Everything Samsung announced at Galaxy Unpacked

Samsung unfolded the Z Fold4, Z Flip4, new watches and headphones at its Galaxy Unpacked event. We've got the full details including Australian pricing and availability.

As was widely speculated and extensively leaked online, Samsung's latest "Galaxy Unpacked" event was primarily all about the South Korean tech company's latest update to its line of foldable phones, alongside wearables and new headphone options for the Samsung faithful.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked has come and gone for another year. Here are all the important announcements that you need to know about.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

Those hoping for a radical reinvention of the Galaxy Fold design in its fourth generation will be left a little wanting, with Samsung instead opting for what are basically specification upgrades to the processor, camera and front display.

In design terms, the Galaxy Z Fold4 will ship in 3 colours. Phantom Black makes a return from last year's Galaxy Z Fold3, but it's joined by Graygreen and Beige as your colour options. The Galaxy Z Fold4 is slimmed down and lighter, but it keeps the same impressive IPX8 water resistance as its predecessor.

Where you'd spot the visual difference with the Galaxy Z Fold4 is in the front display screen, where Samsung has gradually improved screen size over the years. The cover screen on the Galaxy Z Fold4 measures in at 6.2 inches with a 120Hz adaptive Dynamic AMOLED 2x display at 2316x904 pixels, making for a 23.1:9 screen ratio.

Comparatively while the Galaxy Z Fold3 also has a 6.2-inch cover display, it's at 2268x832 at a 24.5:9 ratio. What that means is that while they're the same diagonally, the Galaxy Z Fold4's display is slightly wider – which means it should be more useful.

The display on the Galaxy Z Fold4 should also be more durable, as it's using Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

On the camera front, it's a mixed story of improvements and similarities. The Galaxy Z Fold4 remains the only phone you can buy with an in-display sensor built in, but it remains the same 4MP snapper as last year's model. It's much the same story for the cover display's 10MP sensor too.

However, at the "back" of the Galaxy Z Fold4, Samsung has made some solid improvements, effectively snatching the camera module from the Galaxy S22 Plus and dropping it into place. That's going to be a solid upgrade from the sensors on the Galaxy Z Fold4, although it does still leave it running behind the camera specs of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Speaking of the Ultra, the Galaxy Z Fold4 once again includes S-Pen support, which is great for sketching out notes, annotations, photo editing or just plain doodling in your idle moments. However, like the Galaxy Z Fold3, it's not bundled, there's no cavity for it to slot in as there is with the S22 Ultra, and it'll only work with the specific Fold variants of the S-Pen. Great news if you bought one for last year's Z Fold3, less great if you've got an older Note S-Pen, because it flat out won't work.

One new neat feature in Samsung's OneUI launcher is an app taskbar for the fully unfolded display, making it considerably easier to switch between apps or app groups. Samsung has experimented with this kind of feature for years, going back to its "Edge" displays on older Samsung S series phones, but it's a very smart feature for the tablet size of the Galaxy Z Fold4. It's also the first device that'll ship with Android 12L, designed for larger display screens.

We've already had the opportunity for a limited hands-on session with the Galaxy Z Fold4, and you can read our full impressions of Samsung's new premium foldable phone here.

Galaxy Z Fold4: Australian availability

The Galaxy Z Fold4 will go on pre-order from 11 August 2022, with actual on-sale availability from 2 September 2022.

As a pre-order bonus, Samsung will double the internal memory allocation on any model ordered, so it's effectively selling the 512GB model for the 256GB price, and the 1TB model for the 512GB price. You'll also score a trade-up bonus of $500 if trading in an eligible device, and 50% off Samsung Care+ for pre-orders.

Telco offers vary, with Optus throwing in a bonus Galaxy Tab A8 64GB valued at $529 along with a 5GB 3-month SIM to use in it and 6 months of its upgrade and protect plan. Vodafone will give you $700 of bonus trade-in credit and a Samsung Trio Wireless charger. Telstra, for its part will bundle the new Galaxy Watch5 with all Galaxy Z Fold4 pre-orders, valued at up to $649.

