Samsung’s new AI Galaxy devices: Lighter, smarter and more powerful

PARIS – Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Unpacked event this summer is mind-boggling. The South Korean tech giant’s new AI-featured devices are thinner, lighter, smarter and more powerful.

At Carousel du Louvre, a cultural complex within Paris' Louvre Museum, Samsung unveiled the much-anticipated latest iteration of Galaxy devices: the Z Flip6, Z Fold6, Galaxy Ring, Watch7, Watch Ultra and Buds.

The two new foldable smartphones — the Galaxy Z Flip6 and the Galaxy Z Fold6 — come in sizes similar to their predecessors but are much thinner and lighter.

The Z Fold6 is 12.1 millimeters thick, 1.3 mm less than its predecessor, and weighs 239 grams, 14 grams lighter than before.

The main screen is 7.6 inches, the same size as its predecessor, but without a bezel it looks larger.

The Z Flip6 comes with a bigger 4,000 mAh battery — a key upgrade from its predecessor’s 3,700 mAh — and improved rear camera performance, boasting 50 million pixels versus the previous version’s 12 million.

Another major improvement to its foldable line of smartphones is the “wrinkle-free” screen, which addresses user complaints of weakening when repeatedly folded and opened, Samsung said.

The Flip6 and the Fold6 are powered by Qualcomm’s ultra-intelligent Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor chipset, which Samsung also used in the Galaxy S24 Ultra line of smartphones.

Samsung’s new wireless earphones, the Galaxy Buds3, have a new design, their first change since the Buds series' launch in 2019.

Moving away from the kidney bean shape and adding pillars, the Galaxy Buds3 look more like Apple's AirPods. They also come with a lighting function.

SAMSUNG’S FIRST SMART RING

Perhaps the most exciting product at Galaxy Unpacked 2024 is the Galaxy Ring. Samsung's first smart ring promises a host of fitness and wellness-tracking features.

Key features of the health tracker include the ability to continuously monitor heart rate during sleep, sleep latency, respiratory rate and night movement — four metrics that the current Galaxy Watch 6 doesn't track.

The Galaxy Ring, first announced at a Samsung Unpacked event earlier this year, can monitor the wearer’s heart rate and other health conditions for seven days on a single charge, according to Samsung.

In the wearable segment, Samsung also unveiled new smartwatches: the Galaxy Watch7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra, a premium variant that aims to compete directly with Apple's offerings.

NEW GALAXY SERIES TO RIVAL APPLE

Samsung’s new Galaxy devices, equipped with advanced AI functions, will compete with Apple’s newest and future smart gadgets.

Samsung’s new AI-powered translation app will support 16 languages, enabling simultaneous translation work on the go.

The Korean company said it aims to expand its “Galaxy AI ecosystem” by linking its smartphones, smartwatches and smart rings.

While unveiling the Galaxy S24, which Samsung calls “the world’s first AI phone," earlier this year, the company’s mobile chief TM Roh said mobile devices will become the primary access point for AI and Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone series has a leading role to play in broadening the horizons for new possibilities in consumer experience.

While Apple remains the dominant player in the premium smartphone segment, controlling 71% of the market with Samsung a distant second with a 17% share, the US company has yet to unveil a foldable phone and an AI smartphone.

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6 are likely to sell 30% more than their predecessors.

Samsung began receiving pre-orders for the Fold6 and Flip6 smartphones in late June and over 100,000 people have already expressed the intention to buy one, a record high for its foldables.

New Samsung Galaxy devices will be available in select markets as early as July 24.

Write to Chae-Yeon Kim at why29@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.