Bonjour , I hope you had a beautiful week? Samsung Unpacked finally happened this week and the new foldables are here. Just like we anticipated, there is a new form factor in the lineup. We now have the Galaxy Z Flip in its usual compact size, a new Z Fold Ultra in the tall format we have known for a while, and a new Z Fold in a shorter, wider square shape, similar to what we have seen from the original Pixel Fold, the Oppo Find N, and what Apple is expected to bring later this year. There is a lot of speculation about why Samsung is entering this square category now, with one popular theory being that they want to be well positioned before Apple's foldable generates its inevitable wave of attention. Samsung also announced the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 alongside the phones. Google announced a new way to sign into your account using a video selfie. I know that immediately sounds suspicious, like it could mean weaker account security, but Google is claiming it is safe even against convincing deepfakes, and given how capable their AI is right now, I am inclined to believe the technical side of that claim. The bigger concern for me is the data angle, because this is one more piece of biometric information you are handing over to them. Apple is reportedly working on a device leasing programme that would let you upgrade by paying over 24 to 36 months. It sounds like a first world product for now, but it will be interesting to see how it affects the broader market if it takes off. The screenless fitness tracker space, dominated by Whoop for so long, is starting to heat up. Garmin has announced their entry into the category with the release of the Cirqa, which should make things very interesting given Garmin's reputation for accurate health tracking. And finally, there is a rumour that Spotify might be working on a built-in music identification feature, similar to Shazam.
| 
