Samsung‘s second Galaxy Unpacked event of the year is over – and it was another big one for fans of foldables and smartwatches.
As predicted by the (many) leaks and rumors, Samsung launched a trio of new foldables. Leading the pack was the new Z Fold 7, but we were also treated to more affordable alternatives in the Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 7 FE (which appears to be the Z Flip 6 in disguise).
It wasn’t just a big foldables fest either, with Samsung also delivering the Galaxy 8 series. Alongside the new Galaxy Watch 8, we also saw the return of the rotating bezel with the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, a smartwatch that also does a very good impersonation of a dress watch.
But what else did Samsung reveal (or fail to reveal) at what will likely be its last Unpacked event of 2025? Here are all of the big headlines in one handy place…
1. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 finally brings a usable cover screen to the party
In recent years, it’s felt like the Galaxy Z Flip series has been one step behind the competition – but that finally changes with the new Galaxy Z Flip 7.
Samsung has seemingly innovated in all the right places with its latest flip foldable, which boasts a big, beautiful cover display (it’s now 4.1 inches!) and a host of meaningful longevity upgrades like a stronger hinge and a more powerful Exynos 2500 chipset.
The Flip 7’s internal display has been beefed up, too. At 6.9 inches, it’s bigger and wider than the inner screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and as we noted in our hands-on Galaxy Z Flip 7 review, this size increase “makes the phone feel more like a Galaxy S25 Ultra and less like an oddly-shaped foldable in the hand.”
Other upgrades include a larger battery and improved waterproofing, but the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is all about the new display experience – both screens are bigger and better, and as a result, Samsung’s Flip series no longer trails behind the likes of the Motorola Razr Ultra.
2. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an ‘Ultra’ level phone with a price to match
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The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 was arguably the star of this latest Unpacked event. Far from just being an iterative upgrade, this was an all-round improvement on the already-excellent Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, as we’ve described in our hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review.
There are of course the expected power upgrades, with this phone gaining a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and – at the top end – an extra 4GB of RAM. But Samsung has also equipped the Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a new 200MP primary snapper, and increased the sizes of both screens.
Perhaps most importantly, this is by far the slimmest and lightest Z Fold yet, coming in at just 215g (that’s less than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra!), and just 8.9mm thick when folded and 4.2mm thick when unfolded.
But all of this comes at a high price, with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 starting at $1,999.99 / £1,799 AU$2,899 – which in the US is $100 more than last year’s phone and in Australia is AU$150 more. Ouch.
3. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 has been reborn as the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE
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For the first time, Samsung has launched an FE version of one of its foldable phones, giving potential buyers a cheaper entry point than usual. But if you’ve been keeping an eye on foldable phones then the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE might seem strangely familiar to you.
That’s because this is basically just the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 all over again. It has exactly the same dimensions, it weighs the same, and they both have a 6.7-inch 120Hz foldable display and a 3.4-inch 60Hz cover screen.
Their cameras are the same too (though in fairness they also match the standard Z Flip 7’s camera specs), and both phones have a 4,000mAh battery.
The main differences are simply the chipset and RAM, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE having an Exynos 2400 and 8GB, rather than a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 12GB. So the newer phone is actually less powerful – but it also costs less, starting at $899 / £849 / AU$1,499. Whether that lower price will be enough to tempt buyers remains to be seen.
4. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 is slimmer and brighter than before
It wasn’t just phones at Unpacked – Samsung also unveiled some wearables, including the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, and this has a new slimmer 8.6mm thick design, and a much brighter screen that can reach 3,000 nits.
It’s not only the hardware that’s been upgraded either, as the Galaxy Watch 8 also has some new software features, such as Gemini on your wrist, and a new Running Coach, which can put you on one of 160 different running plans.
There’s also now an Antioxidant Index, which can give you an idea of whether you’re eating enough fruit and vegetables (though deep down you probably know the answer to that already).
