Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026 launch live: Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8, and Galaxy Glasses, and everything that's been launched
We're at the show, and we've seen it all! Here's everything Samsung announced on July 22, 2026.
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is here! Managing Editor Derrek Lee is in the U.K. for the event and is reporting on all things foldables, watches, and everything else that launched today.
This marks the first time in 14 years that Samsung is back in the U.K. for a big announcement (the last time was the Galaxy S3!), and Samsung is launching tons of new products, including a new Fold that's ready to take the world by storm. Scroll down to see everything announced today!
When and what time is Samsung Unpacked?
The event is today, July 22nd, and it starts at 9am EST (New York time)...in the U.K. the time will be 2pm BST.
What was announced at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked?
- A duo of new Galaxy Z Fold 8 phones has been announced, including a new shorter, wider model that's expected to be the best-selling Galaxy Z Fold to date. Alongside it, Samsung debuted the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which looks nearly identical to the Z Fold 7, with a taller aspect ratio and three cameras on the back. Likely, this naming change is to line up with Apple's expected iPhone Ultra, the company's first folding phone, which is expected to be announced in September.
- The Galaxy Z Flip 8 brings back Samsung's iconic flip phones, with a slimmer design and upgraded specs.
- Samsung also brought a refresh to its watch line, including the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. The Watch 9 looks almost identical to the Ultra 2 from many angles, including a circle-within-a-squircle design and big new features.
- Lastly, Samsung debuted its first smart glasses with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster designs. These are powered by Gemini and include cameras on the front and speakers on each arm.
What's the best way to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked?
There are three ways to watch Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event live. You can tune in via Samsung's official websites, including Samsung.com and Samsung Newsroom.
Perhaps the easiest way to watch the event is on YouTube. Head to Samsung's official YouTube channel or watch from the link below.
As a reminder, the new foldables and smartwatches are going on sale starting August 7. Samsung has unmatched global presence, and the new products are available in every major country. That said, you don't get trade-in deals that are quite as generous as the U.S. in most regions.
If anything, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 may be a better choice if it gets a decent discount. Prices of all tech products have increased substantially in recent months, and with the Z Fold 8 Ultra starting at $2,099, it's worth taking a look at last year's devices. Same goes for the Z Flip 7 as well.
If you're sick of all the trade-in opportunities and free gift card deals, you might be wondering when the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series (and everything else announced today) will finally get a good old-fashioned discount.
Well, it might be a while. As the eCommerce Editor of Android Central, I've covered a lot of device launches over the years, and it usually takes a few months before a new Samsung phone gets any real price drop. There's a chance that we'll see some decent discounts when the fall sales arrive in September/October; otherwise, we'll have to wait for Black Friday.
In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled: it's possible that we'll see some good deals on lingering Galaxy Z Fold 7 / Z Flip 7 stock in the coming days.
Not one to be outdone by the competition, AT&T has also just launched a deal that could get you a free Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 when you add a line with an eligible unlimited plan and trade in an old or broken phone. That's $1,900 of potential savings!
To be honest, I wish all of these preorder deals didn't involve so much fine print, but with prices on tech going up all across the board, I'll take just about any offer I can get.
The foldable phones may be getting all of the attention, but they're far from the only devices that were announced this morning. The Galaxy Watch 9 is likely to rank among the best Android smartwatches released this year, and Amazon will already give you a free $50 gift card when you preorder one of these wearables from its website.
Just like the other devices that Samsung announced today, the Galaxy Watch 9 will officially hit store shelves on August 7th.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is clearly an eye-catching device, and strange naming decisions aside, it's refreshing that Samsung decided to do something new with this generation rather than churn out nearly-identical devices year after year.
Of course, good-looking devices deserve good-looking protection, so it's worth checking out our guide to the best Galaxy Z Fold 8 cases. The phone's wide design gives you more surface area to work with, after all, so consider it an opportunity to express yourself.
