Samsung Unpacked 2025: A Hands-On Review of the New Galaxy Lineup

Samsung has just pulled the curtain back on its latest generation of devices, and it’s a packed lineup. We have a trio of new smartwatches—the Galaxy Watch 8, 8 Classic, and 8 Ultra—alongside the debut of One UI 8. But the main event is the company's new range of foldables: the radically redesigned Galaxy Z Fold 7, the upgraded Galaxy Z Flip 7, and for the first time, a more budget-conscious Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. Here are our first impressions.

The Galaxy Watch 8 Series: Polarizing Design, Powerful Internals

Let's start with the wristwear. The new Galaxy Watch 8 introduces a controversial "cushion design"—a circular screen housed within a squared-off body. This "squircle" shape is a questionable aesthetic choice. While square watches like Apple's offer functional screen space, and circular watches provide a classic look, this hybrid feels like an awkward compromise.

However, once you look past the design, the Galaxy Watch 8 is perhaps the most impressive Galaxy Watch generation to date. Despite a price increase of around $50, the upgrades are substantial:

• 8% larger battery

• 11% thinner body

• 50% brighter display

• Dual GPS for more accurate location tracking

• A new backing for a more secure feel on the wrist

The software enhancements are equally compelling. A new Running Coach feature analyzes a 12-minute run to create a personalized training plan, offering real-time feedback during workouts. Sleep tracking has also been enhanced, now measuring heart load from stress, skin temperature, and room temperature. Crucially, the watch doesn't just present this data; it synthesizes it in the background to provide genuinely useful recommendations, like a suggested bedtime. The experience is powered by a slicker OS that integrates Gemini for on-wrist AI, which, while a bit slow due to its reliance on the phone, is a welcome addition.

The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic offers the same core features and design but wrapped in a heavier, more premium metal casing. Its key advantage is the addictively satisfying physical rotating bezel—a feature significant enough that it's worth trying before settling on the base model.

Ironically, the Galaxy Watch 8 Ultra feels like the most minor update of the trio. With only a storage bump to a 64 GB base and a new titanium blue color, its appeal has diminished. With the standard models receiving such a massive boost, the Ultra now only makes sense for users who absolutely require its military-grade durability.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7: A Stunning, Slimmed-Down Revolution

For the last few years, Samsung's foldables have been losing their innovative edge to competitors. Another incremental update would have been a major disappointment, especially with the Z Fold 7’s new price tag of $2,000. Thankfully, Samsung delivered a monumental leap forward.

The most immediate change is the form factor. The Z Fold 7 is a staggering 26% thinner than its predecessor, transforming it from one of the chunkiest foldables to one of the slimmest. At just 8.9 mm when folded and weighing 215 grams, it’s now in the same league as traditional bar phones and is even lighter than an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

This new profile is also wider and slightly taller, which solves several long-standing issues:

1. Improved Cover Screen: The aspect ratio is far less like a TV remote, making the front display and keyboard feel like a normal phone.

2. Larger Inner Display: The main screen expands from 7.6 inches to a more immersive 8 inches, better justifying the foldable form factor.

3. Maintained Battery: The larger footprint allows Samsung to keep the same 4,400 mAh battery despite the dramatic reduction in thickness.

The physical upgrades don't stop there. The Ultra-Thin Glass is now 50% thicker, resulting in a significantly less noticeable crease. The entire device—from the chassis to the hinge and the screen's backing—is built with stronger materials. Samsung also finally ditched the under-display selfie camera for a much higher-quality, wider (100° field of view) punch-hole sensor. The rear camera system gets a major boost, adopting the same main sensor as the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

However, it's crucial to note that this is still not an Ultra-level camera system. It lacks laser autofocus, has less capable zoom, and uses smaller lenses due to the compressed module, which can result in less sharpness at the edges.

The Compromises

For all its triumphs, the Z Fold 7 makes one particularly painful sacrifice: S Pen support is completely gone. The digitizer required for stylus input has been removed in the quest for thinness. For a device built for productivity with a large, notebook-like screen, this is a significant step backward. Furthermore, while the 4,400 mAh battery is maintained, it feels stagnant when competitors are pushing past 6,000 mAh with more efficient battery technology.

The Galaxy Z Flip Series: A Two-Tiered Approach

This year, the Flip line splits into two distinct models. The new Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE aims for affordability at $899. It's essentially a repackaged Z Flip 6 with a slightly slower Exynos chip, 8 GB of RAM (down from 12 GB), and 128 GB of storage. While a decent concept, the value proposition is weak. With the official Z Flip 6 now readily available for a similar price, the FE model, with its inferior specs and now-outdated design, is a tough sell.

The flagship Galaxy Z Flip 7, however, is a different story. The headline feature is a transformative new cover screen. The old 3.4-inch display with large bezels has been replaced by a stunning, near edge-to-edge 4.1-inch display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. This not only looks fantastic but also adds significant functionality, allowing for a more complete camera UI and better integration of software features.

Other improvements mirror the Fold 7, albeit on a smaller scale:

• A slightly larger 6.9-inch inner display.

• A stronger hinge and thicker display for a minimal crease.

• A thinner unfolded profile at 6.5 mm.

• The first-ever inclusion of Samsung DeX support in a Flip phone.

• A battery bump to 4,300 mAh (from 4,000 mAh).

At the same price as its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a good, if not spectacular, update that successfully modernizes the Flip experience, primarily through its exceptional new cover screen.

Final Verdict

This year's lineup is a mixed bag of bold innovation and perplexing choices. The Galaxy Watch 8 series is functionally brilliant but aesthetically divisive. The Z Flip 7 is a solid evolution, while its FE counterpart feels like a misstep.

The star of the show is undoubtedly the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It represents a masterful feat of engineering that fixes the biggest physical complaint about Samsung's foldables. However, that progress comes at the cost of a higher price and the perplexing removal of S Pen support, a feature that once felt like the Fold's destiny. Samsung is pushing boundaries, but it's clear that progress still requires compromise.