You know that type of rumor that pops up like clockwork once every few months calling for an earlier-than-usual announcement of Samsung's "next big thing" and almost never amounts to nothing?
Well, this time it's very much real, according to the world's number one smartphone vendor itself. That's right, Samsung has just confirmed what multiple insiders and tipsters had previously predicted - that the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5 are scheduled to see daylight in "late July", compared to the August 10, 2022 announcement of the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4, as well as the August 11 launch of the Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 a year before that.
New venue, early date, big expectations
Of course, the company hasn't quite gone so far as to name the devices that will be unveiled at its upcoming 27th Unpacked event, and curiously enough, the official newsroom post confirming the news appears to no longer be available, suggesting it wasn't really supposed to go live at this time.
Luckily for us, the internet never forgets, and a cached version of the article lives on, revealing the city where this "late July" shindig will take place. That's Seoul, which just so happens to be the capital of Samsung's homeland, but contrary to what you might think, the tech giant never held such an event in South Korea before.
This is the redesigned Galaxy Z Flip 5 in all its (leaked) glory.
Interestingly, Samsung seems to suggest future Unpacked affairs will move around to "focus on different trend-leading cultural cities around the globe" rather than primarily sticking to big US stages like Las Vegas and New York.
It's also interesting to note that we don't have an exact announcement date for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 yet, although the "late July" timeline definitely narrows down the possibilities. Seeing as how Samsung generally likes to hold these types of parties in the middle of the work week, we expect the Seoul Unpacked event to take place on July 26.
That will give the company's "next generation foldable devices" plenty of time to find a mainstream audience before the iPhone 15 family enters the global stage at some point in September. Of course, Apple's handset lineup will not include a foldable model this year either, but the competition for the title of best phone available in 2023 is likely to bring all these different devices together in a high-stakes head-to-head battle.
While the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 are all but guaranteed to take center stage at the July 26 launch event, Samsung could well unveil a bunch of other recently leaked products on the same date and in the same place.
We're talking about the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic (or Watch 6 Pro), which the company hopes will manage to better compete against the largely mysterious Apple Watch Series 9 than their forerunners did with the Series 8 (and Apple Watch Ultra).
This is the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (or Galaxy Watch 6 Pro).
There's also a long overdue Galaxy Tab S9 roster following in the footsteps of the ultra-high-end Tab S8 trio from all the way back in early 2022. This will apparently include super-premium Tab S9, S9+, and S9 Ultra models but also a Tab S9 FE mid-ranger (with an extra-large screen of its own), providing a full slate of alternatives to Apple's industry-leading iPad Pros, iPad Air, and even the latest "standard" iPad.
Curiously enough, the rumor mill has been rather quiet on possible additions to the AirPods-rivaling Galaxy Buds family this year, but, well, there's still time for a Buds 3 or Buds 3 Pro version to surface.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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