As much as I rave about the extra utility that the best foldable phones have over traditional slabs, there’s one unspoken compromise they make: subpar battery life. Even though I personally don't mind topping off at some point during the workday, doing so can be a deal breaker for anyone who craves all-day endurance.

With the launch of Samsung’s new foldables, they certainly have a lot to prove — more so when they’re also some of the thinnest and lightest models to date. The Galaxy Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra are notable as the first Samsung devices to adopt silicon-carbon batteries, which pack more capacity without adding extra bulk.

Paired with the power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 silicon, they’re bound to be some of the longest-lasting foldables to pass through the Tom’s Guide labs. After putting them through a barrage of battery drain tests, I can tell you they don’t disappoint.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra vs Flip 8: Battery life results

Interestingly, the Z Flip 8’s battery life performance doesn’t seem as dramatic as the other phones — especially considering it packs the same 4,300 mAh capacity as before. What’s different this time is how Samsung engineered the phone to be thinner and lighter than its predecessor without compromising on battery capacity.

The new flip-style phone clocks in at 12 hours and 50 minutes, representing a 3.5% increase over the Flip 7’s 12:24 runtime. Against its biggest rival, the Razr Ultra (2026), Motorola still holds the title of the longest-lasting flip phone with a time of 16 hours and 20 minutes. That’s a huge gap, primarily aided by Motorola's massive 5,000 mAh battery.

Despite this, where Samsung truly makes a massive leap is in its flagship book-style foldables. The premier Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra logs an extraordinary 14 hours and 9 minutes, blowing past the Z Fold 7’s 10 hours and 44 minutes. That’s an impressive 31.8% increase in endurance. Likewise, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 also sees a substantial gain at 12 hours and 20 minutes — a 14.8% improvement compared to last year's Fold 7.

Against its key rivals, the Z Fold 8 Ultra proves it can hold its ground with the best in the business. Clocking in at 14 hours and 9 minutes, Samsung's premium foldable comfortably outperforms the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold by a margin of 15.3%.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra vs Flip 8: Charging speeds

Charging is another area where Samsung’s new phones make noticeable gains — specifically with a bump to 45W wired charging across all three models. That’s a welcome increase from the previous 25W cap, allowing them to juice up much faster in the same timeframe.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra leads the pack, hitting 49% in 15 minutes and 76% in 30 minutes. That’s an impressive leap over the Z Fold 7’s 54% mark, even outstripping the Motorola Razr Fold’s 73%. The standard Z Fold 8 also impresses by reaching 70% in half an hour.

Meanwhile, the Z Flip 8 offers a slighter improvement over its predecessor, reaching 59% in 30 minutes compared to the Flip 7’s 55% — a surprisingly modest gain given the wattage upgrade. While that still trails the Motorola Razr Ultra’s blazing 74% charge result, Samsung’s entire 2026 lineup comfortably outpaces rivals like the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold (58%), ensuring less time tethered to a wall adapter.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra vs Flip 8: Verdict

If you weren’t convinced already, I’ll state it again: silicon-carbon batteries are making a massive impact — and Samsung’s new foldables cement my sentiment. Foldable phones have come a long way, and battery performance is no longer one of their compromises.

By introducing silicon-carbon battery technology alongside 45W wired charging, Samsung’s 2026 Galaxy Z lineup delivers meaningful upgrades where it matters most and makes them solid best phone battery life contenders. These improvements should translate to tangible real-world gains, powering you through a full workday without the constant need to top off.

While Motorola continues to push the upper boundaries of battery life with its Razr series, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra stands out as the ultimate powerhouse, comfortably outlasting rivals like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold while charging faster than ever before. Whether you prefer a compact flip or an immersive book-style screen, you can finally enjoy foldable productivity without constantly watching your battery level.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just spent 24 hours with the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra — here's what I liked and what I didn't
• ‘We're pretty confident': How Samsung plans to fight the first foldable iPhone
• I just ditched my iPhone for the Z Fold 8 — Android 17’s new migration tool is pure magic, but there is one painful catch

Samsung’s new foldables were announced at Galaxy Unpacked, and despite their vastly different form factors, the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra all share one crucial component: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.

That’s a big deal. Last year, Samsung opted for its in-house Exynos 2500 chipset on the Z Flip 7 while saving Qualcomm’s flagship silicon for the Z Fold 7. This year’s rollout puts all three foldable contenders on even ground — and after putting them through a full suite of benchmark tests, I can tell you they’re easily the most powerful foldables to ever pass through the Tom’s Guide labs.

However, subtle performance variations between the three reveal which device actually reigns supreme. Here’s how the numbers break down.

Galaxy Z Flip 8 vs Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: GeekBench

When it comes to raw processing power, the Z Fold 8 Ultra leads the pack, breaking the 3,700 barrier in Geekbench 6.7 with an average single-core score of 3,733 and a multi-core score of 11,457.

A surprising trend emerges between the other two foldables. While the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 posts a slightly higher single-core score (3,659), the compact Z Flip 8 actually outperforms it in multi-core performance, hitting 11,215 compared to the Fold 8’s 11,020.

What’s really notable here is how the Z Flip 8 yields a massive 59% jump in single-core performance and an equally compelling 39% increase in multi-core power — starkly highlighting the gap between Samsung's previous Exynos silicon and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

While the generational leap isn’t quite as dramatic for the Z Fold 8 Ultra, it remains a marked improvement. Samsung's top-tier foldable still delivers a solid 22.3% boost in single-core power and a 17.7% bump in multi-core performance over the Fold 7.

Against their biggest rivals, Samsung’s new foldables still come out on top hands down. The Z Flip 8 comfortably outperforms the Razr Ultra (2026) in Geekbench 6, boasting a superb 25.7% advantage in single-core speeds and a 24.9% lead in multi-core performance.

Meanwhile, the Z Fold 8 Ultra delivers 37.7% faster single-core and 25.4% higher multi-core output compared to the Razr Fold. The contrast is even starker against the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, where Samsung’s flagship foldable completely blows past Google’s offering with a 59.3% higher single-core score and an astonishing 80.9% lead in multi-core performance.

Galaxy Z Flip 8 vs Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: 3DMark

Out of the bunch, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra once again claims the top spot, breaking past the 30,000 threshold with a high score of 30,980 and an average frame rate of 185.51 fps. The latter is honestly mind boggling and shows the kind of graphic processing muscle power it’s packing.

The compact Galaxy Z Flip 8 delivers another impressive showing, taking second place with a score of 29,723 and 177.90 fps, outperforming the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which logged a score of 26,608 and 165.30 fps. While all three foldables deliver plenty of graphical muscle for mobile gaming, the Ultra and Flip 8 demonstrate a noticeable edge in peak rendering speeds for those who can’t afford a sliver of choppy gameplay.

Again, the biggest year-over-year improvement goes to the Z Flip 8, which achieves a 55.3% higher score and a 55.2% boost in average frame rate over the Z Flip 7. I can’t stress enough the immense graphical power boost it’s getting going from an Exynos to a Snapdragon.

As for the Z Fold 8 Ultra? It tells a similar story of dominant growth by delivering a 50.9% increase in overall score and a 49.8% jump in frame rate performance compared to the Z Fold 7. This, obviously, should result in gameplay being a lot smoother.

In the battle of the clamshells, the Z Flip 8 holds a commanding lead over its primary rival, the Motorola Razr Ultra (2026). In fact, Samsung's flip phone maintains a solid 21.6% advantage in both overall score and frame rate rendering.

Samsung’s dominance is even more pronounced in the book-style category, where the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra delivers 43.6% higher graphical performance than the Razr Fold. That gap widens tremendously against the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, with the Z Fold 8 Ultra boasting a mind-boggling 132.8% lead over Google’s flagship foldable.

Galaxy Z Flip 8 vs Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: Verdict

Samsung’s decision to go all-in on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 silicon across its entire 2026 lineup pays off. All three foldables deliver generational leaps in raw CPU processing and peak graphical output.

However, if you want the absolute pinnacle of performance, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra reigns supreme — dominating every metric while outpacing rivals like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Motorola Razr Fold.

Meanwhile, the compact Galaxy Z Flip 8 emerges as the surprise hero of the bunch, proving that big things come in small packages. While the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 remains a dependable workhorse, Samsung’s new devices aren't just incremental upgrades — they set a new benchmark for foldables.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just spent 24 hours with the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra — here's what I liked and what I didn't
• ‘We're pretty confident': How Samsung plans to fight the first foldable iPhone
• I just ditched my iPhone for the Z Fold 8 — Android 17’s new migration tool is pure magic, but there is one painful catch

You may have seen that Samsung showed me all of its canceled prototypes of the Galaxy Z Fold 8. That moment combined with my time flying to China and checking out this future of passport foldables that the iPhone Ultra looks set to adopt made me nervous that this stubbier size isn’t quite right.

But after my first 36 hours with the Z Fold 8, I’m coming around to the idea of this aspect ratio choice. Maybe the weight of my previous experiences clouded my judgement, but now out in the real world, it’s starting to click and make sense.

Throw in a strong camera, good battery life and beasty internals, and this has been a great first day of using Samsung’s new blower. I’ve seen a bunch of questions and thoughts in our comments, so these 24 hours have been more focused on answering these.

What’s the aspect ratio like?

We’ve been used to taller foldables that open out to a much more squared-off display for years now. Of course, other companies have tried the squished form factor like this, but this is Samsung’s first stab at it.

And honestly? At first I was feeling weird about it. Don’t get me wrong here, the smaller design does feel great to hold, and the one-handed operation feels like a blast from the past when small phones were cool.

That being said, the aspect ratio choice made here is a tough one to make — forming an awkward balance that black bars vertical content on the outside screen, as well as landscape on that 4:3 screen on the inside. Given the way “The Odyssey” is filmed in 70mm IMAX, this phone must be Christopher Nolan’s dream come true.

But compared to the square of the Ultra, the size of content on this phone is much better. Catching up on Netflix is a joy on this screen, though the audio sounds a bit lop-sided when both speakers are on the left side, so headphones are a must.

And when it comes to getting stuff done, of course the Ultra is more angled towards that, but flipping this into a portrait 3:4 ratio is great for this specific job. Samsung worked on the software to optimize the keyboard for typing away, while the extra height does give you a lot of real estate for multi-tasking.

Also, big screen TikTok is fun, web browsing feels much better with this vertical canvas, and I now have a foldable Kindle in my pocket. Pretty sweet!

Is the crease visible?

Samsung made a whole thing about the use of a titanium alloy film atop the inside screen and titanium plate beneath it — with the mission being to improve durability and eliminate the crease.

Now, does it eliminate it? No. It’s a lot better than it has been before, but at certain angles with the light bouncing off it, you can see the outline of it. But you have to be very specific about it to see the thing.

Also, shout-out to that anti-reflective coating. Of course, the naming of it may feel a little misleading when you still see reflections bounce off of it. However, there is a noticeable reduction in the glare, and light sources have been dimmed quite a bit by whatever the coating is doing here.

Zippy and long-lasting

With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy inside with 12GB RAM does keep things nice and spritely under multitasking pressures for sure. And now that we’ve had these benchmarked in the lab, you can see this reflected in the numbers too.

That single-core speed especially manifests itself in a snappy, responsive UI and opening apps at breakneck speeds, while the multicore comes into effect when I’m hopping between apps running in the background.

Then there’s the battery — a 4,800 mAh cell that embraces silicon carbon battery tech to add a little more juice while keeping it thin and light. In our lab testing, we’ve been able to get 12 hours and 20 minutes out of it on one charge.

In real-life, I’ve been able to get through an entire day of standard use with no real worries. Starting from 100%:

• Two hours at the gym with music playing and regular screen opening to read news between sets: Battery went down to 92%
• Two hours on the phone with my wife — visiting websites on inside screen to finalize wedding celebration plans: Battery went down to 84%
• TikTok wormhole on inside screen for an hour: Battery went down to 79%
• Photography trip around London, multitasking between messaging apps, TikTok on the Underground, a couple phone calls, web browsing, and taking many photos: Battery went down to 64%

By the time I got to the Nvidia afterparty at 10pm, the battery was at around 50%. Of course, if I’m more sparing with my use, you can make this run much longer. But it’s clear you’re getting all-day usage with no problems.

Snap happy

I always have a beef with Samsung about its camera science. The hardware is always good, but coming from being an iPhone user, the focus on vividity always makes me feel like the phones of old have just vomited color all over the screen.

Not anymore. These dual 50MP shooters are impressive. Detail preservation is good and while color balance does lean towards the warmer tones, they’re not as distractingly vivid as before — keeping natural skin tones looking realistic.

And shout-out to night time photography too. I know Samsung made a whole song and dance about Nightography with the Ultra’s 200MP lens, but you’re getting more than enough of that experience with a quarter of the megapixels here.

Outlook

This is the first foldable I’ve properly daily driven. I have tested others in the past of course, but this is my first concerted effort to ditch a candy bar and give folds a chance. And after my first day and a half, I get the attraction to it.

There was a part of me that feared this would be a pure gimmick. And to many of you reading this, chances are it will be. You’ve got to have very specific use cases on lock to make the most of this — the work and content needs for that bigger screen if you’re always on-the-go.

If you have them, this more easily pocketable foldable is a real conversation starter, and a genuinely nice form factor. My only real problem is that $1,899 price tag. It’s massive to say the least! You can feel the premium nature of this phone, but that’s a huge cost to put on people.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just spent 24 hours with the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra — here's what I liked and what I didn't
• I just ditched my iPhone for the Z Fold 8 — Android 17’s new migration tool is pure magic, but there is one painful catch
• I'd buy a Galaxy Z Fold 8 over the Z Fold 8 Ultra — and it's all because it steals this Z TriFold feature

Samsung has officially introduced the Galaxy Z Flip 8, and Australian pre‑orders are now open. The new model keeps the familiar 4.1‑inch cover screen and 6.9‑inch folding display, but both panels benefit from Samsung’s latest durability upgrades. The Galaxy Z Flip 8’s crease is noticeably reduced thanks to its updated hinge and the titanium‑alloy reinforcement beneath the display — the same structural upgrade introduced on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series.

The biggest practical change is under the hood: the Galaxy Z Flip 8 jumps to a 4300mAh battery, a substantial lift from last year’s 3700mAh pack that gives the clamshell far more staying power. Charging remains at 25W wired and 15W wireless, but the larger battery alone makes a meaningful difference for day‑to‑day use.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 hits Australian shelves on August 14, 2026, with prices starting at AU$1,949 and pre‑orders wrapping up at 11:59pm AEST on August 13. Retailers and telcos are already offering early‑bird perks like bonus store credit, higher trade‑in values, and discounted storage upgrades for those who secure their device before launch.

To save you the digging, we’ve rounded up every worthwhile Galaxy Z Flip 8 pre‑order offer below — and if you’re chasing extra savings, today’s Samsung discount codes are also well worth a look.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 offers

Samsung, Amazon Australia and Optus are offering the strongest value on the Galaxy Z Flip 8 during pre‑orders, with a mix of cashback, bonuses and sizeable plan discounts depending on how you prefer to buy.

If you’re grabbing the Galaxy Z Flip 8 outright, Samsung’s bundle of launch perks is the most flexible. You can stack an Eco‑Voucher worth AU$150 when you use the code UNFOLD2026 and pair the phone with other Samsung gear in the first 72 hours (dropping to AU$50 afterwards), plus AU$150 back when you check out with PayPal. Samsung is also offering AU$100 in bonus trade‑in credit for Flip buyers.

Amazon keeps things straightforward with a AU$300 Amazon digital gift card included with Galaxy Z Flip 8 pre‑orders, making it the simplest outright deal of the bunch.

For anyone looking for a telco plan to spreading the handset cost out into monthly instalments, Optus is the standout option. The carrier is taking AU$750 off the Galaxy Z Flip 8 on eligible repayment plans and pairing it with discounted SIM pricing for the first year. Vodafone’s trade-in offer is smaller but still worthwhile: AU$500 off the handset on a 24‑ or 36‑month plan, plus a AU$300 trade‑in bonus for eligible devices.

Below, you’ll find a full breakdown of every worthwhile Galaxy Z Flip 8 pre‑order offer available in Australia right now — from outright savings to carrier discounts and trade‑in bonuses — so you can lock in the best value before launch day.

Galaxy Z Flip 8 price and specs

It's always exciting to try a brand new phone, and those first 24 hours can be pretty telling. That's especially true when you're making the jump from a regular phone to a foldable, because the fold-out large screen design opens a whole new world of possibilities.

That's certainly how I felt while unpackaging the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — a phone that has so far been living up to its new designation. But a brief hands-on can only tell you so much about a phone, and it's only after spending several hours (or days) with your device that you can get a much clearer idea of what it has to offer.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra could be one of the best foldable phones, pending our full review, thanks to the sheer amount of upgrades Samsung has added this year. But is it really all that? Let's go through my first day with this Ultra foldable, so you can experience the highs (and lows) of picking one up for yourself.

Setting up

The great thing about modern phones is that they've made the set up process an absolute breeze compared to what it used to be like. Samsung is easily one of the best I've used, especially if you're copying data over from another Samsung phone.

In fact my Galaxy S26 Ultra detected the Z Fold 8 Ultra right away, and brought up the QR code scanner to link these two devices together. The most troublesome part of the whole experience was flicking through the many menus asking you to confirm various permissions, and which search engine you'd like set as your default.

The actual transfer process happens in the background, beaming over apps, accounts, default settings and everything else you had sitting on your own phone. Since my S26 Ultra doesn't get a ton of use, that process was pretty quick, and your experience will differ depending on how much you actually need to beam to your new phone.

I also find myself pretty impressed with the way Galaxy foldables set up fingerprint recognition. Samsung phones are usually some of the easiest and fastest devices for setting up biometric security, but with the physical fingerprint scanner all you need to do is wiggle your chosen digit around during the mapping process. None of the tedious lifting and replacing motions that you get with under-display fingerprint scanners.

Adapting to new displays

Switching to a foldable phone means adapting to a brand new set of displays. The 6.5-inch cover display offers a 21:9 aspect ratio, which is noticeably narrower than the 19:5:9 aspect ratio you'd find on most phones.

Having been used to using 6.3-inch non-folding phones for so long, the narrower form factor is taking some getting used to. To the point where I gravitate towards the 8-inch foldable display instead. It seems like a paradox, but I find the larger screen is a lot more comfortable to use — especially considering the doubled-screen is the perfect size for two-handed use.

As Samsung says, it's like having two 6.5-inch phones in a single phone.

One thing I noticed was that the Samsung web browser defaulted to the desktop view on both screens, and to my surprise I actually found it more comfortable to read that way.

Admittedly the text was rather small on the cover display, but the mobile option was too large and squashed together for me to read comfortably. It was almost like I had an accessibility feature that blew up the print for users with visual impairments. That said vertical videos looked perfect on the narrower cover display, with next to no wasted space.

That was not entirely true for horizontal video, but that just gave the foldable screen even more chance to shine. Especially since Flex Mode let me partially fold up the screen and use the Z Fold 8 Ultra as its own stand.

I'll admit, though, it does still feel as though something is missing with the larger screen, and I feel like having some kind of S Pen support would help complete the puzzle. I'm not entirely sure I would be using the stylus all that much, but it would be nice to have the option.

Not quite crease-free

One of the most anticipated upgrades on the Z fold 8 Ultra is the flex titanium display, which was heavily rumored to eliminate the crease down the display. It doesn't take long to spot that this is not really the case, and the crease is still visible in certain conditions.

That being said, the crease is a lot harder to see when compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It mostly shows up when the screen is switched off, or you find yourself in particularly bright conditions. The fact you have to go out of your way to see the crease means Samsung should be commended for what it's managed by adding the Flex Titanium display.

That said, you can still feel the crease when you're scrolling along the large display. It feels almost identical to the Z Fold 7's crease, and I have to admit the more I use the phone the more distracting it is to come across the dip in the middle of the screen. That's definitely something Samsung needs to work on for the Z Fold 9 Ultra.

Galaxy-class performance?

While I haven't done any benchmarking with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra yet, I have done some gaming to try and take the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset for a spin. Loading up PUBG Mobile and I found that the settings automatically set the frame rate to the highest level, though it was being a little bit stingy with the graphics until I told it to up the ante.

The performance at the highest possible settings was excellent, as I'd hoped. I didn't notice any frame rate issues while I played, and the graphics were exactly what I expected from PUBG after dabbling with the game over the past few years. Better still I didn't even feel the phone get warm throughout an hour of playthrough, which is always best for the long-term health of the phone.

As for the battery, I found that this play session ate up around 5% of my battery, including the time it took to download the more advanced graphics.

Similarly, I forgot to charge the Z Fold 8 Ultra overnight, but still managed to get to around 3.45 p.m. before it flashed up a battery warning. That bodes well for the actual battery life, but since we haven't tested it I can't say whether Samsung's 27 hour battery life claim is accurate or not.

Cameras are so-far so-Samsung

I haven't had much need to take photos with the Z Fold 8 Ultra so far, but it's not like I need an excuse to snap photos of my dogs — especially when they make such adorable models. Needless to say, I'm impressed with the photos I've taken with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so far.

The photos of my dogs and my plants came out looking pretty well, though I will admit that the main lens struggled with close-ups of my Lego minifigures. For some reason it just would not focus on what I wanted, meaning I had to resort to the lower-resolution Ultrawide angle lens to actually get this shot of Captain Jean-Luc Brickard.

You can kind of tell that the resolution isn't really there, though the photo itself still looks rather good. Sadly, the telephoto lens doesn't quite match up, and the quality feels more akin to the 10MP selfie cameras rather than the other two rear lenses. I wouldn't say it's taking bad photos, but they're not quite the caliber I would expect from a $2,100 phone.

As for the selfie camera, I won't say that I dislike the photos it takes, but it falters compared to that main 200MP camera. The selfies feel a little grainier and washed out, and I feel like you'd be better off taking advantage of the rear cameras instead. The very nature of foldables, and the fact you can use the cover display as a viewfinder, means that's a very real option for you.

If anyone is interested in how I got my tomatoes looking so nice after the immense heat and drought we've been having in the U.K., the answer is coffee grounds. Those leftovers mean I haven't had to feed my tomato plant all summer. Sadly, the same can't be said for my pepper plant, which hasn't even flowered yet.

The AI isn't ready this soon

As much as Samsung (and other phone companies) love to hype up AI capabilities, you can't really take full advantage of them on day one. The fact that Galaxy AI already has information on me, transferred over from my Galaxy S26 Ultra, meant that they weren't completely useless. So Now Brief had some basic information from places like my calendar to get me started.

However, I did need to go through a bunch of setup processes, like updating Samsung's Personal Data Intelligence and creating my own custom cards, to start making the most of the feature. On a similar note, the fact that Now Nudge hadn't had time to burrow into the depths of my phone hasn't been able to surface any useful information so far.

I have attempted to utilize MyFanCam, which lets you edit videos in a way that focuses on a single subject rather than an entire group.

I had hoped I would be able to use the feature to video my dogs playing, and help keep the focus on one of the two, instead of having to try and keep their crazy antics in frame all the time. But apparently the AI that powers MyFanCam doesn't recognize dogs, only people. Stay tuned for more.

What a difference a day makes

24 hours is not a lot of time when it comes to getting to grips with a new phone, especially when there are AI features that need time and resources to get themselves working at anything close to operating capacity. Still, it's a good amount of time to start getting to grips with a new device, and for all its potential flaws I am rather happy with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so far.

I am not a huge fan of the narrow cover display, and feel like the wider Z Fold 8 might offer a better experience in that regard. I do like the main 8-inch display, though, especially since it makes viewing and scrolling a more comfortable experience than you'd normally get. Though I would have liked the option to use an S Pen, and hope Samsung brings it back sooner rather than later.

Of course, there's still plenty of testing that needs doing before we can publish our full review. While I hope this shapes up to be one of the best foldable phones, 24 hours just isn't enough to make that happen. That means it's time to get testing and see what this phone can really do.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just ditched my iPhone for the Z Fold 8 — Android 17’s new migration tool is pure magic, but there is one painful catch
• ‘We're pretty confident': How Samsung plans to fight the first foldable iPhone
• I'd buy a Galaxy Z Fold 8 over the Z Fold 8 Ultra — and it's all because it steals this Z TriFold feature

By all accounts Samsung should be nervous. After literally inventing the foldable phone 7 years ago and steadily evolving the category, it looks like Apple is going to try to swoop in and steal its thunder this fall with the launch of the iPhone Ultra (aka iPhone Fold).

But if you ask Samsung’s Jay Kim — the executive vice president overseeing the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 series launch — about this imminent threat, he exudes a quiet confidence.

“If our big market player is coming into the market… then it proves that what I have been thinking and envisioning — and how much effort that we put it in — is actually the right direction,” Kim said.

Samsung is so bullish that it’s broadening its portfolio to three foldable phones this year: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and the brand new Galaxy Z Fold 8, complete with a squat and wide design that looks a lot like what Apple is reportedly cooking up.

Ahead of Samsung Galaxy Unpacked I sat down with Kim alongside Lance Ulanoff at TechRadar for a wide-ranging interview on the new foldable lineup, the upcoming competition, and what it’s going to take for this category to “succeed.”

Galaxy Z Fold 8: Why Go Wide?

The regular Fold 8 is easily the most intriguing new Samsung device because it’s the first time the company has launched a wide form factor.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 features a 5.5-inch cover display with a 10:16 aspect ratio and a 7.6-inch inner screen with a 4:3 ratio. And there’s a reason for going wide: it’s how people prefer to view content.

“When we looked at our consumer insights on how people react to the products, almost 50% are focused on media, whether on the outside or the inside main screen,” said Kim.

Typing on the external display of the Fold 8 is way more comfortable versus the narrower Z Fold 8 Ultra, and when watching videos on the main screen the black bars above and below the panel are much smaller than before.