Galaxy Z Fold4: Australian pricing

Over the years, Samsung has gradually made its foldable devices cheaper and more accessible to more consumers.

However, it appears that the global chip shortage and shipping issues are biting at the margins, because the big news here is that pricing is essentially identical for the Galaxy Z Fold4 as it was for the Galaxy Z Fold3, give or take just a few dollars for a few variants. Here's what you'll pay for each model of the Galaxy Z Fold4 in Australia outright:

That pricing does make the discount for pre-ordering pretty tasty, given it's an effective $300 saving, presuming you can afford it in the first place.

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Galaxy Z Fold4 vs Galaxy Z Fold3: Specifications

So, how much of a change has Samsung made between generations? Here's the rundown of key specifications between the Galaxy Z Fold4 and the Galaxy Z Fold3.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4

The smaller and more affordable foldable variant of the Galaxy family also gets the very light upgrade treatment, mostly under the hood.

In colour terms there's a shift to fewer available direct colours at launch, with Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold and Blue variants to pick from. Someone at Samsung is having fun with colour names at least, with Bora being the Korean word for purple, so it's selling a phone in a colour called "Purple Purple".

That's not the whole colour story, however, as the Galaxy Z Flip4 will also come in a bespoke edition with a whole range of colour plates to pick from. You'll pay a little more for a bespoke Galaxy Z Flip4, but unlike last year this isn't a service you'll have to wait for.

Bespoke Galaxy Z Flip4 units will only sell through Samsung directly, but they'll go on pre-order at the same time as the regular colours of the Galaxy Z Flip4. Samsung Australia representatives told Finder that it expects bespoke units to ship "at around the same time" as the regular colour units, so there's a good chance if you're keen that you could get your personalised Galaxy Z Flip4 on launch day.

The Galaxy Z Flip4 gets the same processor bump as the Galaxy Z Fold4, but not the same camera upgrades in a hardware sense. Samsung's claim here is that the processor bump alone gives it enough muscle to upgrade its low light capabilities. Samsung's early sample shots of low light that it showed Finder were impressive, but we'll need to fully test that out for ourselves. You're still otherwise stuck with a phone with just an ultra wide and wide camera lens on the folded "front" of the device, which becomes the back when fully unfolded.

The cover display remains a small 1.9 inches, good for simple notifications and the like. One new trick here is that you can set not only photos but videos to run on the cover display if you like. That's likely to have an impact on battery life, however.

Speaking of battery life, Samsung has listened to complaints about sub-par battery performance – it was a notable issue in our review – adding 400mAh of battery capacity to the Galaxy Z Flip4 without substantially altering its physical dimensions or weight. OK, it's 4g heavier than the Galaxy Z Flip3. Can you measure 3g in your hand directly? I doubt it. Charging also sees a slight boost up to 25W wired and 15W wireless, although as with most flagship phones these days there's no supplied in-box charger.

We've already had the opportunity for a limited hands-on session with the Galaxy Z Flip4 as well, and you can read our full impressions of Samsung's new compact foldable phone here.

Galaxy Z Flip4: Australian availability

Like the Galaxy Z Fold4, the Galaxy Z Flip3 will go on pre-order from 11 August 2022, with actual on-sale availability from 2 September 2022.

Like the Z Fold4, you also get the same memory-doubling bonus if you pre-order, so the 256GB variant can be yours for the 128GB price, or the 512GB model for 256GB money. If you're trading in an eligible device, you'll get a trade-up bonus of $300, and 50% off Samsung Care+.

Telco pre-order offers are mostly the same, too. Optus will throw in the same Galaxy Tab A8 64GB valued at $529 along with a 5GB 3-month SIM to use in it and 6 months of its Upgrade and Protect plan, and Telstra will gift you a Galaxy Watch 5 with all Galaxy Z Fold4 pre-orders, valued at up to $649.

The only differentiator here is Vodafone. You still get a Trio wireless charger with pre-orders, but the Z Flip4 only gets $500 of bonus trade-in value, compared to $700 for Z Fold4 pre-orders.