Of course, T-Mobile isn’t the only company offering preorder deals for the new Galaxy phones. If you don’t want to deal with all of the confusing contracts and eligibility requirements, you can also buy the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Z Fold Ultra unlocked from Amazon and get a free gift card with a balance of up to $350. With phones this expensive, every penny counts!
We’ve seen a lot of Galaxy Z Fold 8 preorder deals come down the pipeline since the phones were unveiled this morning, but few offers will actually get you the premium foldable for free. That said, if you’re a T-Mobile customer (or willing to switch), you can get a free Galaxy Z Fold 8 by trading in an old or broken phone and adding a line with the Experience Beyond or Experience More plan.
Sure, it’s a lot of fine print (and the qualified unlimited plans aren't exactly budget-friendly), but if you need a new wireless plan and you agree to these terms, you’re looking at $1,900 of potential savings. That’s nothing to scoff at!
Rumor has it that this year is the last year Samsung will make a new Z Flip phone. I'm not sure I believe that just yet, but given the weirdness in the tech industry right now (with supplies and prices), I suppose anything is possible. After all, Samsung held just 15% of the global foldable market share in Q2 2026, beating Motorola by just 2%.
Considering Motorola only made flip-style phones until the excellent Razr Fold showed up in May this year, it's clear that Samsung isn't selling as many Flips as it should be. With the new wide Fold reportedly taking over the bulk of the sales and waning interest in Samsung's Flip-style phones, I'll be curious to see if this one turns out to be true.
Either way, we've got some great new cover screen features on this year's Z Flip 8, and the excellent Horizon Lock feature is going to make camcorder mode even more fun than it was before.
Samsung's upcoming smart glasses seem to be completely avoiding a "proper" product name, and it's driving us a little crazy. Are these Samsung Glasses? Galaxy Glasses? Samsung Google Intelligent Eyewear? Warby Parker and/or Gentle Monster AI Glasses? Intelligent Eyewear seems to be the term Google and Samsung use most often, so that's likely what we're going to see at retail.
Regardless of what they're called, I'm elated with the idea of having Gemini built into a pair of AI glasses. I use my Meta-branded smart glasses all the time as a hands-free camera to capture family memories, as it's just so much better than holding onto a phone and my kids seeing me stare at yet another screen.
They're also great for calls and audio, and given Gemini's deep ties into all the Google services I use daily, I might actually start using the AI-based features more than I do on Meta glasses, which often are still fairly limited because Meta doesn't have the same level of access that Google does.
While there's a definite gulf in the specs between Samsung's latest watches, both of them look surprisingly similar. This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, considering this was the case with the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra, but I still thought it was a little odd that Samsung didn't offer for at least one different option.
In the past, some companies have offered different styles of watches to help people choose one that better fits their style. With these recent releases, Samsung seems to be leaning more into a rugged style, ignoring customers who might be looking for something a little gentler looking. Oh well, I guess that's what the Pixel Watch is for.
One of the most surprising things announced today is the inclusion of silicon-carbon material inside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra's batteries. Samsung has been notoriously conservative with battery upgrades ever since the Galaxy Note 7, and it was anyone's best guess as to when Samsung would finally include silicon-carbon in its phones.
Now, the Z Fold 8 series only has 5% silicon-carbon content, which sounds like a very small amount, but that turns into a big result when you compare the numbers. The Z Fold 7 has a paltry 4,400mAh battery, which was one of the biggest complaints about the phone, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra ramps this up to 5,000mAh without increasing the size or weight of the device. That's all thanks to silicon-carbon, and it's wonderful to see Samsung finally start including it!
Looking to preorder any of the new Folds or Flips? We've got the deals you're looking for! Head to our Galaxy Z Fold 8 deals hub to get all the best preorder deals you'll find on the web, or check out the Galaxy Z Flip 8 deals hub if flip-style phones are more your thing.
And that wraps it up for Samsung's July 2026 Galaxy Unpacked show! What did you think? Were any of the new devices particularly exciting? I'm personally most excited about the Fold 8, as I was a huge fan of the original Pixel Fold's shorter, wider design and got quite annoyed when the company switched to the narrower, taller design a year later. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a bunch of new shorter, wider folds!
