Update: Follow our Samsung Galaxy Unpacked live blog for the latest news as it happens from the SAP Center in San Jose today, including our first look at the new Galaxy S24 devices.
With CES 2024 well and truly over for another year, it's time for the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event to take center stage. Samsung's next big product launch is happening later today and we expect to get our first official look at the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Those three devices should be the main attraction at Galaxy Unpacked 2024, which is officially slated for later today (January 17), starting at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST/6 p.m. GMT. Look for Samsung to talk not only about the hardware changes planned for its flagship phones, certainly, but another major focus at the event will likely be the phone maker's push to build more artificial intelligence into its devices.
Here’s everything you need to know about Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024, including the latest Galaxy S24 rumors plus speculation on other products that might join the new phones at Unpacked.
What is Samsung Galaxy Unpacked?
If you’ve been following Samsung for a while, then you know that Galaxy Unpacked is the company’s showcase event for its lineup of gadgets — mostly its smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, audio gear, and sometimes computing devices. We suspect that Samsung will hold at least two Galaxy Unpacked events this year — a late summer event will probably join this week's winter version — but there could always be more.
In 2023, the company held two Unpacked events: the first in January 2023 for its Galaxy S23 series, and the second in July 2023 for its foldable phones. These events often revolve around notable consumer gadgets, while reserving other lesser known devices for individual announcements that don’t get the in-person event treatment — much like the recent Galaxy S23 FE announcement.
When is the Galaxy Unpacked date?
You don't have to to wait until Galaxy Unpacked to lock down savings on whatever Samsung announces. If you register to preorder a product unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked using either Samsung's website or the Shop Samsung app, you can get a $50 credit toward your eventual order. (There's no commitment to follow through with an order.) Unfortunately, you will have needed to register by January 16 to get the discount.
Samsung confirmed that Galaxy Unpacked 2024 will be taking place on Wednesday, January 17, which matches what the leaks about Samsung's plans had been alluding to over the last few months. The live event will be taking place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California — with the festivities slated to kick off at 10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET. Just as with previous Galaxy Unpacked events, you’ll be able to watch the event unfold in real time because it’ll be live streamed on YouTube and Samsung’s various channels. (We've got a guide on how to watch the Galaxy Unpacked live stream, where we'll be embedding Samsung's presenation.)
This is a pretty early date for Samsung to show off its new phones. Typically, the announcement has taken place in February, at least in recent years. The Galaxy S23 launch, for example, took place on February 1, 2023.
What will get announced at Galaxy Unpacked 2024?
It’s almost certain that we’ll be seeing Samsung’s newest Galaxy flagships at its anticipated event, especially given that’s exactly what we saw with last year’s Unpacked event. The heavy volume of Galaxy S24 rumors also indicates that a smartphone launch is imminent.
However, there could be more than just new phones at stake — especially when you look at what’s been announced by its competition heading into the busy holiday season. Here’s what could get announced at Galaxy Unpacked 2024.
Samsung Galaxy S24 series
This one’s likely to happen because the Galaxy S23 made its debut nearly a year ago. And Samsung, like other phone makers, tends to freshen things up annually.
So far, S24 rumors point to three models appearing at Galaxy Unpacked 2024: the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra. These flagship-caliber phones aim to set the bar high for all other flagship releases in 2024, but they definitely need to make an impression coming after other marquee releases like the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8 series — their direct competitors.
Out of the bunch, all eyes are on the Galaxy S24 Ultra because much like past phones, it’s hyped to offer premium features. It also replaces one of the best phones of last year in the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The design's still similar-ish to the S23 Ultra by the looks, but the rumor mill is suggesting a big change to the telephoto cameras for the S24 Ultra, with a 50MP lens potentially replacing one of the 10MP lenses found on the current model. That could also mean that the Galaxy S24 trades its 10x optical zoom for a 5x zoom — a move not without controversy.
We're also interested in finding out how much Samsung's new phones will cost, given pricing rumors that claim the Ultra model could be getting more expensive. One thing to help with the price increase is the suggestion Samsung will support these phones for longer. The latest leaks claim the Korean company will match Google's Pixel 8 support with at least seven years of updates for the new phones.
But the most compelling thing about the Galaxy S24 lineup could turn out to be nothing hardware-related. Instead, it could be focused on the growing area surrounding artificial intelligence.
Samsung Galaxy AI
Smartphones such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra could become remarkably smarter with the help of artificial intelligence, something that the Pixel 8 series focuses heavily on. Samsung’s poised to conquer this lucrative market with Galaxy AI, a comprehensive mobile AI experience that will be powered by on-device and cloud-based AI. Samsung ended 2023 with a blog post touting the arrival of improved AI “early next year,” presumably with its flagship phones. Well, early next year is right now, so it's time to see what Samsung has in store for its phones.
In addition to Galaxy AI, we could see more around Samsung Gauss — a generative AI model that can create and edit images based on machine learning technology. How it could be implemented in its phones is something we’re dying to see to further differentiate Samsung’s Galaxy phones from its competition
However, there’s another rumor that paints an odd decision that could lock away new AI-assisted features through a paywall. We certainly don’t want to think that this could happen, but companies are always finding other revenue streams to pursue — with this one being a prime choice.
In Samsung's official video reveal for Galaxy Unpacked, there's a portion when the cubical shape morphs into stars, which then circle around a text logo teasing that "Galaxy AI is coming." This is evidence that artificial intelligence will be a focus at the event.
Samsung Galaxy Ring
Phone rumors have dominated the buildup to Galaxy Unpacked, so it could well be that the Galaxy S24 reveal is the only thing on the agenda. But there are other possibilities,. too, in case Samsung wants to use the occasion to tout multiple products.
While a long shot, Galaxy Unpacked 2024 could be a good time for Samsung to at least tease a totally new wearable. The Samsung Galaxy Ring would be the perfect intro for people who are looking to kick off the new year by staying in shape. This ring-worn wearable has been rumored for some time now, and it’s poised to rival the Aura Ring.
Much like a smartwatch, the unannounced Galaxy Ring is believed to be a fitness tracker that can help you stay in shape by tracking your exercises and monitoring your heart rate. It als could include advanced functions such as blood pressure monitoring and aFib detection. That said, those premium features could push back the Galaxy Ring’s release due to how it could be a lengthy process to acquire FDA approval.
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