Samsung Galaxy Unpacked July 2026: Live updates from the Z Fold 8 and Flip 8 launch event

For those of you still reading, thanks for sticking around with us for so long! We appreciate you. Come back next time, we'll be here to cover all the industry's biggest events and look forward to talking to you!

By the way, I'm chatting with our editor in chief Aaron Souppouris right now live on our YouTube channel, come join us and say hi! 

Flip fans should read Mat's hands-on with the Galaxy Z Flip 8, where he explains the minor upgrades coming to Samsung's compact (and cute) little foldable. 

Meanwhile, I've actually been playing with a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 for about a week, mostly using it to see how my antioxidant levels are doing. But I've tested some new(ish) features like Vitals metrics, Daily Cardio Load, as well as some older ones like Waypoints in the compass navigation system. I detail it all in my article about my first week with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 here!

Everyone's most interested in the new Z Fold 8, and I don't blame ya. This is the new "shape" that Samsung has been teasing for awhile, and frankly, I'm surprised how a simple change in orientation made this thing so much more fun to use. Check out Sam Rutherford's full hands-on with the Z Fold 8 for more details and gorgeous pictures.

I'd encourage you to start with our rundown of everything Samsung announced at Unpacked today to get the high-level overview by our own Kris Holt. It's long, but at least everything is in one place. 

Thanks ya'll. I gotta say, I can't wait to use the base Z Fold 8 some more, so stay tuned for full reviews too!

Well have I got a list of articles for you to read if you want to catch up!

And that's a wrap. What's next? Read our first impressions of everything we just talked about. Thanks for following along!

I must say, I'm very excited about the idea of smartglasses going mainstream. However, my reservation is that I'm not sure I'm super interested in models that don't have a built-in display. 

The frames will integrate with other Samsung products: tap on the Galaxy Watch's surface to capture a photo, for example. We'll hear more in the fall.

The battery will apparently span multiple days between charges. No solid specs and numbers just yet, however.

It has a new hinge design, with a power slider next to it. Samsung says they'll be lighter than most AI glasses.

Yep, smartglasses was the closer. Choi returns to the stage, wearing the latest version of Samsung's smartglasses in what appears to be Warby Parker frames.

But I guess this all falls under the general push for AI. 

The organization of this last section feels a bit jumbled. Samsung and Qualcomm should have talked about the Snapdragon Wear Elite while they were talking about the Galaxy Watches. 

Think of Amon's air miles!

Haha, too true. 

To be fair, Sam, Qualcomm's Cristiano Amon shows up at every event. 

Man, Samsung really got all the big execs from its partner companies to show up. 

Won-Joon Choi is back, talking about user control of AI. But only briefly; here's Qualcomm's Cristiano Amon.

Samsung is still just teasing these products. These smartglasses will be able to take photos, make voice commands and more. We'll hear more in a bit, apparently.

Gemini Intelligence will also be coming to new smartglasses from Samsung, Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.

Gemini Notebook will come preinstalled on the new foldables, and you'll get six months of Google AI Pro, too. 

FWIW, some of these task automation features were teased back in February at the S26 launch. 

Osterloh is talking about the multi-app hopping capability with Gemini. Some complicated tasks can be run in the background, and your device will notify you when they're completed. He added that Gemini works across 40 apps and counting.

Google's Rick Osterloh is now on stage. I thought the new Gemini features were only briefly touched on. Guess it's time for a deep dive.

This might be Samsung's most direct attempt to bring iPhone users into the Galaxy ecosystem. 

If QR codes are Samsung's one more thing... I swear....

False start: we're talking QR codes for transferring photos and files between different smartphones. Even between a Galaxy and an iPhone!

Now Won Joon Choi, President of MX business, is taking to the stage. Mixed reality? Augmented reality? More talk of those smartglasses we saw earlier?

Oh hey, is this Samsung's "one more thing?"

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will be priced at $699, and will launch on August 7th.

