Samsung has confirmed that Galaxy Unpacked starts on July 10, when it will showcase its latest wearables, foldables and even a smart ring. That means Samsung has to clear out a lot of old stock quickly and quickly. And with Amazon Prime Day coming just a week after unboxing, you might want to hold off on the new Galaxy Watch 7 or Watch Ultra in favor of the cheaper Galaxy Watch 6 or FE.
Last year’s Prime event took place before Unpacked, but Samsung still took the fire-sale approach. You could get the Galaxy Watch 5 for $151 or $128, which was the lowest price we’ve ever seen. Its LTE variants were also $100 cheaper. And you can get the Z Fold 4 for an absurd $700 discount.
Now, Galaxy Watch 6 is $239 ($60 off), and The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is $400 cheaper, which are pretty good deals in their own right. But if you’re patient, I predict those prices will drop to new lows once Prime Day begins on July 16 — just six days after Unpacked.
Of course you can book a Galaxy Watch 7 pre-order with $50 off from Samsung if you want the latest technology and features. Not a bad deal! On the other hand, Galaxy watches tend not to change much from one generation to the next, and you might want to spend as little as possible.
All the current Galaxy Watch 7 rumors say it could have 32GB of storage and a slightly faster CPU, but it should be pretty similar in style and sensors to the Watch 6, and all the new Wear OS upgrades like Galaxy AI health stats will be there . Watch 6 just a few weeks after the launch of Watch 7.
Last year I wrote that Samsung needs to give the Galaxy Watch more storage and some people will need double the space for music playlists or other apps. But otherwise, if you can save $100 or more on the Watch 6 with three more years of promised upgrades, you might want to “downgrade” to our favorite Android watch of the past 12 months.
Also, don’t forget that Samsung ran out of stock of the Galaxy Watch 5 quickly after Prime Day last year. So if you want a cheaper last-gen variant, July or August would be the time to buy it.
Now, if you want the leaked Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra with all the high-end specs and multi-day battery life that comes with it, then ignore the deal hunt and pre-order it instead. But I imagine it will cost more than many of you are willing to pay if it’s priced anywhere near the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
We’ve heard conflicting rumors about whether Samsung will sell the new Watch 7 Pro or Classic in addition to the Ultra. The Watch 5 Pro has been around for two years, but I’d expect them to sell all that has to go if the Watch 7 Pro actually exists.
Another option to save money is the new Galaxy Watch FE, which is essentially a re-release of the Galaxy Watch 4 with the addition of a sapphire crystal and a new set of software updates. It starts at $199 and you can drop the price down to $99 by trading in a smartwatch. So if you have an old pre-Wear OS Galaxy Watch in your closet, you can get a solid smartwatch for less than the Amazfit.
Now, we can always hope that Samsung will surprise us with the Galaxy Watch 7 announcement at Galaxy Unpacked. However, the leaked renders do look pretty damn similar to the Watch 6, except for some colorful stitching on the default silicone band. We’ll have to hope for more intangible improvements like better battery life or redesigned health sensors.
We will find out more on July 10! But since it will ship a few weeks out of the box, you have time to look first at Prime Day 2024 to see if Samsung makes the Galaxy Watch 6 cheap enough to entice you. That way, you can put extra money towards a new Galaxy Ring or a flip phone.