Samsung Galaxy Unpacked: What to expect

As is tradition, almost everything Samsung is expected to announce at their upcoming Unpacked event has leaked. We've got details on the new Tab 7 tablet, Galaxy Buds Live wireless earbuds, Galaxy Watch 3, Z Fold 2 folding phone, and Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra.

Video Transcript

CHRIS VELAZCO: Samsung's big, unpacked launch events are usually spoiled well in advance by months of leaks and reporting. But this time, it looks like Samsung couldn't help but get in on the act themselves. The company's mobile chief, TM Rowe confirmed in a blog post that we'd see five devices unveiled during the show. And then, Samsung published a teaser video that briefly cuts to a family photo of sorts that leaves very little to the imagination.

Since Samsung is letting it all hang out anyway, we thought we should take a little time before the event to run through what each of those devices are.

Starting on the left, we see sort of a slab thing sitting at an angle. And that has to be the Galaxy Tab S7. We're expecting to learn about two models, both of which use the Snapdragon 865+ chipsets, and come with at least 8 gigs of RAM and 128 gigs of storage. Some versions will even have 5G support.

As it turns out, the big difference between these tablets is general screen size and quality. These smaller 11 inch standard Tab S7 will use an LCD display, while the 12.4 inch Tab S7+ uses one of Samsung's classic and beautiful AMOLED panels.

More importantly, those screens should refresh 120 hertz. So writing on them with the new low latency S pen should feel a little more true to life, shall we say. Throw in a new wireless DEX desktop feature and a potentially improved keyboard cover with full sized keys and a trackpad, and we might be looking at a really solid iPad Pro competitor.

Next up are Samsung's Galaxy Buds Live, a new set of wireless earbuds we're expecting to retail for about $170. We know that they pack active noise cancellation and they have touch sensitive bodies so that you can easily toggle through your tracks. [INAUDIBLE] Future also reports that these things will have three built in mics, and battery life reading between 4 and 1/2 and 7 1/2 hours on a single charge. It all really depends on whether you have the most cancellation on, and whether or not you're using the always on microphone for Bixby commands. Oh yeah. And they look like beans. But you probably already knew that.

Then there's the Galaxy Watch 3, which just got the full hands on treatment a few times, actually, on YouTube. Some retailers around the world have already started selling the smaller 41 millimeter model. But there is a 45 millimeter version that so far hasn't seemed to make it to the public.

Anyway, both versions of the watch use Samsung's classic rotating physical bezel for navigation, which is maybe the best thing that could have happened to these watches. I still think that bezel is the most clever interface decision Samsung has ever made.

Both sizes are also rated IP68 for water and dust resistance, and should come with about 8 gigs of storage on board. The big draw here, though, is how the watches pay attention to your movement. You will apparently be able to clench and unclench your fist to answer phone calls. And if the watch can tell you've taken a spill, it'll ring for 60 seconds while it waits for a response. If you don't answer, it will send a five second audio recording to emergency contacts.

In some ways, these wearables aren't huge improvements over the Galaxy watches we already had. But things like fall detection and heart monitoring via ECG are features that absolutely should be standard in premium wearables. And I am very glad they're here.

Now we're getting to the good stuff. I can't say I love the name Galaxy Z Fold 2. But all of the leaks and the rumors point to a device that should feel a lot less experimental than Samsung's first foldable. For one, the original Galaxy Fold's tiny limited outer display has apparently been replaced with a full sized, notched Infinity V display. Early renders still have it looking kind of cramped, almost like that weird, tall gem phone concept Essential was working on before the company collapsed. But it is still a big improvement over the tiny original design.

Rumor has it be flexible internal screen is also bigger at about 7.7 inches diagonal, with very slim bezels around it. It might also refresh at a buttery smooth 120 Hertz. But, there is still some debate as to what material will cover that screen. Will it be just a flexible plastic layer? Or the same ultra thin glass that we saw in the Galaxy Z flip?

We don't know. But there is enough evidence out there to suggest that there could be multiple models that would allow for both. Maybe we're looking at pricey premium versions with stainless steel or ceramic bodies with 5G support, and ultra thin glass screens, in addition to lower cost 4G only models with plastic displays. We'll just have to wait and see. But for now, one thing, unfortunately, seems very clear. Despite some persistent rumors, it does not look like we're getting a Galaxy Fold with an S pen just yet.

A leaked imaged shared by Ice Universe has no spot for one. And a report from Korea's [INAUDIBLE] suggest that Samsung's ultra thin glass actually isn't built to withstand repeated pokes from a tiny stylus.

And speaking of styluses, the final device in this family photo is none other than the Galaxy Note 20, which we could do a whole video about, and maybe we will. But for now, let's run through the high level stuff.

First off, we're expecting to see two models this year, the 6.42 inch Note 20 and the nearly 6.9 inch Note 20+, or Note 20 Ultra. It has been called both interchangeably for a while now. Both phones are said to use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865+ chipset. But the particulars can be pretty different.

The smaller model is said to back 8 gigs of RAM and as little as 128 gigs of interim storage, which is half of what last year's small Note 10 came with. The bigger model should come with 12 gigs of RAM, and we're hearing either 256 or 512 gigs of storage.

From what we've seen, the designs haven't changed too much since last year. We're still looking at very square phones, which I'm actually a really big fan of. There are some notable changes to look out for, though. Like, for example, the back of each phone should have a massive camera bump to fit a trio of cameras that we understand was basically just transplanted over from the S20 series.

We're hearing that Note 20 will have a 12 megapixel wide angle, a 64 megapixel telephoto, and a 12 megapixel ultra light camera. Meanwhile, the bigger model could have a 118 megapixel main camera and a 12 megapixel ultra wide and telephoto cameras, the latter of which can zoom in up to 50 times.

And then there is the S Pen. Like I mentioned earlier, we're looking at improved low latency styluses this year. The gap between putting the S Pen to screen and seeing your strokes take shape could be as low as 9 milliseconds. We're also hearing that the S Pen can be used as a pointer this time, too, which is, I guess, great if you have to whip through a presentation on your phone. We really need to see this thing in action before we pass any kind of judgment.

Anyway, there is a lot going down next week. This was, frankly, just a taste of what we'll get during the Samsung Unpacked Keynote. So we hope you'll stick around for our live coverage that day. If you have any feedback, please let us know down in the comments or at [INAUDIBLE] gadget.com. And stay safe, stay healthy. And we'll see you when Samsung Unpacked goes live.

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