Live: Samsung Unpacked 2022, with Galaxy Z Fold 4, Z Flip 4 and Watch 5 expected

Right, let’s turn our attention to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro (well, I assume they’ll officially  be called the Buds2 Pro because why not, eh, Samsung? Why bother with proper syntax?)

I’ve recently bought the Galaxy Buds Pro, and they’re… fine. Decent active noise cancelling, OK fit, battery life isn’t bad, sound is more than passable.

So what can we expect from the next models, a year on, should they appear?

“An updated Bluetooth codec would open the door (potentially) to 24-bit hi-res audio,” says Becky Scarrott, our Senior Audio Writer. 

“If Samsung can achieve 24-bit hi-res audio with its proprietary codec wizardry, the Galaxy Buds2 Pro might finally put Sammers on the map as a key player in wireless earbuds – but only if they can also work on that disappointing battery life”.

Oh, I thought the battery life was OK… shows what I know. ^????

There’s one thing I’m really excited about – as TechRadar’s Running Man of Tech – to see today.

In a recent blog post (opens in new tab) about innovation in wellness, TaeJong Jay Yang, EVP and Head of Health R&D Team at Samsung Electronics said the following when referring to the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event:

“Samsung is excited to continue expanding our Galaxy Watch lineup to better cater to the many unique needs of our users — especially those with a passion for the outdoors.”

Now, you could easily think that means the new Watch 5 is going to have enhanced fitness elements, or a slightly bigger bezel or something. But that’s not really going to change the game – Samsung has been making ‘pretty good’ fitness watches for a while, and ‘expanding’ that means making something better – and that means a device that properly takes on Garmin.

So the rumored Galaxy Watch 5 Pro or Galaxy Watch 5 Rugged is where I think this is going – and that could be something to take on Garmin. It’ll need a bigger screen, much better battery (my Fenix 7 can last 28 days without a charge in smartwatch mode) and improved GPS features.

So, come on Unpacked – let’s see what you’ve got…

There have been a number of leaks about the new Z Flip that we’ll be seeing today – and while you can never be sure of the validity of a leak until the device is actually shown off on stage, we can be pretty confident that what’s leaked out is likely to be legitimate.

The first leak came from Amazon in the Netherlands, where the specs of the phone were unleashed onto the world. Now, we traditionally ignore these, as a retailer can sometimes put a product listing in its system in readiness, and do ‘best guess’ specs just to have something holding.

Those can sometimes go live, and therefore are seen as fact when they’re not. But what looks more realistic with Amazon’s leak is the pictures – and there were a lot of pretty accurate-looking marketing materials published.

It seems a number of these have been redacted of late as Samsung seems to be shutting them down – but we can see said Dutch imagery over on Telegram (opens in new tab) if you want to check out some of the dimensions.

I had a dream last night that I was jogging down some stairs, jumped onto the banister, slid down a bit and then did a pretty good spin onto the floor. 

A man looked at me, smiled and gave me the finger guns. I felt good about it.

That’s all – it was just a pretty nice dream.

It’s important, when discussing leaked information, to always point to when the brand in question – in this case, it’s Samsung – pretty much just shows a video of one of the devices it’s showing off in an upcoming launch.

Now, I’m no forensic expert (I do know a thing or two about phones…) but you don’t need a degree to see the new Galaxy Z Flip 4 in this teaser from Samsung:

Let’s start things off with something of an interesting rumor: while I don’t think this is going to come to pass, leakers have tipped that the Z Flip 4 and the Z Fold 4 are going to come as just the Flip 4 and the Fold 4, as the Z is being used as a military symbol in Russian attack on Ukraine (opens in new tab).

I doubt that will happen at this point as so many leaks have tipped them to still pack the ‘Z’ – but it’s an interesting note for how brands need to react to outside events when considering how their naming conventions will go down.

Hello hello! The sun is shining (well, depending on where you are and what time of day it is) and it’s time to get ready for one of the tentpole events of the year: the August edition of Samsung Galaxy Unpacked.

Spoiler alert: we’re going to see some new foldable phones today. That’s not me giving you the inside scoop or anything… it’s just that Samsung has been so obvious about it that if it didn’t launch the new Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 today, I’d be utterly and completely shocked.