Has Samsung Just Set the Right Ring Tone?
Amongst new foldables and watches, Samsung becomes the first established CE manufacturer to release a smart ring as it looks to create a compelling Galaxy AI ecosystem for consumers.
Just announced at the latest Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung’s new product line-up includes two new foldables, the new Galaxy Ring, two smartwatches, and two new pairs of earbuds. I’ll briefly run through the new products and their headline features before then analysing what they say about Samsung’s direction of travel.
Two new foldables head the line-up. Both the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6 are equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy. Its onboard NPU is optimised for AI processing and offers enhanced graphics along with improved overall performance. An upgraded cooling system helps maximise performance, especially for gaming.
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The two are billed as the slimmest and lightest Galaxy Z series to date and include numerous design refinements as well as improved durability. Galaxy AI features are prominent. The Galaxy Z Fold6 includes Note Assist for translation, surfaces, transcription and more; Composer suggests test completions in different apps, even analysing tone for seamless social media composition; and Sketch to Image is available for S Pen users. Google Gemini can be activated by saying ‘Hey Google’, and I covered some of the other new Galaxy AI features back when they were announced at Samsung’s Unpacked 2024 event in January, which launched the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Head to the link to see some demos.
The Galaxy Z Flip6 adds an enhanced 3.4-inch Super AMOLED FlexWindow that enables AI-assisted functions without needing to open the device. New 50MP Wide and 12MP Ultra-wide sensors have been added to its camera package, and there is a neat AI-powered Photo Ambient feature that changes wallpaper in real-time based on the time and weather.
Pricing for the new foldables starts at £1799 for the Galaxy Z Fold6 and £1049 for the Galaxy Z Flip6.
The wearables offerings are headed by the Galaxy Ring, which I first saw behind closed doors at MWC 2024. The Ring is 7 mm wide and 2.6 mm thick and weighs 2.3 to 3.0 grams, depending on which of the nine size options are chosen. It has a battery life of seven days and is water resistant down to 10 ATM. It comes in Titanium Black, Silver, or Gold. UK pricing is £399.
Its functionality centres on wellness and the data it feeds into the Samsung Health app. That includes detailed sleep analysis, including Sleep Score and snoring analysis, and new sleep metrics such as movement during sleep, sleep latency, heart and respiratory rate.
Three sensors are deployed: an accelerometer, a PPG for heart measurements, and one to measure skin temperature. This enables broader wellness functions that include: Cycle Tracking for logging the menstrual cycle through overnight skin temperature monitoring; numerous heart rate functions; walking and running tracking via Auto Workout Detection; and more. There is also a potentially very useful Find My Ring function.
Galaxy AI makes its presence felt as part of the new Energy Score. This is calculated by evaluating physical and mental conditions across four significant factors: Sleep, Activity, Sleeping Heart Rate, and Sleeping Heart Rate Variability. It seems a decent way to quickly summarise a wide variety of metrics into an easily understandable single number.
While the new Galaxy Watch7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra are more conventional, they display technological advancements based on a new Exynos W1000 5 core, 3 nm chip. This provides a three times faster CPU and 30% improved power efficiency. It is the first Galaxy smartwatch to feature a dual-frequency GPS system. This lets users track their location precisely, even in built-up urban environments.
Wellness is centred around an enhanced Samsung BioActive Sensor (featuring Optical Bio-signal sensor+ Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis). Other features include a Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, and Light Sensor.
Alongside an advanced AI algorithm for sleep analysis, in terms of innovation the new watch offers the De Novo FDA-authorized Sleep Apnea feature to check for potential signs of sleep apnea. Users can conveniently track advanced glycation end products (AGEs) for the first time. Strongly influenced by diet and lifestyle, AGEs reflect the overall biological ageing process and provide an indication of metabolic health.
Samsung is launching the Galaxy Watch7 from £289. Then there is a big jump to the £599 (and also new) Galaxy Watch Ultra, which adds a lot of top-level fitness functionality. This feels like a move to match the range to Apple’s Watch and Watch Ultra offering in terms of performance and features.
Both bring what Samsung says are more intuitive and seamless experiences between connected Galaxy devices as it looks to build out an entire ecosystem and couple Galaxy AI to it. Suggested Replies analyse previous conversations through Galaxy AI, while Double Pinch Gestures let users control a Galaxy Watch and connected Galaxy smartphone.
Lastly for the new hardware introductions, the Galaxy Buds3 and Galaxy Buds3 Pro provide hands-free access to Galaxy AI features such as Interpreter alongside numerous hardware refreshes. Pricing is £159 and £219 respectively.
All these products are available on 24 July.