I refuse to sweat for *journalism* though.

Yes, dive away, Sam!

Samsung will also offer real-time hydration guidance based on sweat loss. That's a new one.

Does this mean I get to put my PADI certification to good use? I need a good excuse to go scuba diving again!

Lots of diving features, too. It includes its own diving algorithm and works as a deep-compression dive computer. Even nitrogen absorption monitoring.

This is where I'm going to have to disagree. I'm not a fan of squircles on watches. Go rectangular or circular, but pick one and don't sit in the middle. 

The display is brighter too: 5,000 nits. That is... bright.

Better still, there's a 35 percent larger battery for Samsung's most premium wearable.

I'm going to expand a bit on the sleep apnea stuff here, because I've been emailing with the FDA doing some research about the organization's clearance and approval processes. Sleep apnea alerts aren't new to Samsung's wearables necessarily. The company received a De Novo authorization for the sleep apnea feature in 2024. It does sound like Samsung has somehow expanded it? We'll need more time to dig into the specifics.

Powered by the Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset, Samsung says you can expect up to 32% CPU performance improvements. 

I like how it looks. Squircles for all.

It's not going to be just the single watch, though. Here comes the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

The Galaxy Watch 9 has a 390mAh cell in the 40mm version and a 445mAh unit in the 44mm variant.  

It's notable that this feature has approval from the FDA. Definitely lends a lot of credibility to that functionality. 

New features coming to the wearables include sleep apnea detection.  

Samsung is partnering with iFit for subscription fitness content, too.

First, though, we're hearing about Samsung Health. The company wants to move from "reactive to proactive" proactive."

Now it's time for smartwatches. Starting with the Galaxy Watch 9.

Shoutout to our commenter UEUEUEU who just said "BRING BACK THE S-PEN YOU COWARDS!!!"

One guy in the hall gave a withering "wow" from the back of the room. 

What a hilarious moment of confused silence from the audience after the presenter said, with confidence, "Stablecoin."

Was this guy really expecting applause for stablecoin/crypto support in Samsung Wallet?

Samsung is also launching its own credit card: the Galaxy Card. Sam already spotted it at his event in NYC. If you use it to pre-order Samsung's new phones, you'll get cashback. The company doesn't say how much that would be, though.

Yes, that's me in the suit. :eyes:

RE this Samsung Care+ video featuring lil animals... Is this cute if it's AI?

Mat, does this mean you are now part of the MCU?

All that excitement, however, was quickly tamped down with Samsung Care+. More AI animations, too, of that darn hamster.

And then, a random Spidey.

Can you imagine Peter Parker with a Sony Xperia? 

Now I feel awkward about the Holland comment.

Jacob Batalon was featured, however, and he's on stage here. 

Note that they aren't showing Tom Holland's face. That will have saved some money.

We're getting cross-promo with Spider-Man's newest film. Looks like Peter Parker has moved from Sony to Samsung. And Spidey's own AI invented a Z Flip?

I don't know, I think the new Fold 8 has my heart. Oh look a Spider-Man!

Would it be weird to say the Z Flip 8 is one of the cutest phones on the market?

Pricing for the Z Flip 8 starts at $1,199. Preorders start today for all phones. Yes, it's also more expensive than last year.

Samsung is tapping a lot of GenAI for its promo videos during this Unpacked. The hamster video made me wince...

The Z Flip 8 is slimmer and lighter than any of its predecessors, too. 180 grams! That's nothing!

The Z Flip 8's cameras get the same ProVisual engine seen on the rest of Samsung's Galaxy phone series, for improved skin tones and textures.

It's about time. You've always been somewhat limited when it comes to what you can do on the Cover Screen on Z Flips. It's really weird because I just wanted Samsung to treat it the same as the Z Fold.

Now Brief is getting upgraded too, with the option to add your own custom cards based on health, weather and, er, YouTube.

