Live Updates From Samsung’s July 2026 Galaxy Unpacked 🔴

I’ve never been so invested in the fake life of somebody stuffed into what’s just another dry product showcase. Samsung chronicled the odyssey of a young woman trying to land a role in a London theater production, and I still do not know whether or not she achieved her dreams. The Unpacked conference started with a young lady looking up a script on her Galaxy Z Flip 8 as she absent-mindedly filled orders as a barista.

Then, in a following scene, we see the same woman seemingly failed to land the part. We then see her imagine herself in the starring role on a giant billboard, as if implying that if you don’t fulfill your dreams, you can use AI to insert your face onto the mug of anybody who succeeds over you.

Finally, at the end of the show, the same woman apparently walked into a rehearsal, got up on stage, and was transformed into the lead in a flash of light as the production team recorded her with Samsung’s new foldables. But here’s the question: was she only imagining she had landed the role of her dreams? Was she using AI to crop reality itself so she could stand on the stage of her dreams? What is Samsung trying to say here? That thanks to technology and AI, we should simply slopify our existence and pretend we’re more successful? Why do I care so goddam much about a fake lady in what’s nothing more than an extended commercial? —Kyle Barr

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip series seems to always end up as an afterthought, and based on a quick hands-on with the phone by Gizmodo’s senior editor of consumer tech Raymond Wong, that hasn’t changed with the Z Flip 8. The new $1,200 phone ($100 more than the previous version) is the slightest bit thinner and lighter than the Galaxy Z Flip 7. The biggest changes are to the FlexWindow interface on the cover screen. It’s meant to surface more notifications and reminders—essentially becoming a larger smartwatch UI. —Kyle Barr

Samsung’s just officially announced its new lineup of flagship smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Both have bigger batteries than previous models.

The Watch 9 (starting at $379) is being positioned very much as a health-focused device, with new features like sleep apnea detection (FDA-approved!) and heart health scores. The Watch Ultra 2 ($699), meanwhile, can do pretty much everything you’d want a smartwatch to do, up to and including new diving features. —Matt Wille

Gizmodo’s senior editor of consumer tech, Raymond Wong, got to put his mitts around the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. While they’re only short impressions, he’s already enjoyed how the 4:3 aspect ratio of the unfolded display allows for better video watching and gaming. Compared to that, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is more of what we’ve come to expect, though it features a more robust camera and improved specs. The regular Z Fold 8 may prove the better foldable for most people. —Kyle Barr

Today Samsung gave us our clearest look yet at its first “intelligent eyewear,” a collaboration between Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. The company is positioning these screenless smart glasses as a way to more quickly glean important information and snap fast photos without pulling your phone out.

Gizmodo senior editor Ray Wong had the chance to hold the glasses today (they’re super light), though we still haven’t had the chance to actually put them on and let them work their alleged AI magic. —Matt Wille

And… that’s a wrap on the almost 1.5-hour Samsung keynote. It’s time to get to the hands-on area. What did you guys think of the announcements? It was a lot of info on rapid fire if you ask me, but Samsung didn’t overdeliver on anything. All of the new devices feel grounded in reality. Not many gimmicks this time. —Raymond Wong

Samsung says its Gentle Monster and Warby Parker smart glasses will last up to 9 hours on a single charge. That’s enough to wear them for a full work day. The charging case will add up to 7 additional recharges. For those keeping track, Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses last up to 8 hours on a single charge. —Raymond Wong

Samsung’s “intelligent eyewear” is meant to not feel like a computer strapped to your brow. While it didn’t offer exact specs, the company says its first pairs of smart glasses are lighter than comparable glasses from companies like Meta. If you’ve worn Meta Ray-Ban glasses for any length of time, you know that they eventually start to weigh heavy on your nose, so I want to believe Samsung managed to make a pair that won’t hurt after enough time. —Kyle Barr

Samsung’s first smart glasses (erm, “intelligent eyewear”) are designed by Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. An intriguing choice from a design perspective, given that Gentle Monster is generally considered a very fashion-forward brand.

Compare this to Meta’s designer of choice, Ray-Ban—a much more traditional glasses brand—and Samsung could just corner the market on fashionable consumers who also love wearing AI on their faces. —Matt Wille

Samsung’s latest foldable phones all come with a six-month trial to Google AI Pro, Google’s AI subscription service. Now, you can go wild with pushing Gemini around. Go ahead, take it out on the AI chatbot, it exists to obey your every command.

