Everything announced at Galaxy Unpacked 2026: Can Samsung compete with the rumored foldable iPhone?

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Close Home Tech Smartphones Everything announced at Galaxy Unpacked 2026: Can Samsung compete with the rumored foldable iPhone? Samsung took a risk with its latest-gen foldables and smartwatches at Unpacked. We were on the ground in London - here's our analysis.

Written by Kyle Kucharski, Senior EditorSenior Editor July 25, 2026 at 1:30 a.m. PT Written by Kyle Kucharski, Senior EditorSenior Editor July 25, 2026 at 1:30 a.

m. PT Kerry Wan/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Samsung launched three new foldable phones and two smartwatches at Galaxy Unpacked in London.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 takes a bold design with a 4:3 aspect ratio, bigger battery, and less crease.The phones will compete with a rumored foldable iPhone this fall. Samsung just held its 2026 Galaxy Unpacked event in London, and ZDNET was there going hands-on with all the new tech.

This year, Samsung is uniquely positioned to deliver foldable phones to rival the rumored foldable iPhone launching this fall. That means bolder designs and an emphasis on its mature engineering -- after all, Samsung has been making flagship foldables for seven years now. Also: 4 surprise products we could see at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked (including the Galaxy Glasses)The highlight is the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a unique phone with a 7.

6-inch AMOLED inner screen (120Hz refresh rate), a bigger battery (finally), and anti-reflective coating that looks especially good. There's also a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, with a more traditional narrow design and a 5,000mAh (up from 4,400mAh) battery.Beyond the new phones, Samsung also announced two smartwatches -- the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 -- and teased some new smart glasses.

Everything is on pre-order now and expected to ship on August 7, 2026. How to (re)watch Samsung Unpacked 2026 If you missed the livestream, you can still watch it on Samsung's official YouTube channel or at the Samsung Newsroom website. ZDNET's sibling site, CNET, also broadcast the event with live reactions and commentary from editors and analysts.

All-new foldables Samsung has been spearheading the foldable phone form factor for eight generations now, incrementally improving the build with each generation. This year, we get the first "Ultra" foldable and an improvement to the number one drawback -- the crease in the display -- with a new "flex titanium" material made of a titanium-alloy film and a titanium plate to improve flexibility (and reduce its visibility). It's an improvement, to say the least.

ZDNET's Adam Doud had praise for the new phones' build while on the ground in London: "The crease on the Z Fold 8 is the best Samsung has ever shipped." Whether it's the best foldable on the market is up for debate, but it might be Samsung's boldest yet with a unique size and aspect ratio. Let's take a look.

1. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Cover screen on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8Samsung's flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, sports a unique, passport-sized form factor that is surprisingly slim and lightweight, measuring 9.

7mm thick when closed and 4.5mm when opened, and weighing just 201 grams. In fact, Samsung says it's the lightest Z Fold it's ever made.

The squat form factor is a bit of a risk, but it's one Samsung hopes will pay off in differentiating itself from competitors, Apple in particular, which is rumored to drop its o