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Samsung's New Folding Phones Leak Before Official Announcement

Martin HollowayPublished 7d ago3 min readBased on 10 sources
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Samsung's New Folding Phones Leak Before Official Announcement

Pictures of Samsung's next-generation folding phones and smartwatches have leaked online two weeks before Samsung plans to show them officially. The images show five new devices — the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Watch 9, and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 — that Samsung is expected to announce on July 22 in London, according to leaks published by Engadget and Android Headlines.

These leaked images come from a mix of detailed technical drawings and what appear to be official Samsung design files that have been circulating online since April.

The Flip 8: smaller folding phone

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 will come in three colors: white, gray, and pink. Samsung is also using different names for these same colors — Cream, Graphite, and Pink — in its marketing materials, according to Android Headlines. PhoneArena confirmed these three color options.

The Flip 8 is also expected to support Qi2 wireless charging, a newer charging standard that works like putting your phone on a charging pad but is designed to be faster and more reliable than older wireless charging methods. This detail comes from leaks of phone cases that show where charging magnets and components would be positioned (Android Headlines).

The Fold 8: larger folding phone with a bigger battery

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 appears as a wider, shorter folding phone available in four colors. It will have a 5.5-inch screen on the outside and a 7.6-inch screen on the inside when unfolded, according to leaked images compiled by Engadget.

Above this standard version is a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, shown in white, black, and purple, with a green option available only on Samsung's website (Android Headlines). The standard Fold 8 is expected to have a 5,000mAh battery — the largest battery Samsung has put in a Fold phone since the Galaxy Z Fold 4 (Android Headlines).

Early leaks called this device the "Fold 8 Wide," but that name appears to have been dropped. Samsung hasn't officially confirmed the final names, so the exact model lineup could still change before the July 22 announcement.

The new smartwatches

The Galaxy Watch 9 will come in three colors and two different case sizes, which is what Samsung typically does with its main smartwatch line. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will be offered in one case size (47mm) and two colors, according to the leaked images.

The leaks don't reveal any details about what's inside these watches — like the processor or sensors — because case pictures usually come from companies that make phone covers and cases, not from people taking apart the finished devices. Those internal details usually come out later, closer to the actual announcement.

What comes next

Samsung typically releases leaked photos, sketches, and official-looking images over several months before announcing new products. What's different this time is that Samsung seems to be making bigger changes to its folding phone lineup — adding an Ultra version and reorganizing how the different Fold models fit together — rather than just tweaking specs from last year's phones.

When Samsung announces these devices on July 22, they will likely reveal the price, processor, and camera details that the leaked images don't show. Case renders have been reliable in the past for showing what phones will actually look like and what colors they'll come in, so these leaked images probably give you a pretty good idea of the design before the official announcement.