And while it's probably the least exciting launch of the show, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is still plenty cool, especially with that new Horizon Lock camcorder upgrade. Check out our full Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on here!
We've got a full hands-on with Samsung's Intelligent Eyewear for you to check out, including the charging case, several styles, and all the great features you can expect when they launch this fall.
Samsung Intelligent Eyewear launches this fall and includes 9 hours of battery life on a single charge, a charging case that'll fully recharge the glasses 7 times, a Snapdragon AR1 chipset inside and, of course, deep connectivity with the Galaxy ecosystem.
Samsung talked a lot about how these glasses were engineered to be light and comfortable, including flex hinges and light, stylish frames. Things like the power slider also look a lot like Meta's glasses, which is a great thing if you want the features but want to avoid Meta.
We've already known about the Warby Parker and Gentle Monster partnership for about a year now, but it's becoming real now that the glasses are about to launch.
Samsung's Intelligent Eyewear has taken the stage!
If you haven't taken a look at our Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 hands-on yet, now is a great time to do that!
The Snapdragon Wear Elite in the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 isn't just faster, it also helps the watch deliver more advanced health metrics thanks to faster, better sensors and better Bluetooth connectivity and interoperability.
Qualcomm has taken the stage, talking about the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor inside Samsung's Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra. We've already seen this processor in the S26 series, and now it's headed to Samsung's foldables for the first time.
Gemini Intelligence is also coming to Samsung and Google's upcoming smart glasses, which the company calls "Intelligent Eyewear."
Task Automation is coming to 40 more apps, which means you can ask Gemini to do something for you instead of spending time doing it yourself. Gemini will open the app in the background and get things done, then alert you when it's finished.
Rick Osterloh is taking the stage to talk about Gemini Intelligence, including the new next-gen task automation features. We got to check these out in our hands-on with the Z Fold 8 series.
Ready for Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 specs? You're in luck, because they're quite impressive, and the watch is heading to store shelves on August 7 from $699.
Here are all the specs for the Galaxy Watch 9! This one starts at $379 for the Bluetooth-only versions and will be available on August 7.
The Watch Ultra 2 can detect when you're sweating and make intelligent suggestions to drink more water when you're getting dehydrated. The watch uses a bevy of metrics to do this, and should be a huge deal for athletes and runners.
Samsung is partnering with Mares to deliver exclusive diving computer features the company says will only be avaialble on the Watch Ultra 2. This exclusivity lasts for the next 2 years and makes the Watch Ultra 2 the smartwatch to get for divers.
The Watch Ultra 2 is the strongest device Samsung has ever made, with IP69K and 10 ATM ratings, as well as a new dive rating.
Time for the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2! It might look similar, but it's got a TON of upgrades over the original Watch Ultra, including a new Snapdragon Elite processor with 32% better performance and a 35% larger battery.
Samsung announced that the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Ring will be the first FDA-approved pair to monitor sleep apnea! That's a huge deal and, quite frankly, the first time I've seen a good reason to get a Galaxy Ring.
Samsung is partnering with iFit to bring custom workouts to your watch, matching these workouts up with its new heart health metrics and existing metrics technologies to give you ways to improve your health at home rather than generic workouts.
Heart health metrics give you tons of information and, more importantly, ways to help reduce problems when they arise.
The new proactive features constantly monitor heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, skin temperature, and blood oxygen, combining all these things into a new heart health score.
Galaxy Watch 9 leans further into the circle-within-a-squircle design and brings about a ton of new "proactive care" features powered by Galaxy AI.
Samsung is trying to get you to sign up for its new credit card with discounts on preorders for the new phones. I'll pass, but some people in the audience sounded rather enthused.
The AI-generated brainrot is back! Ignoring the annoying part, Samsung Care+ is being shown off as a big feature for the new Fold and Flip phones, which will be a big deal if Apple ends up launching a folding phone as we expect them to this year.