The other factor for Kim and the rest of the team was pocketability. So they sought to create a Goldilocks phone that combines the multitasking chops of the previous Folds with the compact design of the Flip.

“The Flip is sleek, thin and light, and our customers want both sides of that world. So we said why not?” Kim said.

The result is a phone that’s the lightest Fold yet at just 201 grams and in a shape that’s nearly identical to a passport.

“We studied it a lot,” Kim shared. “We put together the form factor where media makes the most sense for the content native without compromising anything on the bar type [phone experience].”

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Z Fold 8 Ultra: Who should get what?

Despite its name, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is not a direct successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It’s a completely new model. The sequel is actually the Z Fold 8 Ultra, which compelled me to ask why Samsung settled on this naming scheme and whether it could confuse shoppers.

“The Ultra is the highest, most premium, most advanced product,” Kim said. “We see a lot of Ultra consumers coming over to the Fold, asking for similar performance and cameras, so we put a lot of effort to match that capability.”

So why not call the Z Fold 8 the Fold Wide as was rumored? For Kim, Samsung wasn’t trying to create something new, but the new baseline standard for the Fold experience. “I think this is more of the essence of the Fold,” Kim said while pointing to the Fold 8.

With its bigger 8-inch display, bigger battery and triple-camera setup, the Fold 8 Ultra is more for productivity while the regular Fold 8 (wider displays, dual cameras) is more for content consumption.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra also gets some pretty major upgrades, including a new 50MP wide camera, an even thinner design (4.1 mm) that’s easier to open and a display that has virtually no crease, thanks in large part to the addition of Flex Titanium technology.

“Going with titanium was not just to make it thinner,” Kim said. “it actually helps you be durable and stable in the way you fold and unfold, so it's a combination of a lot of things coming together.”

Is the S Pen coming back?

The last Samsung foldable to feature the S Pen was the Galaxy Z Fold 6, but the company removed the digitizer in order to achieve a thinner design. It’s not coming back for the Fold 8 either, but Samsung isn’t closing the door on this feature.

When asked if Samsung would consider bringing back the S Pen, even if it means going from 4.1mm thick to 4.2mm, Kim said “we’ll definitely consider your suggestion.”

“In order to focus on S Pen we have to make trade-offs. In order to put in (a digitizer) you have to sacrifice thinness or different aspects. But I think we wanted to address the most important feedback we got from the market.”

Since this interview we have heard from another Samsung executive that confirmed that the company is open to bringing back the S Pen.

The (cautious) jump to silicon carbon batteries

While Chinese phone makers have been pushing out devices with ultra-high capacity silicon carbon batteries for well over a year, Samsung has been sitting on the sidelines. And that’s understandable given the safety concerns around embracing any new battery technology.

With its new foldable lineup, however, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 8 make the jump to silicon carbon, delivering more capacity while keeping the designs super slim.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra gets a 5,000 mAh silicon carbon battery (up from 4,400 on the Fold 7). And the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 4,800 mAh battery.

While silicon carbon does enable much higher capacity batteries, there have been some concerns around battery swelling and shorter overall lifecycles.

“We have been testing the silicon batteries for quite some time,” Kim admitted. “We’re looking at being very — I wouldn’t say conservative — but more taking it one step at a time.”

The reason why Samsung is embracing silicon battery tech for foldables first is because you can’t simply put in a larger Li-ion battery, as it would balloon the designs.

“We’re doing a lot of testing and experimentation into how you make the product thin and light, and yet not push too much into the experimental stage,” Kim said.” “We have to be very confident that it’s durable and stable, and it has to be scalable.”

The Apple foldable threat

Apple is famously late to lots of categories, and it looks like we’ll be able to add foldable phones to that list later this year.

And even though this will be Apple’s very first stab at a foldable, they’ve had the luxury of studying the market for years and biding their time to introduce something they believe shoppers will want.

Analysts seem pretty high on Apple’s chances, with IDC predicting 22% worldwide market share in the first year and Counterpoint research projecting a whopping 48% share in North America. So I asked Kim about these numbers and what he thinks about the arrival of the iPhone Fold/Ultra.

“It’s hard to comment because I don’t know what they’re coming up with,” Kim said, “but I’m very confident that our product will be one that consumers will appreciate.”

Of course, Samsung itself has been studying foldables for a long time, and they have a lot of market data. “Our consumers are already using the product every day in the market,” Kim emphasized.

Kim also noted that 30% of consumers are “coming back to foldables.” So it could be someone who owned a foldable, then went to an S Series device, and then has returned to a Fold or Flip because the devices keep getting better.

Kim was also keen to subtly point out that Apple will likely only have a single foldable phone this fall while Samsung offers more choice.

“The market is actually moving pretty fast, and there's a lot of different needs, and we're trying to adapt to that,” Kim said. “Consumers should not be adopting a single size. We should be providing options.”

When will foldables truly be ‘successful’?

As we wound down our conversation with Jay Kim, my colleague Lance asked a pretty poignant question: “When do you consider the foldable category a success?”

But instead of just launching into his answer, Kim turned the question on us. “Do we see [foldables] as a success?”

Lance said yes from an engineering standpoint but not from a marketing one because foldables are still a tiny slice of the overall market (about 4%).

I said I saw things as a dichotomy. People who have purchased devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 would call the category a success because they can enjoy the foldable experience without the usual penalties like a bulky design. But I also said success could look like 10% of the market, so 1 out of every 10 phones sold overall.

Kim told us that we could be “on the verge of foldables going mainstream” And it has a lot to do with Samsung making a bet on a totally new model in the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

“We’ve had these two form factors for a long time, Kim said. “Introducing another one is a bold move because it shows that we’re pretty confident in the category and how the market is going to react to it. I’m more excited about what’s to come.”

Foldable phone makers have declared war on the display crease, and this year could be the year a bunch of them make real progress. Samsung, in particular, has been slowly reducing the visibility of the crease over the past few years, but the recent launch of the Galaxy Z 8 series marks the most significant reduction to date.

Rumors suggested that Samsung had managed to eliminate the crease, but I can promise you that this isn't the case based on my experience with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra over the past day. Samsung has made a lot of progress in making the crease less visible, but it hasn't managed to hide it from view completely.

I should make it very clear from the get-go that the crease on the Z Fold 8 Ultra is rather difficult to see at a glance. Especially when you compare it to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which, despite its own screen refinements, still has a rather prominent crease down the middle of its foldable screen.

That being said, the visibility of the crease all depends on what the phone is doing and what the lighting conditions are like. For instance, having the screen switched on makes the crease a lot harder to notice than when it's switched off.

Bright, direct light is the worst offender for this. Which means that even though the Z Fold 8 Ultra has a new anti-reflective coating and a 3,000-nit display to aid performance in bright conditions, there's no hiding the prominent dip and warp running down the center of the screen.

That said, switch your location to a spot without bright and direct light, and the crease practically vanishes before your eyes. So long as the screen is switched on, that is.

Similarly, bright environments really highlight the warping around the center of the phone. However, it's not even close to as bad as the warping visible on the Z Fold 7. That level of warping is enough to visibly ruin whatever is on your screen, and is particularly pronounced in bright environments.

Tilting the screen around ruins the illusion too, but as long as you're avoiding direct light, it's still a bit of a struggle to see the crease on the Fold 8 Ultra.

Looking at the Z Fold 8 Ultra is only one part of the equation when it comes to the crease, though. Samsung doesn't seem to have made any headway in reducing the way the crease feels when you slide over it with your finger.

There's a noticeable bump, followed by a dip and another bump. It's not subtle, and the feeling is almost identical to that of the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That suggests to me that the hinge design hasn't changed since last year, and the Flex titanium display doesn't seem to be doing much, if anything, to cushion everything underneath the display panel.

How this affects you is going to depend on how you use your Z Fold 8 or 8 Ultra. I've been using the larger screen in landscape mode, with the crease running from left to right, and that naturally means my thumb rolls over the crease quite a lot. Obviously, if I held the phone the other way, with the crease running from top to bottom, things would be totally different.

Obviously this is something prospective Galaxy Z Fold 8 owners need to be aware of. Just because Samsung has reduced the visibility of the Z Fold 8's crease by a considerable amount, it doesn't mean that you won't notice it. Whether that's because you're in a bright environment, or because you can't stop sliding over it while doing basic, everyday things on the larger screen.

Still, credit where credit is due, Samsung has done a lot to improve the look of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's display. Though now the real question is how it will compare to the upcoming foldable iPhone Ultra.

After all, Apple has reportedly been especially particular about the crease to the point where it apparently delayed the phone until it could be eliminated. But we'll have to wait until mid-to-late September to find out for sure.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the first Galaxy phone with a silicon carbon battery — here's why that's such a big deal
• No, the Fold 8 doesn't have an S Pen — but Samsung is ‘exploring’ its return for future Folds
• I held Samsung’s secret, canceled Z Fold 8 prototypes — and they killed the best one

I got to see all of Samsung’s new foldable phones, but only one emerged as my favorite. That title belongs to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, mainly due to how its wider design gives it an aspect ratio similar to an iPad mini, making it more suitable for watching videos.

But that’s not the main reason why I favor it. Instead, it’s how it steals the most unique feature of the Galaxy Z TriFold: its three-app side-by-side multitasking. While the more expensive Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra can run up to four apps simultaneously, the Z Fold 8 has the inherent advantage here because of how it lays them out.

Unmatched productivity

I’m much more demanding of my phone, so it’s no surprise why I prefer foldable phones like the Motorola Razr Fold that I’ve been using as my daily driver for the past couple of months. Unlike typical slab phones, notebook-style foldables are much better suited for running several apps simultaneously.

But what makes the Galaxy Z Fold 8 superior is how it adopts the side-by-side multitasking of the Galaxy Z TriFold. I’m specifically referring to how it can run three apps in their own windows, all at the same time — which it can do thanks to its 7.6-inch main display.

Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which has a more square aspect ratio when opened, the Z Fold 8 is more rectangular and can therefore display three apps side-by-side simultaneously. What's great about this layout is that all three windows remain proportionate, with the ability to save them as an app pair shortcut for quick access later. And if you need just one more app, you can launch a fourth in a separate floating window.

I tried running three apps on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s 8-inch main display, but it would really only let me run two properly. You can introduce a third app, but it forces the layout to change so that one app remains in full view on one side, while the other two share the remaining half. This isn’t ideal because those two apps get shrunken down to the point where they're almost unusable.

Way less dead space with videos

Notebook-style phones benefit from having large main displays, but they often waste that extra real estate whenever I watch videos on them. Since most videos are shot in a 16:9 aspect ratio, playing them on foldables with square aspect ratios results in the video only occupying the middle portion of the screen — leaving large, unused black bars on the top and bottom.

It’s a real waste, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is no exception. However, there’s much less dead space on the Z Fold 8. As a result, the letterboxing isn't as glaring, making the viewing experience feel more seamless. When I played the new "Avengers: Doomsday" trailer on both phones, it was pretty evident that the Z Fold 8 simply gives you a larger video player.

Well worth the trade-offs

Just to reiterate, three-app side-by-side multitasking that keeps every window the same size is exclusive to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 — you won’t get it on the Z Fold 8 Ultra. But while this feature is helpful, there are still a few trade-offs to consider if you’re deciding between the two.

With the Z Fold 8, you’re getting a dual-camera setup that lacks a dedicated telephoto lens, as well as a smaller 4,800 mAh battery. However, for $200 less, I think these trade-offs still make the Z Fold 8 the superior choice for most people.

In fact, it shares plenty of top-tier hardware with the pricier Z Fold 8 Ultra — including the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, the same amount of RAM, One UI 9 running on Android 17, 45W wired charging, and 20W wireless charging.

If those aren’t enough reasons to convince you, it’s also much more pocketable. When it’s closed, holding the phone and using its cover screen is much easier. I can reach all four corners with my thumb, whereas reaching the top corners on the Z Fold 8 Ultra is a real stretch. When you’re on the subway with one hand on a rail and the other on your phone, you’ll have an easier time with the Z Fold 8.

More from Tom’s Guide

• I hate paying for calorie-tracking apps, so I had Gemini analyze my food photos instead — here’s what it found
• I replaced my notebook with an AI pen for a month — here's what happened
• I used this AI note taker to record my meetings for a week — and it made my workdays more focused and productive

For a decade, Apple has essentially held my digital life hostage with iPhones. Every time I looked at an Android phone, the sheer dread of migrating my passwords, WhatsApp chats, and app layouts kept me firmly trapped in the Walled Garden. But with Android 17 on the new Galaxy Z Fold 8, Google just handed me a pair of bolt cutters.

Enter Google’s new Android Switch iOS migration tool — named Smart Switch in the newly launched Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 8. And all I’ll say is if switching operating systems is a dealbreaker for you — getting all the right apps, account logins and home screen layouts just right — all of that is gone.

This is a breakthrough for phone switchers, and a real leveler in the iOS vs Android war.

Just scan and go

It all starts with a QR code scan — no additional app required. At that point, I picked what apps and data I sent across, and it just…did it. Mostly.

There is the brutal reality I did face while switching: the software is pure magic, but physics still applies. I was staring down the barrel of a decade's worth of iPhone photos (514GB to be specific), and the Z Fold 8 simply didn't have the storage to swallow it all.

I had to make the agonizing choice to leave my photo library behind in the Apple ether. But once I made peace with that (and started a mass transfer to Amazon Photos with my Prime account)? What happened next was jaw-dropping.

Your Android phone will find its OS equivalents of the apps you have on your iPhone and install them all, all your messages, call logs and contacts, WhatsApp data, account logins and passwords, settings and even the way the apps are laid out on each home screen (as well as wallpaper) all make it over.

The only things you’ll need to do are log back into your apps with the saved details and add the Android equivalent to the widgets, as I saw with these suspicious gaps in my app layouts.

The elimination of basically all friction here is amazing to me — someone who’s seen both sides make it as awkward as possible for platform lock-in.

And even better? It just took me around 25-30 minutes wirelessly. Of course, mileage may vary depending on just how much data you’re sending over, but this was for roughly 55GB of total data.

Stick another five minutes on top for logging back into everything and setting up my bank card with Samsung Pay, and I was using the London Underground again as if nothing had happened.

What’s the catch?

So there is one small frustration that I came across — my first attempt came up with an internet connection problem. Basically, the migration didn’t start because the Android phone wasn’t connected to Wi-Fi. This could be because I was on my hotel’s network, and your home Wi-Fi may behave differently.

If that happens, just start the process as if you were setting up your Android phone from scratch, connect to Wi-Fi, then head back to the migration screen. That fixed it for me!

But beyond that, everything else was shockingly smooth on this transition, and surprisingly fast too. In all my years covering phones, I never expected to see iOS and Android playing nice together like this.

Put simply, the fear of platform lock-in should no longer be part of your purchase decision.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the first Galaxy phone with a silicon carbon battery — here's why that's such a big deal
• Samsung just added Automated Tasks and Gemini Notebook to Galaxy Z Fold 8 — here's what these AI features let you do
• I held Samsung’s secret, canceled Z Fold 8 prototypes — and they killed the best one

So the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is official, and it’s the next foldable to jump on the passport-sized trend with a shorter, wider form factor that makes it ideal for content consumption.

I do like it from my time testing it (bar that $1,899 price tag). Some of the ergonomic issues I saw with Huawei’s stubby foldable have been resolved in software, and having a nicer 4:3 aspect ratio gives your Netflix shows or websites much more screen space to fill than the squarer Z Fold 8 Ultra.

I had a chance to speak to Samsung’s design team head, Hubert Lee, about the decisions made to get to this form factor, and I got to hold some of the different-sized devices that were left on the cutting room floor. And…well…is this a safe space? Because I think they’ve dropped the ball by not going for something smaller here.

The story of the design

So how did Samsung land on the Z Fold 8? Well, it’s a long story of trying to balance emotional warmth and geometric symmetry — a mission that Lee labels “Emotive Geometry” — alongside 3D printing many different form factors for this new stubbier foldable.

After much experimentation with over 500 handmade mock-ups to evaluate grip, comfort and usability across different sizes and proportions, it became clear to the team that drawing inspiration from the passport was (in their words) a golden ratio.

• Smaller versions aimed at users with smaller hands were tested, but ultimately scrapped because they felt too similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 8
• Larger versions were also rejected because they were too close to the Z Fold 8 Ultra

And in the same spirit as Goldilocks trying out different beds and bowls of porridge, the company stumbled on what they believe is “just right.” Its ergonomic dimensions are specifically designed to be held and opened with a single hand, while being compact enough to be pocketable. And in my time using it, I can see how they arrived at that decision.

Yes, I’m a little disappointed that there’s still black bars with the 4:3 aspect ratio inside display, but you certainly get a lot more content on screen than you would with the productivity-focused Z Fold 8 Ultra.

But as I was shown these mockups, and got to hold them, I was left asking one question: did they make the right decision? I’m really not sure.

How small can you go?

I’ll admit this comes from a biased place. I loved my iPhone 12 mini and have always adored having smaller smartphones over the gigantic slabs that they’ve all become. So once I started holding these tiny options, my mind was spinning with the possibilities of what could’ve been.

Because yes, that smallest device is basically a Z Flip 8 turned sideways, but it also meant a 16:9 aspect ratio display inside — no black bezels whatsoever on your content! But if you still really wanted the same aspect ratios as the finished product, you’ve got smaller options that felt amazing in one hand.

Simply put, there's a lot more room for aspect ratio experimentation if content consumption was the key mission here, and I think Samsung's really missed an opportunity here to do something that breaks new ground.

Now, I know what one of your many responses will be here. “What about battery life?” As you already know, there’s a 4,800mAh silicon carbon cell inside to maximize the balance between longevity and making this the lightest Galaxy Fold.

With that technology (and a touch more thickness), it could be argued that you could still find that good balance. We’ve seen standard smartphones go all the way up to 7,000mAh with this new battery tech, so it’s not fantasy to believe the same could happen here.

Take me back to small phones

I know I may be in a minority here — after all, every time a company tried to make a small phone, they quickly pivoted to big screens (RIP iPhone mini). However, foldables give you the best of both worlds, and while I do appreciate the intentional choice of Samsung here, I feel there was a better golden ratio right in front of them.

Passport-sized foldables are definitely all the rage right now, as Apple looks set to join this party real soon. But holding these smaller options sent my mind spinning on what could’ve been.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Card takes aim at Apple Card with way more perks and rewards — here’s what you get
• Forget iPhone 18 Pro — iPhone 20 tipped to get Apple’s biggest screen upgrade ever
• Light just announced a $299 flip phone to cure screen addiction — and its co-founder convinced me to embrace being bored again

After months of rumours and speculation, Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 8 lineup has been officially unveiled at the latest Galaxy Unpacked event, which means Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-orders are officially open.

Arguably the biggest reveal is the new Galaxy Z Fold 8, which adopts a shorter, wider, passport‑like shape with a 5.5‑inch cover screen and a 7.6‑inch main display, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra keeps the taller, classic layout with a 6.5‑inch cover screen and an 8‑inch main display.

But that's not all this year: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Z Fold 8 Ultra boast Samsung's new Flex Titanium display, which adds a flexible titanium‑alloy film under the foldable OLED panel to increase durability and significantly reduce the crease on both devices.

Maybe the biggest change is Samsung finally adopting silicon‑carbon batteries for both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, which raises capacity from last year’s 4,400mAh in the Z Fold 7 to 5,000mAh in the Z Fold 8 Ultra and 4,800mAh in the smaller Z Fold 8. It also brings about faster charging, going from 25W (wired) and 15W (wireless) on the Z Fold 7, to 45W (wired) and 20W (wireless) on the Z Fold 8 range.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra are set to release on August 14, 2026, with pre-orders ending at 11:59pm AEST the night before. As always, Australia's top retailers and telcos are offering bonuses to those who purchase one of the new devices ahead of release date, with discounts and free storage upgrades up for grabs. To make things easier for you, we've compiled all the best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-order deals and offers below.

For more ways to save, check out our guide to today's best Samsung promo codes.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 offers

If you plan to buy a Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Z Fold 8 Ultra outright, Samsung and Amazon Australia offer the strongest pre-order value. Samsung lets you layer several savings together: an Eco-Voucher worth up to AU$150 off when you bundle with other Samsung ecosystem devices and accessories (using code UNFOLD2026 and within the first 72 hours, which then drops down to AU$50 for the rest of the pre-order period), AU$150 back when paying via PayPal, a AU$200 price drop on 1TB models with code TR-FOLD8, and up to AU$150 in extra trade-in credit. Amazon keeps it simple for those buying outright by bundling a AU$300 Amazon digital gift card with Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-orders. JB Hi-Fi also appeals to outright buyers with a AU$300 store gift card.

For those who prefer paying off the phone over time, the major mobile carriers are cutting hundreds off handset costs on repayment plans. Optus offers a flat AU$750 off any model paired with AU$15p/m SIM plan savings, while Vodafone drops AU$700 off the device price, matches the $300 trade-in credit, and offers steep discounts on bundled Galaxy Watch products. You can find out more about Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-order offers below.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — what do you get?

The last time we saw a Galaxy Z Fold with S Pen support it was the Galaxy Z Fold 6. But Samsung ditched the digitizer on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in order to make the device as thin as possible.

The bad news is that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra don’t bring the S Pen back. Samsung is clearly still prioritizing thinness while also rolling out new innovations like Flex Titanium to make the new foldables close to crease-free.

But don’t write off the S Pen just yet.

S Pen comeback?

During a Q&A session with Samsung EVP HS Moon here in London ahead of Galaxy Unpacked, he seemed open to the idea of a stylus returning to the (ahem) Fold.

“Our decisions are always shaped around the priorities that we have for that generation (of foldable phones), and for this generation, our priorities were about offering foldables that were slimmer, lighter, and basically more portable devices that also offer large viewing experiences,” said Moon through an interpreter.

Moon said that Samsung will monitor user reactions and that Samsung is "committed to providing the maximum user experience.”

Here’s the money quote though: “We continue to explore and consider various more innovative technologies that incorporate (a) digitizer and S Pen in an even slimmer form factor,” Moon said.

What’s great about this statement — to me, anyway — is that Samsung doesn’t seem willing to sacrifice the thinness of the design in order to incorporate S Pen support, even though I’m sure there are some users out there who wouldn’t mind trading 0.1mm of thickness in their foldable for a stylus.

Privacy Display could be coming to foldables, too

So what about the Privacy Display feature found on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Designed to block content from would-be onlookers, it’s one of the best display innovations in years. But this also didn’t make its way to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series.

Fortunately, Samsung is keenly aware of the buzz and seems willing to at least probe if it’s possible for the Galaxy Fold lineup.

“We are very happy to see all of the positive excitement and the user feedback about the (Privacy Display) feature that we offered for the first time in the S26 series,” Moon shared. “We continue to explore various possibilities of expanding our advanced technologies across our lineup, and that would include Privacy Display as well.”

It’s wide. It’s kinda weird. And I want one.

Samsung is giving us two book-style foldable phones in 2026, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the one I’d prefer to carry. And that’s because it has a completely different look than every foldable the company has given us over the past 7 years.

You get a super compact and light design that’s nearly identical to a passport with super wide front and main displays. This is a foldable that’s tailor-made for consuming content.

The Fold 8 also has many of the same innovations inside the pricier Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, including Flex Titanium for minimizing the crease, a high capacity silicon carbon battery and an anti-glare coating.

You have to make some trade-offs for the $1,899 price, including no telephoto zoom and the lack of a Flex mode. But I can see a lot of people gravitating towards the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Here’s my hands-on impressions so far.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Release date and price

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a release date of August 7th and pre-orders are available today, July 22..

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts at $1,899/£1,699 for 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. We will update this hands-on once we have pricing for the 512GB model and the 1TB version with 16GB of RAM.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Design and durability

The first time I put the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in my hand I loved it. And it starts with just how light this thing is. Weighing just 201 grams (7.1 ounces), this is the lightest book-style foldable phone ever. And the Z Fold 7 was already pretty frickin’ light at 215 grams (7.5 ounces), the same weight as the new Fold 8 Ultra.

The next thing I noticed was just how wide the front display is. It feels much less cramped than the Z Fold 8 Ultra. When you do open to the main 7.6-inch screen you’ll appreciate that the black bars are minimized above and below the display.

Another plus is that Samsung precisely engineered the side frame to make this foldable easier to open than the Fold 7, thanks to new grooves that have been machined into the edges.

Hate the crease? Samsung has dramatically reduced it thanks to new Flex Titanium technology. And yet the Fold 8 is tested to withstand up to 500,000 folds, which I saw first hand in Korea ahead of launch.

The IP48 rating on the Fold 8 means you get water resistance but no dust resistance, which is a shame because this is a phone I’d like to use for beach reading.

The 10MP camera punchout on the main display continues to be a bit of an eyesore, so those hoping for the return of an under-display camera (UDC) will be disappointed. And don’t expect S Pen support either, which would have been nice on such a wide canvas.

Measuring 161.4 x 123.9 x 4.5mm (6.35 x 4.88 x 0.18 inches) unfolded and 123.9 x 81.9 and 9.7mm (4.88 × 3.22 inches x 0.38 inches) folded, the Z Fold 8 isn’t quite as slim as the Fold 8 Ultra (4.1mm) but this is definitely not a bulky handset.

To me the standout Fold 8 color is Lavender, but you can also pick from Graphite and Cream and there’s a Pistachio option online only.

To be clear, Samsung is not the first to launch a wide book-style foldable. Huawei already has the Pura X Max with 5.4- and 7.7-inch displays. But it’s heavier and thicker than the Fold 8 and not available in the U.S.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Displays

The front display on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 measures 5.5 inches, which seems small, but its wide 10:16 aspect ratio makes it easy on the eyes, whether you’re scrolling TikTok or typing with two hands.

The main 7.6-inch display has a 4:3 aspect ratio that’s better suited for watching video than the square 8-inch panel on the Fold. The black bars are there, but they’re less noticeable. Flip the Fold 8 around and you get a 3:4 aspect ratio that’s great for browsing the web or reading ebooks.

