Samsung took the wraps off its next generation of foldables, wearables and earphones at its global Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris, France.

It showed off new Galaxy devices, including the Z Fold 6, Z Flip 6, new Watch Ultra and Buds 3 Pro, as well as the Galaxy Ring, which will not be coming to South Africa.

Its Galaxy AI ecosystem also gets updates, introduced at the beginning of the year. The new Galaxy Z foldables receive incremental updates compared with last year’s models, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipsets, launched on the S24 range, and 12GB of RAM.

The Fold 6 gets a boxier design with square corners, as seen on the S24 Ultra, but now has a wider cover screen at 6.3 inches, which changes its aspect ratio when compared with the Fold 5. It is also lighter, at 239g, compared with last year’s 253g. The inside display remains unchanged at 7.6 inches.

The Fold 6 is centred on new productivity features powered by AI; more on that below.

The Flip 6 gets an upgraded 50MP camera with optical image stabilisation with a more prominent design and an outline on the lenses, compared with last year’s 12MP main shooter.

The 12MP ultra-wide sensor is another upgraded lens. The camera on the Flip 6 supports 2x optical zoom, AI zoom, Nightography and video HDR capture. Samsung says its night capture features are integrated into Instagram or can be share on the social media app.

The front 3.4-inch Flex Window display supports more apps, including Smart Things, Reminders and News, plus AI-assisted functions, without opening the phone.

Its AI-powered Photo Ambient feature lets users customise their wallpaper with real-time updates to weather and time; and moving around objects.

The Z Flip 6 also includes Samsung’s Vapour Chamber on it for the first time, which optimises efficiency and makes sure the phones do not overheat.

Galaxy AI updates

Both devices also receive new Galaxy AI features, powered by Google Gemini, which is now integrated into Google Assistant.

New AI features like Sketch to Image will turn any scribble into an actual drawing, using different styles; while Composer, built into the keyboard, can generate emails, or replies to messages with context; and Interpreter has been optimised for the foldable screens to allow a back-and-forth conversation displaying the text on both screens simultaneously.

Google Gemini can be accessed by swiping on the corner of the screen, and will assist with functions such as writing, planning or learning, says Samsung.

“Gemini is integrated with some of your favourite Google apps, making it easy to organise a perfect travel itinerary by getting real-time flight and hotel booking information – and explore famous landmarks and the best routes to get there, using Google Maps.”

At a livestream event in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Samsung SA’s vice-president of mobile, Justin Hume, said Galaxy AI has received positive responses from customers in terms of the way it delivers useful functionalities into our daily lives.

Hume says that, by leveraging both on-device AI capabilities as well as cloud-based computing, this hybrid AI approach sets the tone for what is the standard of AI mobile technology.

According to Samsung, the three most popular Galaxy AI features on the S24 range in South Africa are Circle to Search, searching for anything on your screen by long-pressing the home button; Object Eraser, which lets you remove people or objects from the background of your photos; and Chat Assist, which translates incoming and outgoing chats on calls in real time.

Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Watch Ultra

With the Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro, there is a tighter integration with the Galaxy AI ecosystem.

If a user is attending a lecture in a foreign language, they can turn on the Interpreter app with Listening Mode on the Fold 6 or Flip 6 and will be able to hear the lecture translated in real time through the buds.

It also supports voice commands to control it, without touching the earbuds or your smartphone.

The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro get a new design, which looks similar to the Apple AirPods, and supports touch controls on the stalk; a Blade Light design that display battery level or if you want to find your earbuds at night and supports active noise cancellation.

The new Galaxy Watch Ultra, which also looks similar to the Apple Watch Ultra, replaces the Watch 5 Pro, and is aimed at athletes or fitness enthusiasts, built for “extreme durability”.

It can be used in extreme temperatures and altitudes, and under water, with AI-powered metrics and a personalised heart rate zone.

It also has a quick button for a shortcut, emergency siren and night mode. It can be used for 100 hours in Power Saving mode, and 48 hours in Exercise Power Saving. The Galaxy Watch Ultra will be available in one size, 47mm, in titanium shades: grey, white and silver, powered by Wear OS.

Pricing and availability

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 are currently open for pre-order, and customers will receive it from 25 July. The Fold 6 starts at R43 499 for the 256GB variant; and R45 999 for the 512GB variant.

It is available in silver shadow, pink and navy. The Flip 6 starts at R25 999 for 256GB and is available in silver shadow, yellow, blue and mint. The Galaxy Buds 3 will retail for R3 999, while the Buds 3 Pro will cost R4 999. Both will be available in white or silver.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is open for pre-order for R19 995.