Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 in the next few hours. The new wave of foldable phones will likely be the focus of the company’s Samsung Unpacked event on Wednesday, which will be the first to take place in its hometown of Seoul, South Korea. If you’re already up and getting ready to watch the launch from the US, treat yourself to an extra shot in your coffee.
While Samsung’s entering its fifth consecutive year in the foldable phone market, the devices it’s launching at this year’s Unpacked arrive among a good deal more competition. Google’s $1,800 Pixel Fold is the first Pixel device to adopt a similar style to the Galaxy Z Fold series, in which a traditionally scaled phone unfolds to reveal an inner tablet-size screen. OnePlus is also rumored to have its own foldable phone on the way, which could further disrupt the space.
And after taking a few years off from the US market, Motorola’s new $1,000 Razr Plus is now eyeing Samsung’s Z Flip series, with the newest entry including a larger cover screen that can run most Android apps. We also know Motorola has a more affordable Razr model on the way with a smaller cover screen.
And it’s not only phones. Samsung’s summer Unpacked events often include an update to the Galaxy Watch series. While the Samsung Galaxy Watch now faces competition with Google’s Pixel Watch, on the software side Samsung and Google remain in a partnership towards the development of Wear OS. However, Samsung often differentiates its watches by way of its own software enhancements, and it’s likely a new Galaxy Watch would provide a spotlight for any new Samsung Health updates.
CNET will be covering the next Samsung Unpacked event live as it happens, and here is how you can watch all of the reveals next week. This will include a live blog and a live watch party, which will cover the leadup to the next phone event and run through all of the new devices as they’re unveiled.
Samsung’s Unpacked invitation makes it quite clear foldable phones are being featured.
How to watch the next Samsung Unpacked event
Samsung’s next Unpacked event starts on Wednesday, July 26 at 4 a.m. PT, 7 a.m. ET, 12 p.m. in the UK and 9 p.m. in Australia. The early time is because Samsung is holding the event at 8 p.m. local time in Seoul.
Samsung will be livestreaming the Unpacked announcements on Samsung.com and on Samsung’s YouTube channel.
CNET’s live blog will launch the day before Samsung Unpacked, and our live watch party will stream on CNET’s YouTube channel.
What are we expecting at Samsung’s Unpacked event?
Based on the Samsung Unpacked invitation, foldable phones are almost assuredly the focus of the next event.
Samsung is using the tagline “Join the flip side” to promote the July 26 event while showing a phone that unfolds and flips around in its GIF graphic (watchful eyes may catch two silhouettes; possibly of both series of foldables). This is likely pointing to updates to the Galaxy Z Fold series and the Galaxy Z Flip series.
Samsung also traditionally debuts its latest Galaxy Watch alongside its foldable phones, and that could also come with announcements related to Samsung Health. Samsung has already teased that its upcoming One UI 5 Watch software will include a bigger focus on sleep and heart-rate tracking. Such features could point to the future of the next Galaxy Watch, even if the software updates will also be available to prior Galaxy Watch models.
