Samsung teases new devices ahead of Unpacked Event

Samsung is gearing up to unveil a collection of new high-end devices, while hoping avoid the same problems it had with the last one.

Korean tech giant Samsung is getting ready to reveal new devices, and appears to be having another crack at the same one that left the company embarrassed last year.

February 2019 might feel like a lifetime ago at this point, but it hasn’t been all that long since Samsung shocked the tech world with the Galaxy Fold, a tablet-sized smartphone that can be folded in half.

The phone cost the earth while being about as durable as wet paper, and needed significant redesigning after early versions almost immediately began failing.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold shocked many when it was revealed last year.

Unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to the hype.

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The original Fold phones Samsung had already made appeared to wind up in the hands of drug lord Pablo Escobar’s brother, Roberto, and his electronics company.

Samsung eventually released a more durable version of the Galaxy Fold, which the company said sold out within hours of going on sale here, despite costing a cool $2999.

Foldable phones and other devices are an emerging area of interest for tech companies since Samsung first announced its folding phone.

You might want to leave the gloves on or risk damaging the fragile phone. Picture: Reuters / Hannibal Hanschke

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Now it looks set to return with a new version of the device along with several others, including another folding phone.

“These devices deliver on our vision to be the innovator of new mobile experiences that flow seamlessly and continuously wherever we go.

“They combine power with seamless functionality, whether you’re at work or play, at home or away,” Samsung’s freshly minted president and head of mobile communications TM Roh said in a blog post.

“From foldables to 5G, we have a tremendous amount in the pipeline, with some ready to be shown just around the corner,” he teased, dropping a less than subtle breadcrumb about the soon-to-be-unveiled devices that will help customers “be empowered to live life to the fullest with these devices in your hand (and in your ears, and on your wrist)”.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip was the company’s second folding model, and looks set to be updated with faster 5G connectivity. Picture: Robin Utrecht/AFP

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Mr Roh assumed his new role around six months ago.

Shortly after, the company introduced its Galaxy S20, S20+ and the huge (and hugely expensive) S20 Ultra phones, which arrived on the market just in time for all the stores to close and people to stay in their homes.

August’s Unpacked event is expected to bring with it the Galaxy Fold 2 (further hinted at by a Samsung social media post referencing folds and featuring the phone’s butterfly aesthetic).

One fold, infinite possibilities. Unpacked on August 5, 2020.
Visit https://t.co/ca2XTlBGnt to watch the #SamsungEvent pic.twitter.com/kESP5toPrS

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) July 19, 2020

It’s also expected a new Galaxy Note device will be unveiled.

The Note phones are Samsung’s answer to the old BlackBerry or PDA, targeting business power users with big screens, pen inputs and a focus on productivity and security.

It’s usually a more conservative line of phones and is unlikely to feature some of the crazier or more experimental specs in the flagship Galaxy S range, such as the S20 Ultra’s insane 100x zoom feature.

The Galaxy Note has long been a favourite for power users. Picture: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP

A 5G version of the Galaxy Z Flip has also been rumoured, as well as a new smartwatch and new wireless earbuds.

Samsung’s Unpacked event will be livestreamed from South Korea, starting at 12am August 6.