldable phone, as Samsung’s own website confirmed that there will be more than 70 color combinations for you to choose from.

In addition to better battery life, Z Fold 3 fans are also hoping that rumors of improved cameras and a more manageable Cover Screen come to fruition. 

It’s not that the Z Fold 3 has bad cameras, but there’s hope that the Fold 4 will implement at least three of the Galaxy S22 Ultras cameras. 

And as for the Cover Screen, Samsung’s expected to tweak the overall design, making the phone lighter, and slightly thinner, while also allowing for improved one-handed use on the Cover Screen. We aren’t expecting a design akin to that of the Oppo Find N, but there are definitely some improvements to be made.

ONE HOUR TO GO!!! 

One of the largest complaints with both the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 were poor battery life. It’s great to have a device that pushes the boundaries of what you can do with a smartphone, but if it can’t last through an entire day on a single charge, it hampers what you can do. However, these concerns could be solved thanks to the expected use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, which boasts 30% better power efficiency and a 10% performance upgrade. While the Snapdragon 888 served well for a while, both the Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 could be worth an upgrade just on the new chipset alone.

With battery life being one of the major complaints with many of the best Android smartwatches, Samsung’s Watch 5 Pro might rectify all of that. Some of the most recent rumors point to a massive upgrade, with the Watch 5 Pro boasting an incredible 572mAh battery. We’ll have to wait and see what this means in terms of longevity, but perhaps we could finally get a Wear OS 3 smartwatch that lasts for more than a day and a half.

Perhaps one of the most surprising changes (and I will be very surprised and will look like the GIF if it comes true…) we are expecting to see from Samsung’s new wearables is the sunsetting of the “Classic” moniker. 

Samsung could replace the Watch 4 Classic with a new “Watch 5 Pro” model, which is made from Titanium and ditches the iconic physical rotating bezel. Instead, the Watch 5 Pro would use something akin to the digital bezel found on the regular Galaxy Watch 4.

In an effort to help build the hype leading up to today’s event, Samsung recently shared some results for how well its foldable phones have been selling. In 2021, almost 10 million foldable phones were shipped across the industry, marking a 300% increase compared to 2020. Coming as little surprise, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 led the charge, accounting for 70% of Samsung’s foldable sales. Not only did this exceed Samsung’s expectations, but it also continues to show that the market is slowly shifting away from traditional “slab” phones. 

TWO HOURS TO GO FOLKS!!! 

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Samsung is also expected to launch its next iteration of an AirPods Pro competitor. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro was first shown off in some CAD renders seemingly confirming that the design will be slightly…