The Now Nudge comes to the fore, offering shortcuts between tinier iterations of your calendar app or messages.

Samsung's Lee Dunham is promising us a richer Flex Display experience on the Z Flip 8. 

Looks like we're moving on to my favorite foldable, the Z Flip 8. (The Fold 8 could steal my affections...)

The Fold 8 is available in lavender, graphite, cream and pistachio colors. Prices start at $1,899. Yikes.

My FanCam is a new AI feature that edits down a video, in your choice of screen ratio, keeping your favorite person center-frame throughout.

I REALLY wish they had found a way to put three cameras on the back. I use the zoom lens on the Z Fold 7 all the time.

Camera-wise, you get a 50MP ultra-wide and 50MP wide sensors. This seems to be the big difference (screen ratios aside) between the Z Fold 8 duo.

This is also Samsung's lightest Fold phone, ever. 

The Z Fold 8 has a 4,800mAh battery — close to the Z Fold 8 Ultra's 5,000mAh cell.

So I'm really happy to see this base model, which works much better for watching shows and movies. 

Samsung is now inventing the idea of turning your phone 90 degrees. From a 4:3 aspect ratio to a 3:4 aspect ratio. One is for reading, one is for video. 

Yea, Samsung had been slowly shifting towards more square Z Folds in recent generations when they started making the Cover Screen wider, but that had a slightly negative impact on the aspect ratio of the main screen. 

I never got to use the Pixel Fold for an extended time. But I've never been sold on the almost-square Fold form factor.

Agreed Mat. This shape reminds me of the original Pixel Fold, and I loved that design/form factor too. 

Yep, Sam. Here in London, this base Z Fold 8 got a much bigger reaction when it was unveiled, compared to the Fold 8 Ultra.

The Fold 8 differs from its predecessors with a squareish foldable screen and a shorter front-facing display. This could be the most interesting device of the three we're expecting...

I think Samsung needed to make a bigger point about there now being two versions of the Z Fold 8. The Ultra and this new base model.

And we're onto the Z Fold 8. We're going fast! I like it. 

This is the new foldable form-factor for Samsung's Z Fold.

The new Fold 9 Ultra will also get Gemini Notebook — that's the rebrand of the NotebookLM.

It's a contextual tool that will suggest shortcuts to other apps, like calendars, emails, maps and more, based on what Gemini and Galaxy AI sees on screen. 

Processor-wise, Samsung has gone for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 from Qualcomm. And boom: we're into AI tricks and tools. Now Nudge is kicking things off.

Those include a 200MP main camera with an f/1.7 lens and a 10MP telephoto capable of up to 3x optical zoom.

I still don't like the term nightography...

The Z Fold 8 Ultra has a new 50MP ultra-wide camera, in addition to similarly-specced cameras on last year's Fold 7.

This still isn't quite as good as the 7,000mAh cells you see on some Chinese phones. But this is still a big jump up from the 4,400mAh battery on last year's Z Fold 7. 

This technology should make it longer-lasting while the energy density is higher, so it takes up less space inside devices. Now we're watching a cute CGI hamster (guinea pig?) animated short to demonstrate it. 

It comes with a 5,000mAh battery: the largest yet in the Z Fold series. And it's silicon-carbon too!

The hinge is apparently coming to all of Samsung's 2026 foldables.

We're starting with the new Flex Titanium hinge. There's a titanium alloy film to make the screen stronger, while its composition leads to a thinner display structure, too. 

First up: Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Samsung's first Ultra foldable.

I hate to interrupt, but as is usually the case with Samsung's launches, all the news went live at the start of the presentation. You can go on over to our homepage for all the details and hands-on impressions, but I'd also like to take this opportunity to plug our video hands-on!

We're getting a little showcase of Samsung's new foldables in action. Camcorder-style video recording, reminders for tasks all in phones that fold. 

OK, that was kind of slick!

Rohveal?

