Samsung Unpacked 2026: all the news from the July foldable launch

If you missed Samsung’s event today, you can watch all the highlights here, including the redesigned Galaxy Z Fold 8 , the new Z Fold 8 Ultra, and an updated Z Flip 8. You can also check out today’s episode of The Vergecast to hear more about everything Samsung announced.

How the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 phones compare

The Z Fold 8 is the foldable that will probably get the most attention in the US this year, that is, unless Apple’s rumored foldable arrives in the coming months. While its name makes it sound like the successor to last year’s Z Fold 7, it’s a new, shorter variation that starts at $1,899.99 . It has a 7.6-inch main screen and a 5.5-inch exterior screen — noticeably smaller than the new $2,099.99 Z Fold 8 Ultra. It’s nearly as feature-packed as the Ultra, with some exceptions, like having a 50-megapixel main camera instead of a 200-megapixel lens, and a slightly smaller 4,800mAh battery. There are three configurations, with the 256GB and 512GB models sporting 12GB of memory and the 1TB model upgraded to 16GB of RAM.

Preorders for Samsung’s new Z Fold and Flip 8 come with up to $350 in gift cards

Samsung’s newest foldables are here. At Galaxy Unpacked, the company announced the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. All three devices will be available on August 7th, but you can preorder them now starting at $1,199.99, $1,899.99, and $2,099.99, respectively.

You probably noticed that Samsung’s foldable lineup looks a little different this year. Rather than simply updating the Galaxy Z Fold 7 , Samsung now has two book-style foldables: the productivity-focused Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the shorter, wider (when folded) Galaxy Z Fold 8 that’s geared more toward entertainment. The Galaxy Z Flip 8, meanwhile, is a touch thinner and lighter than its predecessor, but otherwise retains the same design as the Flip 7 .

It’s been in beta for a little while , but Samsung’s new foldables mark the official launch, together with an expansion to more than 40 apps.

Samsung Smart Switch will make it easier to jump from iOS to a Galaxy Z Flip 8 or Fold 8, sharing photos, videos, contacts and more with just a QR code, no iOS app install required. Similar features are already rolling out on some Pixels with Android 17.

A fancy person detection algorithm picks subjects to focus on, and crops video to track your favorite. Samsung is pitching it for fans and stans, but I suspect it’ll get more use at kids’ ballet recitals.

For the first time, Samsung’s three new foldables use silicon-carbon batteries, meaning higher capacity in a smaller space. Samsung says it’s focused on maintaining longevity and stability, sometimes worse with silicon cells, but that’s stopped it hitting the enormous capacities of rivals like Oppo and Honor.

The smart glasses come with Google’s Gemini AI on board and will debut this fall with the designs we first saw in May — plus these two new ones from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.

I almost forgot Samsung’s Z Flip 8 was a foldable

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 8 feels more like a regular phone than ever. It’s thinner, lighter, and has a front screen you can do just about anything on. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, I’m not quite sure yet.

I spent three hours with Samsung’s newest flip phone last week, and it doesn’t look too different from last year’s Z Flip 7 . It’s still got a 6.9-inch FHD+ AMOLED display on the inside. It’s still got a 4.1-inch Super AMOLED cover screen on the outside. It still starts at 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and it still has a 4,300mAh battery. But this year, Samsung has added even more features that make this thing a full-on phone while it’s closed.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2 bet big on battery

It’s a year of refinement for the Galaxy Watch. With the new Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, which are being announced today, Samsung is more or less taking what people like about its watches and tweaking those elements to be better. The company has been doing this for the past few generations of its watch line, but this year’s updates seem focused on shoring up Samsung’s wearable weaknesses. Namely, battery life and preventive health features.

The Ultra 2, now $50 more expensive at $699.99, gets a few key spec bumps. The 47mm watch packs in a whopping 800mAh battery — a major 35 percent increase from the 590mAh battery in the original Ultra. I got around 70 hours on the original Ultra, so I’m curious to see how this battery boost translates to everyday usage. I was worried the larger battery would necessitate a chonkier watch, but surprisingly, the case is 12 percent thinner, measuring 10.7mm. The standard strap is also about 1mm thinner at 1.9mm, and a bit softer to the touch.

Samsung’s wider Z Fold 8 feels just right

A year after overhauling its Z Fold phone with a radically thinner design, Samsung has changed things up again, this time altering the shape entirely. The Z Fold 8 is wider than any of Samsung’s previous foldables, and shorter too, a size and shape somewhere between Samsung’s traditional Flip and Fold models.

In photos, I wasn’t impressed by the squat shape. In person, to my surprise, it feels great, and almost immediately intuitive. If you want to get a feel for it yourself, grab your passport — the Z Fold 8 is about the same height and less than half an inch thinner.

Samsung’s newest foldable finally feels Ultra

While we wait for Apple’s rumored foldable iPhone , Samsung is polishing a design it already has on the market. I just spent three hours with my hands on the new Z Fold 8 Ultra, and all I can think about is how Samsung finally made the crease invisible.

Samsung says it achieved this thanks to its new Flex Titanium display tech. Its foldable screens now utilize a titanium film that sits below the OLED panel, which Samsung says has 20-times the mechanical stiffness as opposed to the polymer film it used in its old foldables. This film is bonded to a new titanium plate, and when used together, the crease that used to plague foldable devices is practically nonexistent. I spent a lot of time pressing my finger down on the center of the screen trying to feel the crease. If you apply a lot of force and are specifically looking for it, you can feel it ever so slightly , but I came away very impressed with how minor it is. In day-to-day use, there’s very little chance you’re going to notice it.

So far it’s mostly teasing novel ways of slicing pizza, but presumably it’ll all make sense soon.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked July 2026: How to watch

Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event is just around the corner, and the company is expected to take the wraps off a bunch of new devices. Based on the rumors and leaks we’ve seen so far, Samsung’s next generation of foldables will likely be the stars of the show. Samsung is expected to show off a big redesign for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, though we can’t rule out a few other surprises.

Here’s what you need to know about watching Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked and what to expect.

Samsung can’t afford to play it safe with Apple’s first foldable looming

Tomorrow’s foldable-centric Galaxy Unpacked event looks like it will be Samsung’s biggest in years. The company is expected to launch new versions of its Fold and Flip phones while also introducing a brand new Fold form factor that’s shorter and wider.

It would be the second upheaval to Samsung’s foldable lineup in less than 12 months, after last year’s Galaxy Z TriFold . For years, there was the little Flip and the big Fold, and that was enough. Not any more. With the first foldable iPhone looming on the horizon, Samsung can’t get away with playing it safe.