A New Shape Unfolds in London
Samsung just wrapped up its second Galaxy Unpacked of the year at London’s iconic venue, and if you thought the foldable space was settled, I laid out what to expect ahead of this event, and Samsung delivered on just about every count. The headline? Not one, not two, but three foldable phones — including a brand-new “Wide” form factor and the first-ever Fold wearing the Ultra badge. On top of that, we got two new smartwatches, a proper look at Samsung’s upcoming smart glasses, and the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
Pre-orders open today — July 22 — with general availability starting August 7. Let’s break down everything that matters.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: The Thinnest Foldable, Period
For the first time, Samsung is bringing the “Ultra” name to its foldable lineup. And honestly, it earns the badge.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra unfolds to an 8-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display — the largest inner screen on any Samsung foldable yet — with a resolution bump to 2,504 x 2,256. It’s also the thinnest Fold Samsung has ever built: just 4.1mm when open, weighing 215 grams. Pick it up and you genuinely feel the difference from last year’s Fold 7.
Samsung’s calling the construction “Flex Titanium” — a titanium alloy layer beneath the flexible OLED that absorbs pressure and impact while reducing crease visibility. The hinge feels smoother too, with optimized folding magnets and display tension. It’s the kind of refinement that makes you go “oh, this is nice” the moment you open it.
Camera Setup
- Main: 200MP, f/1.7 — the same flagship sensor Samsung’s been perfecting
- Ultrawide: 50MP, f/1.9 — a serious upgrade from last year’s 12MP
- Telephoto: 10MP, f/2.4 with 3x optical and 30x Space Zoom
- Selfie: 10MP cameras on both cover and main displays, 4K 60fps capable
- Video: 8K at 30fps
Performance & Battery
Inside is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy — Qualcomm’s latest custom silicon for Samsung’s flagships. Paired with a 5,000mAh battery and 45W fast charging, the Ultra is built for heavy multitasking. Storage options go up to 1TB with 16GB of RAM (the 256GB and 512GB variants get 12GB). An expanded graphite cooling structure helps keep things from getting toasty during demanding workloads.
AI & Software
Samsung’s “Agentic AI” features are where things get interesting. Gemini Notebook lets you upload meeting notes or audio recordings and generate summaries, presentation slides, or even AI-generated videos from the same source material. Meanwhile, Now Nudge intelligently predicts when you need multitasking — suggesting a calendar entry from a messaging conversation and opening it in Multi Window without you lifting a finger.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2,100 — $100 more than last year’s Fold 7 — and comes in silver shadow finishes.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Wide): A Foldable, Reimagined
Here’s where things get interesting. The standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 has been completely redesigned with a wider, squarer aspect ratio — 4:3 when unfolded — making it feel more like a compact tablet than a tall, narrow phone that unfolds. This is the form factor people have been asking Samsung to adopt for years, and it’s finally here.
The main display is 7.6 inches with a 4:3 aspect ratio — ideal for movies, games, and reading e-books. Rotate it and you get 3:4, which feels natural for web browsing. The cover screen is a 5.5-inch panel with a 10:16 aspect ratio — narrower than the Ultra’s cover screen but still practical for quick tasks.
Weighing just 201 grams, this is the lightest Galaxy Z Fold ever. It’s 4.5mm thin when unfolded. The Flex Titanium construction carries over, and the 4,800mAh battery delivers over 26 hours of video playback — impressive for a foldable this light.
Camera & Specs
- Main: 50MP, f/1.8
- Ultrawide: 50MP, f/1.9 — dual 50MP setup, no telephoto
- Selfie: 10MP on both displays
- Chip: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
- RAM/Storage: 12GB + 256GB/512GB, or 16GB + 1TB
A new AI-powered feature called My FanCam lets you select a subject in a video and automatically reframe the entire video around them — great for content creators filming events or vlogs. And the more advanced agentic AI integration means you can share a photo with Gemini and ask it to book a hotel near that landmark without switching apps.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts at $1,899 and comes in Cream, Graphite, Green Shadow, and Violet Shadow.
Galaxy Z Flip 8: More Without Unfolding
The Flip series has always been about style and portability, and the Z Flip 8 refines that formula without reinventing it. Unfolded, it’s 6.1mm thin and weighs just 180 grams — genuinely pocketable.
