Technologies

Samsung May Show Off Galaxy Z Flip 5 in First Seoul Unpacked

The electronics giant is expected to unveil next-gen foldables at its first home-country Galaxy Unpacked event next month.

Samsung plans to hold its next Galaxy Unpacked event in its home country for the first time next month, the Korean electronics giant announced late Tuesday.

Samsung’s 27th Unpacked launch event will take place in Seoul in late July, the company said in a statement that indicated it would unveil its next generation of foldable devices. This could include the expected Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5.

In the past, Samsung has usually chosen to unveil its new lineup of devices in cities such as New York and Barcelona. The company is rumored to have plans for separate launch events in the US and Canada, but Samsung hasn’t yet announced any additional Unpacked events.

Foldable phones have garnered a lot of attention in recent years, though they’ve yet to hit the breakout moment when they graduate from being a novelty device. But they do appear to be picking up steam: In just the last few weeks, Google announced its first foldable phone, called the Pixel Fold, and Motorola unveiled the new Razr Plus and Razr.

«The foldable category embodies Samsung’s philosophy of delivering breakthrough innovation that pushes boundaries to reshape the future of mobile experiences,» TM Roh, the head of the mobile experience business at Samsung, said in a statement.

With the release last year of the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung’s current flagship foldable, the company took a step in the right direction in its quest to win over consumers’ interest and wallets, CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco wrote earlier this month.

She praised the device’s fine-tuned design, improved nighttime photography and longer battery life. But she still has a wish list of improvement suggestions she thinks will make Samsung’s foldable more attractive.

Eadicicco suggests the Galaxy Z Flip 5 needs a bigger cover screen and could add more functionality to Flex Mode, which taps into the phone’s ability to bend and fold in different ways.

Samsung didn’t announce a specific date for the event or tease specific products expected to be announced, but perhaps a new Galaxy Z Flip will be unveiled that taps these suggestions. You can expect CNET to be on hand for the event with all the details, commentary and expert insight.

Technologies

Honor’s Shimmering Magic V Flip 2 Has Arrived to Outshine Samsung’s Galaxy Flip

The flip foldable, releasing in China, includes a limited edition model co-designed by Jimmy Choo.

Honor has unveiled a new flip phone in China, and the company is billing it as, «the ultimate selfie device.» The Magic V Flip 2 includes an ultra-wide portrait mode, AI photography features and a playful, sparkly design.

The Magic V Flip 2 adds another device to Honor’s increasing lineup of foldable phones. So far, it’s only releasing the Magic V Flip 2 in China, starting on Aug. 28. It will sell for RMB 5,499 or about $766 USD.

The Magic V Flip2 appears to be geared toward influencers and fashionistas — a limited edition version of the new phone is co-designed by fashion icon Jimmy Choo and is, «inspired by the subtle shimmer of crystals.» It comes in deep sea blue and has a crushed stardust design, according to Honor’s press release.

Honor is also touting the phone’s 5,500mAh battery, which it says is the largest on the market for a flip phone. The also phone features a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 50 MP selfie camera. The Magic V Flip 2’s closest competition may be Samsung’s Galaxy Flip 7 FE, which is about $200 more expensive than the Magic V Flip 2.

Technologies

Silksong, Long-Awaited Hollow Knight Spinoff, Gets Release Date: Sept. 4

Announced in 2019, Team Cherry’s follow-up is coming sooner than expected, and it’s on Game Pass on Day 1.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is the follow-up, announced back in 2019, to one of the most beloved indie games of the last decade. In a special announcement video on Thursday, Australian developer Team Cherry revealed that the wait is almost over.

Silksong will be released on Sept. 4, according to the new trailer. The almost two-minute video reveals some of the new enemies and bosses in the upcoming spinoff and ends with the surprise release date.

Originally, Silksong was going to be a DLC for Hollow Knight. However, numerous delays resulted in it being pushed back again and again. Glimpses of the game would show up here and there over the years, but it was this year that it received the most attention from Nintendo as part of its Switch 2 lineup, and from Microsoft, which confirmed it would be available on Xbox Game Pass.

Hollow Knight: Silksong will be available on PC, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, PS4 and PS5. It will be available on Day 1 for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

Technologies

PS5 Prices Go Up Today. Here’s How Much and Why

You can expect to pay more for a new PlayStation, thanks to «a challenging economic environment.»

Sony will increase the prices of its PlayStation 5 consoles in the US, starting today. This follows the trend of console manufacturers such as Microsoft and Nintendo raising prices for their hardware in response to tariffs.

The PlayStation-maker posted about the price change Wednesday. The jump in price is $50 more than the current price for each model.

The new prices are:

PlayStation 5: $500 to $550
PlayStation 5 Digital Edition: $450 to $500
PlayStation 5 Pro: $700 to $750

«Similar to many global businesses, we continue to navigate a challenging economic environment,» Sony said in a post about the price increase.

As of Thursday morning, retailers and Sony’s online store have yet to update the console prices. This jump in price also will likely affect recently released PS5 bundles such as the Astro Bot bundle and Fortnite Cobal bundle.

Sony says accessories have not been affected by the change and this cost hike only affects the US.

In May, Microsoft increased the price of the Xbox Series consoles and Nintendo hiked the original Switch console price and Switch 2 accessories this month.

While the companies didn’t point to the tariffs instituted by President Donald Trump as the reason for the hardware price jump, it would explain the trend in recent months.