Connect with us

Technologies

Samsung Unpacked: Everything You Need to Know About The Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, Watch 6 and More

The new Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip phones, plus the latest Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Watch, are now official.

Samsung has taken the wraps off its latest devices. On Wednesday at an event in Seoul, South Korea the electronics giant unveiled a host of new devices including the latest Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 folding phones as well as a new Galaxy Tab S9 and Galaxy Watch 6 (complete with the return of a rotating bezel on the Classic). 

The new wave of foldable phones were the focus of today’s Samsung Unpacked event, which was the first to take place in the company’s hometown of Seoul.

While Samsung’s entering its fifth consecutive year in the foldable phone market, the devices it’s launching at this year’s Unpacked arrive among a good deal more competition. Google’s $1,800 Pixel Fold is the first Pixel device to adopt a similar style to the Galaxy Z Fold series, in which a traditionally scaled phone unfolds to reveal an inner tablet-size screen. OnePlus is also rumored to have its own foldable phone on the way, which could further disrupt the space.

And after taking a few years off from the US market, Motorola’s new $1,000 Razr Plus is now eyeing Samsung’s Z Flip series, with the newest entry including a larger cover screen that can run most Android apps. We also know Motorola has a more affordable Razr model on the way with a smaller cover screen.

And it’s not only phones. As with Samsung’s past summer Unpacked events, Wednesday included new watches and tablets with the South Korean tech giant introducing a new Galaxy Watch 6 series and Tab S9 tablet line. 

Here’s what you need to know about everything Samsung just unveiled. 

Galaxy Z Fold 5: New ‘flex hinge’ closes the gap

The Z Fold 5 remains the pinnacle of Samsung’s folding lineup, though as with recent updates, this year’s model is largely iterative with no major redesign. There are improvements, notably a new «flex hinge» that allows the Z Fold 5 to fold completely closed without a gap around the hinge — a first for Samsung’s larger foldable. Also new is a Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 2 processor, just like the Galaxy S23 line, a brighter internal display and a thinner S Pen stylus. 

Otherwise, the Z Fold 5 looks similar to the Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 3 with the same sized front and internal screens. It still has a «flex mode» for propping the foldable up like a mini laptop, IPX8 water-resistance and a crease that CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco still found to be visible. 

Like recent Z Folds, the new Z Fold 5 will start at $1,800 (£1,749, AU£2,599) when it hits stores on Aug. 11. 

Galaxy Z Flip 5: A bigger front screen leads the way

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked screenshot

Whereas the Z Fold 5 looks largely similar to older Folds, Samsung gave the Z Flip 5 a bit more of a refresh. New for this year’s Flip line is a redesigned front screen, which goes from 1.9-inches to 3.4-inches. The new front screen allows Samsung to better stack up to Motorola’s recently released Razr Plus and its 3.6-inch front display, though the Z Flip front screen is a bit more limited than Motorola’s offering. Samsung only lets certain apps run on the display at launch. 

Beyond the updated front display, the new Z Flip 5 similarly runs on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon Gen 2 processor and sports a new hinge that also closes completely flat. 

What hasn’t changed is the starting price, as the Z Flip 5 will start at the same $999 (£1,049, AU$1,649) that the Z Flip 4 commanded. The new flip phone is set to hit stores on Aug. 11. 

Galaxy Watch 6: Return of the (Classic’s) rotating bezel

Galaxy Watch 6 Classic

Samsung has given the Galaxy Watch 6 sports bigger batteries, larger screens and, at least on the Classic model, the return of the rotating bezel that was last seen on 2021’s Galaxy Watch 4. We’re glad it’s back as Samsung’s choice to cut it out from the Watch 5 line did not make us happy.  

While otherwise largely incremental, the new Watch 6 will come in either 40mm or 44mm varieties (with screens running roughly 1.3 inches and 1.5 inches, respectively) while the Classic will arrive in either 43mm or 47mm sizes (sporting similar display sizes). 

On the sensor front, the Watch 6 line sports similar sensors including ones for heart rate, skin temperature and bioimpedance (body composition). Google’s Wear OS continues to run the software side, with Samsung touting that a new app for Gmail was coming to the platform. Samsung’s One UI remains a part of the platform, including for better sleep insights. 

The new Watch 6 will similarly go on sale on Aug. 11 and starts at $300 (£289, AU$549) for the smaller 40mm size and $330 (£319, AU$599) for the larger 44mm size, $20 more than the initial prices for the Watch 5. The Watch 6 Classic starts at $400 (£349, AU$699) for the smaller, 43mm model and $430 (£399, AU$749) for the bigger, 47mm size.

Galaxy Tab S9: Now water-resistant 

Two Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 tablets side by side on a table, two different sizes

The Galaxy Tab family also got a refresh on Wednesday, with the new Tab S9 line sporting improved Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 2 processors and IP68-rated water- and dust-resistant designs (for both the tablet and the S Pen stylus), but like Samsung’s other refreshes are largely incremental. You’ll still find large and impressive AMOLED displays across the line, with screen sizes still ranging from 11-inches on the base S9, 12.4-inches on the S9 Plus and 14.6-inches on the S9 Ultra. There also is a new beige color. 

