What to expect from Samsung Galaxy Unpacked

Samsung Electronics is expected to unveil the Galaxy S20 series phones and a new foldable phone during Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020 in San Francisco this week. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

By Kim Hyun-bin

Mobile phone lovers from all over the world are looking forward to this week's Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020, where the tech giant will unveil its latest state-of-the-art smartphones and accessories.

What to expect

The event is scheduled to be held at San Francisco's Palace of the Fine Arts, Feb. 12 (KST), and will be live streamed on Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked website and YouTube channel.

“We've timed Galaxy Unpacked 2020 in coordination with our annual product launching schedule so that we can provide the best possible experience for customers in go-to markets,” a Samsung official said.

Samsung officials and industry watchers say the event's timing is intentionally planned to be held before the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, which is scheduled for late February.

They say Samsung is moving “ahead of the pack,” commanding the spotlight with its new releases before entering MWC by introducing the 5G Galaxy S series smartphones and foldable phones. The company's competitors, including Motorola, Huawei, TCL, Vivo and Xiaomi, are scheduled to hold press conferences on their new products at the MWC.

The Samsung event will see the international debut of Samsung's new mobile division boss Roh Tae-moon.

“This is Roh's first event after he was named as the chief of the company's mobile business, so we can get a glimpse of what changes he plans to make,” an industry watcher said. “Also, Samsung plans to unveil a new foldable smartphone, in which we can access the probability for success of the fairly new product line.”

Roh is known for leading the development of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S and Note smartphone series and also as the key man behind the release of Samsung's foldable phone.

At this stage, the public can only guess what product lines will be unveiled this year but Samsung traditionally launches its latest flagship device during the biannual event, along with new accessories such as smart speakers, wearables and earbuds.

Samsung Galaxy S20 series

Just like last year, experts have no doubt that the tech giant will unveil three Galaxy S phones ― the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S20 Plus and the Galaxy S20 Ultra ― along with the Galaxy Z Flip.

There are rumors Samsung plans to skip the model number forward by 10, from S10 to S20, to match the year of release.

The Galaxy S20 is expected to pack either a 6.3 or 6.4-inch display, while the S20 Plus will likely have a 6.7-inch screen. The S20 Ultra is expected to sport a 6.9-inch display. All three are expected to use Dynamic AMOLED technology and rumor has it they will have a 120Hz refresh rate.

Upgrades to the storage and RAM are expected. The Galaxy S20 Ultra is rumored to have options for 12GB or 16GB of RAM, and combined 1.5TB of storage in the top model, as well as a new 108-megapixel main camera lens.

New batteries are also expected to have increased capacity, with the Galaxy S20 thought to sport a 4,000mAh battery, while the S20 Plus could be equipped with a 5,000mAh one.

Leaks predict the prices for the S20 will be $1,000, the S20 Plus $1,200 and the S20 Ultra $1,400.

Galaxy Z Flip

A new foldable phone, dubbed the “Galaxy Z Flip,” is expected to be unveiled, with many new upgrades compared to the first-generation Galaxy Fold released last year.

The Galaxy Z Flip is said to emulate a “clamshell” phone capable of unfolding into a traditional Motorola Razr-type shape, as opposed to unfolding to a tablet shape, similar to that of the Galaxy Fold.

Leaks say the Galaxy Z Flip has a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display protected by a new material known as Ultra Thin Glass, apparently just as flexible as the polyamide plastic used on the Galaxy Fold, but with improved scratch resistance.

The suggested retail price is estimated to be about $1,500 without subsidies from mobile carriers.