We’re still several weeks away from a reportedly jam-packed Galaxy Unpacked event, but despite Samsung’s best efforts, the two foldable smartphones, two Wear OS-based smartwatches, one inexpensive high-end handset, and the surprisingly affordable AirPods Pro alternatives expected to go official on August 11 are already as transparent as glass.
The designs, most of the key specs and features, and even the commercial release dates and price points of all these devices have been repeatedly depicted, rumored, and discussed of late, but of course, nothing is certain until the company makes it so next month.
Things are even less certain when different sources, tipsters, and publications offer conflicting information on the exact same topic, which seems to be the case for the Galaxy Watch 4, Watch 4 Classic, and Galaxy Buds 2 pricing.
Samsung’s next smartwatches could be cheaper than initially rumored
After all, Samsung and Google are insisting the Wear OS-based One UI Watch platform will be a big step forward in terms of everything from app support to multi-device connectivity, and all of the recently leaked renders make the Galaxy Watch 4 and especially the Watch 4 Classic look undeniably better than essentially all of their forerunners.
Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
Instead of starting at a whopping €350, the Galaxy Watch 4 could end up costing as little as €269 and €299 on the old continent in 40 and 44mm sizes respectively. That’s without cellular connectivity, of course, and if recent history is any indication, the next-gen device is likely to fetch no more than 300 bucks stateside in an entry-level variant, thus undercutting the $400 and up Galaxy Watch 3.
Naturally, the stylish Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is pretty much guaranteed to start at a higher price point than its sibling, but you may not have to spend €470 and up for that bad boy either. Instead, we’re purportedly looking at €369 and €399 European MSRPs in 42 and 44mm Bluetooth-only models respectively, with optional LTE speeds undoubtedly set to add quite a bit of Euro-moolah on top of that.
The Galaxy Buds 2 will not be very expensive either
It’s safe to say that Samsung‘s Apple-challenging true wireless earbuds release strategy hasn’t been particularly… coherent so far. That made it difficult to anticipate the family connection between the impending Galaxy Buds 2 and the existing Buds Pro and Buds Live.
Ultimately, it appears that all three products will support state-of-the-art active noise cancellation technology, which is why it’s certainly a little surprising to hear that Samsung could charge a measly €149 for a pair of non-Pro second-gen Buds in Europe starting next month.
Galaxy Buds 2
In contrast, the high-end Galaxy Buds Pro are normally available at €229 in countries like France and Italy while costing $199 in the US, which means the Buds 2 could set you back even less than 150 bucks right off the bat in the land of the free.
Obviously, we don’t know anything about the overall audio quality of these as-yet-unannounced AirPods Pro rivals and we fully expect them to cut a few corners compared to the Galaxy Buds Pro. But even so, a sub-$150 price tag would totally rock the industry, as well as our list of 2021’s best wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation.
And just like that, our Unpacked excitement level is over 9000 again despite there being so few questions left unanswered.