I just wish the keyboard didn’t take up so much of the screen when you’re typing.

Samsung has boosted the brightness on the Z Fold 8’s main display to a whopping 3,000 nits, which is the brightest on any Samsung phone and a pretty big leap from the 2,600 nits on the Fold 7. During my hands-on time, I actually had to turn the brightness down a bit to capture the screen best for video.

It gets better. Samsung has also applied an anti-glare coating to the main display, so it should be much easier to use outdoors in direct sunlight.

Unfortunately, Samsung did not find a way to add the Privacy Display from the Galaxy S26 Ultra series, which has been great for keeping prying eyes away.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Cameras

There’s no getting around it. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 features just two rear cameras: a 50MP main shooter and a 50MP ultrawide. And that means you don’t get a telephoto zoom like the 3x optical on the Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Provided you can live without that third lens, you should be pretty happy with the photo quality from this foldable. Samsung in particular has focused on better Nightography performance for photos and videos, and I tried it out during a demo. The images I took looked brighter than through the Z Fold 7, but I wouldn't say the detail was better.

Another upgrade is dual recording. You can record video using both the front and rear cameras at the same time, allowing you to preview the results on the main and cover displays. And with this split-screen look you can have some fun with it in real time.

The coolest video feature is powered by AI. Called My FanCam, you can select a subject in your video and the Fold 8 will automatically edit the footage so that it “follows” that person in the frame throughout the clip. I tried it and it works well.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: AI Features and Software

My favorite Galaxy Z Fold 8 AI feature makes perfect sense for a foldable. The improved Now Nudge feature will recommend that you open a related app and when you act on the tip it will automatically open in a split view window.

Say you get a message asking about dinner for a particular day. A Calendar icon will pop up right in the Messages app. This is multitasking done right, and it works for other things like browsing a location, sending an email or saving a place. Now Nudges will also appear within notifications, which saves time.

Samsung has also worked to optimize Gemini automation for its foldables. So if you go to book a vacation using Expedia and have Gemini do most of the work for you, the work will appear in a pop-up window. And you can dive in at any time or just wait until it’s time to pull the trigger on the reservation and take over.

There’s some things I think could be better with the software experience. For example, if you’re browsing TikTok and click on Comments, it takes over most of the screen and it’s hard to see the content. It would be better if the video shifted to the left and the comments were on the right. I’d like to see Samsung work with Google and developers to better optimize apps for the Fold 8’s ultra-wide screen.

If you liked Flex Mode on previous Samsung foldables, you won’t find it here. So if you like the idea of using your phone like a mini laptop with the main app area up top and controls down below — which has come in handy for me when making Google Meet calls — you’ll want to pick the Fold 8 Ultra instead.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Performance

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip and is paired with 12GB of RAM for the starting configuration with 256GB of storage and the 512GB model. If you want 16GB of RAM, you’ll have to step up to the 1TB version.

We have not yet tested this chip inside the Fold 8 but it delivered remarkably good performance inside the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It beat the iPhone 17 Pro Max on the Geekbench multi-core test, as well as the 3DMark Solar Bay Unlimited Graphics Test.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Battery and charging

It’s been a long time coming, but Samsung has finally embraced silicon carbon technology for the Fold 8. And that allows this phone to pack a pretty beefy 4,800 mAh of capacity despite having a more compact design than the 4,400 mAh Galaxy Z Fold 7. The Fold 8 Ultra goes all the way up to 5,000 mAh using the same tech.

The charging on the Z Fold 8 also gets an upgrade. Wired charging is now 45W, up from 25W on the Fold 8. That means you should get to 69% in 30 minutes.

The wireless charging gets a boost, too, going from 15W on the Fold 7 to 20W on the Fold 8. Just don’t expect MagSafe-like magnets on this design. You’ll still need a case to enjoy that perk, which is a bummer.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Early reaction

I really need to live with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to see if my initial infatuation lasts, but right now it’s my favorite foldable design yet. I really like the wide front and main displays, as well as just how light this thing is.

Other perks include a greatly reduced crease, a brighter main screen and a pretty beefy battery. And while I’m getting kind of sick of AI features, I can see myself using things like Now Nudge and My FanCam.

I wish I didn’t have to sacrifice a telephoto zoom but overall I feel like Samsung made the right trade-offs to deliver a big-screen foldable in a very pocket-friendly design.

Samsung Galaxy Z fold 8 pre-orders open up today, with general release scheduled for August 7. Prices start at from $1,899 / £1,699 / AU$2,699.

Samsung's Galaxy Z 8 series foldables are getting a major battery upgrade, and it's not just because of the capacity boost. Samsung has confirmed that it has made the switch to silicon carbon batteries this year, ditching the traditional lithium ion power packs in favor of something that packs a bit more of a punch.

It's a surprise to hear that this is happening so soon — given Samsung's previous hesitance to discuss when it might introduce silicon carbon batteries. Considering various brands have already made the switch, it's great to see that one of the major holdouts has decided now is the time to jump on the bandwagon.

Here's what you need to know about silicon carbon batteries and what it means for prospective Samsung users.

What are the benefits of silicon carbon?

The main thing you need to know about batteries is that their capacity is linked to their size. A lot of work has been done to improve the density of lithium ion batteries over the years, but there's only so much you can do to shrink them down. That becomes a problem when you're trying to design devices to be super thin and light.

Silicon carbon is a whole new kind of battery design that utilizes silicon on the anode instead of pure graphite, and the key benefit is that it offers far better energy density. In other words, you can pack more power into a smaller space compared to traditional lithium ion batteries. That's particularly important for foldables, which pride themselves on being ultra-thin and lightweight — despite essentially being two phones bolted together.

We've already seen the benefits with the OnePlus 15, which has offers a 7,300 mA battery without any meaningful increase in size or weight. In fact, not only is the phone only a single gram heavier than the 6,000 mAh OnePlus 13, it's actually 0.8mm thinner than its predecessor.

In terms of the Galaxy Z 8 series, we're seeing a 600 mAh jump between the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — boosting the battery capacity to 5,000 mAh. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is sitting pretty with 4,800 mAh, while the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is sadly stuck at 4,300 mAh.

Why has Samsung switched now?

Speaking ahead of Unpacked, Kadesh Beckford, Smartphone Specialist Product Manager at Samsung, said the switch to silicon carbon batteries has all been about improving the customer experience — thanks to the ability to offer more power in a smaller space.

In fact the switch to Silicon Carbon is one of the main ways Samsung has been able to add larger batteries to the Z8 series without increasing their size or weight. In fact, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is almost identical in size and shape to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the Z Fold 8 is the lightest book-style foldable ever released.

That said, this decision was not one Samsung took lightly. Back in February Sung-Hoon Moon Samsung's Executive VP and Head of Smartphone R&D, admitted that silicon carbon batteries had not passed Samsung's "very rigorous validation standards."

Beckford also emphasized that Samsung had done its due diligence before adopting silicon carbon. He also emphasized the fact that silicon carbon was how Samsung added such large batteries to the Galaxy Z 8 series, and how much battery life was being improved as a result. Which is a pretty obvious benefit for the end user.

The caution is somewhat understandable from Samsung's perspective. Next month marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Galaxy Note 7, which was an unmitigated disaster for Samsung due to various flaws in the phone's (then) new battery design. The absolute last thing Samsung needs is to make the switch to silicon carbon and have something similar happen again.

The good news is that silicon carbon has already proven itself across a multitude of devices, even if the likes of Apple and Google have so far chosen to stick with a traditional lithium ion battery design.

Here's hoping that Samsung's switch gives them an incentive to jump on the bandwagon themselves — especially since the iPhone 18 Pro Max is rumored to be the heaviest iPhone ever, weighing in with a gargantuan 240 grams (8.4 ounces).

More from Tom's Guide

• How to watch Summer Galaxy Unpacked 2026 — Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, Flip 8 and more
• Samsung Galaxy Card takes aim at Apple Card with way more perks and rewards — here’s what you get
• Light just announced a $299 flip phone to cure screen addiction — and its co-founder convinced me to embrace being bored again

For years now, we’ve had two kinds of foldable phones. While notebook-style models like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 tend to get superior specs and features, I’ve often preferred flip phones instead, largely for their pocketable design and how they’re better suited for vlogging.

Now that I’ve gotten some hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, I feel a bit let down. That’s because it feels like a simple, iterative upgrade that doesn’t quite leave as deep an impression on me as, say, the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

I know, it’s surprising because I’ve clamored for flip phones in the past. What makes it even harder to like is the $100 price hike — bringing it to $1,199 — which makes me question if it has what it takes to justify the higher cost.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Release date and price

You can score a pre-order for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 starting today, July 22, with general retail availability starting August 7 at major carriers and select retailers.

However, the Z Flip 8 commands a higher $1,199 price tag for the base model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It’s a tough pill to swallow because it’s approaching flagship territory alongside devices like the Galaxy S26 Ultra — a phone that inherently offers a more robust camera system, a larger battery, and more productivity features. In the past, there was a huge price gap between the flagship Galaxy S model and Samsung's flip phones, but not anymore.

While I find the new Pink colorway particularly charming, it also comes in standard Graphite and Cream, along with a Mint option exclusive to Samsung.com.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Design and displays

On paper, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is technically thinner than its predecessor, measuring 0.24-inches when unfolded and 0.52-inches folded — and it’s also lighter at 6.35 ounces. Samsung likes to tout that it's the thinnest and lightest Flip model to date, which it is, but that trim comes at the expense of being a smidge taller and wider. Now, if it were as thin as the Galaxy S25 Edge, then maybe I’d be more impressed, but it isn’t.

Despite these dimensional tweaks, the design language remains unchanged, which is part of the reason it feels a bit boring. It’s still sturdy and solidly constructed, featuring an Armor Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and an IP48 water resistance rating.

Just as before, it’s rocking a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display and a 4.1-inch FlexWindow cover screen that look crisp and bright thanks to Vision Booster, but visually, there isn't much to write home about.

If you're looking to give the familiar design some fresh personality, Samsung introduced a couple of new Flipsuit covers that I checked out that are genuinely worth a look, thanks to their charming FlexWindow animations and embedded LEDs. They’re exactly the kind of thing that makes flip phones feel more personable.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Cameras

I’ll give it this much: the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is still a better phone for vlogging than either the Z Fold 8 or Z Fold 8 Ultra. That’s primarily due to its form factor, which is far better suited for capturing video using the rear cameras alongside the FlexWindow display. But that’s where the praise ends.

If you were hoping for a major hardware upgrade, prepare for a bit of disappointment because it features the exact same camera specs as before: a 50MP main sensor with 2x optical-quality zoom, 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 10MP selfie camera. All of their apertures are also identical, which leads me to suspect that we won’t see any drastic leap in overall photo or video quality.

Instead, all of Samsung's effort went into software refinements and new recording functions. For example, it borrows the new Super Steady Horizontal Lock feature first introduced with the Galaxy S26, along with a hands-free Camcorder Grip with Zoom Rocker and an improved Mirror view for more expressive selfies.

While these software features are nice additions for content creators, I still would have much preferred actual hardware upgrades — like a larger main sensor or a faster aperture — to truly justify a generational jump.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Performance

Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, paired with a generous 12GB of RAM. I’m pretty confident benchmark scores will show it’s a powerhouse on par with the rest of the Galaxy S26 series, and from what I could see during my hands-on time, it delivers roughly the same level of responsiveness as those other phones.

For standard tasks like messaging, watching YouTube clips, and multitasking, it feels fast and fluid. While I don’t think there's a massive leap in responsiveness during typical use, those benchmark scores might ultimately show that the processor is the biggest upgrade on the Z Flip 8.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Battery & Charging

Looking at the specs, you might notice that it packs a 4,300 mAh battery — but there’s a surprising difference under the hood. Even though it’s technically the same capacity as last year, Samsung’s switch to a silicon-carbon battery this time around plays a pivotal role in making the phone thinner and lighter without sacrificing capacity.

However, while the physical tech is impressive, it remains to be seen whether this setup translates to noticeably longer real-world endurance. I suspect it will improve, largely thanks to the power efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

Unfortunately, Samsung still caps the Galaxy Z Flip 8 at 25W wired and 15W fast wireless charging. Given the price bump this year, I was hoping to see wired charging bumped up to 45W. And did I mention there's no magnetic charging? It would've been a great addition, but it's another missed opportunity.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Software and AI

AI has been a pivotal focus for Samsung with each new device generation, but there’s a bit of a pause this time around with the One UI 9 experience running on top of Android 17. There aren’t many new Galaxy AI features that weren’t already introduced with the Galaxy S26 earlier this year.

Instead, there are subtle tweaks to Now Brief and Now Nudge. What I’m really eager to test out more is how Gemini task automation has expanded to support 40+ apps and services. I’ve already been impressed by how I was able to ask Gemini to order me Dunkin’ via DoorDash, so I’m genuinely excited to see what more complex tasks it can handle.

Multitasking remains virtually identical to previous generations as well, offering the same familiar split-screen view and pop-up window when you unfold the main display. It also inherits the same Samsung DeX experience as the Galaxy S26 series, giving users access to four workspaces with up to five apps running in each.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review: Outlook

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 lands in a tricky position. While it’s undeniably Samsung's sleekest and most refined flip phone to date, the lack of meaningful hardware upgrades is hard to ignore. Sticking with the same cameras, screen dimensions, and charging speeds makes this feel far more like an incremental update.

Pair that lack of hardware innovation with a $100 price hike—bringing the starting price to $1,199—and the Z Flip 8 becomes a much tougher sell. At this price point, it creeps dangerously close to traditional flagships like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S26 Ultra, which offer superior camera systems, larger batteries, and far more robust productivity features.

I could be proven wrong once full testing is complete—especially considering it’s packing the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and adopting a silicon-carbon battery—but it’s still shaping up to be a tough sell.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 pre-orders begin today ahead of an August 8 release date. Prices starts at $1,199 / £1,149 / AU$1,949.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Card takes aim at Apple Card with way more perks and rewards — here’s what you get
• I’m not convinced crease-free foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 actually matter. Prove me wrong.
• I love big phones and I cannot lie — and here are the best you can buy right now

Samsung is back with another generation of foldable phones, though things are shaping up to be a little different this year. There are three new Galaxy foldables, and that means the successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is being given an Ultra upgrade. It's easy to be cynical and assume this is a simple name change, but it feels like Samsung has worked hard to make the phone worthy of the name Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

While the incoming software and AI features are not that impressive — with the exception of the foldable-friendly Now Nudge — there's plenty of hardware upgrades to be excited about. This includes a brighter and nearly crease-free display, a larger silicon carbon battery and an even thinner design. Plus, you get a beefed up 50MP ultrawide camera. But there's also some trade-offs versus Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra that I wish you didn't have to make.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra hands-on review: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra hands-on review: What we like

Big display improvements

Samsung has invested a lot in improving the screen on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. The screen itself is now brighter, offering up to 3,000 nits, up from 2,600 nits on the Fold 7, while Samsung has added an anti-reflective coating to ensure that the screen is visible no matter the conditions.

Having compared the Z Fold 8 Ultra side-by-side with a Z Fold 7, the difference is very noticeable. The Z Fold 7 looks dull and washed out in comparison, while the Z Fold 8 Ultra is noticeably brighter and clearer. The anti-reflective coating is pretty nice too, which should make the new foldable easier to use in direct sunlight.

The big upgrade is the new Flex Titanium display, which adds a titanium plate and a flexible titanium-alloy film to the underside of the foldable OLED panel. The benefits of these two layers are threefold: It improves the strength and durability of the display, reduces the thickness of the display panel itself and reduces the amount of creasing in the display.

It doesn't erase the crease completely, but it's a lot less noticeable than the crease on the Z Fold 7. The crease is still there, but it's a heck of a lot harder to see.

Much-needed silicon carbon battery upgrade

For me, the most exciting upgrade for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the silicon carbon battery — a first for Samsung. The battery capacity has increased from 4,400 mAh to 5,000 mAh. Not only does this mean the Z Fold 8 Ultra's battery is the same size as the Galaxy S26 Ultra's, it's also a whopping 600 mAh increase compared to the Fold 7.

Samsung claims that the Fold 8 Ultra battery will offer up to 27 hours of video playback, up from 24 hours on the previous model.

Samsung has also taken the chance to upgrade charging speed, boosting wired charging from 25W to 45W — which Samsung says will restore 67% of your battery in 30 minutes. Wireless charging has also had a boost from 15W to 20W, though the Qi2 magnets are still missing in action.

Upgraded 50MP ultrawide camera

Galaxy Z Fold cameras have not been on the same level as those on Galaxy S series phones, but Samsung has been slowly making changes to close the gap. Last year that meant adding the 200MP main camera lens, and this year it's the ultrawide camera's turn to get some new hardware — with a 50MP lens.

It's a marked improvement over the 12MP lens that was packaged into the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

On top of this, Samsung has added HDR support for the 200MP main lens, as well as a bunch of improvements to improve nightography and low-light performance. This includes the addition of the ProVisual engine and advanced AP-based image processing, both of which were previously been seen on the Galaxy S26 series.

The first 'for Galaxy' chip in a foldable

Samsung has been employing custom versions of flagship Snapdragon chips for a few years, but so far those "for Galaxy" chips have only been available with certain Galaxy S-series phones — and never in a foldable. Galaxy foldables always ended up with either the standard, off-the-shelf Snapdragon chips or one of Samsung's own Exynos chips.

That has changed this year, thanks to Samsung including the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset in all three foldable phones. That means we should see a big leap in performance and efficiency compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

We haven't had the chance to benchmark the Z Fold 8 Ultra yet, so we don't know how significant that leap may be. But it should hopefully mean that the new Galaxy foldables are more capable than before, and at the very least should perform similarly to the Snapdragon-equipped Galaxy S26 variants.

Made for multitasking with Now Nudge

The Z Fold 8 Ultra is being marketed as a productivity device, as a way to set it apart from the Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8. Samsung has added a bunch of upgrades centered around multitasking, with the goal of helping users make the most of the larger foldable screen inside the phone.

Now Nudge has been added to the phone, and optimized for both multitasking and the larger 8-inch display. This means that relevant apps will be opened in split view when you get a nudge in, say, the Messages app, with support for up to five split view actions at a time. The screen also supports multiple touchpoints, and can surface relevant actions based on contextual clues. The addition of Ambient Nudge also lets Now Nudge operate with a little more discretion, surfacing suggestions in the corner of your screen

Naturally, this also means Samsung is emphasizing the fact that the foldable screen is the equivalent of two 6.5-inch screens side-by-side. That's true of most foldables, but it emphasizes that this really is a tablet that you can fit in your pocket — and it's good to see Samsung really push this particular use case a little more.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra hands-on review: What we don't like

$100 price hike

We knew that price hikes were coming for the Galaxy Z 8 series, thanks to ongoing issues with RAMageddon and the memory supply chain. But that doesn't mean we're pleased to see the price of the flagship Z Fold 8 increase for the third year in a row.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2,099, which gets you a model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB. For reference, the cost of the Z Fold 7 with the exact same memory/storage configuration costs $1,999, which means we're all being asked to pay an extra $100 simply because this phone is a little bit newer and more "Ultra."

There are a bunch of great upgrades to be had, but the prospect of paying even more for an already-expensive handset leaves a bad taste in our mouths.

Limited AI and software upgrades

If you were hoping to see a bunch of new AI features and software upgrades launch alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, then you're going to be sorely disappointed. There are new AI features coming with the entire Galaxy Z 8 series, but that doesn't seem to be Samsung's primary focus this time around.

Now Nudge obviously launched with the Galaxy S26 series, but the new version has been updated to better perform on a larger-screen foldable. That includes optimizations for multitasking, and the subtle alerts from Ambient Nudge.

Samsung is also including Gemini Notebook (formerly Notebook LLM) on the Z Fold 8 Ultra , which turns various sources into "structured, actionable knowledge." It essentially usies AI to create summarized notebooks from photos, recordings, documents, videos and so on.

AI automation is also getting a boost, with the new Gemini Advanced Automation feature capable of controlling what's going on across 40+ apps without making you witch between them all manually. AI task automation is note new to Galaxy phones, but it's optimized for the foldable experience in that there's a floating window that you can interact with at any time.

Considering Samsung has been so heavily focused on AI over the past few years, it's surprising to see such an AI-lite phone launch. But some may be relieved that it's not getting as much hype.

No S Pen

Samsung pulled S Pen support from the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in the name of reducing thickness, since the stylus was reliant on a relatively bulky digitizer layer inside the foldable display. While there have been rumors suggesting Samsung was working on a version of the S Pen that didn't require the digitizer, it has not been included in the Fold 8 Ultra.

That means you have a large 8-inch foldable display, which has been built for productivity and multitasking, but no official writing implement to use with it. We didn't have high hopes that the S Pen would make an appearance on this year's foldables, but it's still a shame to get confirmation that it's not supported.

Here's hoping that, with increased competition from the foldable iPhone Ultra, Samsung figures out a way to bring this breakout productivity feature back to Galaxy Folds in the near future.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra hands-on review: Outlook

There's a lot to like about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. This year's batch of hardware upgrades actually feel pretty meaningful, compared to the incremental upgrades that have been so common in the phone world. While the Z Fold 7 certainly made headway in this area, the Z Fold 8 Ultra takes that progress and expands upon it in a lot of areas.

For once, it feels as though a Galaxy foldable isn't lagging too far behind the flagship Galaxy S series. That's all down to the greatly reduced crease, upgrade silicon carbon battery, faster charging, and upgrade ultrawide camera. It certainly feels as though the "Ultra" rebrand is more than just a cynical name change.

However, the Fold 8 Ultra is certainly not the perfect foldable. The price has risen by $100 for the third consecutive year, and it still falls short in a few areas. There's no S Pen, no Privacy Display from the S26 Ultra series, and the lack of an IP68 rating means you should not take this foldable to the beach.

Still, based on the limited time I've spent with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, I'm optimistic about what this next generation foldable has to offer. Now we just need to put it through its paces with some in-depth testing to see how it really performs.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra pre-orders begin today, ahead of an August 8 release date. Prices start at From $2,099 / £1,899 / AU$2,999.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Card takes aim at Apple Card with way more perks and rewards — here’s what you get
• I’m not convinced crease-free foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 actually matter. Prove me wrong.
• I love big phones and I cannot lie — and here are the best you can buy right now

Galaxy Unpacked is just wrapped up, but we have all the latest news about Samsung's announcement. This year’s reveal comes with a big surprise: Samsung is introducing three brand-new foldables — the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Beyond being arguably be some of the best foldable phones this year, Samsung also used the opportunity to detail the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch 2 Ultra. And given the recent buzz around Android XR, it's no surprise we got a teaser for the Samsung Galaxy Glasses.

Hands on with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra

We got our hands on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra. Stay up to date with all the details as we cover every device Samsung announced today.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: Biggest announcements

Samsung’s foldable phones and wearables have been the cornerstone of its summer Unpacked events, so it's no surprise it's no different this time. Here’s everything announced at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026.

• Galaxy Z Fold 8: This is the “wide” version, featuring a passport-esque shape when closed that opens to reveal a main display with a slightly more rectangular ratio.
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: While the Ultra moniker implies it’s the top-of-the-line foldable, it’s actually the direct successor to last year's Galaxy Z Fold 7, complete with a thin design, triple cameras, and silicon carbon battery.
• Galaxy Z Flip 8: Aesthetically, the Z Flip 8 looks a lot like its predecessor, but there's a reductions in thickness, weight, and bezel size.
• Galaxy Watch 9: This year’s updated wearable retain the squarish-circle case design, but packing a new Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset for faster on-device AI processing and improved battery efficiency.
• Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Samsung’s rugged flagship wearable is gets a brighter display that reaches up to 4,000 nits, the power-efficient Snapdragon Wear Elite chip and even more AI.
• Samsung Galaxy Glasses: Built on the Android XR platform with deep Gemini AI integration, Samsung's upcoming smart glasses are shaping up to be one of Unpacked's most intriguing teasers.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: Live Updates

The countdown to Unpacked has begun

We're mere hours away from the start of Galaxy Unpacked, and if history tells us anything, this is prime time for a bunch of last minute rumors and leaks to make their way online. So those of you that are too impatient to wait until 9 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. BST should keep an eye on your feeds for those 11th hour reveals.

That said, Tom's Guide will be at Unpacked bringing you live coverage of everything Samsung reveals on stage. So be sure to check back here to hear the biggest news and reveals as they happen.

Things are changing this year

The Summer Unpacked event usually features two new foldable phones: A book-style Z Fold and the compact Z Flip. Things are a little different this year, because Samsung is expected to reveal three new Galaxy foldables at today's event.

This year marks the debut of a new foldable design, which is shorter and wider than previous Z Fold devices. While this was originally referred to as the Galaxy Z Fold Wide, leaks suggest that the new phone will actually bear the name Galaxy Z Fold 8. Meanwhile what we thought was the Galaxy Z Fold 8, is now supposedly called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — bringing Samsung's naming conventions a little more in line with the fold-free Galaxy S series.

As for the Galaxy Z Flip 8, that's expected to arrive as normal with no real surprises.

This could be the end of the Samsung flip-foldable

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 has been leaked to death, so we know that it's going to be unveiled at Unpacked as expected, but that might be the end for Samsung's foldable flip phones. The prominent Samsung rumor-mongers believe that we won't actually see a Z Flip 9 next year. Apparently it could be down to rising costs, lack of interest in the Z Flip line-up and the fact that Samsung has let flip phone design stagnate for the past several years.

But how do they know? While there's never any guarantee, the leakers have noted the suspicious lack of chatter related to the 2027 Z Flip. Since phone production begins over a year before release, the apparent lack of progress suggests that Samsung isn't bothering to make one.

