Samsung embraces AI with new foldables and expands wearables with Galaxy Ring

The company unveils more flexible Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6, and challenges Apple with its own Ultra smartwatch

Samsung Electronics has introduced its new generation of foldable smartphones and expanded its wearable line-up as it doubles down on generative artificial intelligence.

The South Korean tech giant, as expected, unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Flip6, the latest iterations of its successful foldable line-up that have propelled the company to a years-long market-leading position.

The devices, whose now flat-edged design is streamlined to match the Galaxy S24 series, come with a more versatile Galaxy AI, the platform Samsung launched in January's Unpacked, which signalled its official entry into the generative AI race and intent to challenge OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Galaxy AI is powered further with the full integration of Google's Gemini app, the Alphabet-owned company's generative AI platform previously known as Bard.

The world's biggest mobile phone manufacturer also debuted two wearables – the Galaxy Watch Ultra, its most premium smartwatch designed for extreme conditions and to take on the Apple Watch Ultra, and the highly-anticipated Galaxy Ring, a new category that measures health metrics on a finger.

“Samsung’s long history of innovation has allowed us to lead in the mobile space, creating the foldable form factor and ushering in the mobile AI era,” said T.M. Roh, president and head of Samsung's mobile division.

“Now, we are excited to bring these two complementary technologies together and unlock new possibilities for users around the world.”

Foldable smartphones remain a minor category in the overall smartphone market, but manufacturers have continuously pushed to bring more into the market as consumer preferences shift.

Their popularity has been mainly attributed to Samsung, which pushed the category into the mainstream, starting with the original Galaxy Z Fold in 2019. The company followed that up with the Galaxy Z Flip the following year, a smaller but also more affordable phone in a bid to attract more users.

Since then, Samsung has dominated the foldable category, with a market share that peaked at more than 80 per cent about two years ago.

However, other brands are catching up, and Samsung has even been unseated at the top by China's Huawei Technologies, which overtook Samsung in the first quarter of 2024, according to data from Counterpoint Research.

Shenzhen-based Huawei now has the biggest market share in foldables, cornering about 35 per cent of the market, unseating Samsung, which had 23 per cent, markedly down from 58 per cent a year ago, the May report from Counterpoint shows.

“Huawei's recent overtaking of Samsung in the foldable smartphone market indeed signals that the foldable wars are set to take centre stage … the competitive landscape is intensifying,” Andreas Thalassinos, a senior market analyst at broker Neotrades, told The National.

Apple, Samsung's rival at the top of the smartphone market, has also long been rumoured to be developing its own foldable device.

Motorola Mobility, with its popular Razr devices, is also “currently the brand most likely” to challenge Samsung, Akash Balachandran, research manager for mobile devices at the International Data Corporation, told The National.

“With its pedigree and experience in foldable devices, along with a robust distribution and channel network, Motorola is well-positioned to compete. If they implement the right strategy, they can become a significant player in the foldables segment,” he said.

The Galaxy Z Fold6 largely maintains its design from its predecessor, but its cover display is now marginally larger at 6.3 inches.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Flip6 now has a 50MP main camera – meaning it is now at par with the rest of Samsung's flagship smartphones, except for the Galaxy S24 Ultra that has a 200MP camera.

Notable Galaxy AI features, first seen on the S24 series, that have been brought to the devices are Note Assist and Interpreter Samsung continuously touts as a tool for enhanced productivity.

Galaxy Ring leads new wave of wearables

The Galaxy Ring, meanwhile, is Samsung's effort to further miniaturise health tracking and which could possibly kick off another battlefront in the consumer technology space.

The titanium-clad device, which comes in nine sizes and can last up to seven days, primarily acts as a health tracker that can replace smartwatches.

It “integrate[s] Samsung’s most advanced technologies and innovations, enabling you to take control of your health and wellness with preventive healthcare solutions”, Mr Roh said.

The Galaxy Ring provides round-the-clock monitoring of health metrics including heart rate and sleep, as well as automatic workout detection. Gesture controls allow it to control a Galaxy smartphone's camera.

Pairing it with a Galaxy Watch will give more accurate health metric readings, according to Samsung.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra, on the other hand, is an “extremely durable” smartwatch designed to withstand harsh outdoor conditions – a direct challenge to Apple's own premium digital timepiece.

Samsung also released the Galaxy Watch7, which has an advanced AI algorithm for sleep analysis and has a sleep apnoea tracker certified by the US Food and Drug Administration.

It also unveiled the Galaxy Buds3 and Buds3 Pro, which come with an interpreter feature powered by generative AI that can translate speech, and a voice command to control certain functions without touching the smartphone they are connected to.