Samsung’s new foldables will also come with Google Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) preinstalled. Bloatware is back, but now in AI clothes? —Raymond Wong

Samsung has been teasing its first smart glasses for many months now, and now they’re here…almost. The Gentle Monster x Warby Parker collab was just teased again while Samsung waxed poetic about its agentic AI capabilities. When will we actually be able to wear them, though? —Matt Wille

How long have we been hearing that the next generation of useful AI is just around the corner? Rick Osterloh, the senior VP in charge of devices and services at Google, told the crowd at Samsung Unpacked that “it’s still early days” for the kinds of agentic services now coming to Samsung devices. You should be able to talk to your phone to get it to complete tasks across apps, like ordering food or scheduling something in your calendar. How much longer will we have to endure these conferences before they finally tell us that AI is not just a work in progress? —Kyle Barr

Google’s Pixel 10 series first got AirDrop support with iOS devices last year, and now Samsung Galaxy Phones can receive photos and files AirDropped from iPhones, iPads, and Macs via the QuickShare feature. Finally, Samsung users won’t be left out of meme AirDrops. —Raymond Wong

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 does pretty much everything you could hope a smartwatch would do, and it’ll last 35% longer than the original Watch Ultra, too. And get this—it’s only $50 more than the first Watch Ultra, starting at $699. Not bad, as far as price increases go. —Matt Wille

Samsung wants you to go jump in the ocean with the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. The company says it’s rated for dives, and you can get an extra subscription for certain features, like nitrogen absorption monitoring, to help you avoid the dreaded bends as you surface from a dive. —Kyle Barr

In addition to the Galaxy Watch 9, Samsung announced the Watch Ultra 2, a slimmer, but beefed-up titanium smartwatch on nearly every level. The screen is even brighter, the battery is 35% longer, and the durability is rated for an even stronger IP69K.

Samsung says the redesigned elastic band is thinner and more comfortable thanks to its air pockets. —Raymond Wong

Samsung says it’s upgrading the sleep apnea feature in Samsung Galaxy Watches with an “FDA-cleared” capability to offer deeper insights into breathing disruptions while you snooze. Also, this fall, Samsung plans to provide sleep apnea detection to the Galaxy Ring as well. —Kyle Barr

The Galaxy Watch 9—which is for the most part a marginal hardware upgrade from the Watch 8—continues Samsung’s push for its wearables to be seen primarily as health-tracking devices. Samsung says 77 million users rely on Samsung Health now. Now you can get a “heart health score” that synthesizes data about how your exercise and diet habits affect your risk of developing heart disease. —Matt Wille

So, unfortunately, Samsung wants to stick stablecoins into Samsung Wallet. Samsung showed how you could stick USDC coin into your wallet. As the company announced this, the crowd offered a few scattered claps. One person even gave a short “whoop.” The rest of us are sitting here wondering what the hell Samsung is doing, giving credence to crypto in 2026. We’ll see how far this crypto promotion goes. —Kyle Barr

Jacob Batalon, who plays Ned Leeds in the latest Spider-Man movies, uses a Z Fold 8 Ultra in the new Brand New Day movie premiering on July 30. So, of course, Samsung trotted him out. As my colleague Kyle Barr said in our Slack channel: bald brothers unite. Unfortunately, I can’t relate. I have too much hair. —Raymond Wong

Even Spider-Man could use an assist from Samsung’s new foldables. Samsung just showed a short where the superhero fabricates a new Z Fold 8—Samsung AI to the rescue, I guess? —Matt Wille

Want the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8? You’re going to have to spend at least $1,200. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 started at $1,100. You can bet Samsung’s blaming RAM prices for the increased costs. —Kyle Barr

The Z Flip 8’s FlexWindow didn’t get larger, but Samsung did redesign the software so that it works more like a small smartphone—app icons and all—instead of like a larger smartwatch with a bunch of widgets. I dig it. —Raymond Wong

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 will come equipped with a 50-megapixel main camera, which can be used for high-res selfies. Samsung is really aiming this at younger consumers who can’t help but vlog or snap a selfie every few minutes. Better get ready for that close-up. —Matt Wille

Samsung normally leaves the Galaxy Z Flip phones for last, and in this Unpacked it’s letting the Galaxy Z Flip 8 speak for itself. It weighs 181 grams and is supposed to slide easily into your pocket. In effect, it looks a lot like the last one, though a hair thinner than before. It’s Samsung’s “vibes”-centric phone, so it just wants you to think of this device as the kind of accessory. You’re supposed to use it like a camcorder, after all. —Kyle Barr

It’s not as expensive as the Z Fold 8 Ultra, but $1,800 for the Z Fold 8 is still a lot of bones. The Z Fold 8 launches on Aug. 8 alongside the Z Fold 8 Ultra. You have until then to decide whether you wanna sell a kidney to finance it or not. —Raymond Wong

The Z Fold 8 has dual 50-megapixel cameras—one main and one wide—on the rear, and two 10-megapixel hole-punch cameras. If you want a telephoto lens, you’ll need to leap up to the Z Fold 8 Ultra. —Raymond Wong

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is “iconic,” as Samsung puts it. The specs are there to match that claim, really. This thing’s a beast, as far as foldables go. —Matt Wille

Samsung promises the new, larger 4,800mAh battery on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will help it last longer than past versions. The company says you’ll get 26 hours of video playback, but actual day-to-day longevity will be a lot less. We’ll be testing that for ourselves when the time comes. —Kyle Barr

On top of a more immersive video experience, the Z Fold 8’s 4:3 aspect ratio screen is gonna make mobile gaming look phenomenal. Just look at how much larger the screen is and how the controls don’t block the graphics as much. I cannot wait to play Fortnite on this phone, uh, tablet. —Raymond Wong