The biggest hardware upgrade here is the larger 4.1-inch FlexWindow on the cover, which lets you do more without flipping the phone open — checking notifications, snapping selfies with the main camera, controlling music, and interacting with AI widgets. The 6.7-inch main display (when unfolded) keeps the same familiar flip-phone magic.
Key Specs
- Chip: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB / 512GB
- Main Camera: 50MP
- Battery: 4,300mAh (typical) with 45W fast charging support
- Weight: 180g
Samsung says the hinge has been reinforced with a new high-strength material for improved durability, and the frame is stronger overall. The Z Flip 8 starts at $1,199.
Galaxy Watch 9 & Galaxy Watch Ultra 2
Samsung’s wearable lineup got a double upgrade, and both watches share something important: the new Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset, Qualcomm’s first 3nm wearable platform with a dedicated Hexagon NPU capable of running AI models with up to 2 billion parameters.
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2
Built for the outdoors and extreme environments, the Watch Ultra 2 packs an 800mAh battery — 35% more capacity than the original — good for up to 60 hours of usage. The display hits an industry-first 5,000 nits peak brightness, making it readable even under direct sunlight. It’s also 12% thinner than its predecessor despite the larger battery.
New features include Trail Run mode with real-time elevation data and climbing progress, and EN13319-certified dive tracking that automatically records depth, dive time, and water temperature. Samsung partnered with Mares, a global diving equipment brand, for advanced diving features like ascent rates and safety decompression time. Hydration guidance — new to Nutrition Alert — calculates fluid intake based on sweat loss relative to body weight.
The Watch Ultra 2 is available in a 47mm size with 10ATM + IP69K water and dust resistance.
Galaxy Watch 9
For everyday health tracking, the Watch 9 comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes with a 390mAh battery (20% larger than the Watch 8). Samsung’s updated Samsung Health platform now organizes around five core pillars: Activity, Mindfulness, Nutrition, Sleep, and Vitals. The Heart Health Score combines activity, sleep, body composition, and stress trends into a single cardiovascular snapshot. Fitness Index assesses whether your current exercise volume is appropriate for your fitness level, and Daily Cardio Load helps you gauge recovery needs.
The Watch 9 starts at $379.99 (Bluetooth) and $429.99 (LTE).
Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Hi-Res Audio Gets Smarter
The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro round out the audio side at $249.99. They feature a new 2-way speaker system with Dual Amp for true hi-fi sound, ANC 2.0, IP57 water resistance, and hands-free AI assistance including live translation support. Battery life is rated at 6 hours with ANC on (7 off), and 26 hours total with the charging case (30 without ANC).
Samsung Smart Glasses: A Real Peek This Time
Samsung gave us a proper look at the smart glasses it’s developing with Google, Warby Parker, and Gentle Monster. Running on Android XR and powered by the Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset, the glasses promise up to 9 hours of battery life on a single charge, with the charging case providing up to 7 additional full charges. No pricing or release date yet, but they’re expected later this year.
Two models are in development — and unlike the earlier teaser at Google I/O, this time Samsung showed actual new designs with built-in cameras. Smart glasses are getting real, folks.
First Impressions
This Unpacked feels like Samsung’s most confident hardware showcase in years. The new Z Fold 8 “Wide” form factor addresses the biggest criticism of Samsung foldables — that awkward narrow cover screen — and the Ultra variant pushes the envelope with the thinnest foldable body ever. The Watch Ultra 2 with its 5,000-nit display and 60-hour battery is a genuine contender for best outdoor smartwatch, and the Watch 9’s health tracking suite finally feels comprehensive rather than scattered.
The higher prices are hard to ignore — the Fold 8 Ultra at $2,100 is Samsung testing just how much the market will pay for a foldable flagship. But with three distinct foldable options, two watches, and a growing ecosystem — not to mention reliable mid-range options like the Galaxy A27 5G that I reviewed recently that now includes smart glasses, From the budget-friendly Galaxy M47 with its massive 6,000mAh battery to these $2,100 foldables, Samsung is making a clear bet: foldables aren’t a niche anymore. They’re the future.
All devices are available for pre-order starting today at Samsung.com, with retail availability beginning August 7.
What do you think — is the new Wide Fold 8 the form factor you’ve been waiting for, or does the Ultra’s camera suite justify the premium? Drop your thoughts below.