And we've got the second fake stage reveal. Taking cues from Drag Race?

"We believe the answer is foldables." Strong statement by TM Roh.

All this to say, Roh thinks the solution to the challenges of 2026 is a foldable. (Surprise!)

Here's the requisite call for security and privacy with the mention of Samsung Knox. 

And a brief flash of Samsung's latest AI glasses gets a round of applause from the back of the room. 

There's a focus on Agentic AI — as seen in several of Samsung's Unpacked events over the last year.

Roh is talking up the company's AI endeavors. He says there will be AI in over 800 million devices by the end of the year.

Taking to the stage, TM Roh, President and CEO of Samsung's Device Experience Division.

Very London-coded lol, way to drive home the Britishness of this event.

We're kicking things off with a big deep-dive drone shot coming into London, right across the Thames river from the event itself.

And here we go!

Yep, I'm really looking forward to it. Samsung has been teasing pretty hard that it's going wider, so I'm curious to see what they do with that.

Well, commenter Fold6_downunder thinks Samsung might be missing the point of the "Ultra" name and has a list of wishes including a thicker, more durable phone with a 7,000-8,000mAh battery, "proper flagship cameras not last years hand me downs" and S Pen support! They say "I'd gladly pay more for a true flagship power user device"

I'm curious to see what Samsung does today but I personally would love to see the onboard S Pen slot return.

Samsung is teasing this new 'shape' for its foldables. Based on leaks, we assume it's a new foldable smartphone. 

There are also things like the crease becoming less noticeable, the addition of proper water resistance and many generations of various hinge designs. I've felt this way for a little while now, but aside from their price, foldables have been ready for mainstream users for a few years now. That said, Samsung really knocked it out of the park with the Z Fold 7's design, especially when it comes to its thinness. 

The music has dipped out here at the big event. It's almost time...

100%. If anyone recalls, Galaxy Folds and foldable phones in general used to really suffer from factory-installed screen protectors that would bubble after six months to a year. But that has largely become a non-issue in more recent generations. 

So stealthy I can't see it! By the way Sam, our commenters asked if you think the Fold has improved in quality and durability since the Fold 3, and whether you think the next one (8 probably) will bring better hardware.

Here it is, rather stealthy looking as far as cards go. 

Quite well actually! I just used it to snap a picture of Samsung's new Galaxy credit card, because it's the first time I've seen one IRL. 

Gasp! Mat! What if someone scanned your barcode! But yes, 12 ish minutes to go and hello Sam! You made it! How's your Fold 7 holding up.

Hey y'all, I'm not in London of course, but I just got to the local watch event for Samsung Unpacked in NYC. 

T-minus 12 minutes!

Booooo.

Would you say you're packed like.... sardines..?

"Galaxy Unpacked? More like Galaxy Packed in! Can't move in this place for media and influencers."

While we wait, back to the comments for a moment. I just noticed that Mark Dell asked (or hoped out loud) that the Flip gets meaningful updates, and is wondering if he should upgrade from his Z Fold 6. As much as I've been a fan of Flip-style foldables (and love watching them be used on Love Island), I've been pretty well-served by a standard smartphone and still don't seek them out. But maybe I need to live with one to truly get it.

(I've asked Mat to go take more pictures for us. I'm sure you all are hungry for it. I'm just hungry.)

Damn, Mat Smith everybody. He'll be making jokes all summer long.

Our defense folded faster than a Galaxy Z Flip, sadly.

Bless you, Cher.

About two weeks ago, I told myself, Samsung hosting the Unpacked event in London must be a sign. It must be a sign from the universe that the company picked what would surely be the World Cup champion city to host its foldables event. Surely! (I was obviously wrong. It didn't come home.)

They have Samsung-branded sun umbrellas to keep the sun's damage away. 

Mat sent this picture from the Unpacked event in London, where it looks to be a lovely day.

User jley in the comments rightfully asked about trade-in offers and hopes they'll be decent. I agree, anything we can do to save some money in this economy is welcome.

