Samsung Galaxy Unpacked July 2023 live: Galaxy Z Fold 5, Flip 5, Watch 6 and more expected

Part of our tour of Samsung’s Digital City included a model smart home with a robust collection of SmartThings-enabled products. They could do everything from helping you to wake up in the morning to walking you step-by-step through cooking a meal including portioning water for your ramen for you. However, it was the PC gaming room that captured my attention with the massive Samsung Odyssey Ark display looming large and making the typically desk-defining 49-inch ultrawide display alongside it look positively petite by comparison.

Galaxy Watch 6 may get its bezel back

It’s rare that you see anyone celebrating something other than the elimination of the bezel from a piece of tech, but in the case of the Galaxy Watch 6 rumors suggest could bring back the rotating bezel, which fans were sad to see go on the Galaxy Watch 5.

Count me among them, the tactile feel of navigating through menus with that rotating physical bezel is fantastic. I even loved the sound of it. While Samsung gave you a touch bezel to simulate the experience without having to touch the actual display, it just isn’t the same. So here’s hoping this leak is accurate.

Samsung Galaxy Ring

Filed under tantalizing rumors that we aren’t sure will come to pass is the Samsung Galaxy Ring or Samsung Galaxy Pulse. A report on July 17 suggested that Samsung is ready to put a ring on its wearable fans sometime soon with this finger-based fitness wearable in “advanced development” according to Korean news site The Elec.

However, most of the report centered on patents and trademarks, rather than even prototype hardware, so it’s a stretch to imagine Samsung will have it ready in time for Galaxy Unpacked today. Assuming it doesn’t appear at Unpacked, we’ll be keeping our ears to the ground for more on this brand-new wearable from Samsung as it could be ready by the time the Galaxy S24 rolls around next year.

Matrix Phone

Dipping back into to my visit to Samsung’s Innovation Museum, I was among a number of journalists that were tempted to plan an Ocean’s 11 style heist to get our hands on the Matrix Phone (a.k.a. Samsung SPH-N270). 20 years later there is still something just ridiculously compelling about this phone. I could picture Neo wielding a Z Flip these days, at least you still have that satisfying feeling of snapping it shut when you’re done with a call.

Galaxy Z Flip 5 cover display upgrade

While the rumored hinge change could have a significant impact on Samsung’s foldables, by far the biggest visual update would be the larger cover display on the Galaxy Z Flip 5. There are countless leaks including what appear to be official Samsung marketing materials regarding this change, which would bring the Z Flip 5 in line with its hot new competition from the Motorola Razr+.

The big question is what will you be able to do with that newfound screen real estate? A recent leak showed 7 potential use cases for the Z Flip 5 cover display that seem limited to specific widgets as opposed to the wild west of the Razr+ cover display which will let you put whatever you want on it, for good and for bad.

Reliable tipster @UniverseIce on Twitter has once again shot down the notion that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will add dust resistance to its existing water resistance despite the alleged new hinge design.

Galaxy Z Fold 5 hinge rumors
Leaping back to the present, one of the bigger rumors regarding Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a completely revamped hinge design that may reduce or eliminate the crease on the display. Having used many foldables now I will attest that you simply do not notice the crease after even a brief time with the phones, but I can’t argue that it would be better if it didn’t exist at all.

Beyond its impact on the crease, this new design, apparently known as the dumbbell, allegedly would allow for a fold-flat design with a gentler curve that would put less stress on the folding display. While Samsung has done a lot to eliminate the concerns over the fragility of its foldables, there’s no denying it’s still a worry. So anything that is going to bolster the lives of these expensive phones is going to be welcome.

We aren’t expecting any laptop announcements at Galaxy Unpacked July 2023, but we’re Laptop Mag, so we couldn’t resist a photo op with the first Korean laptop from 1987 that we spotted at Samsung’s Innovation Museum.

Good morning from sunny Seoul, South Korea. This is Sean Riley, Assistant Managing Editor for Laptop Mag, and I’ll be with you for the next several hours in the run-up to Galaxy Unpacked July 2023, taking a look at all of the rumors surrounding Samsung’s latest devices that we expect to see and giving you a glimpse at some of what Samsung has shown us so far during our trip to the company’s Digital City.

Stay with us through Galaxy Unpacked, which kicks off at 7 a.m. ET on July 26, for our commentary on all of the announcements as they happen.