Pricing for the tablets remains high: The S9 is $800 (£700, AU$1,299), the S9 Plus is $1,000 (£999, AU$1,699) and the Ultra is $1,200 (£1,199, AU$1,999). And while a keyboard still costs extra, Samsung still includes an S Pen. Like the other devices that Samsung announced, the new tablets will arrive on Aug. 11. 

Technologies

Google’s Pixel 10A Is Coming to Japan With an Exclusive Blue Edition and Special Wallpaper

This model comes with creatively designed stickers and a special look for Pixel’s 10th anniversary.

Don’t be blue: Google is releasing an Isai blue edition of the Pixel 10A to celebrate the Android phone line’s 10th anniversary, setting it apart with its own sticker set, specialized wallpaper and custom icons. But it’ll only be available in Japan.

Announced Tuesday on the Google Japan blog, the Isai blue Pixel 10A has a dark blue look and includes bonus decorations designed in collaboration with Japan’s Heralbony art company. These include an exclusive bumper case and stickers for customization.

This edition of the Pixel 10A will arrive in Japan on May 20, following the April 14 release of the Pixel 10A in its original colors of lavender, berry, fog and obsidian. The Isai blue model costs 94,900 yen, which roughly translates to $595, and includes 256GB of storage. 

This makes it slightly less expensive than the US model’s 256GB edition, but it comes with a number of fun extras at no additional cost.

Google’s creation of a country-specific model for Japan may also reflect strong sales in that market. In 2023, the IDC analytics firm (via 9to5Google) reported that the Pixel 7 series accounted for 10.7% of the country’s market share, a 527% increase from 2022.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Can’t Wait for New Emoji? Here’s How to Create Your Own on iPhone

Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones can create custom emoji in a few easy steps.

Apple brought new emoji to all iPhones when the company released iOS 26.4 on March 24. The new emoji include «🫍» orca, «🫪» distorted face and «🫈» hairy creature — or as we might normally call it, Sasquatch. According to Emojipedia, there are 3,953 emoji with more on the way, including a pickle. But there’s no emoji for a dog wearing pajamas, a plate with burgers and fries and many other things. But if you have Genmoji on your iPhone you can create these emoji and many more.

Apple released iOS 18.2 in 2024 and the company introduced its own emoji generator, called Genmoji, to Apple Intelligence-capable iPhones at that time. The Unicode Standard, a universal character encoding standard, is responsible for creating new emoji, and approved emoji are added to all devices once a year. With Genmoji, you don’t have to wait for new emoji to appear on your iPhone each year. You can just create them as you need them.

Read on to learn how to use Genmoji on iPhone to create your own custom emoji. Just note that only iPhones with Apple Intelligence, like the iPhone 17 lineup, can use Genmoji at this time.

Note: The new emoji may not display correctly for Apple users whose devices aren’t on a 26.4 software version.

How to make custom emoji

1. Open Messages and go into a chat.
2. Tap the plus (+) button next to your text box.
3. Tap Genmoji.

You can then type a description of an emoji into the text box near the bottom of your screen and tap the check mark on your keyboard to enter that description into Genmoji. You can also tap different suggestions and themes that are right above the text box. And with iOS 26 or later, you can also combine and use emoji to create others rather than describing a new emoji or using suggestions.

Your iPhone will generate a series of new emoji for you to pick from according to your description, and you can swipe through these new emoji. When you find the one you want, tap Add in the top right corner of your screen and the new emoji will be available to use as an emoji, tapback or a sticker. Now you don’t have to wait for the Unicode Standard to propose, create and bring new emoji to devices.

For more iOS news, here’s what to know about iOS 26.4 and iOS 26.3. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet for other tips and tricks.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Save Over 20% on This Handy 10,000-mAh Anker Nano Power Bank

Keep your devices charged on the go with this Anker Nano power bank, now down to just $46.

We’ve just spotted the Anker Nano 45-watt portable power bank for just $46 at Amazon right now. This saves you $14 — a 23% discount on its list price. Though it’s $6 more than the lowest-ever price we saw during Black Friday, it’s still a solid discount when you take the rising cost of tech accessories into account. It also matches the lowest price we’ve seen in 2026. It comes in four colors: black, green, pink and white. They’re all on sale for the same price.

This Anker Nano portable charger weighs approximately 8.2 ounces and measures a compact 3.21×1.99×1.42 inches. Despite its small size, it has a retractable cable and supports fast charging in compatible Apple, Samsung, Google Pixel and other smartphones. It also has a large 10,000-mAh capacity and a smart display so you always know how much juice is left in your power bank.

The Nano can charge an iPhone 17 to up to 50% battery in an estimated 20 minutes, and is powerful enough to charge tablets and laptops. Need to charge your devices while charging your power bank? You can do so safely thanks to pass-through charging so you’ll never have to go without battery life.

We’ve also compiled a list of the best power banks for iPhones and for Android, in case this deal isn’t quite a fit for you.

Why this deal matters

If you travel, have a long commute time or are otherwise always on the go, a portable charger can help you keep your devices fully powered. This 45-watt Anker Nano power bank is compact, includes a loop that lets you keep track of it easily and has a built-in cable so you don’t have to keep up with extra cords. Amazon’s $14 discount makes this a solid deal for anyone looking for a compact power bank.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Verum World Media