Returning to the UK for the first time in 14 years, Samsung Electronics’ ‘Galaxy Unpacked 2026’ was held at London’s Old Billingsgate on the 22nd (local time). With over 1,000 journalists, influencers, and tipsters in attendance, Samsung unveiled three new products\u2014the wide-type foldable phone ‘Galaxy Z Fold8,’ the ‘Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra,’ and the ‘Galaxy Z Flip8’\u2014alongside the ‘Intelligent Eyewear’ developed in collaboration with Google. TM Roh, President and Head of Samsung’s DX Division, declared, “We will equip over 800 million devices with Galaxy AI within this year,” heralding the era of agentic AI.<\/p>\n
The star of this Unpacked event, which saw the Galaxy Z series expand to a three-model lineup for the first time, was undoubtedly the ‘Galaxy Z Fold8.’ Breaking away from the previous Fold’s tall screen ratio, it features a 7.6-inch (193.2mm) main display with a 4:3 aspect ratio when unfolded. This design choice was based on the insight that 70% of users utilize a 4:3 ratio for photos and videos, drastically reducing top and bottom black bars during content viewing to maximize immersion. When folded, it offers a 5.5-inch (138.4mm) cover display with a 10:16 ratio, optimized for messaging and short-form video consumption. Weighing in at 201g, it is the lightest Galaxy Fold ever and packs a 4,800mAh battery.<\/p>\n
The existing Fold lineup has been elevated to the ‘Ultra’ tier. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra boasts a large 8-inch (203.1mm) screen and a thickness of just 4.1mm when unfolded, making it the slimmest Fold to date. It is equipped with a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera\u2014a first for the Fold series\u2014and supports up to 45W fast charging with a 5,000mAh battery. Among the three new models, the Ultra is the only one featuring a 10-megapixel telephoto camera, and its main display peak brightness has been boosted to 3,000 nits. Both models are powered by the ‘Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy’ processor and are the first to apply ‘Flex Titanium’ technology, combining a titanium alloy film with a reinforced titanium plate to enhance durability and significantly improve the crease visibility.<\/p>\n
The compact lineup, the Galaxy Z Flip8, is the lightest and thinnest in the Flip series at 180g and 6.1mm thick. It is powered by the ‘Exynos 2600’ processor designed by Samsung’s DS Division. The 4.1-inch cover display, ‘FlexWindow,’ has evolved into an AI-centric interface, allowing users to control key functions via the Quick Panel and App Tray without opening the device and receive personalized information through ‘Now Brief.’<\/p>\n
The key specifications of the three unveiled models are summarized below.<\/p>\n
ItemGalaxy Z Fold8Galaxy Z Fold8 UltraGalaxy Z Flip8Main Display7.6-inch (4:3)8-inch\u2014Cover Display5.5-inch (10:16)6.5-inch4.1-inchThickness (Unfolded)\u20144.1mm6.1mmWeight201g\u2014180gProcessorSnapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5Exynos 2600Battery4,800mAh5,000mAh\u2014<\/p>\n
Items marked ‘\u2014’ indicate specifications not explicitly stated in the confirmed materials from this announcement. The Ultra’s cover screen size is based on a report by 9to5Google summarizing Samsung’s presentation.<\/p>\n
Pricing has generally increased, but a differentiated strategy was applied per model. Despite the sharp rise in memory semiconductor prices due to ‘chipflation,’ the newly added 256GB Galaxy Z Fold8 is priced at 2.2781 million won (approximately $1,542), approximately 100,000 won (approximately $68) cheaper than the equivalent previous-generation Galaxy Z Fold7 model (2.3793 million won). Conversely, the top-tier Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra set a new record high for foldables at 2.5773 million won (approximately $1,745) for the 256GB model and 3.4518 million won (approximately $2,337) for the 1TB model. The Galaxy Z Flip8 256GB model is priced at 1.683 million won (approximately $1,139), a nearly 200,000 won (approximately $135) increase over its predecessor. Pre-orders in South Korea will run from July 28 to August 3, with the global official launch on August 7.<\/p>\n
