Samsung’s Unpacked event launched its new Galaxy Z Fold 3, Flip 3, its new Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, and the Buds 2.

We don’t have full reviews yet — just first impressions, but there’s some hope here.

Fold 3:

• The third generation of Samsung’s finest has moved past its prototype roots in the original Fold. The Fold 3 has, for example, mastered water, with an IPX8 certification against water ingress meaning it’s all sealed up, and it’s more metal and glass than ever. 
• I wouldn’t be swimming with it, but it’s pretty cool that it’ll withstand a dunking or a coffee drenching. It’s very slightly more trim, too.
• The outer panel is all sorted out. The Fold 2’s was fine but the latest is now 120Hz, and opening and closing should now feel smoother.
• The under-display selfie cam is a nice implementation: no cameras visible. Samsung’s take is different, using a pattern of the top of the punch hole. When you need the camera, the display above the camera turns off, so you can see where you need to look. Otherwise, the big display is full screen.
• That big display is protected by a new PET plastic that’s more durable and less scratch resistant.
• The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has S Pen support and that’ll either be great or meh depending on your take. At least it seems more useful on the big ol’ 7.6-inch display.
• It’s now going for $1,799. 
• Truly though, once again, Samsung has such an array of offers from its own store and via carriers to drop that price down: trade-in bonuses, credits, inclusions.
• It depends on your region but all I saw yesterday on Twitter was friends and colleagues amazed at just how much they could get off, via trade-ins on old and even broken phones.

Flip 3:

• The Flip 3 is now the “affordable” foldable and it’s been given a set of sturdy improvements, the outer display is way better, and it’s also IPX8 protected for those water splashes.
• I liked the blending of the outer display with the camera housing too, and Samsung has done a good job of making it more useful.
• When you open it, you’ll find a 6.7-inch AMOLED interior screen that runs at 120Hz. There’s a seam but it’s less obvious.
• On both the Flip and the Fold, Samsung has more custom software, and is working with big-time app developers like Spotify and Netflix and so on to make use of things like split-screen and multiple apps at once.
• What is interesting is that Samsung gently positions the Flip 3 as the less masculine option and more fashionable, but my tech pals who had hands-on thought it might’ve been more interesting than the Fold 3, partly due to it now being the same price as the S21 Plus, depending on final config. 
• It has similar internals, the Snapdragon 888 chip being key, but the battery is much smaller at 3,300mAh — though if you keep it shut and mainly use the outer screen, you’ll eek out longer life.
• At $999, it’s $400 cheaper than last year, and again, deals make it even cheaper.
• Already, T-Mobile is offering the Flip 3 with a buy one get one free offer in case you can use two phones at once.

Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic:

• New chipset, new Wear OS, new health-tracking features, the Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic come with more and better everything, including software improvements that look interesting to dig into.
• The function of the physical rotating bezel everyone enjoys is coming back to the Watch 4 Classic, and there are two sizes at 42 and 46mm, plus LTE options.
• The Watch 4 starts at $250 — the Watch 4 Classic adds some classiness and that bezel for $350.
• Both devices have the same processor, memory, and storage, with the Watch 4 the lighter sporty edition with an aluminum back, while the Watch 4 Classic goes for stainless steel and weighs a little more.
• Keen to see reviews of this, but Samsung’s added a body composition monitor which offers more insight into your meat sack: It details your skeletal muscle, basal metabolic rate (BMR), water retention, and body fat percentage, all with a wrist-sensor.
• All the other health tracking (heart-rate monitor, ECG, activity tracking, SpO2 levels, sleep, stress, etc) are improved, but reviews are crucial here to understand exactly how far Samsung has stepped up the competition.
• And, it’s not compatible with iOS, and some functions are only with Galaxy smartphones. And curiously, you can’t track blood pressure in the USA or Canada and some other regions due to health authorities requiring approvals.

Galaxy Buds 2: After all the coverage and leaks, these do look handy, but now Samsung really has confused its lineup:

• Samsung’s better, more robust flagship earbuds remain the Galaxy Buds Pro. The Buds 2 cost $150, yet the Buds Pro are regularly on sale for just $20 more.