It's not just about phones

The new Galaxy foldables might be getting a lot of attention, there's more coming to Unpacked than just new smartphones. Samsung is also expected to unveil two new smartwatches: The Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

There's a lot we don't actually know about these devices, but we should expect the usual slew of upgrades at the very least. That means better screens, longer battery life and more powerful hardware — plus a bunch of extra health and fitness features.

On top of that we're expecting to hear more about the Galaxy Glasses, which were first announced at Google I/O bearing the name "Intelligent Eyewear."

Is a new Samsung tracker coming?

One rumor that's popped up in recent weeks claims that Samsung is gearing up to release a brand new SmartTag at some point later this year. We probably shouldn't expect to see the the Bluetooth tracker at Unpacked though, since Roland Quandt believes that it will launch alongside the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE.

The lower-cost version of the S26 isn't likely to arrive until September at the earliest, which means we have a little bit of a wait.

There's no word on what to expect from the SmartTag 3, but considering the nature of the device there isn't a lot that Samsung can do. Adding Ultra Wideband connectivity and support for Google's FindHub should be top of Samsung's priorities, though. Otherwise there's little point in releasing a new one.

Some real competition is on the way

The feeling we're getting ahead of Unpacked is that Samsung is putting a lot of effort into this particular launch event. The last couple of weeks have seen Samsung confirm a bunch of key details about the phones, including the all-important Flex titanium display upgrade.

It shouldn't be a huge surprise, though. Despite some competition from the likes of Motorola and Google in recent years, Samsung has absolutely dominated the foldable phone market. But that might change with the release of the foldable iPhone Ultra later this year.

iPhones are popular and sell in incredible numbers every year, and taking even a fraction of that success into the foldable business should be enough to make Samsung nervous. Especially since Apple is reportedly producing up to 10 million iPhone Ultras — compared to the 6.3 million Z Fold and Z Flip units reportedly being produced by Samsung.

Be warned, Samsung might hike prices again

Samsung has a habit of raising foldable phone prices very frequently, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 could be about to suffer the same fate with a $100 price hike. For those keeping count, this would be the third year in a row Samsung has increased Z Fold prices in this manner. Which is not ideal for our bank accounts.

According to the report from SE Daily, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra could start at $2,099, with prices rising if you want more than 256GB of storage. As for the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8, those prices are reportedly starting at $1,899, which is the same price as the Galaxy Z Fold 6 at launch.

There's no word on how much the Z Flip 8 might cost in the U.S., but leaked European pricing suggests a €100 price hike as well. If that translates to U.S. dollars, it means the flip phone could also see a $100 price hike. Or, in other words, a starting price of $1,199.

Flex titanium is confirmed — here's why it matters

Samsung has already revealed that the Z Fold 8 will feature a new display type, featuring what it calls "flex titanium." This means the display features a titanium plate and a flexible layer of titanium alloy. The benefits of this are improved strength, a thinner design and the elimination of the air gap beneath the display.

This means that Samsung has reduced the crease even further than previous attempts, with some rumors suggesting that Samsung may have eliminated it completely. That should offer a more immersive and uninterrupted viewing experience on the foldable display, while also directly competing with the rumored crease-free display on the iPhone Ultra.

Galaxy Z Fold 8: Lightest Foldable Ever?

Those of you that can't stand the bulk and weight of flagship phones might want to pay attention to the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The new phone is tipped to weigh just 201 grams (7.09 ounces), which would make it the lightest book-style foldable to be released. For comparison the Galaxy Z Fold 7 weighs 215 grams, while Huawei's wide-design foldable, the Pura X Max, weighs 229 grams (8.08 ounces).

Meanwhile the iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to weigh 240 grams (8.46 ounces) when it arrives later this year, and that only features a single screen. In other words, if you're looking for light and sleek, the new passport-style Z Fold 8 might be the phone for you.

What about the S Pen?

The question many long-time Z Fold fans might be asking this year is whether the S Pen will be making a comeback. Samsung removed the stylus-powering digitizer layer from the Z Fold 7's display to reduce the thickness, much to the chagrin of users.

While there have been rumors that Samsung is developing a stylus that doesn't require the digitizer layer, there's been no word on whether that new technology might debut on the Z Fold 8. In fact, all the leaked renders and accessories we've seen have been remarkably devoid of the stylus.

So, in other words, I wouldn't get your hopes up.

I like big batteries, and I can not lie

One of the most important things in any smartphone is a long-lasting battery. It's something that Samsung's non-folding phones have made big improvements upon, but the foldable options haven't been so lucky. Fortunately that might be about to change.

Word is that the Z Fold 8 Ultra will pack in a 5,000 mAh battery, the same size as the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which recent marketing rumors claim can handle 27 hours of video playback. Meanwhile, the Z Fold 8 is supposed to be coming with a 4,800 mAh battery and an estimated 26 hours of video playback. That's quite a big leap from the 4,400 mAh batteries in the Z Fold 7 and Z Fold 6.

We're not entirely sure how long the Galaxy Z Flip 8 will last on a single charge, but prepare to be a little disappointed. Leaked marketing materials claim that it will have the same 4,300 mAh-sized battery as the Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Better cameras, but no major leaps forward

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 made headlines by including the 200MP main camera, finally bringing the foldables more in line with phones like Galaxy S25 Ultra. The Z Fold 8 series isn't expected to do anything quite so severe, but we should still see some notable upgrades.

Both the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra are tipped to feature a 50MP ultrawide angle camera lens, though only the Ultra model will feature the 200MP main lens. The regular 8, which only has a pair of rear cameras, will instead have a 50MP main shooter.

We've no idea what kind of cameras will be on the Z Flip 8, but given Samsung's past unwillingness to boost resolution it's safe to assume that it will come with a 50MP main camera and 12MP ultrawide.

We're on the ground at Unpacked!

Galaxy Unpacked doesn't kick off for another couple of hours, but we're already pretty eager to get ready to hear what Samsung has to reveal. Tom's Guide Global Editor in Chief Mark Spoonauer is already on site, eagerly waiting for the event to begin. We're not even sure what time the doors open, so he may have a bit of a wait.

Me? I've only just left Reading, and just had to run across the train station to avoid missing my connection. So I'm not even halfway there.

Kudos for your punctuality, Mark. Galaxy Unpacked kicks off at 2 p.m. London time, which is 9 a.m. Eastern and 6 a.m. Pacific.

How to train your (Snap)dragon

Another big change we know is coming to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the inclusion of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset — the same chip that can be found in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This is important, because it's the first time Samsung has utilized this custom chip inside a foldable phone. In the past, the Z Fold and Z Flip devices were instead stuck with the standard, off-the-shelf Qualcomm chips.

The main benefit here is that the For Galaxy chips offer more power than their mainstream counterparts, which means a massive boost to raw performance. So if you're into gaming, video editing or other resource-hungry activities, this is the chip you want. Plus, because the chips have been custom-made for Galaxy phones, they are more efficient due to improved optimization.

Obviously, we don't know how much of an impact this will have compared to Z Fold 7 performance, but it should prove to be major win for Galaxy foldables going forward.

Conditions in London are warm today

As we wait for the day's events to get started, Samsung has been busy handing out umbrellas. It's not because of the famous British rain, but actually because it's a warm day for the U.K. capital.

Temperatures are set to hit 25°C / 77°F with little cloud cover and nobody wants to get sunstroke while they're waiting for the venue doors to open.

Samsung reportedly betting big on a redesigned Z Fold 8

We don't know how the world will react to Samsung's big design change to the Fold 8 but the company itself seems confident in demand for the wider model.

According to reports from industry sources (and collaborated by leaker Ice Universe), Samsung has set a production target of 2.8 million Galaxy Z Fold 8 devices. That's compared to two million units of the Z Fold 8 Ultra and 1.5 million units of the Z Flip 8.

These is apparently a big pivot from earlier projections that had the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra at roughly the same production level.

Will it be truly 'crease-free'?

One of the biggest questions we all want answered is how much crease is going to be visible on Samsung's new foldables? We know all about the "flex titanium" display at this point, but how it looks IRL will be the clincher.

Rumors have suggested Samsung has been able to eliminate the crease completely from this year's foldables. With strong competition from Oppo's Find N6 and the specter of Apple's iPhone Fold appearing in September, Samsung better have brought its A-game.

Meanwhile, check out this video of Tom's Guide's Mark Spoonauer in Korea to get a look inside Samsung's display developments.

We're in line and getting ready to head inside!

We're about ready to head inside for today's event. The line has formed and there's plenty of excitement over what Samsung has in store. Alongside the standard line, there's a separate queue just for the influencers (pictured above).

We're through the door!

Samsung has opened the doors for today's Unpacked event and we're both inside AND in the front row. To recap, we're a little under an hour from the keynote getting underway. The event officially kicks off at 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT here in London.

With word that we'll see the new Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra and a couple of new Galaxy Watches, there's a lot to look forward to today.

Will Samsung's Galaxy Glasses make an appearance?

Samsung has already confirmed it plans to launch a pair of smart glasses at some point in 2026 and back in April we got some leaked renders of a potential design. The renders were made by OnLeaks , who teamed up with Android Headlines to design them based on "real life pictures of a testing stage unit."

We know that today's event is going to focus on the phones and the wearables, but an official reveal of the "Galaxy Glasses" today would just be the sprinkles on the sundae.

Say hello to the new Galaxy Z Fold 8!

Even though Samsung's event just started, we already got a hands-on look at the long awaited Galaxy Z Fold 8, which features a wider aspect ration when opened and a passport-like shape when closed. It's a totally different looking and feeling tablet from what Samsung has released and it's so refreshing.

Samsung smart glasses take center stage

Before getting into its new foldable phones, Samsung teases its new smart glasses, which are designed in collaboration with Google, Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. According to James Choi, who heads Samsung's XR R&D, the company subjected these glasses to drop tests, water tests, high temperatures and sweat. It's meant to handle a lot of wear and tear, but it's how Gemini AI takes center stage where it truly stands out.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8: it's a much thinner and design

We already got out hands-on look at the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and while it looks aesthetically the same as before, it's thinner and lighter than before. There's still a dual camera setup on the back with the same identical specs as before, but there are a couple of new Flipsuit cases that make it more personalized than ever before.

Flex titanium adds more durability to Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Samsung wastes no time to talk about its top-of-the-line foldable: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. What sets this one apart is the new Flex Titanium and Armor FlexHinge that allows it to be more durable and have a crease-less display. If that's not enough, this thin and light foldable is packing a new 5,000 mAh silicon-carbon battery without introducing any additional thickness or weight.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: What's the difference?

Besides the obvious physical differences, we break down everything that's different between the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra. From the cameras, Galaxy AI features, and battery capacities, there's actually a fair amount of unique characteristics about each one.

Watching videos is way better with the Galaxy Z Fold 8

One of the immediate things that caught our attention with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is its "wider" aspect ratio when it's opened. The new Avengers Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailers looks way better on it than the Z Fold 8 Ultra, mainly because there's less dead space around the video.

'A great screen is only part of the experience'

While the Galaxy Z Fold 8's unique shape is getting all the buzz, you can't forget about all the other unique qualities about this new foldable. For starters, it's super thin and light, with a 4,800 mAh battery, and more.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 is priced at $1,899: Is it just right?

Samsung just revealed the price of the "wide" Galaxy Z Fold 8. With a starting price of $1,899, it's less than the previous Galaxy Z Fold 7. While it does have a new look, do you think it's worth the value considering how it has two cameras instead of three?

FlexWindow gets a big upgrade with the Galaxy Z Flip 8

Before talking about the hardware, Samsung spends time talking about the FlexWindow with the Galaxy Z Flip 8. Even though the design looks practically the same, One UI 9 gives the FlexWindow some new tricks, access to more AI features, and a revised interface that's easier to use.

Galaxy Z Flip 8 gets a hefty $1,199 price tag

Ouch! The Galaxy Z Flip 8 now costs $100 than before, making it $1,199. That puts it in flagship phone territory, like the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Would you pay this much for a flip phone with one less camera lens and a smaller battery?

Ned craves the multitasking of the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra

Jacob Batalon takes stage at Galaxy Unpacked to talk about the upcoming film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day , but he dials into the multitasking aspect of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. However, we think that the Z Fold 8 is better suited for it because it gains the three apps side-by-side multitasking like on the Galaxy Z TriFold.

Samsung Galaxy Card beats Apple Card with its rewards

The Samsung Galaxy Card takes aim at the Apple Card, with generous rewards that give you cash back on your purchases. Issued by BarClays, this Visa Card will give you a fair amount back when you purchase Samsung products directly from the company, including its new foldables. Here's the breakdown of how it compares to the Apple Card.

Galaxy Watch 9 gets a price bump, but has deepener fitness metrics

Samsung's newly announced Galaxy Watch 9 carries over the exact exterior design and screen specs of its predecessor, while introducing a $30 price hike across the line to start at $379.

The hardware changes focus on refinements like a faster Snapdragon chipset and slightly larger batteries, though notably without a rotating-bezel Classic variant this generation. Instead, the update leans heavily into software and tracking, debut features like a unified Vitals dashboard, Cardio Load recovery insights, and more.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is the most rugged smartwatch Samsung has released

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 gets meaningful hardware upgrades that makes it more rugged than ever, boosting maximum screen brightness to an ultra-bright 5,000 nits, and adding official scuba diving support.

There's also a larger 800 mAh battery that pushes runtimes to roughly 60 hours per charge, while its software gains new multi-metric health features like the Vitals dashboard and Cardio Load tracking. There's a $50 price increase to $699.

Agentic AI on the Galaxy Z lineup gets expanded Gemini Task automation

If ordering Dunkin' Donuts with the Galaxy S26 was impressive when we tried it out earlier this year, Samsung's new foldables are getting deeper Agentic AI features, like how Gemini Intelligence brings end-to-end task automation supported by over 40 compatible apps.

This will let users perform complex commands like ordering food, booking flights, or buying event tickets right from their screen or Flex Window.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 powers Samsung's new foldables

Not surprisingly, Samsung's new foldables are all powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy SoC. We already know these will deliver greater performance gains, but it should also help improve their battery life. Combined with the new silicon-carbon battery that Samsung's using, it should give users extended time than ever before.

Samsung partners with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker for its smart glasses

If you've want alternatives to Meta's lineup of smart glasses, Samsung has something compelling with its new smart glasses. They're designed in collaboration with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster.

Obviously, these are AI-centric glasses meant to give users a deeper level of interaction. It also works seamlessly with Samsung's ecosystem, like how navigating can also be done with a Galaxy Watch. You also get up to 9 hours of battery life with a single charge. The big unknown right now is price.

Samsung smart glasses: dorky or stylish?

So, what do you think about the design of these new smart glasses from Samsung? Would you wear them all the time, or only when you need to use them? There are a couple of styles, including one that almost resembles the Wayfarer design of Ray-Ban.

That's a wrap! What are you most excited about?

And just like that, Galaxy Unpacked is over. Samsung clearly focused on its new foldables, but also spent time talking about its new smart glasses. Out of all the stuff it unveiled, which are you most excited for?

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the top-of-the-line foldable, but is it worth $2,099?

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is here, and while it has that prestigious title of being the top-of-the-line model, its $2,099 price tag may be hard to swallow. While it continues Samsung's trend of delivering an ultra-thin design paired with a robust triple camera system, a few new AI tricks, and a new battery tech, does its $100 price hike make you reconsider buying it over perhaps the cheaper Galaxy Z Fold 8?

Galaxy Z Flip 8 quietly gets a couple of new Flipsuit cases

Samsung didn't show it off at its live event, but the Galaxy Z Flip 8 gets a couple of new Flipsuit cases that add a more personalized look to the new foldable. We got hands-on time on them and just as before, these covers are lined with LEDs that animate alongside the FlexWindow when they're opened.

The coolest new foldable isn't the Ultra or Flip

Now that you know everything about Samsung's new foldable lineup, it does beg the question about which one is the best? I got some hands-on time with all three models and there's no denying that the Z Fold 8 gets my vote.

Yes, its wider aspect ratio when opened is certainly a refreshing take on the form factor, but it's the level of productivity you get from it that seals the deal for me. Multitasking is way more suitable on its canvas, with up to four apps running simultaneously.

No magnetic charging in sight, but a case can do it

By now, I've been clamouring for Samsung to give its phones MagSafe-like charging, but it appears we'll have to wait again. While the Pixel 10 lineup remains to be the only Android phones with support for magnetic Qi2 wireless charging, you'll need to buy a case to gain the same functionality with the new Galaxy Z lineup. It's a bummer because early leaks indicated that magnetic charging was perhaps a possibility.

Is the Galaxy Z Flip 8 a big letdown? I think so

If you read my Galaxy Z Flip 8 hands-on review, I drill right into why I think it's a letdown. From a specs standpoint, it's clearly the most inferior of the bunch, but that's not the reason.

It just feels like Samsung's abandoned the flip style completely, which is why it looks more or less the same. There are a few notable changes, like its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip, thinner design, and lighter weight. However, the fact that the camera specs are identical to its predecessor and its design language remains unchanged, makes this model feel more like an iterative update than an revolutionary one like the Z Fold 8.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Which one would you get?

This is the matchup I've been mulling over for the past couple of days now after spending time with both phones. On one hand, the Z Fold 8 gets my attention for its wider design and how it's more suitable for watching video, but the Ultra gets the triple camera system I crave more. What makes it even tougher is the $200 difference between the two.

"This is Samsung going on the offensive"

We spoke with Francisco Jeronimo, an analyst at IDC who shared his thoughts on the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

"The new Galaxy Z Fold8, a new passport-style format, will allow Samsung to address different user needs, defending the more premium price point and reducing the risk that a single Fold design has to satisfy every potential buyer," Jeronimo said. This is Samsung going on the offensive."

He added that the wider foldable allows Samsung to define the market ahead of Apple's rumored reveal of its own foldable later this year.

"With Apple's announcement coming, this is the first Unpacked where Samsung has to defend the category it created, and that's why it cannot play it safe."

Though he noted that Samsung has to articulate how the Z Fold 8 is a "deliberately different product rather than an oddly proportioned replacement."

First look at the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2

As a reminder, Tom's Guide is on both YouTube and TikTok where you can see all of Samsung's new devices in action.

As an example, take a look at the new Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 above as we unbox and compare it to the original.

A big change that could alter your next smartphone

For the first time, Samsung is putting silicon-carbon-based batteries in one of its smartphones. It means Samsung is replacing its traditional lithium-ion power packs in favor of a new type of battery.

Silicon-carbon batteries provide more capacity of lithium ion in the same size. With the race toward smaller and lighter devices, that distinction means a lot.

I'm curious now if Samsung's mainline S series phones will now get the new-ish battery technology.

Galaxy Ring world's first FDA-cleared smart ring for sleep apnea

In all the hullabaloo about Samsung's foldable phones, a major smart ring announcement just came through.

The current Samsung Galaxy Ring may become the first FDA approved smart ring for tracking sleep apnea.

The new feature is supposed to be unlocked this fall.

Samsung Glasses teased

Samsung has been dripfeeding news about its pending AI glasses and we got a little more information at Unpacked today.

We also got a little hands on time with the spectacles and found them mighty impressive.

Don't forget about the Z Flip 8

While the headlines are about the wider Z Fold 8 and the new Z Fold 8 Ultra, Samsung also announced the new version of the Z Flip 8.

We'll have a full review in the coming weeks, but we were able to get some hands-on time with Samsung's new flip phone. It's snappy, lighter, and solidly built. It is bogged down by a $100 price hike and a similar design.

What you need to know about the Galaxy Watch 9

In all, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 is a minor upgrade over the Watch 8. However, it does have a ton of new health and fitness features and some upgrades.

We found 5 things you need to know about the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 9.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is a dive computer that you need to pay for

The high-end Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 brings a lot to the table including legit features for divers or high-impact water sports. However, there is a catch.

Samsung and the popular Mares diving app have teamed up to turn the Ultra 2 into a strong dive computer. But you'll need to subscribe to the app for $8.99 a month or $69.99 a year.

Reviews are coming but in the meantime check out our first impressions

We've already started reviewing every device that Samsung announced at Unpacked today, but full reviews won't arrive for a minute.

In the meantime, we do have first impressions if you want some early thoughts.:

• Galaxy Z Fold 8
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
• Galaxy Z Flip 8
• Galaxy Watch 9
• Galaxy Watch Ultra 2
• Samsung Galaxy Glasses

“When was the last time you browsed a bunch of TikTok videos, and came out of it feeling better about yourself?” Kaiwei Tang, co-founder of Light Phone asked me while unveiling their latest Light Flip.

It’s a question that really sat with me. Your smartphone is reliant on your attention to drive value — designed to give you just enough of an emotional response to keep you coming back.

I thought I was wiser to my phone’s tricks, but I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. I’m addicted, and the Light Flip could be the rehab and nicotine patch I’ve been looking for. It’s expected to ship in April 2027 for $299, and I got the inside scoop with Tang.

Light Flip specs

It's a flipping time machine

On the face of it, this is a very simple dumbphone, and that’s entirely by design (as has been the case with every Light phone). You’re getting that same super simple UI with basic apps posed as tools rather than trying to consume all your attention. This is intentional tech to give you more of your time back in the day.

This goes down to the core of the very millennial design too — with small details that Kaiwei (a former Motorola Razr design staffer) is particularly proud of. The hinge gives you that satisfying tactility to open for starting the job, or closing to dramatically end a call. Plus attention has been paid to the keypad too with nice clickiness and predictive T9 texting (needed because that is not a touchscreen on there).

Throw in some gorgeous color finishes along with some (on the face of it), a 3.5mm headphone jack (welcome back) and a deliberate choice to not have a front-facing camera, and you start to see the mission here. This is a very focused kind of phone — not trying to be everything to everyone, and just doing the bare essentials to give you your life back.

For the privilege, you’ll either be paying $39 per month with a 24-month commitment or $299 without a contract. In a world where Apple and Samsung are charging $1,200+ for AI features we didn't ask for, Light is asking for $299 to actively take features away. And honestly? It might be the best tech bargain of the year.

“Just one more feature?”

Back at the beginning of Light’s journey, the phone was simply that: a phone. No additional features, and across multiple generations, the team’s responded to requests for new tools to improve its arsenal in an intentional way.

And now, the company is opening things up to allow third-party developers to create tools with an SDK. Of course, there needs to be strict controls as to not compromise the Light phone mission, which Tang is aware of.

“We will keep it utility focused,” he added. “We will have a tool library that will have to meet our principles, which are no advertisements and no endless feeds.” Quite a breath of fresh air to not have an app store packed with software that’s designed to consume all your attention.

So far, the 2,000+ developers have been looking to build tools like a field recorder, different language keyboards, and even a local subway map. It’s going to be interesting to see how the ecosystem evolves.

Breaking the habit

But back to my chat with Kaiwei, making these phones is all well and good, and the Gen-Z attraction to going back to simpler times with tech is definitely driving the attraction for millennials like me to go back… But there’s a big difference between reading about it and actually doing it!

That’s where Light is intervening to help welcome more people into this Luddite community with the Flip Your Life program. With this, you’ll get newsletters, blogs and access to a community center to help you with self-auditing your digital usage, resources and users to connect with, and challenges to push you to reduce your screen time.

“You don’t just buy a device and kick your addiction, you’ve got to plan for it,” Tang commented. “We’re trying to hold their hand through this behavior change, because to get into the mindset is not a magic pill.”

One of the key areas that he seems intent to target with this program is what happens with all the extra free time you get. This is usually one of the key moments smartphones will sink their claws into your attention — sitting around waiting for something.

The Light Flip isn't just a piece of hardware; it’s a psychological gauntlet. Tang told me the ultimate goal here is to realize that “boredom is actually fine.” I don't know about you, but the idea of just standing in line with my own thoughts is currently more terrifying than my daily screen time report.

Outlook

In the whirlwind of leaked Galaxy Z Fold 8 phones giving us all kinds of new distraction machines/foldables, it sets a rather interesting backdrop to a dumbphone being announced. But them’s the breaks, and it’s a nice change of pace to see a company actively not wanting to consume all of your attention.

Is it time to go back to intentional tech? Are you interested in seeing more about becoming a Neo-Luddite? I’m already doing the homework to get towards that in my own life, and I’m happy to share any steps to do so! Go ahead and let me know in the comments.

More from Tom's Guide

• How to watch Summer Galaxy Unpacked 2026 — Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, Flip 8 and more
• Your iPhone Messages app has a real-time translation feature — here's how to use it
• I’m not convinced crease-free foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 actually matter. Prove me wrong.

Update: Follow our Samsung Galaxy Unpacked live blog for all the big Galaxy Z Fold 8 news.

The summer edition of Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is almost here, and with it we're expecting to see the next generation of Galaxy Foldables — as well as news about new wearable devices. This year's foldable launch is happening in London, which means it's all going to kick off a little earlier in the day than expected.

Thankfully, though, there are a variety of different ways to keep up to date with the show — and catch all the announcements as they happen. Not only will we at Tom's Guide be on the ground at Unpacked in London, we'll also be live blogging the entire event as it unfolds.

If you want to follow along, here's how you can tune in to Galaxy Unpacked to watch everything unfold live.

Where can you watch the Galaxy Unpacked live stream?

Summer Galaxy Unpacked 2026 is scheduled to take place on Wednesday July 22, with the event officially kicking off at 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT.

The easiest place to watch is via the live stream on Samsung's YouTube channel which we've embedded above. You should also be able to tune in via Samsung.com and Samsung Newsroom, if you want an alternative option.

What to expect at Summer Galaxy Unpacked 2026

The main thing to expect at the next Galaxy Unpacked are the new Galaxy foldables, and this year Samsung is expected to mix things up by announcing three new models. So rather than seeing the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8, we're expecting to see the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra as well.

But the big twist is that the Z Fold 8 Ultra is expected to be the successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, while the standard Z Fold 8 is a new foldable with a shorter and wider design. It was originally referred to as the Galaxy Fold Wide for a reason.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is expected to be exactly what we expected, with the added possibility of it being the last Samsung flip phone for the immediate future.