I'm certainly going to get some coffee soon and not sit here at my laptop panicking about our coverage!

We've got 40 minutes to go. Enough time for more questions, brewing some coffee and reading up on the rumors we've heard so far.

Galaxy Z Slice:

I am sitting down, bathed in purple light, waiting for the Unpackening.

Francesca Di Maggio in the chat may have just predicted the outcome of Unpacked today... 

"if it will be "Flip... same but better camera", "Fold ... same but better screen", "Watch.. same but better battery" it will be very sad." 

Maybe if you take this to Polymarket or Kalshi you will be less sad! (I kid, I'm not a fan of "prediction markets")

Commenter Chrisaba1 has a long history with Samsung's foldables, seeming to upgrade every generation first from the Flips then to the Folds! And yes, Chrisaba1, I am also intrigued by this supposed wider foldable. But maybe I'm more stoked for Apple's version? Am I a heathen for saying that?

I'm not proud of it, by the way, it's a pretty unhealthy affliction, workaholism. Hopefully Samsung will make a health tracking tool to help me be less intense! Meanwhile, let's see what else is in the comments. OMG I see Engadget Podcast regular Mark Dell is here! Hello Mark! We're so excited you're back! 

Commenter Aidyonline, who's using a Z Fold 5, is asking the right questions, like is the soon-to-be last-gen Z Fold 7 going to get a price cut? Should you pick the Z Fold 8 if it's significantly better? Are the cameras vastly improved? 

My answer is... Maybe we need to wait an hour to find out...

I believe Sam should be on his way to the New York viewing event as well, and should be checking in shortly. For those of us here in the US, it's still pretty early and outside of work hours. I'm just a workaholic.

Maybe I should catch up on what he's said. In line already! Proud of you Mat. More pictures please!

Looks like Mat is near the event venue! Or these signs have been obnoxiously placed all over London.

The media line is already 120 folks deep, as this is the big global launch event. 

Kabir says in the comments they're hoping to upgrade from their Fold 7 to the "8 wide" which I know is just an easy way to refer to whatever new foldable Samsung announces today but I have to say I like "8 wide" as a name. But I agree with Kabir in hoping that not too much has been compromised specswise!

I hope it doesn't run too long, Mat. But I see we have a bunch of new comments! Digging right in...

What is your biggest hope for this Unpacked event? 

I'm more of a Z Flip man. But we're a quiet, humble bunch.

Es89 in the comments has some very good questions as an existing Z Fold 3 owner. I'll ask our resident foldable nerd Sam to fill you in on the details at a more reasonable hour but I will say that from my own observation and experience the last Z Fold (which was the 7) certainly felt durable and sturdy! But I haven't used it longterm like Sam has.

It's not a store, although I'm bound by Samsung secrecy about exactly where it's being held... for another hour or so.

I thought the same, Mat. Also, commenter Aby is trying to find out which store in London this event is being held and I'm not sure myself, to be honest. We've also got S23 Ultra user Sjd1978 in the chat following along, hello!

Or maybe just one of them?

Just here to answer some commenters while we wait for the event to kick off and first of all, I see you, "Neat" and "More than neat"! Good to know our commenters are definitely not AI.

I'm also intrigued to see what sort of health tracking features and apps might appear in Samsung's next generation of smartwatches. I wore the Galaxy Watch Ultra for a spell, and it was a handsome smartwatch, if a little thick.

I'm most excited to see how Samsung will differentiate among what's rumored to be three new foldables. Is it too soon for TriFold 2? Probably.

Samsung has decided to do its big launch event in London this time, so I had to step up and do my job. (I don't know why Cherlynn is awake and online, but that's a problem above my pay grade.)

Good morning everyone and welcome to our liveblog of Unpacked! Thanks for joining us bright and early. Plenty to expect from Samsung today, and we're looking forward to learning more.