What to expect from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event
The world may be at something of a standstill thanks to COVID-19, but Samsung is still out here making flagship phones and, uh, other things. As such, we have another Galaxy Unpacked event to look forward to this week.
Samsung previously announced that its next Galaxy Unpacked would be online-only for obvious reasons. The event will stream on Samsung's website at 10 a.m. ET on Aug. 5. In a blog post, Samsung revealed it would announce five new devices at the event. Since the new Galaxy Z Flip 5G has been officially confirmed, we can probably strike that one off the long list.
Thanks to a litany of leaks (what else is new?), we have a pretty good idea of what we'll be seeing at Galaxy Unpacked. Get ready to see the word "Galaxy" way too many times.
Galaxy Note 20
This is usually the time of year when Samsung tells us all about the next Galaxy Note flagship phone. For the unaware, that's the company's more productivity-focused smartphone that comes with the S-Pen stylus, as opposed to the Galaxy S line of more straightforward smartphones.
It shouldn't surprise you that this one has already been leaked to oblivion, or at least the Note 20 Ultra has. If it follows the Galaxy S20 and S20 Ultra naming scheme, we can safely assume this will be a bigger model, with a gigantic 6.9-inch screen, 120Hz refresh rate, and 108MP rear camera based on leaks leading up to Galaxy Unpacked. For now, we'll have to wait to find out more about its full specs and how it compares to the "regular" Note 20.
It should also be noted that the leaked specs we do know about will more or less bring it in line with the Galaxy S20. Expect 5G support on at least one of the Note phones, too. We don't know how much the Note 20/Ultra will cost, but with specs like that, don't be shocked if the price tag enters into the $1,000 and up territory.
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Galaxy Beans Buds Live
Last year, Apple released its AirPods Pro, a pair of wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation. We happened to think the AirPods Pro were pretty good. So, you probably won't be shocked to learn that Samsung has an answer in the Galaxy...Buds Live (that name!), which leaked earlier this summer.
You'll have to forgive our hesitation to use that name which is so inferior to the previously leaked name, "Galaxy Beans," that it shouldn't exist at all. Anyway, the Buds Live look like they'll come with active noise cancellation just like the AirPods Pro, as well as a few microphones on each bud to theoretically improve call quality.
Aside from that, we don't know much about these beans. It's safe to assume they'll have special features that only work with Samsung phones, but we'll have to get back to you on that.
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A new Galaxy Tab
Last year, we called the Galaxy Tab S6 the "only serious competitor" to the iPad Pro. That's a high bar to live up to, and it looks like Samsung wants to continue its tablet hot streak with the Galaxy Tab S7.
And, yep, you guessed it: This one leaked too! We think there will be an 11-inch version and a 12.4-inch model called the Galaxy Tab S7+. Supposedly, the bigger model will have an AMOLED display and a massive 10,090mAh battery. On top of that, it will purportedly offer up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Plus, according to leaks, it's set to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor.
Oh yeah, and there may also be 5G support. Nice.
Galaxy Fold 2.0
Let's give Samsung some credit here: The follow-up to 2019's embattled Galaxy Fold phone has been teased more than it's been leaked. Nevertheless, we more or less know it exists, and that we'll probably see it at the Unpacked 2020 event.
This will be an interesting one to watch, as the Galaxy Fold launch from last year was at least a little bit disastrous. The ambitious folding phone was prone to malfunction early on, but even when it worked, it wasn't all that great. It also cost nearly $2,000.
We don't know a ton about the Galaxy Fold 2 yet, but leaks indicate it will come with a slightly bigger 7.5-inch display (when fully opened), a 120Hz refresh rate, and possibly a slightly cheaper price point. Fingers crossed Samsung can get it right this time.
Galaxy Watch 3
The last thing we might see at Galaxy Unpacked is an upgrade to the Galaxy Watch lineup.
Instead of a revamped version of last year's Active 2, leaks indicate we'll get a new version of the normal Galaxy Watch called the Galaxy Watch 3. TechTalkTV already has a hands-on video up on YouTube, so we have a decent idea of what to expect.
Look forward to both 45mm and 41mm models, according to SamMobile. That hands-on video only shows the smaller Watch 3 build, which has a 1.2-inch display and a physical bezel on the outer rim. It genuinely just looks like a regular watch, which is good news for those of you who've avoided smartwatches up until now because you were afraid of the way they looked. Samsung will presumably fill us in on the rest of the juicy details on Wednesday.
And there you have it! We're sorry Samsung didn't keep more of these announcements secret prior to the event, but that's just the way it shook out. Hopefully, there are still some unknowns and big surprises left for us all.
Mostly, though, we're hoping Samsung does the right thing and gives us our Galaxy Beans.
Related Video: Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S20 lineup
Topics Samsung
Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.