We should also expect to see updated wearables with the reveal of Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, alongside more news about Samsung's Galaxy Glasses — which were announced as Intelligent Eyewear at Google I/O back in May. We've heard rumors that Samsung is also working on a new version of its Galaxy Tag Bluetooth tracker, but it's unclear whether that will be appearing at Unpacked or if it's coming at a later date.

Finally there's One UI 9.5, which is likely to debut on the new foldables. Details on the new software are scant right now, but you can expect to see plenty of foldable-centric optimizations and possibly even some AI upgrades. So expect to hear all about that during the Unpacked event.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-order deals

Galaxy Unpacked may not have happened yet, but there are already some early pre-order deals out there for you to take advantage of, if you don't want to wait for an official announcement.

Samsung is offering buyers the chance to "reserve" a new Galaxy foldable on its website, which will net you $30 credit on your eventual pre-order and up to $1,230 in trade-in savings. Those of you that sign up will also be entered into a prize draw to win one of 10 $500 Samsung gift cards.

This is a limited time deal, though, and the offer ends as soon as Galaxy Unpacked begins on Wednesday morning. It's also worth noting that you're not going to be forced to pre-order the phone if you change your mind, or decide that one of the new foldables isn't for you. So if there's even a small chance you might buy one of the new foldables, it just makes sense to sign up.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Wide) vs Fold 8 Ultra — here's the foldable I'm most excited for
• Massive Samsung leak reveals official Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8 images ahead of Unpacked
• I’m not convinced crease-free foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 actually matter. Prove me wrong.

With Galaxy Unpacked 2026 set to kick off in a matter of days, you know that Samsung’s new foldable phones won’t come cheap. If you’re planning on being an early adopter of one of them, like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, then you might want to sign up for the Samsung Galaxy Card.

I think Samsung's first-ever U.S. credit card, which is a Visa card issued by Barclays, is going to give the Apple Card a run for its money. I know how a generous rewards system can entice someone to choose one credit card over another, so Samsung is making a compelling offer here.

Even though it’s designated as a Samsung Wallet-first experience that lives as a digital card on your Galaxy phone, it will also be available as a premium black metal card. One of the biggest incentives is the 5% cash rewards you get on direct Samsung purchases.

Samsung Galaxy Card vs. Apple Card

When I look at the comparison chart between the Samsung Galaxy Card and the Apple Card, I’m instantly hooked by the sign-up bonus Samsung is offering. You’ll get $200 back in cash rewards if you spend $2,000 within the first 90 days, whereas you typically only get a smaller, $75 welcome bonus when you spend $75 within the first 30 days with the Apple Card.

"Samsung Galaxy Card is part of our ongoing vision for Samsung Wallet to deliver more connected and rewarding everyday experiences," said Woncheol Chai, EVP and Head of the Digital Wallet Team at the Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. "Collaborating with like-minded partners, such as Barclays, is what made Samsung Galaxy Card possible. This marks yet another milestone in the evolution of Samsung Wallet and mobile payments — offering a new solution for busy users who want cash rewards whether they're running errands or purchasing the latest Galaxy devices."

Another important perk you should know about is the 5% cash rewards on all direct Samsung purchases. That’s huge if you intend on buying a lot of Samsung gear outside of phones, like Galaxy Watches, appliances, and TVs. By staying in the Samsung ecosystem, you earn more. In contrast, Apple maxes out at a 3% cash back reward when you buy directly from them or a few select merchants.

While both credit cards offer a baseline 1% reward on all other purchases, you get 3% cash back when using the card through Samsung Wallet — beating Apple's 2% reward for standard Apple Pay transactions. These figures may sound inconsequential, but they quickly add up if you’re smart about how and where you shop.

The only catch right now is that Samsung hasn't gone into full detail about its complete fee structure. While there's no annual fee, the Apple Card famously prides itself on having no fees at all — including late and foreign transaction fees.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Z 8 preorders haven't started yet, but you can save up to $1,230 right now — here’s how
• I’m not convinced crease-free foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 actually matter. Prove me wrong.
• Every Samsung device from this month's Unpacked just leaked — here's your full look at the entire lineup

We are a little over two days away from Galaxy Unpacked, which should see Samsung unveil the next wave of foldable Galaxy phones. But, if you're too impatient to wait for the event, leaked marketing materials have already hit the web courtesy of long-time leaker Evan Blass's substack newsletter.

These materials aren't just renders that show us what the three phones might look like. Blass appears to have full marketing materials featuring images and specs for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip 8. Blass is well known for publishing this sort of material close to big launch events, and if everything is as accurate as it usually is, it means there may not be much for Samsung to unveil on Wednesday.

We already knew quite a lot of this information, thanks to a series of leaks over the past few months. But it's nice to see everything, and I mean everything, in one place. Here's what you need to know.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

The renders show off the Z Fold 8 Ultra much as we expected, with almost an identical design to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 that was released last year. This means you're getting a tall, narrow design complete with three rear cameras — presumably offering the same 6.3-inch cover display and 8-inch foldable screen.

Those camera lenses consist of a 200MP main lens with 2x "optical quality" digital zoom, a 50MP ultrawide camera and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. Both the cover display and folding display feature 10MP selfie cameras.

The battery is listed as 5,000 mAh, which is the same as the Galaxy S26 Ultra, with around 27 hours of video playback. That's a big jump from the 4,400 mAh battery on the Fold 7.

Galaxy Z Fold 8

The passport-style Z Fold 8 has that shorter, wider body that we've been expecting, though the images don't specify the size of those screens. Past rumors suggest that it will be a 5.5-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch foldable display.

We only have two cameras on the back for this model, with the main and ultrawide lenses each sporting 50MP of resolution. The main lens also offers a 2x "optical quality" zoom, but there's no actual optical magnification thanks to the lack of a telephoto lens. Both selfie cameras are, once again, listed as having 10MP resolution.

The size of the battery isn't listed, but the leaked materials mention 26 hours of video playback — which tracks with rumors that the Z Fold 8 will have a 4,800 mAh battery. There's also an image showcasing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Elite for Galaxy chip, though Samsung had already confirmed this was on the way.

Galaxy Z Flip 8

The Z Flip 8 looks exactly as you'd expect, with no meaningful design change compared to the Z Flip 7. Specs don't mention anything about the screens, but we're expecting to see a 4.1-inch cover display and 6.9-inch foldable display inside.

We're apparently getting a 50MP main camera lens with the same 2x optical quality zoom, a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 10MP selfie camera on the internal screen. The battery is said to be 4,300 mAh, which is the exact same as the Z Flip 7.

Samsung placing biggest bet on the wide Fold 8

This year's Galaxy Unpacked marks the biggest change to the lineup since the release of the original Galaxy Z Flip back in 2020, thanks to the launch of the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 model. And Samsung is reportedly quite confident about the Z Fold 8's prospects.

According to industry sources speaking to ET News, Samsung has set a production target of 2.8 million Z Fold 8 units. That's in contrast to the 2 million Z Fold 8 Ultras and 1.5 million Z Flip 8s it has tasked its suppliers to produce.

In other words, this suggests that Samsung anticipates much higher demand for the Galaxy Z Fold 8. It's not entirely clear why, but I suspect that the design might have something to do with it. The shorter stature of the Z Fold 8 might make it more pocketable than the Z Fold 8 Ultra, and more comfortable for a lot of people to use.

Plus, the Z Fold 8 is supposed to have a similar design to the upcoming iPhone Ultra. Considering Apple expects big demand for its first foldable phone, it makes sense Samsung would place its biggest bet on this form factor.

I'm also hoping that the Z Fold 8 will be significantly cheaper than the Z Fold 8 Ultra, which is rumored to have a starting price of $2,099 — $100 more than the Z Fold 7. The regular Fold 8 is tipped to cost $1,899.

We'll have all the official details and our hands-on impressions during Galaxy Unpacked on Wednesday. The event is taking place in London, starting at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. BST, and we will have live coverage of the entire event.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Z 8 preorders haven't started yet, but you can save up to $1,230 right now — here’s how
• I’m not convinced crease-free foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 actually matter. Prove me wrong.
• Every Samsung device from this month's Unpacked just leaked — here's your full look at the entire lineup

Later this week will see Samsung announce the next generation of Galaxy Foldables, and it's already been confirmed that these phones will feature a crease-free "Flex Titanium" display for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

This essentially means that Samsung has added extra layers to the display, including a titanium-alloy film and a titanium base plate, which works to reduce crease visibility along the phone.

The display crease is a major talking point this year, thanks to the impending launch of foldable iPhone Ultra. Reports claim that Apple has been rather particular about the crease, to the point where it apparently refused to release a creased foldable. But while the crease-free display is being used as a key selling point by Samsung and Apple, I don't actually care that much. My question now is, do any of you?

My problem with crease-free displays

To call it a "problem" is a little disingenuous, I don't actually dislike the idea of a crease-free foldable display. It's more a case of I'm not so bothered by the presence of a crease, that I think it's worth devoting an enormous amount of time and resources to try and remove it.

It's certainly not such a big deal that you should devote everything to destroying it, and delay the release of your device until it happens.

I get that there are a lot of criticisms about the state of display creases, and have experienced many of them myself. Every foldable I've used has the obvious visual warping along the center of the screen, while many of them also have a noticeable dip when running your finger over it. These problems are irritating and can hamper your experience with a new phone, which is amplified by the fact foldables have such absurdly high price tags.

But at the same time, this is a display that folds in half, and things that fold tend to crease. It doesn't matter whether we're talking about paper, fabric, or whatever else you might want to fold away, a crease is likely to form. So in my mind, the idea of a crease in a foldable phone is just another fact of life.

Obviously we've seen material and industrial design improve to the point that display creases have been minimized quite considerably over the past decade. I don't take issue with this, but I do often wonder what hyperfocus on eliminating the crease does for the rest of the phone. I can't help but wonder whether any other upgrades were missed out on because of it, and whether that would have any meaningful impact on use and performance.

There have been no rumors mentioning the possible return of the S Pen, which was unceremoniously removed from the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to prioritize thickness. Since stylus support is wholly dependent on the display technology, it feels like the kind of thing Samsung could have been working on instead of trying to produce a crease-free display.

What do you want to see from the Z Fold 8 and Unpacked?

That said, the rumors suggest that Samsung is putting a lot of effort into adding upgrades for the Z Fold 8 Ultra — compared to last year's Galaxy Z Fold 7 flagship. Rumors suggest we'll see a bigger battery, a significantly more powerful chipset, faster charging, and possibly even a slimmer design. So it's not like reducing the display crease has come at the cost of other important upgrades.

Obviously I am the kind of person that is immersed in the world of phones almost constantly. My views on what Samsung is doing are going to be very different to the average foldable phone fan that's hoping to buy a Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Z Fold 8 Ultra for themselves.

So what do you think about the display crease? Is eliminating it something you desperately want to see, or would you rather Samsung focus its efforts in other areas — just like me. Drop us a comment below, and tell us what you want to see from Galaxy Unpacked when things kick off later this week.

Considering we are expecting to see three foldables at this year's summer Unpacked, alongside two new smartwatches, this is shaping up to be one of the biggest Galaxy foldable launch events in a long time.

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 27 just upgraded a hidden iMessage feature in a bunch of incredible ways — here's how it works
• iPhone 18 Pro Max's biggest upgrade may have just been confirmed, and it's a photography game changer
• I hate paying for calorie-tracking apps, so I had Gemini analyze my food photos instead — here’s what it found

Update: check out our Samsung Galaxy Unpacked live blog for all the big Galaxy Z Fold 8 news as it happens.

This summer will see the eighth generation of Samsung’s foldables. But this time around, the Korean giant will be shaking things up with a new ‘Ultra’ variant of its flagship foldable Galaxy Z Fold 8.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra follows in the footsteps of the company’s Galaxy S Ultra line, offering improved specs for those willing to pay top dollar. Based on the rumors, we expect a brighter display with a dramatically reduced crease, an upgraded ultra-wide camera, bigger battery and more. But a price hike is also rumored.

Here’s what we know about the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so far, and where it improves on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra specs (rumored)

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra release date and price

Samsung has already announced that its next Galaxy Unpacked event will be on Wednesday, July 22. While the company doesn’t reveal what’s coming in advance, various leaks have shown it to be new foldables and wearables, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 front and center. It’s unlikely to be available to buy immediately, with the Z Fold 7 launching 16 days after being announced, so expect a release date between August 5-7.

Samsung foldables have always been expensive. A combination of the Ultra upgrades and ongoing AI-driven component price inflation make the Galaxy Z Fold Ultra price rumor of $2,099 seem legit. That would be $100 more than the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That will get pricier if you want more storage space and RAM.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra design and displays

While the non-Ultra variant of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 will boast a new shorter and wider format, the Ultra model sticks with familiar dimensions of the past few models. That means a 6.5-inch cover screen that opens up to an 8-inch tablet-style canvas on the inside.

But look a little closer, and you should see some changes. For starters, it’s a tiny bit thinner, with WinFuture suggesting a thickness of just 4.1mm when unfolded (down 0.1mm from the current model).

More importantly, Samsung has addressed a long-running complaint about foldables: the crease. This year, Samsung has made real progress in making said crease invisible while improving the toughness via a new material called “Flex Titanium”. Our global editor-in-chief, Mark Spoonauer, has seen the new tech first hand, and was enormously impressed. “I almost didn’t believe my eyes at first,” he wrote.

Another rumor points to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's internal display featuring an anti-glare coating and a brightness of 3,000 nits (up from 2,600 nits on the Fold 7). So it should be much easier to use the Z Fold 8 Ultra in direct sunlight.

While the internal screen is still eight inches diagonally, the resolution has been increased from 2,184 x 1,968 to 2,504 x 2,256, according to WinFuture’s reporting. That should make things noticeably sharper for consuming content on the tablet-sized screen. The cover display is an unchanged 6.5-inch 2,520 x 1,080 canvas, and both support 120Hz refresh rates.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra performance

The main internals of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra shouldn’t be a huge surprise. As usual, Samsung will be incorporating Qualcomm’s latest flagship Snapdragon chipset to power things. This time it will be the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 ‘For Galaxy’ as seen in the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Here’s how that phone compares to the Galaxy Z Fold 7:

Like the Z Fold 7, it’s 12GB of RAM for Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra handsets with 256GB or 512GB. If you want 16GB RAM, you’ll need to splurge for the 1TB model. Given the current high price of both storage and RAM, that might be a bigger expense than usual.

Assuming our base price rumor is correct and that Samsung will stick with the same cost of upgrades as with the S26 Ultra, a 16GB/1TB Z Fold 8 Ultra could come to $2,599.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra cameras

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s rear camera setup is a mixed bag, with only one major rumored upgrade compared to its predecessor.

To recap, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 featured a 200MP wide (f/1.7) main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2) snapper, and a 10MP telephoto (f/2.4, 3x optical, 30x space zoom) lens.

While we don’t have exact aperture specs, Z Fold 8 Ultra leaks suggest that the 200MP wide and 10MP 3x telephoto lens are staying, with only the ultrawide camera getting an upgrade. It’s a big improvement, though, with the megapixel count leaping from 12MP to 50MP.

But generally, the ‘Ultra’ branding here seems to be achieved via comparison to the regulare Z Fold 8 model. It’s rumored to feature just two cameras: a 50MP wide lens and a 50MP ultrawide.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 battery life and charging

There is some positive news for the Galaxy Z Fold 8's battery life. While the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a 4,400mAh cell, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is reportedly getting an upgrade to 5,000mAh thanks to silicon carbon technology.

When the time comes, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will charge faster, with 45W charging instead of the 25W found on the older model.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra outlook

Does Samsung’s upcoming flagship do enough to justify its rumored ‘Ultra’ branding? Based on what we’ve seen so far, just about. The upgrades to battery capacity, charging speeds, and ultrawide camera are all positive. The biggest upgrade comes with the display with a nearly crease free design, much brighter panel and anti-glare coating.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 owners might be jealous of some of these improvements, but anyone who owns an older foldable — or those who have never tried one — will likely be tempted by the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Stay tuned for our hands on impressions and full Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review.

Earlier this week OnePlus confirmed the long-standing rumors that it was shutting down operations in multiple regions around the world — instead focusing all its efforts on the Chinese and Indian markets. In effect, contrary to the company's long-standing motto, OnePlus had decided to settle. Or, at the very least, it has in the U.S., U.K. and Europe.

Naturally this news has led to lamentation from a lot of dedicated OnePlus fans online, including those people who eventually gave up on the brand for their own personal reasons. I count myself among the latter group, and still have fond memories of the first OnePlus phone I used every day: 2018's OnePlus 6. But as much as I loved the OnePlus 6, and its rear-mounted physical fingerprint scanner, that's not the phone I'm here to talk about.

Instead, I'm here to remind everybody about the OnePlus 7 Pro, which is easily the peak of OnePlus' whole ethos of doing things differently.

After that point, it felt like OnePlus was more interested in releasing phones that were the same as everything else on the market — and without the low price that initially made its "flagship killers" so appealing.

The true full screen phone

The advent of full screen phones was a big deal for the smartphone industry, for obvious reasons. Bigger screens without the hefty bezels that dominated the early 2010s were not only nicer to look at, they were also more practical. The problem that came with this was figuring how to account for all the front-facing hardware. Cameras, speakers, microphones and everything else that smartphone users had grown accustomed to.

In those early days, it was very much a new wild west of phone design, because the industry could not agree on what to do. Many high-profile companies opted for the notch design, cutting a slice out of the display to make room for the camera. Some, like Apple, added extra hardware that users hadn't seen before — including the sensor-rich Face ID facial recognition system.

While smartphones eventually settled on the hole-punch design, which was pioneered by the likes of Huawei and Samsung, this period saw a bunch of elaborate designs that attempted to maximize screen space. We're talking weird and wonderful mechanisms that either hid the front camera out of sight, or flipped the rear cameras around so they were facing your face. And yes, before you ask, such a phone did exist and it was actually surprisingly affordable.

OnePlus's solution was to have a camera pop out of the top of the phone when called upon. That way the front camera was hidden inside the phone when not in use, allowing it to offer a true full-screen experience.

That phone was the OnePlus 7 Pro, a device that was essentially an evolution of what the company's phones were offering. It took every benefit OnePlus offered on previous phones, and managed to fix some long-standing user complaints. This phone had stereo speakers, a 90Hz refresh rate, and cameras that were (by OnePlus' standards at the time) pretty good. Crucially, though, that screen was an absolute beauty.

It wasn't a perfect phone, by any means. This was back in the days when OnePlus was stubbornly refusing to entertain the idea of wireless charging, and the screen itself did have two curved edges — a design choice I hated, and still hate to this day. Sadly, the OnePlus of early 2019 didn't really survive for much longer.

OnePlus became just another brand

The pop-up camera didn't last long. While the OnePlus 7T Pro kept the pop-up camera, things changed when the OnePlus 8 Pro landed in early 2020. Here, OnePlus opted for a hole punch camera in the top left corner of the screen, essentially aligning OnePlus with the rest of the phone industry — which had decided hole-punches were the way to go. It wasn't a particularly big hole, but it effectively ruined the full-screen effect we got with the previous years' flagships.

Logically, I get why this decision had to be made. Pop-out camera mechanisms take up space, wear out after extended long-term use, and weigh a lot more than a typical selfie camera. While it facilitated what was arguably the best phone screen I'd used at that point, the practicality of a pop-up camera just wasn't cutting compared to the alternatives.

But this was still a turning point for OnePlus, where its phones started to feel a little too similar to other brands. Not to mention the fact that rising prices made OnePlus into less of a flagship killer, and more like one of the usual suspects.

The change didn't happen overnight, and OnePlus still managed to help its devices stand out in other, smaller ways. We just ended up with OnePlus slowly losing the things that made it special. By the time of the OnePlus 15's release, OnePlus was no longer the rebellious underdog that was doing things its own way, it was essentially just the western arm of Oppo — a company that never really took off in the international market, as it had done in the domestic Chinese market.

OnePlus still made great phones, that never changed, but it did lose that spark that made it so popular in the first place.

Bottom line

Seven years after the release of the OnePlus 7 Pro, I can really appreciate what this phone was trying to do. I am the kind of person that avoids trading in older devices, instead preferring to repurpose them for something else, so my OnePlus 7 Pro is still alive and kicking. It's battered, bruised, and has a shocking amount of OLED burn in, but that pop-up camera is still functioning exactly as it originally said it would.

Some of my colleagues don't agree that the OnePlus 7 Pro was the pinnacle of OnePlus as it was supposed to be. But you have to admit that it was probably the last time the company felt as though it was doing something different and unique, instead of churning out new phones with the same incremental updates — something so many other phone brands are guilty of.

I haven't had a OnePlus phone for a long time because I felt like it lost what made it special. But that doesn't mean I won't miss the brand now that it's sailing off towards the horizon. It would have been nice if things had turned out differently, though, because Oppo just doesn't have the same appeal as OnePlus did.

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 27 just upgraded a hidden iMessage feature in a bunch of incredible ways — here's how it works
• I’ve been using my iPhone as a real-life Pokédex to scan every bug in my garden this summer
• iPhone 18 Pro Max's biggest upgrade may have just been confirmed, and it's a photography game changer

Google has confirmed that the Pixel 11 will launch on August 12, at a special event in New York, but you won't need to wait that long to find out everything. Google is notorious for leaking more than a porcupine's swimsuit, and the latest information to spill out possibly revealed full specs, pricing and colors.

The leak itself came from Amazon of all people (via 9to5Google), and while the retailer features a bunch of third-party sellers it seems the now-deleted listings came from Amazon itself. This means that there is a chance all of this information is bogus, though Amazon could just as easily have published information too early by accident.

The Pixel 11 was listed as coming in three colors: Obsidian, Hibiscus and Pistachio. However, descriptions instead label those shades as Midnight, Fuchsia and Moss — which lines up with previous leaks. The included photos show these colors to be (unsurprisingly), blue, lavender/purple and green.

Listings for the Pixel 11 Pro mention colors called Dune, Light Fog, Pine and Sterling. My best guess based on the images is that Dune is a pinkish orange, Pine is some kind of muted green, Light Fog is a grayish white, which leaves Sterling as the vivid pink color. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is also seen in Pine and Midnight, which are black and that same muted green as the 11 Pro.

Google's already teasing the Pixel 11 series

While not officially a leak, Google has started teasing the Pixel 11 series with a short video clip on its website. Much like Samsung is known to do, Google is offering an exclusive discount to those people that sign up for Google Store updates ahead of the Pixel 11 launch.

That page also features a brief look at what we assume to be the Pixel 11, alongside an icon cycling through with rainbow coloring on the camera bar — where the LED flash is usually positioned. The phone is also gold, suggesting that a new color is on the way.

This new light is probably the rumored "Pixel Glow" feature that is expected to act as some sort of alert light on the back of the phone. Based on what we've heard, Pixel Glow will flash when you have a notification, during charging sessions and when you're interacting with Gemini.

The Pixel Glow alert starts in white, before cycling through those colors, which suggests this is actually the camera flash pulling a dual role. whether this will affect the intensity of the camera flash (or the flashlight feature) isn't clear. However, if this is a full RBG LED light on the back of the phone, it will be interesting to see if we can change the color of the flash for dramatic effect. We'll just have to wait and see.

Pixel 11 leaked specs and price

The Amazon listings reveal a bunch of Pixel 11 series specs, which line up with everything we've heard about the phones so far. That includes a 6.3-inch display rocking 1080x2424 resolution, 256GB of base storage, 12GB of RAM, 4,985 mAh battery and a price tag of $899. This suggests that Google isn't dropping the base level of RAM to 8GB, as some rumors have suggested, but the starting price will be rising by $100.

This is the same price as a 256GB Pixel 10, but since there's no entry level 128GB option, it means the cost of entry is higher. It's almost like Schrodinger's price hike, in which the price has simultaneously increased despite not actually changing for that particular model.

One thing to point out is that these listings reportedly say that the Pixel 11 will arrive with Android 16. Considering Android 17 has been released, and is widely available on Pixel phones, that seems very unlikely. To the point where it casts doubt on the rest of the information that was presented.

In other words, don't take this leak as gospel, and remain skeptical right up until the point Google tells us what's actually going on on August 12.

The cost of the other models hasn't been mentioned, but we should expect that the Pixel 11 Pro should get a similar price bump as Google kills the 128GB option. Since the XL and Fold already start at 256GB, their U.S. pricing remains unclear, but if leaked EU prices are anything to go by we should expect an additional $100 per phone.

The Pixel 11 Pro listing also mentions 12GB of RAM, which is a downgrade, alongside a 5,115 mAh battery for the Pixel 11 Pro XL and 4,750 mAh for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Those are slightly higher capacities than the rumors have suggested, but it is still a small downgrade from the equivalent Pixel 10. Apart from the Pixel 11, which is listed with 5 mAh more than the Pixel 10.

More from Tom's Guide

• I've seen the Galaxy Z Fold 8's crease-free 'Flex Titanium' display — and Apple should be nervous
• Every Samsung device from this month's Unpacked just leaked — here's your full look at the entire lineup
• I just saw the future of phones inside Samsung Display with 2 jaw-dropping ‘slidable’ concepts

OnePlus has confirmed what many of us already knew was coming: it will no longer operate in the United States, the United Kingdom, or Europe. Despite initial denials, the company announced today it's ceasing global operations so its sister brand, Oppo, the namesake of its parent company, can become the focus.

"This is not a decision made in a rush," Shuang Chen, head of marketing at OnePlus, told Tom's Guide. "Together with Oppo we spent a long time assessing what our users need from us in 2026.

"It's about knowing when to go all-in and when to make a choice. And OnePlus will continue through Oppo."

Which is fine for Europe and the United Kingdom, but currently Oppo does not sell or ship its products to the United States. Which means there's one fewer Android alternative to devices like Samsung's Galaxy or Google's Pixel.

