For the first time in the history of the Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung is taking the party to South Korea. It may sound surprising that the South Korean company hasn't hosted any major launch event in its homeland yet, but H2 2023 will be different.
To mark the special occasion, Samsung published an infographic that briefly revisits the previous Galaxy Unpacked events and their locations. Needless to say, Samsung's launch events took us all around the world and brought us some of the best mobile devices in the world.
Long-time fans might be able to recall most of the events, but if you want to brush up on your Unpacked history, here's the rundown:
- 2010, Las Vegas, USA: Samsung unveiled the first Galaxy S. Samsung hosted only one major Unpacked event in 2010.
- H1 2011, Barcelona, Spain: Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S2.
- H2 2011, Berlin, Germany: The first Galaxy Note smartphone is announced. It was an unexpected success, given the phone's large footprint.
- H1 2012, London, UK: The flagship legacy continues with the announcement of the Galaxy S3.
- H2 2012, Berlin, Germany: Samsung announces the first sequel to the Note series.
- H1 2013, New York, USA: The tech giant brings Unpacked to New York, where it unveils the Galaxy S4.
- H2 2013, Berlin, Germany: The Galaxy Note 3 proves the popularity of the S Pen once again. The company also unveils the Galaxy Gear smartwatch.
- H1 2014, Barcelona, Spain: The Galaxy S5, one of Samsung's most successful phones, is announced. The Samsung Gear 2 also hits the stage.
- H2 2014, Berlin, Germany: Samsung unveils the Galaxy Note 4 and the Gear VR headset. A year later, Apple reportedly started developing its own VR/AR headset. After years of development, it was announced in 2023 as the Vision Pro.
- H1 2015, Barcelona, Spain: Samsung introduces the Galaxy S6 series with an “Edge” display.
- H2 2015, New York, USA: Galaxy Unpacked goes back to New York again for the launch of the Galaxy Note 5.
So far, so good. But Samsung would try to extend its influence and reach a year later. And although 2016 was one of the best years for Galaxy Unpacked, it wasn't a good time for Samsung's mobile division as it embarrassingly had to issue a mass recall.
- 2016: This was an eventful year for Samsung, as the company held Galaxy Unpacked events in Barcelona, New York, Rio de Janeiro, and London. But although the Galaxy S7 was a success, sadly, Samsung's most eventful year to date also left a bad mark on its record because of the faulty and short-lived Galaxy Note 7.
Online-only events and the first foldable phone draw near. And so does the end of the Galaxy Note
- 2017, New York, USA: Both Galaxy Unpacked 2017 events took place in New York. The company unveiled the Galaxy S8 series and Galaxy Note 8.
- H1 2018, Barcelona, Spain: Samsung takes the veil off the Galaxy S9 series.
- H2 2018, New York, USA: The Galaxy Note 9 makes its debut, marking the end of a chapter.
- H1 2019, San Francisco, USA: Samsung goes to San Francisco for the first time and starts Unpacked by unveiling its first Galaxy Fold. It also introduces the Galaxy S10 lineup.
- H2 2019, New York, USA: The Galaxy Note 10 becomes official and takes the whole S Pen series in a new direction. At least for a little while longer.
- H1 2020, San Francisco, USA: Samsung returns to SF to announce the first Galaxy Z Flip and the Galaxy S20 series.
- H2 2020, online: This was the first Galaxy Unpacked event hosted exclusively online due to COVID concerns. The company unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and the Galaxy Note 20, the latter of which turned out to be the last in its line. The S Pen would instead be adopted by Galaxy S Ultra flagships.
Samsung continued to host online-only Galaxy Unpacked events throughout 2021 and H1 2022. But in the second half of 2022, the company brought back the traditional format and hosted Unpacked in New York.
This year, Samsung announced the Galaxy S23 series at Galaxy Unpacked in San Francisco, and next week, the event will move to Seoul, South Korea, for the first time.
Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked is scheduled for July 26, and everyone can watch the live stream online. Samsung will announce two new foldable phones, two new smartwatches, and a handful of new Galaxy tablets. Fans can already pre-register for one or more of these devices and earn $50 in Samsung Credit if they decide to pre-order later.
SamMobile is also giving away a Galaxy Z Fold 5 and a Galaxy Z Flip 5. Check out our original announcement for more details and rules of participation.
