Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra & Z Flip 8: Unpacked date, specs, price, and everything we know

Samsung has confirmed a Galaxy Unpacked event for July 22, 2026, and for the first time it is hosting the summer showcase in London rather than Seoul or New York. The headline acts are three foldables: the mainstream Galaxy Z Fold 8, a new ultra-premium Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (leaked in some supply-chain reports under the name "Fold 8 Wide"), and the clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 8. After a Fold 7 that finally made Samsung's book-style foldable genuinely thin, the 2026 lineup is about pushing that further — slimmer hinges, bigger batteries, a 200MP camera on the top model, and a deeper layer of on-device Gemini AI baked into One UI 9.

Everything below is based on pre-launch leaks, supply-chain reports, and Samsung's own teasers rather than confirmed spec sheets — Unpacked is still weeks away as we publish. We will update this guide live as Samsung makes the details official on July 22. For now, here is the clearest picture of what to expect from each phone, how the three models split apart, and what they are likely to cost around the world.

Galaxy Unpacked 2026: date, time, and how to watch

Galaxy Unpacked takes place on July 22, 2026 in London. Samsung typically streams the keynote live on Samsung.com and its YouTube channel, and opens reservations that grant credit toward a pre-order before the phones are even shown. Based on the last several cycles, expect pre-orders to open the same day as the announcement, with retail availability roughly two weeks later — early August 2026 in most major markets. Reserving ahead of the show has historically been the cheapest way to buy, stacking storage upgrades and trade-in bonuses on top of launch pricing.

This year's show is unusually crowded. Beyond the three foldables, Samsung is expected to tease its first "Intelligent Eyewear" — Android XR smart glasses built with Google — alongside the usual Galaxy Watch refresh. That makes July 22 less a phone launch and more a statement about where Samsung thinks personal computing is heading.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Samsung's thinnest, most powerful foldable

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the new tier at the top of the range, sitting above the standard Fold 8 the way the Galaxy S Ultra sits above the base S-series phone. Leaks point to an 8.0-inch main OLED display paired with a wider 6.5-inch cover screen at 120Hz — a meaningfully larger canvas than previous Folds, and the reason some early reports called it the "Wide." Samsung is said to be chasing its thinnest foldable ever here, with an unfolded thickness around 4.1mm.

Under the glass, expect Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy — the most powerful mobile chip of the year — with up to 16GB of RAM and storage reaching 1TB. The camera is where the Ultra earns its name: a 200MP main sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide, a 10MP telephoto, and dual 10MP selfie cameras (one on the cover, one under the inner display). A 5,000mAh battery with 45W wired charging rounds it out, a healthy jump from the 4,400mAh cell in the Fold 7. If the leaks hold, this is the foldable that finally stops asking buyers to compromise on cameras versus a flagship slab phone.

Galaxy Z Fold 8: the mainstream flagship foldable

The standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the volume seller and the natural upgrade for existing Fold owners. Expect a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch foldable inner screen, the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy silicon as the Ultra, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage tiers. Reports point to a battery in the 4,800–5,000mAh range with 45W wired and 15W wireless charging — a real improvement over the Fold 7's slower 25W wired rate.

The most talked-about upgrade over the Fold 7 is the camera: a 50MP ultra-wide replaces the old 12MP sensor, closing one of the last obvious gaps between Samsung's foldable and its Galaxy S flagships. Combined with a thinner, lighter chassis and the new Gemini-powered software, the Fold 8 is shaping up to be an iterative but genuinely worthwhile step rather than a placeholder year.

Galaxy Z Flip 8: thinner, crease-free, bigger battery

For buyers who want a foldable that fits a pocket rather than a bag, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is the one to watch. Leaks describe a 6.9-inch inner AMOLED at 120Hz and a large 4.1-inch cover display, wrapped in a body around 13.2mm folded and 6.6mm unfolded — roughly 8g lighter than the Flip 7 at about 180g. Samsung is said to be introducing a new "crease-free" structure that makes the fold line nearly invisible, long the biggest cosmetic knock against clamshell foldables.

Inside, the Flip 8 may split chips by region, with some markets getting Samsung's own Exynos 2600 rather than a Snapdragon. Other expected specs include up to 12GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage, a 4,300mAh battery, 45W wired and 15W Qi2 wireless charging, and an IP48 rating for dust and water resistance. It ships with Android 17-based One UI on day one.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra vs Flip 8: how the lineup splits

The simplest way to read the 2026 range: the Fold 8 Ultra is for people who want the biggest screen and the best foldable camera Samsung has ever shipped, and will pay for it. The standard Fold 8 keeps the familiar 7.6-inch form factor and the flagship chip while trimming the price, and is the sensible pick for most Fold upgraders. The Flip 8 is the design-led, one-handed phone for buyers who care more about pocketability and the cover screen than raw multitasking. All three share the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy performance ceiling (outside the Flip's regional Exynos variants) and the same One UI 9 software.

Price expectations around the world

Pricing is the biggest open question, and the memory-and-storage cost squeeze that has pushed up hardware prices across the industry in 2026 makes a flat year unlikely at the top. Current leaks suggest the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts around $1,999 for 256GB — level with the Fold 7 — with the 512GB model near $2,199 and the 1TB version pushing past $2,499. The Fold 8 Ultra, with its larger displays and 200MP camera, is expected to command a premium above that.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is tipped to hold close to its predecessor at roughly $1,099 for the 256GB base model in the US, though some reports float a rise toward $1,199, with European pricing around €1,199–€1,299. As always, Samsung's reserve-then-pre-order offers, storage double-ups, and trade-in credits will move the real out-the-door price well below sticker for buyers who commit early. We will replace these estimates with confirmed regional pricing the moment Samsung announces it on July 22.

One UI 9, Android 17, and Gemini AI

All three foldables are expected to launch on Android 17 with Samsung's One UI 9 on top, and the software story this year is squarely about AI. Deeper Gemini integration promises multi-step, on-device assistance — summarizing content across apps, generating and editing images, and using the large folding canvas for genuinely multi-window AI workflows. Samsung has leaned on the foldable form factor as the ideal showcase for agentic AI: more screen means more room for an assistant to show its work, and the Fold's flex modes give it natural places to live.

Samsung is also expected to extend its software-support promise — recent Galaxy flagships have shipped with seven years of OS and security updates, and the foldables are likely to match that, an important reassurance on phones that cost as much as a laptop.

One more thing: Samsung's Intelligent Eyewear

The foldables will share the stage with Samsung's first pair of AI smart glasses, developed with Google on the Android XR platform and expected to arrive later in the fall. Positioned against Ray-Ban Meta, they are tipped to combine a camera, open-ear audio, and hands-free Gemini — the same assistant story Samsung is telling on the phones, now on your face. If you are weighing a foldable against a wearable this year, it is worth watching both announcements together.

Should you wait for Unpacked?

If you are due an upgrade and considering a foldable, waiting until July 22 is an easy call: even if you end up buying a discounted Fold 7 or Flip 7, launch week is when those older models see their steepest price cuts. If you want the newest hardware, reserve ahead of the show to lock in the best pre-order incentives. The Fold 8 Ultra is the phone to hold out for if cameras and screen size matter most; the standard Fold 8 is the balanced pick; and the Flip 8 is the value-and-style play. Check back here on launch day — we will update this guide with confirmed specs, prices, and hands-on impressions as soon as Samsung makes it official.