News

Samsung Unveils Multiple New Products At Galaxy Unpacked 2022

Samsung shows off two new foldable smartphones, two smartwatches, and upgraded earphones at its Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event.

Published

4 years ago

August 11, 2022

Nour Nasir

Summer 2022 has already seen several major tech releases, including the Google Pixel 6a and the much-hyped Nothing Phone 1. This week, it was industry giant Samsung’s turn to show off its latest designs at the annual Galaxy Unpacked event. The virtual presentation gave us a glimpse of several new releases, from smartphones to earphones and more.

Galaxy Z Fold 4

galaxy z fold 4

A new Galaxy Fold will always be the star in any product announcement, and this summer’s reveal was no exception. The foldable device blends the line between tablet and smartphone, and this year’s Fold 4 brings several improvements, including a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor for faster performance, smaller bezels, and a reduction in the noticeable size of the screen crease.

The Fold 4 team has concentrated on incremental improvements for this device iteration, so there’s a tweaked aspect ratio, a slightly lighter weight and an increase in stiffness for the new model, plus software improvements to aid with multitasking. Overall, the device looks like an exciting release, and we can’t wait to get our hands on one!

Galaxy Z Flip 4

galaxy z flip 4

The Flip 4 is arguably the more accessible and exciting of Samsung’s foldables, bringing back the much-loved clamshell format to create a pocketable large-screen smartphone.

This year’s Flip 4 offers a higher capacity battery, rapid charging, and the same Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor seen in the Galaxy Fold 4. The upgrades are all welcome additions to the smartphone, though it has to be said that the camera specs still don’t seem like they’re going to worry other flagship devices.

Galaxy Watch 5 & Watch 5 Pro

samsung galaxy watch 5

Samsung seems to have a habit of releasing new watches at all of its events, and this year’s Galaxy Unpacked was no exception, showing off two new wearables: The Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. The non-pro model is the smaller of the two devices and now features a few decent upgrades, including a sapphire glass face. The Watch 5 Pro takes the place of previous Classic models, and although the watch boasts a huge new battery, the iconic rotating bezel is now gone forever.

Galaxy Buds 2 Pro

galaxy buds 2 pro

Finally, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro were also on display at the event as a perfect partner for the newly announced range of foldable phones. The earbuds have always been a solid premium design with excellent sound, so we’re keen to get our hands on a set very soon.

Overall, an exciting event for Samsung. While nothing revolutionary was announced, the devices featured had a raft of upgrades that should keep the lineup fresh and perhaps even tempt the odd Apple fan to jump ship!

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.