According to Chen, all service commitments for OnePlus will remain unchanged — so if you've recently bought a OnePlus 15 or still use an older device like the OnePlus 13, you won't suddenly find them unresponsive. However, OxygenOS is going to make way for Oppo's ColorOS in a future update. The OnePlus team was cagey about exactly which handsets will qualify and told me that: "Specific plans regarding system experience will be communicated through official channels in due course."

So while current products will retain support, there won't be any new OnePlus phones, tablets or headphones coming to the U.S. or Europe again. China and India, two of the company's biggest markets, are currently unaffected.

Bloomberg has reported that Indian operations could be shut down at some point next year, but OnePlus has denied this, claiming that it will "operate its business as usual" in the region.

This decision has been a long time coming. In April, OnePlus admitted it was “evaluating its regional roadmap and product strategy.” And when I asked Elvis Zhou, the CEO of Oppo's Europe division, to elaborate on today's news, he said the decision to shutter OnePlus was "not triggered by a single factor."

Over the last couple of months, OnePlus' product stock has dried up, and the company is actively pointing customers to Oppo alternatives.

Here's OnePlus' full statement: "After thorough evaluation, OnePlus has decided to conclude product rollouts in Europe and North America. Existing OnePlus devices will keep getting the software updates, security patches, and after-sales support. Our customer service channels remain open and responsive in accordance with our standard warranty and support obligations. Your rights under applicable consumer protection laws remain unaffected by this announcement.

"It has been an honor to share this journey with you. Thank you for your trust, your passion, and for being an essential part of the products we have built together."

The decline of the 'flagship killer'

Over the years, I've used many different OnePlus phones and I recall the excitement of the original OnePlus One when it launched with flagship-level specs, an eye-catching design and a price that was less than half what Samsung was charging at the time.

In the U.K., where I'm based, OnePlus took a different approach. The company initially sold the phone directly, via invitation-only system, rather than going through carriers or retailers. It courted tech reviewers and geeks and gained a reputation through word of mouth and some clever social media marketing.

As the phones progressed, OnePlus continued to match (and often surpass) the likes of Apple and Samsung when it came to specs whilst still keeping costs down. The brand expanded into accessories like the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 earbuds and OnePlus Tab 3 in search of an ecosystem. Along the way, a partnership with Hasselblad helped to improve the camera performance, and the most recent OnePlus 15 was the first major U.S. flagship phone to come with a silicon-carbon battery.

Unfortunately, the plucky underdog status OnePlus enjoyed in the early years gradually gave way to a set of homogeneous phone releases with ever-increasing prices and design decisions that copied the iPhone to an embarrassing degree. Marques Brownlee summed it up nicely several months ago in a video about the arc of OnePlus that I'd recommend watching if you're interested in this story.

Continuing in China

While OnePlus will no longer appear in the U.S. or Europe, the brand is set to continue in China. Meanwhile, realme (Oppo's other smartphone brand) will attempt to fill the gap.

“To further consolidate resources and enhance global product strategy synergy, realme will focus on overseas markets and no longer launch new products in China," Oppo said in a statement.

"OnePlus’ product roadmap in China remains unchanged. Both realme and OnePlus will continue to deliver premium gaming and performance experiences to users.”

More from Tom's Guide

• OnePlus 15T launched out of nowhere and it’s the compact powerhouse of my dreams — here’s why
• OnePlus 15 review: The flagship with 2-day battery life changes everything
• No phone has disappointed me more this year than the OnePlus 15R — here’s why

The next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is less than a week away, with Samsung expected to unveil a new wave of foldables and smartwatches. We're all pretty sure we know what to expect, and what those devices should look like. But if anyone had doubts, a smorgasbord of leaked renders just landed at Android Headlines, giving us an in-depth look at everything Samsung plans to reveal.

These renders show off the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold Ultra, Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. We've seen renders for some of these devices before, particularly the foldables, but this time we're seeing imagery that looks official. As well as showing the devices, they also reveal some of the colors that are on the way.

Needless to say there are no real surprises where the design is concerned. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra looks almost identical to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, though there do appear to be some design tweaks such as more rounded corners.

The images also offer a closer look at the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra together, showcasing just how small the Fold 8 actually is. From these angles, it looks as though it's around 75% the height of the Ultra model, and somewhere in the region of 25% wider. However, I'll admit it's harder to gauge the width of these devices from just the images on offer.

Color-wise, there are a few things to digest. Standard color options appear to be navy blue and a lavender-like shade, though it's unclear whether these colors will be available for both Z Fold devices. Android Headlines also claims that the Z Fold 8 will be available in a "pistachio" color, which will be exclusive to Samsung's online store.

Considering pistachio flavoring is everywhere right now, this isn't a huge surprise. That said, the color itself looks less like the green we associate with the nuts, and more like an unappetizing blue/gray. Hopefully the real thing is a little more vivid.

As for the Galaxy Z Flip 8, that's... basically the same as the Z Flip 7. It's no real surprise that Samsung hasn't changed the design, because it's rare to see a meaningful design change that doesn't involve increasing the size of the cover display. But since the cover display has taken up about as much space as it can, things have obviously become a little stagnant.

Colors include a shade of pink and the online-exclusive "Mint," which is that same washed-out-looking green we've seen on a bunch of phones.

It's a similar story with the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2. Both devices are very similar-looking to their predecessors, to the point where we can't see any meaningful differences.

Hopefully, the upgrades are a little more substantial than what we're expecting from the Z Flip 8. Colors shown include a white Watch 9 and a gunmetal gray Ultra 2 with a dark green band.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Wide) vs Fold 8 Ultra — here's the foldable I'm most excited for
• I've seen the Galaxy Z Fold 8's crease-free 'Flex Titanium' display — and Apple should be nervous
• I just saw the future of phones inside Samsung Display with 2 jaw-dropping ‘slidable’ concepts

Samsung’s new foldables are expected to debut next week at Galaxy Unpacked, which unofficially kicks off the second half of the year's flagship releases. Unlike in previous years, Samsung is rumored to introduce three new foldable phones: the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

What’s different this time is that there are going to be two notebook-style foldables, a move that doesn't exactly clarify things as Samsung changes its naming conventions. I’ll explain the differences in a bit, but what you need to know right now is that the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 will sport a new, wider aspect ratio, whereas the Ultra will stick with the conventional design, but with some better specs.

I’m incredibly eager to see them because both will obviously be serious contenders for the best foldable phone crown. That’s why I’m going to break down a Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra comparison, so you know exactly what to expect based on the leaks and rumors — and I’ll tell you which one I’m pulling for in the process.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Rumored Specs

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Design and display

Let me just say that while Samsung and everyone else has spent years trying to convince us what the ideal aspect ratio is for notebook-style foldables, I think the company is about to pull an about-face and prove it was wrong the entire time. The core difference between these two devices is that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 should sport a "wider" aspect ratio, similar to an iPad Mini. This makes it less square and more rectangular, which, in my opinion, is better for a number of reasons.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, on the other hand, is expected to recycle the same squarish aspect ratio as before, making it look taller and narrower.

In terms of display sizes, the Ultra will still have the larger overall screens with its rumored 8-inch main and 6.5-inch outer displays. However, I don’t think size is everything here because I’m after practicality and usability. That’s why I’m in favor of the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8, even if it has the smaller displays on paper.

Where the wider aspect ratio really counts is video playback. If you’ve tried watching videos on any current notebook-style foldable, like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Motorola Razr Fold, you'll understand my frustration with how much dead space there is. You can see it on the image above with the Z Fold 7 and the iPad Mini. Because most videos are shot in 16:9, they will look larger and more filled out on the Galaxy Z Fold 8's rectangular canvas.

This advantage also extends to multitasking. While the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra’s tall screen is conducive to running two apps side-by-side, the wider screen of the standard Z Fold 8 could easily accommodate up to three apps at the same time. Either way, I’m digging the refreshing new aspect ratio of the Fold 8.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Cameras

On paper, the camera matchup looks incredibly one-sided. All the rumors hint that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the heavy-hitter here, keeping a full triple-camera system led by a massive 200MP main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide, and a dedicated 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom.

Meanwhile, the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 is tipped to drop down to a simpler dual-camera setup consisting of a main shooter and a 12MP ultrawide. There’s no telephoto lens, which can be a dealbreaker for some. But this time around, it’s a compromise I’m willing to accept because of the AI tools that could help bridge the gap.

Yes, having a bit of optical hardware certainly helps to deliver better base results to work with, but I would argue that a dedicated telephoto only really matters if Samsung gives us a 5x or 6x optical zoom. The results of a modest 3x optical lens aren’t as substantial anymore, especially if you’re mainly planning to share your shots on social media.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Performance

If you’re trying to pick between these two based on raw power alone, don't sweat it. That’s because Samsung and Qualcomm have already teased the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy in a recent post. While the video it shared doesn’t specify which phone will feature it, the outline strongly suggests it’s the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 — but I’m fairly certain the Ultra will get it, too.

Knowing this, neither phone is going to have an overwhelming advantage when it comes to raw processing performance. A previous rumor hints at a vapor cooling chamber for these devices, but it’s still unknown if one model's thermal design will be better at dissipating heat than the other.

Regardless, they should both deliver the snappy responsiveness the series is known for. What I’m genuinely curious to see, however, is how they’ll simultaneously handle multiple intensive apps. Both are rumored to come with up to 16GB of RAM, which should be more than enough to handle a three-app split screen. But if they end up getting enhanced multitasking features like the ones found on the Galaxy Z TriFold's DeX mode, it might really push that silicon to its limit.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Battery and charging

Historically, the Fold series has never been known for its battery endurance — but that could finally change.

According to the latest rumors, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is getting a major bump to a 5,000 mAh battery, while the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to pack a slightly smaller 4,800 mAh battery. Even though it’s pretty clear which of the two will last longer on a single charge, it’s great news that both are larger than the 4,400 mAh cell found in the Galaxy Z Fold 7. That said, I’m not too hung up on the slight capacity difference, as I suspect it won't amount to hours of extra real-world usage for the Ultra.

There have been plenty of rumors hinting that both phones will get boosted 45W wired charging speeds, but conflicting reports suggest that upgrade might be exclusive to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, leaving the standard model stuck at 25W.

Interestingly, though, they could both debut with Qi2 magnetic wireless charging, an upgrade I would be thrilled to see. This means a magnetic ring would be embedded directly into the back of the chassis, allowing them to snap securely onto wireless chargers much like Apple’s MagSafe or Google's PixelSnap accessories.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Software

Both foldables should launch with Samsung’s brand-new One UI 9, built on top of Android 17. Because they share the same foundational software footprint, I don’t see one getting any special treatment or tweaks over the other. The only real difference will be how they lay out apps on their respective main displays.

At the same time, I expect a few new Galaxy AI features to accompany the software, much like how Samsung has handled the last couple of releases. What I’m eager to know, though, is what version of Samsung DeX they’ll get. The Galaxy S26 launched with a slightly updated version, but I hope these foldables get special treatment that borrows a few tricks from the Galaxy Z TriFold.

Personally, I think the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s wider aspect ratio will really lend itself to making it the better candidate for productivity. If it’s able to somehow run up to three apps simultaneously, with each one taking up the exact same amount of screen real estate, it will have an inherent advantage.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Outlook

When you add everything up, the ultimate deciding factor for most people is going to come down to the price tag. While Samsung hasn't officially confirmed the numbers yet, it’s highly likely the Ultra will demand a hefty premium.

Just for reference, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 launched with a $100 price bump that pushed its starting retail price to $1,999. If that baseline holds, the Ultra’s price tag is almost certain to blow past that mark — though by exactly how much remains a question.

Even if there ends up being a meager $100 price difference between the two, I would still likely spring for the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8, primarily for its unique, wider aspect ratio. Sure, opting for the standard model means living with a simpler dual-camera setup and a slightly smaller battery, but for a screen that actually fits my hands and my media, I think those are compromises worth making.

More from Tom's Guide

• High storage phones are feeling more like a scam than ever — how to avoid overpaying
• Apple is paying $250 million to iPhone customers over delayed AI features — here's how to get your share
• I tortured myself for 2 weeks with the Trump Phone — here's 3 phones under $500 that are way better

Right now the best foldable phones are considered leading edge when it comes to phone design, but that might not be the case for long. I was one of the first people in the world to go inside Samsung Display’s headquarters in South Korea, and I got a sneak peek at new concepts that take things in boldly weird new directions.

Samsung Display showed us two so-called “slidable” designs. The first looks like a compact slab phone, dubbed the Flex Slidable. Starting at 4.7 inches, it expands via a sliding mechanism to reach a mammoth 7.2 inches.

According to Samsung, pulling one end of the device causes a hidden display to slide out. But I could see there being a button to let you slide the display on command. The actual process of unfurling was on the slow side, but again this was a demo concept.

The second slidable was even more intriguing, called Flex Hybrid. This concept also has a sliding display that grows to 7.2 inches, but it’s also foldable for even more versatility. It’s the first mobile device I’ve seen that combines the two technologies — foldable and slidable — into a single product. Foldable tech is applied to the left side of the screen and slidable technology to the right, which according to Samsung makes this a product “that can satisfy both portability and entertainment needs simultaneously.”

When are slidables coming?

So my question for Samsung Display was, how close are we to slidable phones actually becoming real shipping products?

“We have to consider the real-world usage pattern,” said Byung Duk Yang, executive vice president at Samsung Display. “So I think the display might be ready, but we should consider many aspects of the usage. When we have confidence that we can deliver meaningful innovation to users, then we are going to release the product.”

Of course, it’s one thing to be able to show off a slick demo device. It’s quite another to deliver a sliding form factor that reaches the level of reliability Samsung Display has achieved with foldable panels.

We saw a mini torture chamber at Samsung Display that folds displays up to 500,000 times.

“It’s not easy, the slidable form factor. I know many people are very interested in slidable and stretchable (phones). But I’m an engineer, and from the engineer point of view there are many obstacles we have to overcome,” Yang said.

Zero bezels are (almost) here

Last but not least, I checked out Samsung Display’s nearly bezel-less display. How small are we talking? The 6.8-inch OLED screen’s bezels are so tiny I could barely make them out as I got up real close. Samsung positioned the panel behind a tablet-size display on purpose so you couldn’t tell where the small screen ended and the big one began.

The top size has a border of just 0.4mm, and the left, right and bottom have bezels that measure 0.6mm.

Samsung achieved this feat through advanced designed techniques, including minimizing the width of the outer wiring and using sophisticated module technology. The result is bezels that are up to 40% smaller compared to the phones shipping today.

Apple is rumored to be working on a nearly bezel-free handset for the iPhone 20, but Samsung could beat them to the punch.

Samsung has actually done it. After seven years of making foldables, it has found a way to make a foldable display nearly crease-free while also making it more durable — and somehow even thinner. And I almost didn’t believe my eyes at first.

This breakthrough, coming to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series, is made possible because of a new technology called Flex Titanium. And it could be a real game-changer, especially as Samsung prepares for Apple to enter the foldable phone arena with its iPhone Ultra.

I got the inside scoop on how the Flex Titanium innovation came together, and also saw the new panel torture tested here at Samsung Display’s headquarters in South Korea ahead of Samsung Unpacked. In fact, I’m one of only five journalists in the world who have ever stepped inside Samsung Display.

There I sat down with two key Samsung executives, including Byung Duk Yang, Executive Vice President of the Core Component Technology Team and KyungJin Yoo, EVP & Head of Team Mobile Display Product Development Team, to learn more about how Samsung is reinventing the foldable experience.

What is Flex Titanium?

Samsung has used titanium in its foldable phones before for improved toughness and dispersing any distress, but this is the first time it has employed Flex Titanium, which consists of a titanium-alloy film and a titanium plate.

The titanium-alloy film supports the display and sits below the OLED panel. It offers 20 times greater stiffness than plastic films while also being 30% the thickness of human hair. The result is a slimmer display panel that’s also super strong.

“Titanium is not flexible. This time we used a new titanium alloy because we needed some stretchability,” said Yang.

Meanwhile, the titanium plate is a flexible structure that supports the display module from beneath. Since it allows for tighter bonding with the display module, air gaps are eliminated between the module and plate adhesive.

The result? Dramatically reduced crease visibility and a more immersive viewing experience.

“What we have done is come up with a lattice structure for the fold area and then we use a laser hole process (to fill the gaps in the lattice design),” Yoo said. “We have come up with precision processing to increase the integrity and completeness of the structure.”

500,000 folds?! (plus a fun ball drop test)

500,000. That’s how many times Samsung Display bends its foldable displays to make sure they’re durable enough to live inside devices like the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 series.

I see the robotic arms in action testing four phones on one level and two others on a top level inside a large metal box, folding and unfolding 24 hours a day. There are eight cameras pointed at the phones so engineers can check to see exactly when a device may have failed or to diagnose any issues.

The other benefit of doing all of this testing inside a sealed box? Samsung will ratchet up the temperature all the way up to 140℉ (60℃) and all the way down to -4 ℉ (-20℃) to make sure the folding can keep going in all sorts of conditions.

At room temperature, Samsung Display will fold a display up to 500,000 times. At the coldest temperature, the panels can fold up to 60,000 times and up to 300,000 times at the highest temp.

In another room, we were able to drop a 21.7-gram (0.76 ounce) metal ball on top of Samsung’s foldable display at various heights, going all the way up to 50cm (19.7 inches). There was not a scratch on the panel.

“We have to understand the user behavior and various display challenges, like dropping or pressure with large objects or tiny objects,” Yang said. “We have developed very comprehensive and sophisticated evaluation methods to understand the user behavior and real-world usage patterns.”

Extreme image quality testing

Typically at Tom’s Guide we’ll use a colorimeter and software to test a phone display head-on, measuring its brightness, color reproduction and accuracy (Delta-E). But Samsung Display goes way, way beyond this in its labs.

Inside another machine, Samsung Display performs image quality testing and reflection testing with a spherical light source that’s coated with a barium sulfate material to achieve the highest reflection rate possible. The doors are also shut to block any outside light.

Samsung Display then measures the light bouncing back and how much light is reflected from the panel itself. The lower the number the better.

But it’s important to emphasize that Samsung does this in eight different directions, and that more than 20 points are detected for just one direction. So that’s 160 points total for a total 3-minute test. The phone is continually turned the entire time.

The Apple threat (and opportunity)

It’s no secret at this point that Apple plans to enter the foldable market in September with the iPhone Ultra/iPhone Fold. But Samsung doesn’t seem worried about its rival and in fact “loves” another big player entering the space.

“We cannot comment on rumors, but we think it’s more than welcome because when other competitors and companies join the market,” Yang said. “I think the market will expand and the awareness will increase. Competition is good for the users and we mean it, we love other companies joining this market.”

Based on what I observed during my time in Korea, Samsung’s key advantage over Apple is experience.

“When Samsung first came up with the foldable in 2019, of course this was a big innovation and also was touted by the market, but we needed continuous improvement on the thickness and the weight as well as the durability,” Yoo said. “As we minimize the crease, which has been a perennial issue with consumers, we believe that the market is really going to expand even further, and perhaps that is the kind of validation that we are now going to get from companies like Apple.”

Yang also touted that the company has been at this for several years, so it gives them an advantage over competitors. And if it’s able to address users’ durability concerns, it should be able to help to grow the foldable phone market overall.

“I think we can enhance or extend the market and provide a better experience to users with foldable devices,” Yang said.

Bottom line

Samsung started showing the world foldable displays way back in 2009, but the first Galaxy Fold didn’t land on store shelves until 2019, so it’s clear that the company is playing the long game with foldables as the category evolves.

If the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s Flex Titanium tech manages to finally push foldables into the mainstream, it will be because of the mad science happening inside these very labs. Stay tuned for our full hands-on impressions as we gear up for the Unpacked launch.

Few phones are able to launch without users reporting some kind of significant problem. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is no exception, and this time some users have started reporting that the screens are slowly turning red. I guess that's one way to try and tone down the blue light emissions, but it's hardly ideal for a phone that costs $1,300.

Some of these reports date back as far as March, with multiple Reddit users noticing that the S26 Ultra's red coloring is more washed out than it should be — even with the vivid setting turned on and setting the screen to maximum resolution. More recently those reports have switched gears, noting that screens have been slowly developing pink and red tints.

Reports have come in from a bunch of places across the web, including Reddit, Korean social network Naver and Samsung's own community forums. The general experience seems to be similar for a lot of people with users spotting that the red tint starts appearing in the center of their display.

Another red flag for S26 Ultra's display

One Naver user even took their phone, an S26 Ultra manufactured in June, to the Samsung Store to compare it to display models. They found that the display model had a significantly redder screen than the new model, speculating that the problem is exacerbated by time, estimating around 3 to 4 months before it becomes an issue.

It's hard to make out the red tint in the photos, but seeing the older and newer Galaxy S26 Ultra models side by side shows just how much of a difference there can be. The consensus also seems to be that this is a kind of after image, rather than screen burn, because the coloring apparently takes the same rectangular shape on each affected device.

That being said, some owners have chimed in on Reddit to point out that nothing has happened to their devices, or even the demo units that have been on display since the launch of Galaxy S26 series earlier this year. My own Galaxy S26 Ultra seems fine, too.

At least one user has said that they're not sure if they can see the problem, and admits they may be "tricking" themselves into seeing something. There's no doubt some phones have this issue, but if the coloring is as subtle as some people have claimed, that is a possibility. Meanwhile, the originator of this particular thread seems to believe that the problem has been restricted to Korea for the time being. Considering this is the opinion of one person, I'm not entirely sure it can be trusted.

Another Redditor seems to think that there's glue in the area in question, and that it is visible under UV light until it fully dries — a process they think can take around 6 months. Honestly, I don't buy this explanation at all, least of all because the photos of the tint don't feature any noticeable UV light.

Let's hope Samsung doesn't get red-faced

We've reached out to Samsung to ask about this issue, and will update if we hear back. I'm particularly interested to hear what the exact problem is, and if this red tint is the result of some kind of manufacturing issue or related to changes in the screen itself.

After all, Samsung did launch the Galaxy S26 Ultra with a tinted Privacy Display, and testing proved that the screen brightness (among other things) was affected by this. The display is dimmer and has narrower viewing angles even when Privacy Display is switched off.

If this is the result of a specific manufacturing issue that has since been fixed, then the damage caused by this tint will at least be contained. But if the problem is more widespread, it could potentially be a problem for those people who own an S26 Ultra and plan on keeping it for the long term.

Samsung has already courted controversy with the S26 screen, originally claiming it offered 10-bit color depth only to backtrack and admit that the physical display could only display 8-bit color depth. The last thing it needs is to find out a bunch of screens will eventually tint everything with a rose-shaded hue.

More from Tom's Guide

• High storage phones are feeling more like a scam than ever — how to avoid overpaying
• Apple is paying $250 million to iPhone customers over delayed AI features — here's how to get your share
• I tortured myself for 2 weeks with the Trump Phone — here's 3 phones under $500 that are way better

Lots of people lament the loss of the headphone jack and how that changed the way we use our phones, but me? I'm still not over the fact that expandable storage has been relegated to the bare minimum of budget handsets. These days it's been replaced with high storage options that add hundreds of dollars onto the cost of your phone.

I have always maintained that being forced to pay for the same amount of storage every time you buy a new phone is a total scam, certainly compared to being able to swap microSD cards from one device to another.

But more recently, after seeing the rumored price hikes that will affect flagship phones due to be released this year, I'm more convinced than ever that paying for storage is a complete waste of money.

Storage is an expensive addition

It's very easy to fill up your phone's storage without even realizing it. Whether you're obsessed with apps, or can't stop taking photos and videos or your daily life, that space fills up fast. I can't tell you the number of times I've almost filled up the 128GB of storage on my Pixel 10 Pro, and had to scramble to offload files and delete things that are just wasting space.

Obviously the easiest solution to this problem is to buy a phone with more storage. A 256GB model would effectively double my storage space, and that's just the next model up. These days most flagship phones offer at least 512GB and even 1TB storage options for the people that need a lot of space on their phones.

The downside is that this causes the price of your new phone to rise by quite a bit. The 128GB Pixel 10 Pro costs $999, which rises to $1,099 for 256GB, $1,219 for 512GB and $1,449 for 1TB. For the iPhone 17 Pro you're looking at a starting price of $1,099 for 256GB of storage, which rises to $1,299 and $1,499 for 512GB and 1TB models.

For both these phones, you could be paying 30 to 36% more simply by upgrading your storage. That may be a good deal for those of you that need the space, and want the convenience of easy-to-use and readily-available storage on your phone. But this ends up being an expense you have to buy every time you upgrade your phone. The storage doesn't come with you, and once you're finished with the phone all that extra space is gone unless you pay the premium again.

RAMageddon could make it worse

Right now the main problem is that the cost of storage is rising pretty rapidly. RAMageddon hasn't just affected the cost of memory, as AI data centers eat up as much supply as they can handle, they're also buying up storage as well. Which means the cost of storage is increasing, and we've already seen reports suggesting that this is going to affect the price of high-storage phone models.

EU price leaks for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra suggest that the upcoming foldable's price will increase by as much as €280 for a 1TB model. Meanwhile the 256GB and 512GB are rumored to be rising by €100 and €180, respectively.

Of course, these are just leaked prices in one part of the world, and there's no telling whether other phone companies will follow suit. In fact, the Pixel 11 Pro XL price leaks suggest a blanket €100 price increase for all models, regardless of how much storage they have. But it suggests we may be looking at a future where higher storage phones cost even more than they currently do, which means the premium of being able to have access to all that storage is even higher than before.

It certainly doesn't help that some phone companies might already follow Samsung's example, and start cutting the amount of RAM on low-storage models. That effectively means that the price tag for higher-specced variants has to cover the rising cost of storage and RAM.

How to avoid paying for high storage phones

Naturally there are some ways you can avoid having to pay for high storage phones, the simplest of which is to rely on the best cloud storage instead. However, that comes with the added issue of having to pay a continuous subscription fee to retain access to all the files and photos you offload to the cloud.