Ned from the latest Spider-Man movies took the stage to show off his latest invention, the Spidey Tracker, running side-by-side with camera footage on a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.
And here's all the specs for the Z Flip 8! This one starts at $1,199 and launches alongside the Folds on Aug 7. Preorders start TODAY!
The Z Flip 8 ships with Samsung's awesome Horizon Lock feature, so that camcorder recording is smoother than ever.
The real highlight of the new release is the upgraded Flex Window, which is brought about with One UI 9 (that means older Flips get it too). This includes new gestures, full notifications and quick toggles, and more apps that open properly on the cover screen. Just don't expect something that's quite Motorola level without downloading Multistar, though.
Time for the Galaxy Z Flip 8! This one's lighter and slimmer than ever at just 6.1mm unfolded and around 180g.
And there's the Z Fold 8, a new shorter, wider Fold that's lighter and easier to use than ever. This one starts at $1,899 and will be available from August 7.
A new camera mode will automatically follow someone and frame them perfectly in a vertical format, so you can do less editing and more posting.
Samsung pits this one as the world's lightest Fold (that's book-style folds, if you're wondering), complete with a 4,800mAh battery and the same Flex Titanium tech as the Z Fold 8 Ultra.
Samsung says the new shape is also perfect for reading, as you just rotate the inner display to get a lovely page-shaped design. I'm not sure I want to be reading anything long-term on Samsung's low-PWM displays, but I certainly welcome the new shape change!
Gaming is better thanks to the aspect ratio, which gives you a much more hand-friendly size to game on.
Also, WHEN DID PUBG GET A NARUTO EVENT???
Unfold the Z Fold 8 and you get a lovely 4:3 aspect ratio, which Samsung says is perfect for watching content and reading the comments at the same time.
The new aspect ratio on the outer display still works very well with vertical video (surprisingly) thanks to some small borders on the left and right side.
And here's the Z Fold 8! It's a new shorter, wider Galaxy Z Fold, and I couldn't be more excited about this new size!
And that's the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra! This one starts at a rather painful $2,099 this year, so you'll definitely want to grab those preorder deals once they're available following the show.
Now Nudge is coming to the Z Fold series! This means proactive buttons that appear alongside your text and favorite apps, giving you instant ways to add new entries to your calendar and open apps side-by-side with context-sensitive suggestions.
Samsung is talking about improved performance on the Z Fold 8 Ultra, including enhanced Galaxy AI performance and even better gaming performance than in the past. That's not just a normal silicon upgrade with a faster processor, it means Galaxy AI is able to intelligently scale things to keep your phone cool and fast over time.
The Z Fold 8 Ultra's upgraded cameras can record 8k video, take "stunning Nightography shots," and features a substantially upgraded ultrawide sensor at 50MP.
I could have done without the AI-generated hamster brainrot, but Samsung's battery announcement is a BIG one. At 5,000mAh, the Z Fold 8 Ultra packs the highest capacity battery ever in a Z Fold phone, with 5% silicon-carbon content. This enables faster charging, and while neither capacity or charging speed are quite matching the company's biggest competition, we VERY MUCH welcome any improvement in this area on Samsung's foldables.
The Z Fold 8 Ultra is made thinner thanks to Flex Titanium, a new screen structure that's thinner and stronger than the previous plastic-based flexible glass structure. Samsung also swapped out the hinge with something thinner, lighter, and even stronger, delivering further improvements alongside the expected evolution of the Z Fold series.
A suave gentleman with a lovely British accent just took the stage to announce the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which he says "represents the very best of Samsung Galaxy."
The Fold 8 Ultra looks pretty darn similar to the Z Fold 7, and Samsung says this year's remains the thinnest Galaxy phone ever despite the visual similarities.
If you haven't had a chance to read our hands-on with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series, go ahead and do that now! Android Central Managing Editor, Derrek Lee, got to check out the new phones ahead of Unpacked and has tons of photos and info for you to check out.