ModelSouth Korea Price (256GB)South Korea Price (1TB)US Starting PriceGalaxy Z Fold82,278,100 won\u2014$1,899Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra2,577,300 won3,451,800 won$2,099Galaxy Z Flip81,683,000 won\u2014$1,199<\/p>\n
US pricing is based on figures reported by 9to5Google and SamMobile from Samsung’s US subsidiary. The Fold8 Ultra and Flip8 each saw a $100 increase over their predecessors. A direct conversion comparison between South Korean and US prices is difficult due to differing tax systems and distribution structures.<\/p>\n
Samsung also surprised attendees by unveiling the ‘Intelligent Eyewear,’ co-developed with Google, signaling a full-fledged push into wearable AI. Introduced on stage by Won-joon Choi, COO and President of Samsung’s MX Business, who wore the device himself, it is an audio-based smart glasses product without a display. It offers up to 9 hours of usage on a single charge, with the dedicated case providing up to 7 additional charges. Designed in collaboration with global eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker for an everyday look, its release is slated for this fall.<\/p>\n
On the software front, Google’s ‘Gemini Intelligence’ is integrated for the first time on mobile, delivering an agentic AI experience. A key feature is ‘Automated App Actions,’ which understands the context of the user’s screen to automatically execute tasks across over 40 apps, including delivery, reservations, and shopping. Other new AI features include ‘My FanCam,’ which automatically tracks and edits specific people in recorded videos, and ‘Dual Recording,’ enabling simultaneous capture from front and rear cameras.<\/p>\n
The expansion to a three-model lineup comes amid a rapidly shifting market landscape. According to a forecast released by market research firm Counterpoint Research on the day of Unpacked, the 22nd, global foldable smartphone shipments are expected to grow 21% year-over-year this year. However, Samsung’s market share is projected to decline from 40% last year to 32% this year. The analysis suggests that Apple, entering the market for the first time this year, will immediately secure 25% to claim second place, while Huawei, which held second place with 30% last year, will drop to third with 24%. They are followed by Motorola (8%) and Honor (3%).<\/p>\n
Yoon-jung Lee, a research analyst at Counterpoint Research, stated, “2026 will be a new turning point for the foldable smartphone market.” She added, “Apple’s market entry is expected to increase consumer awareness and raise the bar for premium foldable products, but Samsung holds distinct strengths in product maturity, distribution networks, and foldable user experience.” Counterpoint Research analyzed that the book-type design, which opens like a book, will be a key element in realizing on-device AI productivity. A wider, more flexible screen configuration enhances user experiences such as document summarization, content editing, schedule management, and moving information between multiple apps. Samsung’s emphasis on the 4:3 wide form factor and Gemini Intelligence at this Unpacked event is seen in the same context.<\/p>\n
The event featured a surprise appearance by actor Jacob Batalon, known for his role as Spider-Man’s friend ‘Ned’ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who demonstrated the Galaxy Z Fold8’s multitasking capabilities, drawing cheers from the crowd. With Apple’s foldable phone launch imminent, Samsung’s strategy is to further solidify its market leadership barrier through eight years of accumulated technological expertise and differentiated form factors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Returning to the UK for the first time in 14 years, Samsung Electronics’ ‘Galaxy Unpacked 2026’ was held…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[45879,40884,11590,11589,22906,13112,17322,49729,127,276,36453,49728],"class_list":["post-95412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-samsung-electronics","tag-flex-titanium","tag-galaxy-unpacked-2026","tag-galaxy-z-flip8","tag-galaxy-z-fold8","tag-galaxy-z-fold8-ultra","tag-gemini-intelligence","tag-intelligent-eyewear","tag-london-old-billingsgate","tag-samsung","tag-samsung-electronics","tag-tm-roh","tag-won-joon-choi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}