Plus, there will be occasions where you need to either upgrade your storage allowance (in exchange for more money) or sort through your backups to free up space. So you are only delaying the problem, even if the ability to beam things into cloud storage, and access it at any time via the internet, is very convenient.

Another option is to continually offload those same files to local storage, in the form of external hard drives or networked storage. Admittedly this makes it a lot harder to access files and photos when you don't have physical access to your drives, but it's a lot more cost effective than continuously paying for high-storage phones or cloud services.

Then again, there are some portable hard drives that feature MagSafe compatibility and let you store your extra storage on the back of your phone.

Of course there's also the tried-and-tested option, which is to buy a cheaper phone with lower amounts of storage, and do everything you can to stop it from filling up too quickly. We're talking about things like minimizing the amount of useless apps you have, shooting photos at a lower resolution, stop letting random files and downloads take up space they shouldn't have, and things of that nature.

Then again it's easier said than done to avoid high storage phones when companies are cutting the smaller 128GB models, and offering the more expensive 256GB option as the new entry-level model. As much as I was sick of having 128GB of base storage, I do wish more companies had followed Apple's example with iPhone 17 and increased the base storage at no extra cost.

More from Tom's Guide

• Forget Chrome — Safari just got 3 massive Al upgrades in iOS 27
• iPhone Ultra vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: 5 biggest expected differences
• I ignored every Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumor. Then these 3 leaks changed my mind

Last year Google announced that it was getting rid of Google Assistant in cars, and would replace all voice-centric features with the newer, and more advanced, Gemini AI instead. I was thrilled about this news at the time, since my experience with Google Assistant while driving was far from great.

Over a year after that news was first announced, Google finally decided it was time to add Gemini in my car — and completely remove Google Assistant from my life. Given my absolute disdain for Assistant and what it could do, I jumped at the chance to go out and see what it was like to use Gemini out on the open road.

How Gemini works with Android Auto

I should mention that my car is about as dumb as you can get these days. It's an electric Nissan Leaf with an infotainment system that supports both Android Auto and CarPlay, but there's no interaction between infotainment and the functionality of the car itself. This isn't a fancy car that routes everything through a touchscreen menu, and everything you do relies on physical buttons or levers.

In my case, though, these things are all locked into my phone, and have no actual connection to the car. This means Gemini also has no access to any of that information, or control over car systems.

I should make it very clear that I am grateful about this. Sticking essential car features behind a touchscreen is one of the most bone-headed moves the car industry has ever performed, and I'm glad to see that things are starting to go back to the way they were. Still, I am not a luddite and fully expect to be able to use some hi-tech features in my car, like navigation, phone calls, streaming and so on — so long as it's safe to do so.

In theory, voice assistants are a safety tool since they let you control those sorts of features without having to look at, or interact with a touchscreen. Old assistants like Google Assistant were fairly limited, and that meant you had to be fairly precise with what you asked for. Similarly, my Assistant seemed to be quite fond of ignoring me, or refusing to understand what I said.

That led to me virtually shouting at my car to do something simple, because the assistant software was about as robust as a paper towel at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Gemini works in much the same way as Assistant did. You can either summon the AI by saying "Hey Google," or by using your car's dedicated voice command button — assuming it has one, that is. Mine does, and probably gets more use than 99% of the buttons on my steering wheel.

And, just like Gemini on your phone or in your Google Home smart speaker, all you need to do is ask Gemini for whatever it is you want.

Gemini outmatches Assistant in every way

At first, I wasn't all that impressed with what Gemini could actually offer me, because I kept thinking of it like Google Assistant. Since Google Assistant was a complete waste of storage space a lot of the time, I learned to only rely on it when absolutely necessary. I didn't really feel like having a shouting match just to get the darn thing to register that I'd said "yes."

I basically had to throw out all my expectations about what assistants can do in the car, and try to rely on Gemini for more than I used to be able to do. Thankfully it didn't take long to flick that proverbial switch, and I was quickly able to start asking Gemini about more detailed and complicated things.

Google Assistant was limited in what it could do and how it would understand your commands. Gemini, being powered by Google's LLM, has no such issues. I found myself able to ask long-winded questions with a bunch of technical details, and the AI was not only able to understand what I was saying, it could actually give me an answer.

At one point I asked how long it would take my car to charge to 100%, making sure to mention the size of the battery, how full the battery was and how fast I expected to be able to charge. Gemini was able to give me an answer, and gave me tips on charging protocol — warning me that charging past 80% slows the whole process down. I can't tell you whether Gemini's estimate of 6 hours was correct, but it's certainly in the right ballpark.

At the same time, Gemini was happy to answer questions about basic things that had no relation to the car. What time is the next England World Cup game? I can't actually tell you because I couldn't care less and immediately forgot what Gemini told me, but Gemini was able to look it up while I was driving.

What I liked the most is that I could ask it about bits of data I knew Google had. What time does X business close today, and how busy is it expected to be right now? These are all things you can see on a business card in Google Maps or Search, and Gemini was able to pass that information along without issue. Even if it didn't have the right facts, such as when I asked how busy the local car wash would be, it pulled information from reviews about wait times and gave me those instead.

As for navigation, the use of real world language makes the whole thing a lot easier. I was able to ask for the fastest route to a specific location, and later tried to mix things up by asking to be put on the most energy-efficient route mid-drive. Not only was Google able to understand and facilitate that, it also warned me that I was already on the most efficient route — and that it can't do much more than that.

Gemini for Android Auto does need some work

That said, Gemini is not perfect. There are situations where it had no idea what I was talking about, and just shut down. A good example was asking where I could find a CHAdeMO charger for my car, only for Google to completely fail to understand the word in question. But when I mixed my language up, and asked for an "ultra fast charger compatible with the Nissan Leaf" it was able to show me a bunch of nearby locations within a couple of seconds.

It turns out that because Gemini didn't understand the word CHAdeMO, it just spelled the word out letter by letter. The same thing happened to the charging brand GRIDSERVE, and I can only assume it's because the name is all uppercase. Apparently the lack of lowercase letters confused the AI, and meant it couldn't understand my human method of reading out the whole word.

There can be a bit of a delay while it processes the question, though this is true of most AI chatbots. If it can't process what you need on the device, it's going to have to talk to a server somewhere and that obviously means there's going to be delays while information is transmitted back and forth.

However, I have yet to experience Gemini just straight-up not registering that I have spoken to it, which was a near-daily occurrence with Google Assistant. So, regardless of its iffy understanding of certain brand names and proper nouns, Gemini is definitely on the winning team.

Bottom line

I still need to spend some more time with Gemini in my car to get to grips with everything else the AI has to offer in my car. For the most part, though, I'm fairly impressed, especially since the AI is able to work across different Android Auto apps based on the kind of questions and commands it receives. It's a night and day upgrade compared to Google Assistant, which was usually more trouble than it's worth.

It's an upgrade that seems to do what was originally promised. Not only does it offer all the things Google Assistant could accomplish, it's able to provide more information and understanding to the driver. Considering driving is inherently dangerous, and you should not allow anything to distract you, the fact that an AI assistant can handle more of the things that might cause your concentration to lapse can only be a good thing.

Let's just hope that Gemini's uppercase reading comprehension improves a lot over the coming months and years.

More from Tom's Guide

• 7 AI mistakes I see people over 50 make again and again — here's how to fix every one
• I tried the new Siri AI features: here's 3 you'll actually want to use every day
• Google Maps actually defaults to the slowest route now — here's how to fix it

I have to say, I've always found foldable flip phones more appealing than the book-shaped models like Galaxy Z Fold 8. They're shaped like a proper phone, but with the ability to fold into a more compact and convenient form for travel — like a Transformer, but without all the baggage of potentially running into a Decepticon on the highway.

Sadly, it seems Samsung may be giving up on flip phones, at least for the immediate future. We first heard reports of this back in May, with news that Samsung may have canceled the Galaxy Z Flip 9. Now, long-time Samsung leaker Ice Universe has corroborated those claims with a brief post on X.

The leaker doesn't elaborate on the post in any way, simply stating that the Z Flip 8 will likely be the last small foldable that Samsung makes. Which, honestly, isn't actually that surprising when you think about it.

Over the past few years, it seems as though the Z Flip series has been an afterthought for Samsung. The focus has been on the flagship Z Fold series, and the feeling I got was that there just wasn't enough interest left to produce a really solid Z Flip upgrade.

If you think about how the series has changed over the last few years, the biggest upgrade has been the cover display, but even that has reached the point where there isn't much else that can be done. Things like the cameras and battery have barely changed, while the price has slowly risen.

On top of that, Samsung also has to contend with the rising cost of actually making these things. RAM and storage prices are sky high right now, of course, but phone production itself has become more expensive over the past several years. We may have reached the stage where interest in the Z Flip series isn't enough to justify producing them. Though I do wonder if things would be different if the lineup hadn't suffered years of stagnation and minimal attention.

The fact that Ice Universe says that this will be the last "small folding product" says a lot too. It means Samsung won't be scrapping the Z Flip series in favor of something new. Instead, it'll likely go all in on the Z Fold series now that we have Ultra and Wide variants to choose between.

It's not ideal for those of you hoping to get a foldable Galaxy experience on a smaller budget, considering the astronomical Z Fold prices, but at least Motorola is still in the flip foldable game. For now, anyway.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just tested the phone everybody thinks is a preview of the iPhone Fold — God, I hope they’re wrong
• I ignored every Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumor. Then these 3 leaks changed my mind
• 23 hidden Samsung Galaxy features you definitely need to be using

Earlier this week, we saw reports that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 could be subjected to a serious price hike in the European market — rising by as much as €280 for some high-storage models. Now U.S. pricing has leaked and, you guessed it, the prices are set to be higher than last year.

According to a new report from SE Daily, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (formerly known as the Z fold Wide) will come with a price tag in excess of $2,000 — possibly as high as $2,099. In comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 started at $1,999, while the Z Fold 6 was $1,899 and the Z Fold 5 started at $1,799.

The upgrade from Z Fold 4 to Z Fold 5 was the last time Samsung kept the Z Fold series price static, which makes this price hike the third time in a row Samsung has decided we need to pay more for our folding phones.

SE Daily appears to be referring to the flagship foldable, which the rumor mill has taken to calling the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. This is the successor to the Z Fold 7, and is expected to come with the same form factor and high-profile features like the 200MP camera.

What about the Z Fold 8 Wide and Z Flip 8?

The other book-style foldable on the way is what used to be called the Galaxy Z Fold Wide, but has now started being referred to as the Z Fold 8. This foldable is set to offer a shorter and wider design, similar in shape to a passport and a close approximation of what the foldable iPhone Ultra may look like.

SE Daily claims this phone will cost $1,899, which is $100 less than the price of a Z Fold 7. That slightly lower price tag will likely account for the fact that the Z Fold 8 doesn't have as much high-end hardware, and skips out on features like the telephoto camera lens and 200MP photo resolution.

There's no mention of how much the Galaxy Z Flip 8 might cost, but the EU leak suggests we may also see a €100 price hike on the flip-foldable too.

We don't currently have any official information to work with, so it shouldn't be surprising to anyone that Samsung could increase the price of the Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8. After all, the cost of making phones has gone up, especially if you're hoping to offer a good amount of memory and storage. So while I fully expect the price of the Z Fold 8 to go up, the question I have is how much the higher-storage variants might cost.

According to that EU leak, the 512GB Z Fold 8 Ultra will be €180 more than the equivalent Z Fold 7, while the 1TB model will be €280 more. That's a lot of extra money to be asked to spend, and it's not like Galaxy Foldables were ever cheap to begin with.

We'll find out for sure at Galaxy Unpacked on July 22, which has now been officially confirmed by Samsung. The event is set to take place in London, starting at 9a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. BST, and in the meantime you can read all about the upcoming phones in our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hubs.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 'official' renders just leaked before Unpacked — here it is in every single color
• I ignored every Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumor. Then these 3 leaks changed my mind
• iPhone Ultra delay rumors shot down in new report — now Apple's first foldable phone may launch alongside iPhone 18 Pro after all

It's summertime, which means it's time for Samsung's new foldable phones. The company has confirmed July 22 for the next Galaxy Unpacked event in London, where we are expected to see the new generation of foldables, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series.

I'm not sure about you, but for the first time in years, I haven't been all that excited about the new Galaxy Z Fold(s). Samsung already addressed most of our long-standing complaints with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 last year, bringing in a wider cover display and a thinner design.

Add RAMageddon to the mix, and we can expect these new foldables to be priced sky-high and well out of our reach (unless you act fast, reserve your unit now and save up to $1,230 on your Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-order).

That said, a few interesting Galaxy Z Fold 8 leaks over the past few weeks have pulled my attention back toward Samsung's foldables. I spent the last couple of months ignoring most of the Z Fold 8 rumors, but these are the ones that finally got my attention.

Samsung is breaking its one-book-style foldable-a-year pattern

Every time Samsung launches its Galaxy S series, it gives us a couple of options to choose from. There's the base model for people who don't want to spend too much and prefer a more compact form factor, and then there's the Galaxy S26 Ultra for those who want the best of everything, with a large screen and an S Pen.

With the Galaxy Z Fold series, things have been a little different because Samsung has only ever launched a single book-style foldable each year and called it a day. That's changing in 2026, though, as Samsung is finally rumored to debut not one but two book-style foldables this year.

Alongside the standard Galaxy Z Fold 7 successor, Samsung is said to be launching a new foldable aimed squarely at the iPhone Ultra launching later this year. This second device will reportedly have a different form factor, closer to a passport-style shape, with a less-tall but wider display.

That means when it unfolds, it'll feel more like a standard tablet rather than the squarer display the current Galaxy Z Fold series offers. You'll still be able to opt for the classic book-style foldable we've seen for years, but you'll now also have the option of this new form factor entering the market.

This is where things get interesting, because Samsung is apparently changing its naming scheme too. The standard Galaxy Z Fold form factor we've known all these years will reportedly now be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, while the new passport-style form factor will take on the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 name.

I know this is going to cause a fair bit of confusion among interested buyers, but it's apparently the direction Samsung is heading in.

The upgrade every foldable fan has wanted is coming

If you've been following the Galaxy Z Fold 8 leaks this time around, you'll have noticed that not much is changing. You'll get a similar screen size both on the cover and unfolded, an upgraded chipset that's standard at this point, and a triple-camera setup.

But one thing that leaked only recently, and might turn out to be the biggest upgrade of all, is an improved crease.

A leaker recently revealed that Samsung has made a significant improvement to the Galaxy Z Fold 8's hinge, resulting in far better crease control. They went on to suggest it could be comparable to the Oppo Find N6 that launched earlier this year.

For those who don't remember, the Oppo Find N6 launched with a virtually crease-free display. Having used it myself, I can tell you this could be the most underrated yet most impactful upgrade on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 this year.

One thing I've noticed with almost everyone who picks up a Galaxy Z Fold is how quickly they comment on the depth of the crease. If that's finally going away, it might end up drawing in more customers than any other upgrade on the phone.

Samsung might finally fix Z Fold's weakest point: the battery

The one leak that's really got me interested in the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is the battery capacity. For years, we've complained that the Galaxy Z Fold has fallen behind its Chinese competitors when it comes to battery life.

We've seen foldables like the Oppo Find N6 and the Honor Magic V6 pack more than 6,000mAh, while Samsung has stuck with sub-4,400mAh batteries on the Galaxy Z Fold for years.

That finally seems to be changing this year. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 7 are rumored to come with 5,000mAh and 4,800mAh batteries, respectively, which would bring the foldables much closer to the competition.

It might still not go toe-to-toe with the biggest batteries out there, but paired with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5's efficiency, I'm more than hopeful Samsung will finally deliver better battery life than before.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just tested the phone everybody thinks is a preview of the iPhone Fold — God, I hope they’re wrong
• iPhone Ultra vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: 5 biggest expected differences
• 23 hidden Samsung Galaxy features you definitely need to be using

Samsung just announced its next Galaxy Unpacked event, where the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 should debut. As we get close to the July 22 reveal, more leaks have started popping up.

The latest comes from Android Headlines, who claim to have official renders of the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. The new foldable should be wider and shorter than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

The leaked images seem to line up with Samsung's own teasing imagery that shows a squatter foldable in at least three colorways: cream, graphite and lavender. AH also says that Samsung.com will get a fourth exclusive color, pistachio.

Here's what they look like:

What we know about the Galaxy Z Fold 8

Previously leaked renders measured the Z Fold 8 at 4.87 x 6.35 x 0.19 inches when unfolded, and 4.87 x 3.23 x 0.38 inches when folded. It should weigh around 200 grams, lighter than even the Z Fold 7.

This week, it was revealed that Samsung may have finally eliminated the crease on the foldable display. And it will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the same chipset as the Galaxy S26 series.

As a reminder, because even I get confused by this, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is expected to be the successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the wider version previously dubbed the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide.

It hasn't been made clear why Samsung is going with this confusing naming convention. The Ultra version should be slightly larger and the Fold 8 is supposed to compete directly with the rumored iPhone Ultra foldable.

Release date and price

As mentioned, Samsung's next event is Galaxy Unpacked taking place on July 22 at 9 a.m. ET/ 6 a.m. PT/2 p.m. BST in London.

We expect to see Samsung announce the we expect to see Samsung announce the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 8. Samsung should also announce the Galaxy Watch 9 series as well as the sequel Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 this year.

Every device will likely hit store shelves or your mailbox about a week or two later.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung just confirmed the most obvious Galaxy Z Fold 8 upgrade — but I'm still surprised
• If you are planning to buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Galaxy Watch 9, a new leak reveals you might have to pay up to $280 more than last year
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 just stole the iPhone Ultra's secret weapon

Samsung has just confirmed that the next wave of Galaxy Foldables will arrive on July 22, at a special Galaxy Unpacked event in London. The company has also confirmed a major piece of hardware for the phone, promising that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will be powered by the same Samsung Galaxy 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset as the Galaxy S26 series.

While the inclusion of the chip seems obvious, it's actually surprising to see that Samsung is utilizing the custom "For Galaxy" chip in a foldable. While Qualcomm has provided custom Snapdragon chips for Samsung for the past four generations, starting with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, this will be the first time we see one used to power a foldable.

The key benefit here is that the For Galaxy chips are often more powerful and offer better performance than their off-the-shelf counterparts. Considering the Galaxy Z Fold 7 used one of the latter chips, it means there should be a noticeable boost in performance on the Z Fold 8 than we were expecting.

It's also worth noting that the teaser suggests this upgrade will not be exclusive to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. We don't actually see one of the upcoming phones, but the outline of one is prominently featured in the video — an outline that is simultaneously too wide and too narrow to be the Z Fold 8 Ultra.

This suggests that this is the general shape of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, formerly known as the Z Fold Wide, which is set to be shorter and wider than past Z-series foldables. This fits the outline perfectly, and suggests both Z Fold 8 models will have similar levels of performance. That should prove to be a boon for high-process features like gaming and on-device AI.

The one phone we don't expect to get the Gen 5 Elite for Galaxy chip is the Galaxy Z Flip 8. Or at least, it won't be getting it in all regions. Rumor has it that at least some parts of the world will see the flip-foldable come with the Exynos 2600 chipset, and it's unclear whether Samsung will continue a trend it started with the Z Flip 7 and use Exynos chips to power its flip phone all around the world.

Considering recent reports that the upcoming Galaxy foldables will suffer some major price hikes, this news couldn't come at a better time. After all, if Galaxy Z Fold phones have been running on standard Snapdragon chips for the past three years, then the switch to a more powerful variant makes any potential price hike a little more justified. Not that we like paying more for our phones, even if they do come with surprising hardware upgrades.

The next wave of Galaxy Foldables will be unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked on July 22, and in the meantime you can check out our official Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hubs for all the latest news and rumors.

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 27 has a new ‘Liquid Glass’ slider — here is how to find and use it
• Apple hid a perfect 'dumb phone' feature inside your iPhone that's great for kids — here's how to turn it on
• Google Pixel 11 release date and prices leak as official August 12 Pixel event invites go out

Samsung just announced its next Galaxy Unpacked event, where several new Galaxy foldable phones will be announced. The summer version Unpacked kicks off on Wednesday, July 22 in London.

Samsung promises to reveal "new form factors" for its foldable phones.

"Samsung will introduce its latest Galaxy innovations that build on its leadership in foldables, combining intelligent capabilities and new form factors to deliver more personal, adaptive experiences and set a new standard for the AI era," the company said in a press release.

As part of the event, we expect to see Samsung announce the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 8. Additionally, a new, wider, squatter Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected, which is meant to rival Apple's rumored iPhone Ultra.

What we expect to see at Galaxy Unpacked

With the new Samsung foldables, we might finally get a crease-free display, according to the most recent leak. Tipster Ice Universe claims the hinge on the Z Fold 8 series is "noticeably different," which should make folding more decisive and improve the crease.

Unfortunately, it might cost more. Leaked EU pricing suggests that costs could go up by €100 for every Samsung device. So, the Z Fold 8 might start at €2,199 compared to €1,999 last year.

Additionally, the Galaxy Watch 9 series we expect to see at Unpacked could also be more expensive. Samsung should announce the Galaxy Watch 9 as well as the sequel Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 this year.

Finally, Samsung has announced that its Intelligent Eyewear designer smart glasses will launch this fall, but we might get another look at the new specs at Unpacked.

Reserve your Galaxy Z Fold 8 and save up to $1,230

Starting now, you can reserve a new Galaxy foldable at Samsung.com to receive a $30 credit during pre-order and up to $1,230 in total savings. To reserve you can go here.

Additionally, you can also enter a sweepstakes to win one of ten $500 Samsung.com gift cards.

How to watch Galaxy Unpacked

Samsung's event will be livestreamed on Samsung.com, Samsung Newsroom and via the official Samsung YouTube channel,starting at 9 a.m. ET/ 6 a.m. PT/2 p.m. BST.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 — everything you need to know about the new wider foldable
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 leak reveals you might have to pay up to $280 more than last year
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 just stole the iPhone Ultra's secret weapon

Compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 foldables and whatever Apple is doing with its iPhone 18 Pro models, Google's Pixel series has had a relatively quiet summer. However, that just changed with two different leaks that revealed the release date and a potential price hike for the Google Pixel 11 lineup.

First up, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who normally focuses on all things Apple, posted on X an image of an invitation to a Pixel event in August.

Based on the image, Google is planning to introduce "the next generation of Pixel" in New York City on August 12 starting at 6 PM ET, a surprisingly late in the day launch.

The image shows what looks like two phones in semi-shadow with a hint of a bronze or gold color, which hints at a potential hue for Pixel 11.

Tom's Guide will be at the event so keep us in your tabs as we cover everything Google announces on August 12.

No word on if Jimmy Fallon will host again.

Price hike and a dropped storage size

The second leak comes from the French site Dealabs, which regularly seems to dig up pricing news for the EU. The publication reports that the Pixel 11 is getting a price hike, sort of.

The increase is coming in the form of a storage tier change. Google may finally be dropping the 128GB storage option instead offering the 256GB tier as the base version with 512GB and 1TB as larger variants.

That does mean the base model is now more expensive. It seems, at least in the E.U., prices are also going up by €100 for every model, though.

E.U. costs don't directly translate to U.S. pricing, but it's more than likely we can expect some kind of increase in America, especially if the 128GB version is being dropped.

For comparison, last year the Pixel 10 started at $799, $899 for the Pro, and $1,199 for the Pro XL. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold started at $1,799. A similar hike would jump them to $899, $999, $,12,99 and $1,899.

The report also revealed colorways for every Pixel 11 phone:

• Pixel 11: Light Sterling, Midnight Haze, Fuchsia, Moss
• Pixel 11 Pro: Light Fog, Midnight Haze, Dune, Pine
• Pixel 11 Pro XL: Light Fog, Midnight Haze, Dune, Pine
• Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Midnight Haze, Pine

Dealabs also claimed that Pixel 11 would release on August 20 with a potential August 11 announcement date. Which does track with Gurman's August 12 event.

More from Tom's Guide

• Phones need to focus less on AI, and more on what makes hardware actually great — here's why
• This hidden Android feature gives you quick and simple access to a bunch of core settings — here's how it works
• Google wants to train its AI on your search history. Here's how to opt out now

If you were hoping to upgrade to the latest flagship Samsung devices without incurring extra cost, then you're sorely out of luck. New reports suggest Samsung could hike the prices of upcoming phones and smartwatches, which means this month's Galaxy Unpacked could be a rather pricey affair.

This news comes from Roland Quandt at WinFuture, who shared EU pricing information for the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Flip 8, Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2. According to Quandt, we're looking at a price increase of at least €100 for the foldable phones, while watches are set to increase by €30 to €50.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 price hikes: What you may have to pay

Quandt reports that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is set to cost €2,199 for a model with 256GB of storage — a €100 price increase from its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 7. However, it seems the more storage you opt for, the more the price is going to increase. The 512GB model is expected to cost €2,399, which is a €180 price increase, while the 1TB model is reportedly going to cost €2,799. That's a €280 price increase.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is expected to undergo the same price increases, with the 256GB model costing €1,299, while the 512GB model is expected to cost €1,499. Those represent €100 and €180 price increases, respectively.

The new wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 model will supposedly rock in at €1,999 for a 256GB model, which is the same price as the 256GB Galaxy Z Fold 7. However, since the phone is expected to come with some compromises — the least of which are two rear cameras instead of three — that means you're likely receiving less for that money.

While we don't know how these price hikes might translate to U.S. dollars, Samsung products typically go for a €1 to $1 conversion. Which means the U.S. models could end up costing anything from $100 to $280 more. That's assuming Quandt's reporting (and my own assumptions) ring true.

Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2: More rumored price hikes

Sadly, smartwatches are also reportedly increasing in price, with the Galaxy Watch 9 starting at €409 for a 40mm, Bluetooth-only model. Upgrade the connectivity to LTE and you will apparently have to pay €459, which would be respective price hikes of €40 and €50.

