On July 22, Samsung is heading to London for Galaxy Unpacked, and this year’s foldable lineup is the most ambitious the company has ever put together. For the first time, Samsung is expected to unveil not one but two book-style foldables at the same event — the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 — alongside the Z Flip 8 and the Galaxy Watch 9 series.
Here’s everything we know heading into the biggest Samsung event of the year.
Two Different Approaches to Folding
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the direct successor to the traditional Fold line. It builds on the Z Fold 7 foundation with a larger battery, faster charging, and upgraded cameras. If you’ve been buying Samsung foldables for the last few years, this is the natural next step — bigger, better, faster, more refined.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is something entirely new. It’s shorter and wider, built around a 4:3 internal display that sits closer to a small tablet than a phone. The wider aspect ratio directly addresses the most persistent complaint about Samsung’s foldables: that the cover screen is too narrow for comfortable typing, browsing, and general phone use. The Z Fold 8 is Samsung’s acknowledgment that the book-style foldable needed a fundamental rethink, not just iterative improvements.
That Samsung is launching both simultaneously is significant. It signals that the company isn’t sure which direction will win — and instead of betting on one, they’re launching both and letting the market decide.
Why This Launch Matters More Than Ever
The timing is strategic. Apple’s first foldable — widely expected to be called iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra — is rumored for a September 2026 launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in April that Apple’s foldable will start at over $2,000 in the US.
By launching two distinct foldable form factors in July, Samsung aims to define the category on its own terms before Apple arrives. The Z Fold 8’s wider cover screen and 4:3 internal display are a direct response to the criticism that Samsung’s foldables have been too narrow — a criticism Apple’s foldable is expected to avoid with a more traditional aspect ratio.
With pre-orders opening July 22 and availability in early August, Samsung gets a solid two-month head start. Whether that’s enough to hold off the iPhone Fold is the defining question of the foldable market in 2026 — but one thing is clear: the competition has never been this intense.
