I won a lottery & was one of only 70 people invited to check out the Samsung lineup announced at their US Unpacked event before they hit shelves here in Japan. Here are my initial impressions as a veteran Samsung fan.
I’m starting here because this was the main attraction, for me at least. It’s been a good 3 years since I bought my Apple Watch Series 8. While it’s still going strong, since I do not use/carry an iPhone with me daily, most of the watch’s features simply cannot be used. Basically, it’s just a normal watch with Suica. I’m getting a little tired of not being able to use most of the features, so I think it’s finally time to upgrade. Since the standard Samsung Galaxy Watch8 comes in 40mm & 44mm variants, coupled with the fact that the new dynamic lug system seems to be able to accommodate the silver band that I bought for my Apple Watch 8 (which was the same price as a smartwatch by itself–it’s made of silver, after all!), I came to the new product experience simply expecting so be sold on the 40mm version, but seeing the Classic, I was completely blown away with the rotating bezel design! The Classic is just all around a more attractive watch. It’s a pity the size is so large, since I will likely have to go to a professional jeweler to cut some links from my silver band, but I’ve been convinced that this is the watch I want to upgrade to, even if there isn’t a 40mm variant. I was hoping to buy it in time for my birthday on the 29th of July, but unfortunately none of these devices will be available for sale until the 1st of August at soonest. That gives me more time to try to sell my old Apple Watch 8, I suppose. A quick note on the Ultra 2: it was not present at the event, so there’s not too much I can say about it. Not being interested in extreme sports or wilderness exploration, I don’t really think it was a product meant for me. Even if there was one at the event, I’m sure I still would have preferred the Classic.
Back on July 7th, 2025, I wrote a post on my wishlist of features for the Z Flip7 ahead of the Unpacked event– 5: A Full Cover Screen 4: Internal Magsafe Ring 3: More Colour Variants 2: More Memory Options (in Japan) 1: A Good Trade-In/Upgrade Deal Actually, nearly everything on that list made it to the final product. Samsung added Mint to the colour lineup & you can get a 512GB memory upgrade for EVERY colour option (unlike last year, in which only Silver Shadow had a 512GB variant available in Japan). Still, the feature that absolutely steals the show is the full cover screen. I wanted this from before I bought my first Flip series phone. For my fellow content creators, I should also mention that I have confirmed that the Flip7 can also record in LOG like the S25 lineup. While I am very tempted by the new features, the trade-in offer isn’t quite as good as I had hoped. I upgraded from the Flip4 to the Flip6 just around last Halloween. It’s not even a year old yet, so I will likely wait to upgrade until the Flip8 comes out in 2026, but if you are still using a Flip5 or older, I think the Flip7 is a great device to level up to! Small note on the FE: I’m not sure Samsung Japan is getting this one. Like the Watch Ultra 2, there wasn’t an FE at the event. However, unlike the Watch Ultra 2, even Samsung Japan’s website makes no mention of this device. Japan may get it at a later date, as has been the case for S Series FE devices, but nothing seems confirmed for now.
This was actually my first time experiencing ANY of the Fold series, but I was very impressed with the Fold7! Simply put, I don’t think I was ever in the target audience for the Fold line. I just never felt any use for a screen the size of the unfolded device. If I were an artist or otherwise attached to using a tablet, I would be telling a different story, but anything I can’t do from my phone, I do from my dual-screen Lenovo i9 laptop. Additionally, I always felt that the Folds looked too large & awkward, especially when folded, because they were as thick as 2 phones stacked. That said, having held this iteration of the device, I can confidently say that it no longer the case! It was no larger than a standard smartphone. I still don’t really see myself buying one since I still can’t think of any use case that I can’t already achieve with my Flip 6, but if you’re an artist or just tired of having to carry both a tablet AND a phone, this would be a great step up for you, especially if you’re leaving the Apple ecosystem.
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