Meanwhile, the 44mm models are expected to get €30 price hikes for the Bluetooth and LTE models — which translates to new prices of €439 and €489. As for the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, Quandt claims that the new price will be €749, which is a €50 price increase compared to the original Galaxy Watch Ultra smartwatch.

Those price increases aren't quite as extreme as the phones, but it still sounds like you're going to have to pay a lot more for the next generation of Galaxy wearables.

Why are there so many price increases?

The issue in the phone industry right now is that the cost of making these devices has shot up to unprecedented levels. The overall cost of production has been on the rise for a while, but with AI eating up so much of the RAM and storage supplies, phone companies are being forced to pay significantly more for basic hardware.

The prices have risen by so much that phone companies aren't able to insulate users and still make money. This means those increased costs are passed onto us, and the price tags on the latest and best phones rise by another order of magnitude.

The recent push towards adding AI features on phones makes this problem worse, since on-device artificial intelligence is reliant on having a readily available supply of memory and computing power. While cloud computing could make up for some of the windfall, those features come with brief transmission delays and have to run on external hardware — which has obvious privacy risks.

In other words, downgrading the hardware to cut costs is only going to downgrade the user experience. Not to mention the fact that AI-processing servers need to be paid for somehow. Phone companies aren't going to offer access out of the kindness of their own hearts.

Obviously we don't know how accurate Quandt's information about EU price hikes is, or how they might translate to the U.S. market. But it makes sense that Samsung would increase the prices, especially since it's now offering an "Ultra" Galaxy Foldable.

Still, we'll have to just wait for Galaxy Unpacked, which is rumored to be happening on July 22, to find out for sure.

More from Tom's Guide

• iPhone Ultra vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: 5 biggest expected differences
• Kuo: iPhone Ultra will ship after iPhone 18 Pro and still 'sell out immediately' with $2,300 - $2,500 price
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 just stole the iPhone Ultra's secret weapon

Sorry, iPhone Ultra. It looks like Samsung is beating you to the punch.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 launch event is coming up fast, with reports suggesting that Galaxy Unpacked could happen on July 22. But there's still time for things to leak, and the latest news about the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series teases one of the upgrades that could help it fight back against Apple's first foldable.

According to the leaker Ice Universe, the hinge on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is "noticeably different from previous generations." This change has apparently been made to improve the look of the crease with Samsung reportedly making the folding action "more decisive."

The new design is supposed to offer a "significant improvement in crease control," with Ice Universe claiming that Samsung has reached "the top level in the industry." This means that the crease visibility is on par with the Oppo Find N6, a foldable that's been praised for how discreet the display crease actually is.

The downside is that the new hinge apparently doesn't offer the same level of precision as it did on previous models. This means holding it at specific angles isn't as easy as it used to be. So those of you that took advantage of Samsung's Flex mode may not appreciate the upcoming upgrade as much as everyone else.

Why this matters ahead of iPhone Ultra launch

According to reports, Apple is focusing on four key selling points where the foldable iPhone Ultra is concerned. One is the display's lack of visible crease, a design detail that Apple has reportedly been very particular about during the development process.

So what happens when Samsung, easily the biggest foldable phone maker outside of China, is able to accomplish the same thing before the iPhone Ultra is released? Well, it means the iPhone Ultra is just a little bit less special, and Apple is going to have emphasize other selling points.

It's also worth mentioning that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, formerly known as the Z Fold Wide, comes in a new form factor that seemingly emulates that of the iPhone Ultra. It's shorter and wider than the Z Fold 8 Ultra (the successor to the Z Fold 7), and could give prospective iPhone Ultra buyers one less reason to buy Apple's foldable.

Of course, the one thing Samsung can't do is make an iPhone. That's a uniquely Apple undertaking, and it means there will always be a group of people that are out of its reach. Just today we reported on analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicting that the iPhone UItra will immediately sell out during the pre-order period even at a $2,300 to $2,500 price.

With Samsung Unpacked tipped for July 22, we don't have long to see what the Galaxy Z Fold 8 truly brings to the table in Samsung's foldable fight against Apple.

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 27's new AI feature will automatically fix your weak passwords — how to set it up
• Phones need to focus less on AI, and more on what makes hardware actually great — here's why
• Apple's foldable iPhone Ultra may not be released at the same time as the iPhone 18 Pro — here's why

Your phone can do a surprising amount of things, and not just the stuff that gets mentioned in the marketing. There are countless features hidden behind layers of settings menus, to the point where it's pretty difficult to stumble upon them by accident. But this doesn't mean that they're any less useful than the features that are constantly in your face.

One of those features is the Accessibility Button, which activates a menu containing a bunch of key phone features. We're talking about things like controlling volume and brightness, taking screenshots, checking notifications, and so on. The idea is that, if you have accessibility issues that prevent you accessing those core features the "normal" way, you can instead utilize a dedicated on-screen menu.

The best part is that the accessibility button isn't just for a select group of people. It's available to everyone, and it could prove useful in certain cases — like driving, when you can't afford to be messing about with your phone for more than half a second.

There you have it, the accessibility menu is all set up for you to use as you like. There's no option to customize the features on offer, but if you ever find yourself needing to access any of these settings quickly, and without using both of your hands, this button could be invaluable.

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 27 will help protect you from social engineering scams in real time — here's how
• The robot voice is gone: How to make Siri sound truly human in iOS 27
• Apple finally threw Android users a bone with this new iOS 27 photo feature — here's how

The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra series isn’t expected to arrive until early 2027, but we’ve already heard quite a lot of what to expect, including a larger battery and the introduction of magnetic Qi2 wireless charging alongside the inevitable upgrade in processing power.

But it seems that the introduction of MagSafe-style charging won’t be the only similarity between Samsung’s flagship and recent iPhones.

According to the Dutch tech site Galaxy Club, both the Samsung Galaxy S27 Pro and Ultra variants will adopt a brand new front-facing selfie camera. This will see an upgrade to 16MP from the previous sharper 12MP number introduced with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but more interesting is the shape.

Galaxy Club’s sources suggest it will feature a square sensor, and that could mean something akin to Apple’s Center Stage coming to Samsung flagships.

The appeal of Center Stage

Backing up a little bit for those not familiar, Center Stage is an innovation Apple introduced with the 2021 iPad Pro. A part of the front-camera, it tracks subjects as they move, ensuring they’re always centered, which was especially useful at a time when working from home was on the rise thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic that started the year before it was introduced.

Since then, it has filtered through to more devices in the Apple ecosystem, arriving on phones with last year’s iPhone 17 series.

Center Stage on iPhone 17 takes advantage of the square sensor to offer the same image shape regardless of whether you’re holding the handset horizontally or vertically, while maintaining the ability to intelligently pan, crop and zoom to keep the subject (or subjects) centered.

If you’re just taking a selfie of yourself, the camera will give you a tight crop, but if friends join, it’ll have the space to expand out wider.

Essentially, the shape gives the camera more room to pan in any direction, regardless of how the phone is being held. While there may be another reason Samsung is looking at changing the sensor’s shape, this feels like a good working theory for now.

To be clear, the sensor in the iPhone 17 family is 18MP, so it has a slightly higher resolution than the one tipped for the Samsung Galaxy S27 Pro and Ultra handsets. But I’d be surprised if that made that big a difference to output.

A long way to go

We’re still likely seven-to-nine months away from the Samsung Galaxy S27 series’ release date, so this is likely the first leak of many.

In the meantime, we’re expecting the company’s next foldables — the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 — to arrive at an Unpacked event tipped later this month. While different kinds of handset altogether, their specs and design choices may give us hints of where Samsung is going with the S27 series in 2027.

More from Tom's Guide

• I just got both my battery packs confiscated at a Chinese airport, and I wish I’d known about this one thing before flying
• Apple expects 10 million people to buy a $2,500 iPhone Ultra — and it's a huge gamble
• Apple finally threw Android users a bone with this new iOS 27 photo feature — here's how

Google first confirmed that Android 17 would be getting stronger lock screen protections back at Google I/O, but the specifics of those protections haven't been made very clear. Now we know exactly what Google has planned, and it's going to make trying to bypass Android's lockscreen a lot harder for potential snoops.

Mishaal Rahman, who works in Community Engagement for Android, has confirmed these details on X. To be honest, while we expected Google to make significant changes, I'm surprised that things have gone quite this far.

If your phone is running Android 16, you'll be allowed up to 10 PIN guesses in the first minutes, 20 within six minutes, 50 in 25 minutes, 110 over a 24-hour period and 1,800 guesses over five years. Android 17 reduces this significantly, with six guesses in the first minute, which increases to seven in six minutes, eight within 25, 12 over the course of 24 hours and just 19 guesses over the course of five years.

After 20 incorrect guesses, your phone will be locked down. This is not a whole lot of opportunities to guess a four to six-digit passcode, but from a security standpoint, that makes a lot of sense. The fewer guesses potential hackers have, the harder it is for them to successfully access your phone.

Apparently, old limits let hackers take advantage of the fact that people gravitated towards common passcodes, rather than random ones. Should someone know more personal information, such as birthdays or other key dates, then their odds of cracking into your phone are significantly higher. Having several hundred attempts just meant it would be a matter of time before they got in.

There are protections for your own mistakes

Google will be adding duplicate guess detection, starting with the Android 16 QPR2 update. When switched on, this feature stops duplicate guesses from being counted towards your total. In other words, you can type in "1234" as many times as you like, and it will only count as a single incorrect guess. Android will point out that you've been typing in the same wrong PIN as well.

If your passcode actually is 1234, you'd better change that pronto. The only way your phone could be more insecure is if you didn't have a passcode at all.

If you somehow enter 20 incorrect PINs all by yourself, the Android 17 lock screen will feature a recovery shortcut that lets you access different recovery options on a new device. Details on this haven't been specified, but that presumably means you won't be locked out of your phone forever simply because your annoying cousin deliberately entered the wrong passcode several times.

Presumably, the number will also reset every time you correctly enter a passcode. That way, you don't get 20 guesses for the entirety of your phone's lifespan — because that would be plain ridiculous.

Android 17 is available on select devices right now, including Google's Pixel lineup.

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 27 takes huge leaps with AI, but it's still missing this key feature Android has had for years
• Major security holes in AirDrop and QuickShare put your phone at risk of attack — here's how to protect yourself
• 'Easily the biggest leak in Apple's history': iPhone 18 Pro final design may have just been revealed in a stolen drop test video

There may be a lot of attention on the iPhone Ultra, since it's Apple's first foldable phone, but it's far from the only folding phone that's set to arrive this year. Two Android titans, Samsung and Google, are set to release a new generation of foldables in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold.

Google and Samsung have plenty of experience when it comes to foldables, and they're both powered by some of the most popular flavors of Android available right now. The question is, which new foldable is going to be the better purchase? We don't know everything about the Z Fold 8 Ultra or Pixel 11 Pro Fold just yet, but there have been enough rumors and leaks to give us an idea of what tyo expect.

Here's a rundown of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold battle so far.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Ultra vs Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Specs

Galaxy Z Fold Ultra vs Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Release date & price

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is rumored to be unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked on July 22, alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Fold Wide) and the Galaxy Z Flip 8. A release date hasn't been confirmed yet, but it's likely that the phone will go on general sale around two weeks later in early August — after a brief pre-order window.

Pricing isn't clear right now, and considering the situation with RAMageddon and the skyrocketing cost of memory and storage, it's likely that we'll see some kind of price hike. So expect to have to pay more than the $1,999 starting price of Galaxy Z Fold 7.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is set to arrive later this year, likely towards the end of August alongside the rest of the Pixel 11 series. We don't have any kind of date yet, so we can only guess based on past experience.

Likewise, we have no idea how much the phone is set to cost, and whether we'll see a price hike compared to the $1,799 Pixel 10 Pro Fold. I wouldn't bet on there not being a price increase, especially if Google includes 16GB of RAM for another year.

Galaxy Z Fold Ultra vs Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Design & Display

We're not expecting huge changes to the design of either phone this year, though the Z Fold 8 Ultra is rumored to be coming with a slightly larger 8-inch foldable screen paired with a 6.5-inch cover display. Both screens are expected to be OLED panels, complete with 120Hz refresh rates. However the display may be creaseless, or as close as Samsung can get.

All the big changes are happening to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which was previously known as the Z Fold Wide. This new model will have a shorter and wider screen than the Ultra, with a similar look to what we expect Apple will offer with the iPhone Ultra.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is also expected to lose 0.1-inches off its cover display, but with no other meaningful change. Hopefully this is due to Google reducing the size of the phone and its bezels.

The 8-inch interior display is expected to stay the same size, though, and both will presumably offer an OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. There's also rumored to be a Nothing-esque light effect on the back of the phone, known as "Pixel Glow."

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Ultra vs Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Cameras

We're not expecting Samsung to do much with the Z Fold 8 Ultra's main camera, and will stick with the same 200MP lens that debuted on the Z Fold 7 last year. However, we are expecting to see the ultrawide camera jump from 12MP to 50MP, while the telephoto lens is tipped for a modest increase from 10MP to 12MP. The optical zoom will likely stay at 3x magnification though.

All we know about the Pixel 11 Pro Fold main camera is that it should have a slight resolution boost from 48MP to 50MP. Leaked specs haven't revealed what we can expect from the other cameras, but I certainly hope that we see a minor boost on the 10.5MP ultrawide camera at the very least. If Google wants its foldables to compete with Samsung and Apple, then it's going to need to up its game.

Thankfully, Google does have the computational photography experience to boost the quality of the pictures with AI. But that can only go so far, and since the Z Fold 7 already took excellent photos it's about time Google caught up with its foldable cameras.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Ultra vs Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Performance

On the performance side of things, it's clear that Samsung will be many steps ahead of Google. Pixel phones are not known for their speed, and since the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is likely to be running another Tensor chipset (the G6), things aren't likely to change this year.

That said, Pixel phones typically have more base RAM than Galaxy phones, with the 10 Pro Fold offering 16GB to the Z Fold 7's 12GB. Higher levels of RAM are typically only available on the highest storage option, and that's likely to be the same situation this year — more so considering all the RAM shortages. The extra memory, along with the alleged AI-optimization of the Tensor chips, may give the Pixel 11 Pro Fold an edge in AI processes.

However, leaked specs suggest Google may take a leaf out of Samsung's book and reduce the base amount of RAM and keep 16GB exclusive to higher specc'd models.

When it comes to raw performance power, Samsung is likely to dominate. Z Folds typically have the flagship Snapdragon chipset, which this year would be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

On top of that, the Pixel 11 series is expected to downgrade the Tensor G6 from eight cores to seven, which will likely cause a noticeable drop in performance power. Likewise, Google is said to be using a PowerVR CXTP-48-1536 GPU, which is based on 2021 chip architecture. So you could see a performance hit for resource-intensive activities like gaming and video editing.

Don't expect to see the Exynos 2600 on the Z Fold, though. While Samsung has started using its own chips on the Z Flip series, and on Galaxy S phones in certain regions, Ultra series phones typically get the Snapdragon chip everywhere.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Ultra vs Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Battery & charging

Rumors suggest that the Z Fold 8 Ultra could upgrade the battery by increasing the capacity from 4,400 mAh to 5,000 mAh — the same as the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Sadly, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold's leaked specs suggest that it will be doing the opposite, dropping from 5,015 mAh to 4,658 mAh.

While higher capacity doesn't necessarily mean longer battery, the fact that Samsung is offering more power reserves definitely works out in its favor. When you remember that Pixel phones haven't always had the best battery life in the past, a drop in capacity is rather worrying.

There's no word on how fast the 11 Pro Fold will charge, though we will likely see 15W Qi2 wireless charging make another appearance. The Z Fold 8 Ultra is rumored to be upgraded to 45W charging which, while not as impressive as the S26 Ultra's 60W is still a noticeable improvement from the 25W on past phones.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Ultra vs Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Outlook

Based on the rumors and leaks so far, it doesn't seem like there are a lot of major changes happening to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Certainly nothing that upsets the status quo in any meaningful way.

Samsung should have an edge on camera hardware, performance and battery life, and the crease-free display sounds promising. And Google should offer a Pixel experience in foldable form once more — which includes a lot of AI, early access to updates and some exclusive features.

It certainly seems as though Samsung has the upper hand, and while that may eventually be the case it doesn't change the fact that the Z Fold lineup is rather expensive. In fact, with everything going on, I would be shocked if there wasn't another price hike this year as well. So the Pixel 11 Pro Fold could have the value advantage.

But with Galaxy Unpacked coming in fast, and Google's own launch event likely following roughly a month later, it shouldn't be long before we can test these phones and make a proper conclusion for ourselves.

More from Tom's Guide

• 'Easily the biggest leak in Apple's history': iPhone 18 Pro final design may have just been revealed in a stolen drop test video
• Your location data is now officially protected by the fourth amendment — here's what that means for you
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 Ultra just leaked ahead of Unpacked

Samsung has something big to launch, and is going about it the "new Taylor Swift album" way — wiping its Instagram feed and rolling out some cryptic teasers to build hype around its rumored Unpacked event next month

What could the company be teasing? Well, given the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 phones have been leaked a lot (including a new wide model), and the shape being cut out of everything in these teasers, I think it’s kind of clear what the company may be hinting at here.

What is Samsung teasing?

So this is a very Taylor Swift-esque IG feed wipe to tease something big, and if you’ve been following the Samsung rumors and leaks ahead of Galaxy Unpacked (rumored to be happening late July), then chances are you’ve already gotten the hint here.

The bit that jumped out at me is that Samsung’s release talks about “recurring shapes and patterns.” Every single one is a shorter, stubbier cutout of the original shape — chopping off the top of a photobooth strip or a smaller rectangle out of a pizza (kind of cursed on that last one).

…you get it yet? Well, this looks very similar to the passport-sized Galaxy Fold 8 that’s been leaked everywhere at the moment. It's was previously called Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide in other leaks. Obviously, I can’t say for sure, but also…it’s a little obvious to me. Now what these teaser posts may hint at in terms of features, that’s a different question.

Here’s my skeptical take (with 10 years of PR/marketing experience under my belt)

So, right off the rip, I’ll just be real with you — PR and marketing can be a fun but tough job to do, and I salute anyone who does it. I’ve lived in this world for 10 years, so let me take a crack at reading between the lines.

Sometimes when I was faced with a campaign to promote something that was much more about form over function, the game plan was similar to this: don't talk about the features, tell a story. That is why a campaign like this makes me a little nervous — a new shape alone just won’t cut it.

This is something I found out when testing the passport-style Huawei Pura X Max in China. Now, I’m sure Samsung has paid attention to the software details.

But there are fundamental UI challenges like icon and keyboard placement when folded out flat. You can't reach the center with your thumbs on the Huawei, and the QWERTY takes up 60% of the screen, which isn’t good for productivity at all.

And I can only hope there are new features in this foldable to truly make it stand out as an upgrade — not just new AI features to try and make a big price look good. I guess I’m just a little worried that this could be purely a form-over-function play here.

That being said, I hope I'm wrong! I'm convinced foldables are the legitimate next form factor for smartphones beyond the slabs we have now.

Outlook

Obviously, this is all personal takes right now. Maybe these are all concerns that Samsung will address and I’ll be left eating my hat.

Maybe in the range of foldables announced, you’ll be able to find your right balance between productivity and entertainment. I’ll reserve any proper judgement until we find out more, and I’ve actually tried these upcoming foldable phones for myself.

More from Tom's Guide

• Your location data is now officially protected by the fourth amendment — here's what that means for you
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 may skip this major Galaxy S26 Ultra upgrade — and its foldable screen is to blame
• 'Easily the biggest leak in Apple's history': iPhone 18 Pro final design may have just been revealed in a stolen drop test video

The next Galaxy Unpacked event is rumored to be happening in less than a month, and should see the unveiling of Samsung's next wave of foldable phones: Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 8. We've already seen a bunch of leaks showing off the three phones, but this extensive leak from Android Headlines gives us our best look yet.

The site has just published a bunch of official looking renders that seem to feature all three of the upcoming phones in a range of official cases including the new wide Galaxy Z Fold 8. It's good to have a more official look at these unreleased phones, even if there aren't really any surprises to be found.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which is the sequel to the Z Fold 7, has been seen in a bunch of colored cases including a carbon fiber-looking design, one with a kickstand and another with a magnetic ring.

That ring suggests that wireless charging isn't going anywhere, but it's too early to tell whether this is the only magnetic connection the Z Fold 8 Ultra will offer (like the Galaxy S26 series).

The idea of full Qi2 magnetic charging coming to the Z Fold 8 Ultra isn't impossible, but I personally don't believe Samsung will make that change on a foldable of all things — especially given it will be slimmer and lighter than its predecessor.

Galaxy Z Fold 8

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 (formerly known as Galaxy Z Fold Wide) renders paint a similar story. There's a familiar carbon fiber-inspired design complete with a kickstand, and a variety of designs featuring cute characters — including Pingu.

Some of these cases also have magnetic rings, suggesting that Qi2 support will be available on the wider foldable as well. But, presumably, without magnets embedded inside the phone itself.

Galaxy Z Flip 8

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 looks much the same as the Z Flip 7, judging from these case renders. Which we were expecting, considering how little attention Samsung seems to pay to its flip foldables each year. These cases also come in a variety of designs, some of which feature cute characters and another appearance of Pingu.

None of that is surprising, though, since Samsung does tend to offer a variety of colorful and striking case designs on Z Flip phones. There's a magnetic ring on at least one of these cases, while others offer a built-in ring grip. Presumably a kickstand is too big to fit considering the Z Flip's cover display takes up more than half the phone.

There isn't a lot of new information to be seen here, but the fact that official-looking accessory renders have leaked shows that the Z Fold 8 launch event is coming up quickly. July 22 is the date that's been rumored, and the closer we get to that date, the more we're likely to hear about the three phones. In the meantime be sure to check out our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 hubs for all the latest news and rumors.

More from Tom's Guide

• 'Easily the biggest leak in Apple's history': iPhone 18 Pro final design may have just been revealed in a stolen drop test video
• iPhone 18 Pro just tipped for minor battery gains — but there's a hidden upgrade coming
• I just tested the phone everybody thinks is a preview of the iPhone Fold — God, I hope they’re wrong

Samsung's updated foldable lineup will debut at its next Galaxy Unpacked event in late July. It'll be an interesting launch as Samsung attempts to get ahead of Apple's iPhone Fold.

But a new leak from regular Samsung leaker Ice Universe claims the 2026 foldables won't have the Galaxy S26 Ultra's best feature: the Privacy Display. Per the rumor, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 will not come with the privacy feature.

The reveal came in response to one of Ice Universe's followers asking about the brightness and the feature. "The Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8 do not have privacy screens," they said.

He went on to say that the foldable would have a peak brightness of 3600 nits, significantly brighter than the S26 Ultra, which clocks in at 2600 nits.

What is Privacy Display and why it might not work on foldables

As a reminder, Samsung built a privacy screen into the display of its flagship S26 Ultra at the hardware level. The technical explanation is that Samsung has built in a filter that narrows the light emitted from each pixel in the display using a black matrix.

That narrow light reaches you but prevents people from snooping in from the side. These narrow light pixels can operate alongside wide light pixels. This means you can activate the Privacy Display on certain parts of the screen but not others, letting you control what any shoulder surfers might see.

It works really well, but was controversial when it launched, with S26 Ultra owners complaining about eye strain and fuzzy text. We found in lab tests that the S26 Ultra is dimmer than its predecessor, even with Privacy Display turned off.

It's notoriously hard to develop foldable screens. Apple allegedly avoided producing an iPhone Fold until it could eliminate the crease created by the folding screen.

Assuming Ice Universe is correct, it's possible that Samsung couldn't make the filter layer work in the Z Fold 8 display and still improve its creasing.

Release and price

The presence or absence of the privacy display was never going to change the price of the new foldables. The most recent leaks suggest the Z Fold 8 will retain its $1,999 starting price, though larger storage and RAM options are expected to cost more.

The Flip 8 is also expected to retain its $1,099 starting price. As for the wider Fold 8 Ultra, it's unclear what price the iPhone Fold will carry, but it likely won't be less than $1,999.

Most of the pricing leaks came earlier this year and don't seem to account for Apple raising prices across the board on every device it makes except the iPhone. Even analysts were surprised by the amounts, suggesting iPhone 18 prices could be much higher than we thought.

That could change Samsung's moving forward, but we won't know until July 22.

More from Tom's Guide

• I knew we weren't crazy! Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron just got sued — accused of using 'AI' to fix prices and screw your wallet in RAMpocalypse
• Samsung S95H is 2026’s OLED to beat
• Google's Android Auto update may have finally fixed the debilitating connection issue that's been plaguing me on road trips

If you've ever felt like Android's autocorrect just wasn't good enough, then you should know that you don't have to suffer in silence. You may not have been aware, but Gboard features something called a "Personal Dictionary," and its hidden feature can be exploited to make your typing experience way better than it currently is.

Provided you know where to go, and what to do, it's actually possible to customize your Personal Dictionary to better suit the way you use your phone. Whether that includes adding words Google is unfamiliar with, fixing all the misplaced autocorrections to keep them from happening, or creating your own custom text shortcuts to make typing things like emails and phone numbers a whole lot easier.

Here's how to access Personal Dictionary on Android phones, and customize the entries to make your life easier.

There you have it, your own personal dictionary complete with words and shortcuts that Google and its keyboard wouldn't otherwise know.

That means the next time you decide you want to type out whatever obscure words or phrases you've picked up, the autocorrect shouldn't automatically change them to something completely different and incomprehensible in the context of your sentence.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tried this new MagSafe wallet that looks better the longer I use it — and it's got Find My support built in
• I used to find my iPhone's Shortcuts app intimidating — then iOS 27 changed everything
• iOS 27 has a new ‘Liquid Glass’ slider — here's how to find it and use it