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What to expect at the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked
Although it isn't yet official, you can bet the farm that Samsung will hold a Galaxy Unpacked event this summer. The rumor mill even points to a specific time and venue: July 22 in London. But whether that's the official date or not, you can expect a foldable-focused shindig sometime soon. Samsung will likely unveil new Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip phones, as well as new Galaxy Watches. And we just might get a closer look at Samsung and Google's Android XR smart glasses.
At last year's event, Samsung launched its most polished foldable yet, the Galaxy Z Fold 7. But now the company appears ready to shake things up. Leaks point to a wider Fold model alongside one with the more established design.
Curiously, the wider shape more closely aligns with what industry insiders expect from Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone. Welcome to the world of Big Tech, where you have to question whether a new product was greenlit to compete with one that doesn't yet exist.
This model would trade the narrow design of the current Fold line for something that, when opened, more closely resembles a small tablet. It may even resemble the first-generation Pixel Fold (pictured above). Leaks suggest this wider Z Fold 8 would have a 7.8-inch inner display and a 5.4-inch outer display. Its outer screen is also expected to be wider, which could make it feel more like a standard phone when closed. It's rumored to have two rear cameras, compared to the three on the current Fold line.
When leaks about this wider Fold first surfaced, they hinted that it would be sold as an offshoot from the main series. (Think something along the lines of the Z Fold Special Edition.) However, the latest ones suggest Samsung may position this model as the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Meanwhile, a foldable whose aspect ratio and feature set resemble last year's standard model could be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. (Confused yet?) As its alleged name suggests, this phone would be the top-tier model.
The Z Fold 8 Ultra is rumored to include a less visible display crease than its predecessor. It could also carry a new Snapdragon chip, a 200-megapixel main camera and 45W charging.
We can speculate as to why Samsung might rebrand the previously standard model as "Ultra." First, one heavily rumored name for Apple's foldable is the iPhone Ultra. More cynically, Samsung's (unconfirmed) naming could also be designed to make a more expensive Fold feel more justifiable. With AI data-center-fueled shortages driving up memory prices, it wouldn't be surprising to see a price hike for the lineup. (The 2025 model was already $2,000, so... yikes.) But if the new phone's upgrades are more incremental than revolutionary, that could be a hard sell — "Ultra" naming or not.
Then there's the cheaper Galaxy Z Flip 8. It's rumored to include a new hinge design that reduces the display crease. This could also make the phone a bit lighter at 180g. (The Flip 7 weighs 188g.)
Leaks point to a return to a Snapdragon processor, after last year's model used a Samsung Exynos chip. (Specifically, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.) Elsewhere, expect the same 6.9-inch inner display and a 4.1-inch cover display.