Surprise Unpacked? – Samsung has a new showcase slated for 4 September

Samsung has an unexpected event taking place on 4 September this year. Usually, its Unpacked showcases are a bi-annual affair, which might be why this one isn’t explicitly taking the name. It’s being called Galaxy Event, with its timing totally not calculated to intrude on Apple’s annual iPhone presentation.

A September event is relatively rare for the South Korean giant, though it’s not without precedent. The last time we saw one (or, perhaps, bothered to tune in) was the Life Unstoppable event, which broadcast in the midst of 2020’s chaos.

Unpacking Not-Unpacked

Then, Samsung trotted out a more unusual collection of devices, covering charging, TVs, its more obscure (at the time) mobile devices, and smart appliances. This time, the ‘Galaxy’ portion of the company’s invitation suggests that it’ll be mobile-focused instead of spreading Samsung’s efforts across a broad area.

Our money is on Samsung using its not-Unpacked virtual event to announce new Galaxy Tab S11 models, details of which leaked extremely recently. The announcement of the Galaxy Tab S10 Lite for launch in September — 19 September is the local launch date — lends credence to this. AMOLED screens, MediaTek chipsets, and increased RAM and battery sizes are expected from the tablet lineup.

Also possibly making an appearance is the Galaxy S25 FE, the semi-budget version of Samsung’s year-opening smartphone headliners. Rumours suggest that Samsung’s taste for incremental updates will continue with this phone, with only minor changes to the Galaxy S24 FE’s hardware formula expected.

We could well hear more about Samsung’s AI efforts at this un-Unpacked presentation. It’s hard to explain why, but the key artwork above suggests that software will be front and centre this time around. If you’re keen on tuning in, the Galaxy Event will broadcast in several locations, including Samsung’s own website. The event is set for 11h30 SAST, another sign that Samsung isn’t pushing its new announcements too hard. The big news tends to rock up in the evenings here at home.