Recent reports indicate that Samsung will have a major product showcase on August 11, where several smartphones, wearables, and accessories will be unveiled.
Renowned leakster, Evan Blass aka Evleaks, shared on Saturday a rundown of the devices set to be announced at the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event. They include the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, and Galaxy Buds 2.
Many of these devices have been under the realm of rumors and leaks for several months. Whether they would be launched together or announced in separate affairs has been a major debate for some time. Many suspected the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 would be announced in tandem, while the Galaxy S21 FE would be launched at a later date.
However, it makes economical sense for Samsung to reveal all of the products at the same time. Even if they are unveiled together their consumer releases can still be separate, particularly across different markets.
Galaxy Unpacked: In-Person Vs. Virtual
With the world continuing to open up amid COVID, it will be interesting to see if Samsung will continue to host virtual launch events or if the brand could try its hand at an in-person launch. It pretty much spearheaded the live stream-only launch events with the Galaxy Unpacked showcase for the Galaxy S21 in January. That event took place ahead of even the all-virtual CES 2021, which was orchestrated due to the pandemic.
While Samsung was one of the companies that chose to bow out of attending the Barcelona-based Mobile World Congress conference in person last month, the stance on live events is still rather shaky. Recently, Google hosted media at a preview of its retail store in New York City, but that event was still intimate and substantially smaller than a typical product launch.
Most companies are continuing to host virtual events to allow as many people as possible to have access to said events. The Google I/O and Apple WWDC developers conferences were both completely virtual in 2021. Those events are also substantially larger than the typical product launch. If MWC is any indication, the hybrid event may be here to stay, allowing those who are willing and able to attend in-person to do so and those who aren’t to attend virtually.
Virtual is Samsung’s Best Bet
There is a good chance Samsung may retain a virtual launch style due to the number of products expected to be announced, which would be more efficient for the brand. Of course, an in-person launch lets attendees get hands-on time with the recently announced products, but many brands appear to still be concerned about adhering to pandemic protocols.
So far no company has hosted an in-person event at the scale of pre-pandemic product unveilings. It is likely if Samsung were to do so, it would save such an event for a flagship product, such as the rumored Galaxy S22, which won’t release until sometime in 2022.
As for products released at the expected August Galaxy Unpacked event, select media and influencers will likely get review models. Consumers and enthusiasts can consider checking out various Samsung Experience Stores in major cities to see the products, as well as Samsung 837 in New York City.
