Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021 reveals Galaxy Z Fold3, Galaxy Z Flip3, Buds2 and Watch4 series to the world

In a live stream event, Samsung revealed their next generation of foldable smartphones and the  gear to accompany them. Taking pride of place at the launch is the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3, the fashionable Galaxy Z Flip3, the Galaxy Buds2 wireless earbuds and the Galaxy Watch4 series.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3

As the centerpiece of Unpacked 2021, the Galaxy Z Fold3 was the most impressive example of engineering from Suwon with plenty of surprises left to show even with the plethora of leaks.

 In terms of form factor and design, it’s akin to the Galaxy Z Fold2 released last year but is slightly lighter by 11 grams at 271g and thinner all around with enhanced durability and toughness thanks to a new Armor Aluminium chassis with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protecting key parts of the phone. The phone also has an impressive IPX8 water resistance which means it can shrug off freshwater immersion in up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes at a time.

Up front, the phone has a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate with the main screen still a 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x Infinity Flex display which also has a 120Hz refresh rate. 

The main screen also has support for an optional S Pen stylus with Samsung offering two versions, an S Pen Fold Edition which has Air commands and no Bluetooth along with an S Pen Pro which is larger, has Bluetooth and can work with other Samsung stylus supported gear like older Note series phones and tablets.

Of note here is that they’ve implemented Samsung’s first 4MP under display camera on the main screen which is almost invisible when the screen is on. Just above the front Cover screen, they’ve added a 10MP camera while the rear of the phone features three 12MP cameras, with one primary with OIS, a second one with 2x optical zoom and an ultra wide angle camera. 

Under the hood, the phone has 12GB RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of non-expandable storage with a Snapdragon 888 chip running Android 11 and their latest One UI 3.0 with WiFi 6 and 5G (NSA and SA) sub6/mmWave. 

It will come in three colours – Phantom Black, Phantom Green and Phantom Silver. At launch, prices start from US$1,799.99 (about RM7,632) with availability from 27th August. For more details, check out our more in-depth Galaxy Z Fold3 feature here.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 skips a version number to keep it in line with the Z Fold3 but is otherwise the successor to the Galaxy Z Flip released last year with hardware and software improvements all around. Improvements include a similar chassis made of Armor Aluminium and an IPX8 rating as the Z Fold 3.

The phone has a slightly slimmer form factor all around and a front-facing 1.9-inch Super AMOLED cover screen that’s four times larger than its predecessor for easier selfies and the ability to more easily read messages at a glance. Flip the phone open and you get a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate paired with stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support.

On the rear is a dual camera array with a 12MP primary camera with OIS and a second 12MP wide angle camera with the main screen packing a 10MP for selfies in a punch hole above the display.

Powering the phone is a Snapdragon 888 processor with 8GB RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage with WiFi6 and 5G connectivity. Powering the phone is a 3,300mAh dual battery with 25W fast wired and 15W wireless charging.

 At launch, Samsung will price the phone from US$999.99 (about RM4,239) with availability from 27th August in Cream, Green, Lavender and Phantom Black while Gray, White and Pink versions are Samsung online exclusives. For a closer look, check out our in-depth on the Galaxy Z Filp3 feature here.

Samsung Galaxy Watch4 series

On the smartwatch front, Samsung’s latest generation Galaxy Watch4 caters to those who prefer a sportier, more seamless design while the Watch4 Classic is for traditionalists who prefer a rotating bezel to navigate the menus. Both will of course be navigable via the rounded AMOLED display.

The Watch4 and Watch4 Classic each also have a slightly larger and smaller variant. The Watch4 Classic has a 46mm variant with a 1.35-inch AMOLED display and a 42mm variant with a 1.19-inch AMOLED display while the Watch4 has a 44mm version with a 1.36-inch AMOLED and a smaller 40mm with a 1.19-inch AMOLED display.

Instead of their own Tizen UI, the new Watch4 series runs on Google Wear OS overlaid with their One UI Watch,  run on the new Exynos W920 processor, have 1.5GB RAM and 16GB of onboard storage and your choice of either Bluetooth only or LTE eSIM enabled versions. Battery life is rated for about 40 hours on average and the watches support gesture controls. 

If you move your wrist up and down twice, you’re able to take calls from a paired phone. If you rotate your wrist back and forth twice, you can reject a call or dismiss notifications. Samsung has also left a customisable ‘knock knock’ gesture that lets you assign a command to it as needed.

At launch, Samsung announced that the Galaxy Watch4 40mm Bluetooth will cost US$249.99 (about RM1,054) and up while the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic 42mm Bluetooth only version will cost US$349.99 (about RM1,476). 

Both the Watch4 and Watch4 Classic come in your choice of Black and Silver though the Galaxy Watch4 has more colour options with a 44mm version in Green and a 40mm Pink Gold version. 

Both watches will be available from 27th August in selected markets. For a more indepth look at the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch Classic, check out our Galaxy Watch4 series feature here.

Samsung Galaxy Buds2

The new Galaxy Buds2 are their latest wireless earbuds to accompany the new Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 series with a series of subtle refinements while retaining the same squarish charging case as the Buds Pro and Buds Live. What has changed aesthetically is a more streamlined looking pair of earbuds that house a tweeter and a woofer along with active noise cancellation. 

The earbuds pack Bluetooth 5.2 and also feature a trio of microphones and a Voice Pickup Unit (VPU) for clearer voice calls on either end of the divide. In terms of battery life, the Galaxy Buds2 are rated for 5 hours of usage with ANC on and about 20 hours in total with the charging case.

In terms of colour choices, all Galaxy Buds2 will have a shiny white external charging case but have different coloured earbuds and a matching interior with your choice of Graphite, White, Olive and Lavender with a price tag of US149.99 (about RM636) .For more details, check out our Galaxy Buds2 feature here.

Galaxy Z Fold3, Galaxy Z Flip3, Galaxy Watch4 series and Galaxy Buds2 Malaysia preorder details and launch date

At its global launch, Samsung Malaysia has not provided preorder or pricing details for any of the new line-up of devices revealed at Unpacked 2021 but some confirmed details include the fact that the Galaxy Watch series will have LTE eSIM capable variants.

While they have provided prices in US dollars, it’s always usually not indicative of local prices in Malaysia and will, in general, differ slightly on account of taxes, exchange rates and whanot. The moment we get any updates we’ll give you a holler.

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