Time for foldables! Samsung's TM Roh is on stage talking about Samsung's leadership in foldables, saying the company is the global leader in foldables, and this year's new devices will only further that lead.
Samsung is doubling down on what it calls "the importance of AI infrastructure," linking all its products together with Galaxy AI as it says it's bringing the service to 800 million devices by the end of this year. Of course, that begins with new devices like Galaxy Glasses (that's the official name, right?), pictured above.
And the show is beginning! Samsung is going all-in on this new aspect ratio, with tons of teasers ahead of the start. Get ready!
We are about 15 minutes away from the Big SHOW! What are you most excited about?? Answer the poll above!
Going back to the AI glasses...I want to see how well it will play with Samsung’s Galaxy phones should the lenses appear during the keynote. Samsung’s AI has been all over its phones. It wants to be helpful, it wants to help make mundane tasks feel effortless.
So, where do its glasses fit in? How will these glasses do better than the phone when it’s in your pocket? Will it expand what we already have in our hands and put it on our faces?
There’s a lot that we’re expecting from Samsung’s Unpacked this summer. Personally, I’m most interested in the brand’s smartwatches. The Galaxy Watch 9, seeing how the company is positioning it as an “always-on” device is intriguing. Samsung made efforts to boost its heart health features, then it rolled out for the user’s hearing. Its full presentation will certainly be one that I’ll focus on, for sure.
I’m going to be real: these rumored colors for Samsung’s foldables are passable at best for me. I mean, am I a crazy person if I like vibrant primary colors? Where’s my red Fold 8 or Flip 8? I would absolutely love a red foldable from Samsung. Crimson would be a sick color, too. I’m not saying these colors (if they’re real) are bad. All I’m saying is Samsung could do better (or do different).
What about colors for the Galaxy Z Flip 8? Well, rumors claim the flip foldable could debut in Cream, Graphite, Mint, and Pink.
This is an interesting assortment, for sure. If you’re asking me (and, even if you're not, I’m asking me), I really only vibe with Graphite. I can get down with pink, too, if I’m honest. It’s different. It pops.
While we expect to see Samsung’s AI glasses, Google seems more comfortable with calling them “intelligent eyewear” rather than “AI glasses.” This is an interesting choice of language because, at least to me, it seems to imply that people are less interested in yet another AI gadget, but are likely still receptive to a cool gadget that looks great in the process.
Whether people will actually use all the nifty Gemini-powered features is another story entirely. I almost never use the AI functions on my Meta or Rokid glasses despite them being a simple voice command away. For the most part, these kinds of glasses are most useful to me as a camera and as a way to get notifications without visual distractions. I’d love to see if Google’s implementation convinces me otherwise.
Whenever a company shows off AI glasses, it always talks about translation features and how great they are. That’s fine and all, but I don’t find myself needing translation features every day, or even every month. In fact, the only time I’ve used the translation features on any glasses I own is when I was reviewing features and seeing how well they work.
But Google’s announced navigation features might be a different story for me entirely! In the Tom’s Guide interview, Google’s XR product management lead, Juston Payne, said, “The audio experience for [navigation] is fantastic,” Payne said. “It uses the camera to localize you, so it knows that you're pointing in the right direction. It can give you contextual navigation to help you get to where you're going without being vague, you know, like ‘turn right there.’”
You can do some of this with Google Maps on your phone, but I don’t care to hold my phone up constantly while walking around. Having this on my glasses would provide yet another hands-free opportunity, letting me get lost in the moment without actually getting lost.
So far, Google and Samsung’s upcoming glasses look to be mostly a carbon copy of what Meta has built over the years, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Like Meta, Google and Samsung are working with fashion brands (Gentle Monster and Warby Parker this time instead of Ray-Ban and Oakley) to make a fashion-forward pair of glasses that also happen to have cool features inside.
And these glasses will be powered by Gemini, not Meta AI, which may make all the difference in the world to a lot of people. Meta AI is used a lot around the world, but lots of people I know prefer Gemini because it integrates so well with Google’s services. I would say that Google is also slightly more trusted than Meta, which is another positive point for what Samsung is expected to show off today.
