Our Samsung Ring, Fold 6, Flip 6, Buds 3 Pro, Watch 7 Ultra reviews start now
7 tech stories in the quickest format possible – Samsung Galaxy edition
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No ma, I didn’t get married yet. But your son is reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Ring – one of SEVEN new Samsung gadgets I’m testing this week. Just as good, right?
I spent nearly two hours with the new smart ring, the Fold 6, the Flip 6, the Watch Ultra and Watch 7, the Buds 3 Pro and the Buds 3. Here’s what The Shortcut team has for you so far and how much they’ll all cost.
Have an iPhone and want a smart ring? You’ll have to switch or get the Oura Ring Horizon (or the Heritage) that works with iOS and Android
💍 1. Samsung Galaxy Ring hands-on review: One smart ring to rule them all
Pros
✅ 💍 Samsung’s first smart ring that requires no subscription
✅ ❤️ Tracks heart rate with high/low alerts and inactivity alerts
✅ 🔋 Up to 7 days of battery life with a charging case
✅ 😴 Sleep Score, 📈 Energy Score and 📋 Wellness Tips
✅ 📱 Samsung has a good Samsung Health app
✅ 🪨 Durable grade-5 titanium with a concave surface to reduce scratches
✅ 🪶 Weighs under 3g plus 100m (330ft) water resistance
✅ 🛜 Samsung SmartThings Find built-in (just like the Galaxy Tag 2)
Cons
❌ 📱 Only works on Android phones – no iPhone compatibility
❌ 🎨 Just three colors so far
❌ 📳 No vibration motor for silent alarms
$50 discount during the pre-order phase only
The Galaxy Ring has impressed me the most. With no monthly subscription, up to seven days of battery life, an included charging case and a competitive $399 price ($349 during the pre-order phase), Samsung has crammed so much into the tiny Galaxy Ring that it’s the smart ring to rule them all.
2. Samsung Galaxy Fold 6 hands-on: bigger screens and lighter design
Pros
✅ 📐 Bigger, brighter and more comfortable-to-use screens
✅ 🪶 Noticeably lighter by 6%, yet feels stronger than ever
✅ 🤖 AI features like Live Translate work with 3rd-party apps
✅ 🎨 Great new colors, from Pink to a carbon-black-like color
✅ ⚙️ Fast Qualcomm chipset and some dust resistance
Cons
❌ 💰 It’s $100 more than last year’s Galaxy Fold 5
❌ 🖋️ You still can’t insert the S Pen inside the phone
❌ 📸 Cameras haven’t changed
❌ 🆚 Samsung has new foldable rivals like the OnePlus Open
$100 off, free storage upgrade (256GB to 512GB), up to $1,200 trade-in credit during the pre-order phase
A year before I got to test the new Samsung Galaxy Fold 6, I was invited to see some of Samsung’s foldable prototypes at its labs in South Korea. They had experimented with wider screens, something I’ve wanted since my Fold 1 review on TechRadar. I’ve enjoyed owning a smaller, more grippable phone again, but the folded front “Cover Display” was almost too thin to use comfortably.
Well, the Samsung Galaxy Fold 6 is here to fulfill that promise with slightly larger and brighter screens. It’s also a noticeable 14g lighter, but equally noticeable $100 more year-over-year. There’s also no slot for the S Pen.
3. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 hands-on review: this foldable phone feels all grown up now
Pros
✅ 📸 50MP camera matches that of the bigger Fold 6
✅ 🎨 New bright and playful color options
✅ 💪 Beefier build makes this foldable stronger
✅ ⚙️ Latest Qualcomm chip with more memory and a new heatsink
✅ 🔋 Bigger battery fit into a compact design
Cons
❌ 🤑 $100 more expensive than last year’s Fold 5
$50 off, free storage upgrade (256GB to 512GB), up to $650 trade-in credit during the pre-order phase
Samsung has upgraded its latest flip phone with the fastest processor, more memory, a bigger battery, a higher-resolution camera, and a more rugged construction. The “Flip” is no longer the runt of the ecosystem next to the Fold 6. Aside from the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6’s mostly untouched aesthetics, this is a whole new flip phone that’s in every way as premium as its bigger foldable sibling.
4. Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro might finally take down the AirPods Pro
🎧 Samsung’s top-of-the-line earbuds to rival AirPods Pro 2
💅 Both earbuds feature a stylish and angular design and LEDs
👀 Clear case top (see if your buds are inside before leaving the house)
🔊 Combines dynamic and planar drivers with dual amps
🤖 Adaptive ANC, Siren/Voice Detect and AI Translation features
💰 On sale for $249 ($199 during the pre-order)
$80 off during the pre-order phase
The two new pairs of earbuds are the first “canal style’ earbuds from Samsung and they look conspicuously similar to the Apple AirPods. That’s no mistake, of course. Samsung tells me it went with this design for enhanced wearability.
Like everything else Samsung has announced today, these earbuds also pack in AI. To find the optimal shape for most ears, Samsung said it 3D scanned hundreds of ears in a data cluster to create the most comfortable shape.
5. Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: jealous of Apple’s best watch? Get this one
Pros
✅ ⌚ Stylish circular watch face encased in titanium
✅ 🔘 Four inputs with three buttons and a crown
✅ 😴 Sleep tracking and sleep apnea detector
✅ 🧲 Quick-release magnetic watch bands
✅ 💡Giant, bright 3,000-nit watch face
✅ 🏃♂️ Action button for quick shortcut to workouts
✅ 💸 More affordable than Apple Watch Ultra
Cons
❌ 🫣 Thicc as heck (you’ll want the Galaxy Ring for sleeping)
❌ 🤔 Few truly unique features vs the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
$120 off and up to $350 in trade-in credit during the pre-order phase
This is Samsung’s answer to the Apple Watch Ultra, which has so many similarities: the specs, the name, and even the default orange band. Gone is the physical rotating bezel of the Galaxy Watch Classic series – but you can navigate menus by virtually touching the outside of the watch face. Just be sure to get the Galaxy Ring if you want to track your sleep comfortably. This watch is thick.
6. Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: this watch can detect sleep apnea for $250
Pros
✅ ⌚ Sleek and stylish circular watch
✅ 💰 Starts at $350 ($250 during the pre-order)
✅ 📐 Same screen size and many sensors of the Watch Ultra
✅ 😴 Sleep tracking and sleep apnea detector
✅ 💸 More affordable than Apple Watch 9
Cons
❌ 🔘 No action button found on the Galaxy Watch Ultra
❌ 📳 Less advanced vibration motor than the Watch Ultra
❌ 🤿 Not as waterproof as the Watch Ultra
$100 off and up to $225 in trade-in during the pre-order phase
7. Samsung Galaxy Watch Buds 3: get active noise-canceling earbuds for $129
Pros
✅ 🎧 Samsung’s affordable noise-canceling-equipped earbuds
✅ 💰 Starts at $179 ($129 during the pre-order)
✅ 🤖 AI features like interpreter mode
Cons
❌ 🚨 No adaptive EQ/ANC and noise control from the Buds 3 Pro
❌ 🚨 No advanced ANC features like Siren/Voice Detect
❌ ⚡ No fun LED lights found on the Buds 3 Pro
More Samsung reviews to come
Ok, I’m not done. In fact, we’re just getting started. I’ll be doing camera and battery life tests (among other benchmarks) to ensure that these phones, watches and buds live are worth their year-over-year price increases. And I’ll compare them to the iPhone 15 Pro Max that I reviewed (and eventually the iPhone 16 series).
Samsung’s biggest small rival
I’ve also been wearing the Oura Ring to see if the Samsung Galaxy Ring lives up to the hype. So far, I’m impressed – though, iPhone owners still will want to opt for the Oura Ring Horizon, as this one is only compatible with Android phones.
Why trust my hands-on review
I’ve spent nearly two hours with the new Galaxy Ring, Fold 6, Flip 6 and Buds 3 Pro and have reviewed and tested multiple smart rings and every foldable phone on top of 25 years of tech journalism. Full reviews are coming soon on The Shortcut.
Matt, your link to Kevin’s Flip 6 review just goes to your Fold 6 review.
I was able to find the review from his page, but figured you’d wanna fix that.