It’s not all good news – our hands-on Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 review noted for example that the battery life is still too short, but the upgrades that have been made sound promising. There’s also a new Classic version, for fans of rotating bezels…
5. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is this year’s answer to the Ultra
Last year, Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, but rather than getting a new Ultra model this year, we’ve got the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.
The Classic has a rotating bezel, much like previous Classic models, and our hands-on Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review was as taken with this as ever. But it also borrows from the Ultra with, for example, a programmable Quick Button. And while this wearable is definitely dressed to impress, it’s not small, coming in at a chunky 10.6mm thick.
Most of the other highlights are on the software side, with the Watch 8 Classic packing on-wrist Gemini, sleep apnea detection, and the same new Running Coach app as the standard Galaxy Watch 8.
At $499 / £449 / AU$899 this is a pricier prospect than the standard Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, but it’s also sure to turn more heads.
6. Google Gemini comes to the Galaxy Watch 8 – and all Wear OS smartwatches
One of the big AI announcements at this Unpacked event was that Google Gemini would be coming to the Galaxy Watch 8 series. And now Google has followed that up by revealing that Gemini is rolling out across all Wear OS watches, including those from Oppo, OnePlus, Xiaomi and, of course, Pixel watches.
This means you’ll be able to talk to Gemini without having your phone nearby, and will let you ask your smartwatch questions using natural language. In theory, you should get speedy, concise answers too, but we’ll be looking to try this out for ourselves before passing judgement.
Google says Gemini will start to roll out to Wear OS watches “over the coming weeks”, as long as your watch is running Wear OS 4 or higher.
7. The One UI 8 rollout is landing soon (for some)
If it doesn’t feel that long since One UI 7 landed, it wasn’t – Samsung’s take on Android 15 arrived as recently as December 2024. But One UI 8 will soon take the baton just six months on, with the new OS pre-installed on the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 – both of which ship on July 25.
So, what’s new with One UI 8? As we covered in our recent rumor roundup, you can expect to see an improved AI audio eraser, plus several other AI improvements. These include a more powerful Gemini Live feature (now also available on the Z Flip 7’s Flex Window) and a better version of Circle to Search, which can tap into Google’s AI Mode for more in-depth answers to your questions.
One of our big unanswered questions, though, is exactly when One UI 8 will rollout to older Samsung devices like the Galaxy S25? Samsung didn’t address that at its latest Unpacked, which will leave some worried that it could drag on in a similar vein to One UI 7.
8. The Z Fold 7 ditches the S Pen
One more controversial piece of news from Samsung’s second Unpacked this year is that the Z Fold 7 has dropped support for the S Pen. Why? It’s all in aid of that slimmer foldable design.
By ditching the digitizer layer in the display that supports the S Pen, Samsung has been able to get the Z Fold 7 down to just 8.9mm thick when folded and only 4.2mm when unfolded. For some, the lack of S Pen support will be an annoying compromise, but Samsung clearly thinks it’s one that’s worth making.
To be fair, the Z Fold series has never come with an S Pen, nor has it had a slot where you could stash one away. It was also only possible to use it on the foldable’s inner display, rather than the cover display. But Samsung may have incurred the wrath of power users who see the Fold series as the natural heirs to its old Note family.
9. Samsung’s tri-foldable still isn’t ready for prime-time
All of the stars were pointing to an official teaser of the Samsung Galaxy tri-foldable, or G Fold as it’s been referred to in rumors, at this Unpacked 2025 event. But we didn’t even get a five-second trailer.
This was disappointing, as in recent days we’ve seen the first signs of the tri-foldable appear in One UI 8, along with credible rumors about mass production starting in September. That led us to think that Samsung would at least start building the hype for its next big foldable design.
But there are also likely good reasons why it didn’t, including the tri-foldable’s expected exclusivity. Not only is it rumored to be prohibitively expensive (early whispers predicted a tag in the region of $3,000-$3,500), there’s a chance it may also only go on sale in South Korea and China, initially.
If that’s the case, then a reveal at a global event like Unpacked 2025 would make less sense. But it doesn’t make us any less excited about seeing it later this year.
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mark.wilson@futurenet.com (Mark Wilson)