In a recent interview with our sister site Tom’s Guide, Google's XR product management lead, Juston Payne, explained that Google and Samsung are doing everything in their power to create a system of trust around its upcoming AI glasses. That includes LED indicators on the front that illuminate when recording starts, as well as “employing Android permission frameworks to help protect users.”
Meta already employs LED indicators on its AI glasses and recently rolled out a mandatory glasses update that permanently disables the camera if the LED is tampered with. Meta doesn’t have the same level of Android OS-level controls that Google does, though, so we’re thinking the company could allow users to enable automated alerts when a pair of glasses is recording nearby, similar to how Android users can enable warnings when Bluetooth trackers are nearby.
And while the Meta glasses have been an amazing addition to my tech bag, and I love the hands-free recording to capture amazing memories while being present with my family and friends...a few jerks have ruined the public image of these glasses for everyone.
So how will Google and Samsung get around the stigma of “pervert glasses” that the AI glasses category now finds itself in? That’s a great question, and Google has only answered part of it so far.
I also really hope we get to see more of Samsung’s Android XR glasses. We’ve seen Google's prototypes, and I got to play with Xreal’s display glasses, but I want to get my hands on Samsung’s production glasses. They’re expected to launch this fall, so with any luck, we’ll hear more about them at Unpacked, but they’re probably my most anticipated launch of this year.
And don’t get me wrong, I like Meta’s glasses, but there’s a bit of a disconnect. I also prefer Gemini to Meta AI, so it would be cool to have some stylish glasses that sync with my phone and watch.
One thing Samsung does great is accessories. The company is great at launching a bevy of cases, screen protectors, and bands for its devices, and I expect the same treatment for the foldables and watches. It’s likely there will be a selection of magnetic cases available since we don’t expect any of the devices to feature built-in Qi2 magnets.
We’ll be sure to highlight some of the best ones we find when the devices launch so you can pair your new purchase with some much-needed protection.
I love flip phones, so I would’ve loved to see Samsung bring back another better Galaxy Z Flip FE, but it doesn’t look like that’s the case.
To be honest, it makes sense, as book-style foldables have been on the rise and have overtaken flip phones in sales volume. That seems to be why Samsung is set to offer two Fold variants this time around; to hopefully appeal to more people.
Will it work?
Samsung is seeing increased demand for its foldables, and not just in the U.S. These devices have been around for well over seven years now, and the tech has matured to a point where its mainstream. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 had a lot to do with this, as the thinner and lighter design made it that much more enticing an upgrade if you're using a Galaxy S device.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 should take center stage at the event, and it's exciting for a lot of reasons. A shorter and wider foldable makes it easier to consume content, and it looks like Samsung is leaning heavily into this, if leaked marketing is anything to go by. Of course, a smaller foldable is also easier to hold and use, and if you've used a Surface Duo or the Find N2 in the past, you should be excited about the Z Fold 8.
I'm so excited to be here, and London is looking great! Like I said, we are just a few hours away from the event and there's so much going on. I landed here on Sunday, but we've been in briefings all week.
There are a LOOOOT of exciting things happening and I can't wait to share it all at 9am ET when the event starts!!
What am I most excited to see at Unpacked? I’m really curious about the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and its new wide aspect ratio.
I really want to see how apps look on the external display and how it handles multitasking on the internal folding screen, because frankly, I’m not convinced that this is an optimal design for a foldable phone. It feels like Samsung is trying to replicate the Galaxy Z TriFold's internal aspect ratio, but it comes off as an awkward attempt. Idk, I guess we’ll see when it's announced and I get my hands on it.
We’re reaching the final countdown! Samsung’s Unpacked event is just hours away, and I’m currently on the ground in London to experience it all in real-time. Be sure to tune in at 9 a.m.ET to watch the event and keep this tab open for our play-by-play and real-time thoughts on Samsung’s new devices and announcements!
I'll send over more pictures from the event, but for now, here's a shot of the event location from last year!!
