Samsung holds its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22, 2026 at 9AM ET / 6AM PT, in London on an invite-only basis. The event, officially titled "A New Shape Unfolds" per Samsung's Newsroom invitation, will be livestreamed on Samsung's website and YouTube channel for anyone who wants to watch. The tagline hints at a redesign of Samsung's folding phones, and leaked materials give a detailed picture of what to expect.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8

The main attraction is the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a phone that folds open like a book to reveal a larger screen. Leaker Evan Blass shared images appearing to show a device shaped like a passport when folded shut, opening to a screen wider than the current model's narrow display. Leaked materials point to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor (the chip that acts as the phone's brain), dual 50MP wide and ultra-wide rear cameras, and a 10MP camera on both the cover and main screen. Battery life claims in those same materials suggest up to 26 hours of video playback.

A Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is also rumored. This version would keep the slimmer, taller design of the previous Z Fold 7 rather than adopting the wider shape, with a 5,000mAh battery offering up to 27 hours of video playback. Offering two different folding phone shapes in the same year would be a notable change for Samsung, which has used the same proportions since the first Galaxy Fold in 2019.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8

Samsung's other folding phone, which flips open vertically like older clamshell phones, also gets an update. The rumored Galaxy Z Flip 8 may offer a 4,300mAh battery, a 10MP front-facing camera, and 50MP wide plus 12MP ultrawide rear cameras.

New Smartwatches

Samsung is expected to reveal the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. An Evan Blass leak indicates the device will be 12 percent thinner than its predecessor, with a Snapdragon Wear Elite processor, an 800mAh battery, and a display reaching up to 5,000 nits. A nit measures screen brightness, and 5,000 nits would be as bright as or brighter than the screens on top-tier smartphones. That brightness helps with reading the screen in direct sunlight but uses more battery power, which the 800mAh battery will need to handle.

The Galaxy Watch 9 is also rumored to launch, carrying the same Snapdragon Wear Elite chip in a familiar design that does not appear to change much from prior generations.

Smart Glasses

Samsung's AI-powered smart glasses round out the expected lineup. These are slated for a fall 2026 launch with frames designed by Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Samsung may include a live demo during the event, offering the first public look at what the glasses can do. The glasses make Samsung a late but well-funded entry into a category that has attracted heavy interest from competitors.

Reservation Campaign

Samsung has been running a reservation campaign ahead of the event, offering a $30 Samsung credit for pre-order reservations with total potential credits of up to $1,230. The registration period opened July 8, 2026, per Samsung's regional Unpacked page.

What the Specs Suggest

The leaked specifications, taken together, describe an incremental rather than revolutionary update cycle for Samsung's existing product lines. The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy and Snapdragon Wear Elite chips suggest closer collaboration between Samsung and Qualcomm on chip design, continuing a partnership pattern seen in prior Galaxy-exclusive processors.

The Fold 8's wider shape is the most notable design change in the lineup. Since the first Galaxy Fold launched in 2019, Samsung has used a tall, narrow inner screen that some users found cramped for multitasking and watching videos. A passport-like shape, opening to a wider display, would bring Samsung closer to the proportions seen in competitors' folding phones. Whether this comes at the cost of pocketability, a strength of the taller design, is something hands-on testing will need to answer.

The broader question is whether folding phones have reached the point where design changes like this drive more people to buy them. Foldable phone sales have grown but still make up only a small fraction of all smartphones sold. A wider screen addresses one of the most common complaints about Samsung's folding phones. Whether it is enough to win over buyers who have stuck with regular phones through seven generations of foldables is the number that will matter once the devices go on sale.

For those watching the event, the livestream is available at news.samsung.com/global/ and on Samsung's YouTube channel.