The wide exterior display on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 already looks wild compared to our typical candy bar phones. Then, when you open it up, the 4:3 aspect ratio makes YouTube videos fit the entire display without any annoying letterboxing. Let’s just put it plainly: this seems like the proper shape and size for foldable phones. —Kyle Barr

There it is: the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is indeed using a new, long-rumored book-style form factor. It’s shorter and wider: a totally new 4:3 aspect ratio for Samsung. Watching videos on this thing is going to be incredible. —Matt Wille

Surprising nobody, the Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2,099, which is $100 more than what the Z Fold 7 retailed for last year. Pricing on Samsung’s Fold series really hasn’t come down since the original Galaxy Fold, which cost $1,980 at launch. It’s safe to say these are unlikely to get cheaper in the future. Guess we just gotta accept $2,000+ foldables. —Raymond Wong

Want to know exactly what’s going on with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra? Here’s the full rundown. Just look how thin this thing is! —Kyle Barr

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip. It should bring flagship performance and improved power efficiency to complement the 5,000mAh battery. The chipset should also be much faster for chewing through AI tasks. It probably won’t make Instagram or TikTok doomscrolling feel any faster, though. —Raymond Wong

Samsung’s new “Nightography” mode is supposed to help you take photos and videos at night. It’s meant to preserve the details and beauty of nighttime shots even if you only have a tiny bit of ambient light like a “single candle.” —Kyle Barr

Looks like Samsung’s new flagship, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, has a battery that will actually keep up with all the multitasking you’ll be doing on it. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra contains a 5,000mAh battery—product manager Kadesh Beckford notes that Samsung “made room for it” despite the new foldable’s ultra-thin design. He also says it can recharge to 67% battery “in just a few minutes.” —Matt Wille

Samsung’s “Flex Titanium” screens are supposed to be 20X stiffer than its past flexible displays and more durable. Samsung claims its new type of foldable display is still very thin, but it also essentially eliminates any hint of the crease that has long been the bugbear for this type of phone. This may be the one thing that will finally get the anti-foldable crowd to give squashable screens another look. —Kyle Barr

Samsung is kicking off Unpacked with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. It looks nearly identical to last year’s Z Fold 7, but now it carries the “Ultra” moniker. That can only mean the new book-style foldable will be the “regular” Z Fold 8. —Raymond Wong

Looks like we’ll get some news about Samsung’s smart glasses. Sorry, intelligent eyewear. These are basically Samsung’s version of Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses. That is, smart glasses with no display but a built-in camera for POV capture, speakers for audio, and Gemini Live. —Raymond Wong

Samsung CEO TM Roh claimed that Samsung was bringing AI to “800 million devices” by the end of the year. What does that actually mean? Well, of course Galaxy AI is already available through the latest Galaxy phones, earbuds, and other devices. So what TM Roh is actually saying is the company wants to expand the number of categories it’s producing, starting with new pairs of smart glasses. The company will also want to showcase new at-home products that do more than shove AI into a fridge. Get ready for the AI lamp. —Kyle Barr

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked has kicked off. Samsung CEO TM Roh just got up on stage and he’s waxing poetic about AI. “AI begins with your phone.” Then he moved on to agentic AI, saying it helps you be more efficient, letting you do things faster. Agree or disagree? —Raymond Wong

Seriously, Samsung, if you hadn’t already made it obvious, we know the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 will be a squatter, book-style foldable. The entire pre-show reel playing on YouTube right now is a collection of shorts giving us an idea what the next phone will look like. Funnily enough, Samsung includes a little note in the bottom of a few of these scenes saying that some images were created with AI “with edits.” I wonder how many times it took the video generator to get the correct dimensions. —Kyle Barr

You can’t keep the genie in the bottle forever. There are enough people at the Samsung Unpacked in London, U.K., that eventually something will fall through the cracks. Still, this random tweet showcasing a comparison between the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra only has us more excited to see what’s coming. Look, ma! No crease! —Kyle Barr

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— kro (@kro_roe) July 22, 2026

We just got into the venue at Old Billingsgate. It’s a much smaller space than past Galaxy Unpacked events. But the vibes in the room are very good! There’s a buzz here about the Z Fold 8 that I haven’t felt at a Samsung event in a while. The show starts in about 40 minutes, LFG! —Raymond Wong

My colleague Adriano Contreras is with me in London. Definitely check out Gizmodo’s Instagram later today for some cool videos. We’ll be posting hands-ons with all of the products that Samsung announces. —Raymond Wong 

I landed in London on Sunday and have been busy taking in the city and preparing for today’s keynote. The weather has been ah-mazing here. How is it still light out at 9:30 p.m.? —Raymond Wong

With smartphone design mostly staying the same year-over-year these days, one of the only surprises companies like Samsung have left for customers is the new year’s colorways. Well, unless you’re Samsung; the Galaxy Z Flip 8’s color options leaked earlier this month, and they’re not super exciting. Let’s hope Samsung has some bright surprises up its sleeves.

The leaks have been nonstop. If you want an early preview of what’s coming on Wednesday, check out my curated post for the expected Galaxy Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, and Galaxy Watch 9. —Raymond Wong