Samsung will hold its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22, 2026, in London. You can watch it live on Samsung.com starting at 9:00 AM EDT. The company is expected to launch new versions of its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip phones — two devices that fold like a book or a clamshell. More notably, Samsung plans to introduce a brand-new folding shape that is shorter and wider than its current Z Fold. Samsung teased this as "a new shape" in its invitation materials (The Verge).

The invitation hints at the new design both visually and in words. It shows a ticket stub with the top part torn off, leaving a shorter piece behind — a visual cue that the new phone will be wider and squatter. Samsung's newsroom carries the headline "A New Shape Unfolds" and says its Galaxy portfolio "has defined the foldable category" (Samsung Newsroom). The Verge reports that leaks have pointed to the wider design for months. The publication also says Apple's first folding iPhone, expected in September, will use a similarly wide shape — based on The Verge's own prior reporting rather than unnamed sources (The Verge).

This would be Samsung's second major change to its folding phone lineup in under a year. In December 2025, the company unveiled the Galaxy Z TriFold, its first phone that folds in two places using three screen panels. Unfolded, it becomes a display roughly 10 inches across. It launched at about 3.59 million won, or $2,440 (Reuters). The July 2026 event is described as focused on foldables and expected to be Samsung's biggest in years (The Verge).

The wider folding design is not entirely new. Google's original Pixel Fold was wider than most folding phones. Oppo's Find N followed a similar approach. Microsoft's Surface Duo was wider still, though it used two separate screens rather than one screen that folds. Huawei launched a passport-shaped foldable called the Pura X Max earlier in 2026, beating Samsung to the wider shape in the market. The industry as a whole seems to be moving toward phones that, when closed, look more like a regular smartphone screen rather than the tall, narrow outer display Samsung has used on its Z Fold line since the beginning (The Verge).

Samsung has been updating its folding phones faster than before. In 2025, it released the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which was notably thin, and the Galaxy Z Flip 7, which had a front screen stretching edge to edge. In January 2025, Samsung also said it was looking to use its own Exynos chips — processors designed in-house — in future folding phones, rather than relying on chips from Qualcomm (Reuters).

The competition is getting fiercer. Counterpoint Research forecasts 20 percent growth in the folding phone market in 2026. IDC predicts Apple will claim 34 percent of the folding phone market by dollar value in its first year. IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo said, "The launch of Apple's first foldable iPhone will mark a turning point for the foldable segment," in an IDC report cited by The Verge. Samsung is offering a $30 credit to anyone who reserves the next Galaxy device ahead of the event, with total potential savings advertised at up to $1,230 (Samsung US).

The big question for Samsung is whether changing the shape of its phones will be enough to stay ahead once Apple enters the folding market. IDC's 34-percent projection for Apple's first year is based on Apple's ability to charge premium prices and the strength of its brand, not on any proven folding phone expertise. Samsung has over five years of experience designing the hinges that let these phones fold, improving screen durability, and encouraging app developers to build for larger screens. Whether that experience holds up against a competitor known for shipping polished products on the first try is the tension heading into the September launch window.

The pace of change here is worth pausing on. Two major redesigns in under a year suggests Samsung is no longer satisfied with small annual updates to its folding phones. The company that created the foldable category is now rethinking its own products within it, on a schedule that leaves little room for the slow, multi-year refinement that characterized its earlier Galaxy S line. For app developers, a new screen shape means another layout to test. For parts suppliers, it means new hinge and screen specifications on a tighter timeline.

The London event will be livestreamed globally on Samsung.com, with regional reservation pages live across Samsung's markets including the US, Australia, and Africa (Samsung, Samsung Africa).