Galaxy Z Flip4: Australian pricing

Like the Galaxy Z Fold4, at a base level there's not much change in Z Flip4 pricing. It's not quite the same story when you climb up the pricing tiers, however, which is a tad disappointing when you consider that the Flip4 is meant to be Samsung's more "affordable" folding device.

Here's what you'll pay for each model of the Galaxy Z Flip4 in Australia outright:

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 vs Galaxy Z Flip3: Specifications

The changes to the Flip4 are mostly of the under-the-hood variety, as you can see when we put the two side by side:

Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro

Samsung also used Unpacked to unpack a pair of new wearable devices in the Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro. Like the Fold and Flip, it's mostly a story of gentle evolution rather than radical redesign, although it is notable that Samsung's moving into larger wearables with the Galaxy Watch5 Pro, which ships with a 45mm display, compared to the 44mm and 40mm variants of the Galaxy Watch5.

That larger size allows Samsung to pack in a bigger battery, too, with a 590mAh power cell, compared to the 410mah and 284mAh batteries in the Watch5 44mm and 40mm respectively. Durability is the other big play for the Watch5 Pro, with a sapphire crystal display and titanium casing that puts it up against the big fitness watch players, where the regular Watch5 models are more traditional smartwatch style devices.

One feature that hasn't made the cut this year is Samsung's rotating bezel, with all models instead using a "virtual" software bezel for control. Some consumers loved the physical bezel – I'm one of them – but it seems Samsung is more set towards a plainer design style that having a spinning rim wouldn't allow for.

In terms of features, Samsung once again sells the Watch5 and Watch5 Pro on enhanced fitness and sleep tracking with an upgraded 3-in-1 "BioActive" sensor for measuring optical heart rate, electrical heart signal and bioelectrical impedence analysis. For the new models, a larger sensor has Samsung claiming that it's even more accurate, although it does stop short of claiming it to be a medical-grade device.

The Watch5 and Watch5 Pro will also track sleep in more advanced ways, with an enhanced sleep score metric to allow users to measure their rest journey over time.

As is seemingly always the way with Samsung, there are a range of colours available depending on your size preferences. Those who favour a smaller smartwatch will be able to get the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 40mm in Graphite, Pink Gold or Silver hues. Those who want the 44mm Galaxy Watch5 can pick from Graphite, Sapphire or Silver finishes.

The Galaxy Watch5 Pro wants to be a tad more serious, and you can get its 45mm frame in Black Titanium or Gray Titanium only.

Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro: Australian availability

The Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro will go on pre-order in Australia from 11 August 2022, with on-sale availability from 2 September 2022.

Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro: Australian pricing

All 3 major telcos will offer the Galaxy Watch5, with both Vodafone and Optus offering up a pair of white Galaxy Buds2 (RRP $219) as a pre-order offer bonus, while Telstra will provide a free pair of Galaxy Buds Live ($249) if you pre-order through them.

Vodafone's the only telco offering pre-orders for the Galaxy Watch5 Pro, with the same $219 Galaxy Buds2 in white as the pre-order bonus.

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Galaxy Buds2 Pro

Rounding out the Galaxy Unpacked news are a new set of Galaxy Buds headphones, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro. As the name suggests, they're Samsung's new premium buds with in-built – and apparently improved – active noise cancelling. There's also support for 24-bit audio if your music service or files support it as well as 360-degree audio.

On the battery front, Samsung reckons that the Galaxy Buds2 Pro are good for up to 8 hours of listening with ANC disabled, dropping to 5 hours with ANC on. Full play time with the charging case runs to 29 hours with no ANC, or 18 hours with it enabled.

The Galaxy Buds2 come in Graphite, White or Bora Purple – again with the purple purple there, Samsung finishes.

Galaxy Buds2 Pro: Australian availability

The Galaxy Buds2 Pro will go on pre-order in Australia from 11 August 2022, with on-sale availability from 2 September 2022.

Galaxy Buds2 Pro: Australian pricing

The Galaxy Buds2 Pro will cost $349 outright. Optus is the only telco offering them for pre-order, with a bonus $50 accessory voucher as an incentive.

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