Samsung unveils Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, Flip3 5G foldable smartphones

Tech giant Samsung on Wednesday unveiled two premium smartphones - Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, pricing them lower than the last year's lineup as it looks to provide more consumers access to the "unique foldable experience".

The company, which competes with brands like Apple in the global market, has also launched new smartwatches and earbuds at its 'Galaxy Unpacked' event.

While Samsung has not announced the launch date of these products in the Indian market, sources said these devices are expected to be available in India from the second week of September.

"With Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3, Samsung is once again redefining the possibilities with foldable smartphones that empower users with the flexibility and versatility needed for today's fast-paced world, Samsung Electronics President and Head of Mobile Communications Business TM Roh said.

As a pioneer and industry leader in the foldable category, Samsung has further built on its legacy of innovation, he added.

In a statement, Samsung said it is "committed to giving more consumers access to the unique foldable experience".

"That's why we're offering both Galaxy Z devices at the best prices yet. We're offering Galaxy Z Fold3 at the lower price of USD 1,799.99, and Galaxy Z Flip3 for USD 999.99.

Galaxy Bud2 will retail for USD 149.99, allowing more consumers to experience an immersive sound, with a comfortable all-day design, seamless connectivity and powerful features," it said.

The Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 will be available for pre-order beginning August 11 and will launch on August 27 starting with select markets, including the US, Europe, and Korea.

The Z Fold3 features a 7.6-inch Infinity Flex display and includes the first-ever S Pen support on a foldable device.

Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic are the first smartwatches to feature the new 'Wear OS' powered by Samsung, built jointly with Google.

The smartwatches - which are equipped with One UI Watch (Samsung's intuitive user interface) - have been completely redesigned to provide consumers with the best tools to manage their wellness.

We have seen an incredible amount of growth for the Galaxy Watch series as consumers have discovered the health benefits and convenience of wearables. We understand the path to wellness is different for everyone, so we built a robust suite of health and wellness features to give people a deeper and more helpful understanding of their overall fitness, Roh said.

The company said Galaxy Watch4 is equipped with a new 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor that uses a single chip to precisely run three powerful health sensors - Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis - so that users can monitor their blood pressure, detect an AFib irregular heartbeat, measure their blood oxygen level, and calculate their body composition.

Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic are available for pre-order in select markets starting on August 11, with retail availability starting August 27. Galaxy Watch4 will come in 40mm and 44mm sizes, starting at USD 249.99 for Bluetooth versions and USD 299.99 for LTE models.

Messaging platform WhatsApp is also introducing the ability to move the entire WhatsApp chat history - including voice notes, photos and conversations - in a seamless and secure way if users choose to switch mobile operating systems. The feature will be available to users of both Android and iOS systems - which means that people will be able to switch from both Android to iOS, and from iOS to Android.

The feature will start to roll out on Android initially, and on Samsung's newest Galaxy phones to start with.

In a separate statement, smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm Technologies, Inc said its flagship Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform is powering Samsung's Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3 smartphones.

The Snapdragon 888, which powers both devices globally, packs industry-leading innovations in connectivity, AI, gaming, and photography to enable premium Android experiences for users, it added.