Samsung will announce new phones on July 22, 2026, at 9:00 AM EDT. The company is expected to show updated versions of its foldable phones—the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold—plus a brand-new foldable design that Samsung has not released before. The tagline for the event, "A new shape unfolds," hints at something different, though Samsung hasn't revealed the specifics yet.

If you're interested in buying one of these new phones, Samsung is offering a free sign-up reservation program. Go to samsung.com/us/smartphones/the-next-galaxy/reserve/ or use the Shop Samsung App to register. When you do, you'll get a $30 Samsung Credit to use later if you preorder one of the phones announced at the event. The credit automatically applies at checkout as long as you use the same email address you registered with.

There's a catch: the $30 credit can't reduce the price of the phone itself. You can only use it to buy accessories—things like Galaxy Buds wireless earbuds, Galaxy Watches, or Galaxy Rings. You also have to spend the credit at preorder time; you can't save it for later. Samsung also says you could save up to $1,230 total if you take advantage of their preorder offers, which bundle the $30 credit with trade-in deals and other discounts. There's also a sweepstakes when you register that gives you a chance to win something extra.

The $30 credit is actually smaller than what Samsung offered in earlier launch events. Last year in July 2025, Samsung gave a $50 credit for reserving. In February 2026, they offered $30 plus a chance to win a $5,000 gift card. Samsung hasn't explained why the credit has gone down, though the advertised total savings keeps going up.

The reservation program works like a signup sheet: it doesn't cost Samsung much to give you $30 in accessory credit, but in return they get a list of people who are genuinely interested in buying these phones, along with your email address. This is standard practice now across phone makers launching big new devices. Over time, Samsung has made these reservation programs stricter—limiting what you can buy with the credit, checking your email more carefully, and adding the sweepstakes to keep people signing up even though the credit amount is smaller.

For anyone thinking about buying the new foldable, registering is free and the $30 credit is a nice bonus. The real mystery is what "a new shape unfolds" means. It could be a phone that folds three times instead of two, a different width or thickness on the existing fold designs, or something completely new. We won't know until July 22.