Forget Galaxy Fold Ultra — here's what Samsung needs to reveal at Unpacked

For nearly the past year, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has been one of my daily drivers.

That’s because it’s a powerhouse that can handle my work-life balance with its excellent cameras, long battery life to get me through work, and the entertainment value it offers with its expansive 7.6-inch main display. It also works well as a desktop PC replacement thanks to Samsung DeX.

Samsung’s tipped to reveal a much improved version of its book-style foldable phone at its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event on July 9.

What’s unusual about this year’s upcoming notebook style foldable is the amount of teasers that the company has dropped so far. Not only is it expected to be one of the thinnest foldable phones around, but it’s also going to be getting bigger AI camera upgrades.

All of this is hyping up what’s presumably going to be called the Galaxy Z Fold Ultra, but I think Samsung could be missing a huge opportunity by not doing the same for the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Here’s why.

Imagine a Galaxy S25 Ultra, but in a flip phone form factor

Even though the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the best phone you can get, thanks to its outstanding overall performance and utility, I would love to see it transformed into a flip-style phone. If Samsung were to give the same ‘ultra’ treatment it’s been teasing with the forthcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Z Flip 7 could be the phone to beat.

But it wouldn’t be just taking the existing design and making it fold. Instead, it should get the same ultra-thin construction that Samsung’s been teasing — perhaps to the same degree as what I’ve seen with the Galaxy S25 Edge. And finally, it should get the same camera treatment consisting of a 200MP main camera, an ultrawide, and a telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom.

Reinventing how AI is accessed

If you’ve ever watched the 2013 Spike Jonze directed film “Her,” then you’re aware about Samantha and how it’s what all of today’ AI chatbots strive to become.

I’ve been using Gemini Live ever since it debuted with the Pixel 9 series last year and I think an Ultra version of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 could finally be the perfect embodiment of Samantha.

Gemini Live lets me tap my phone’s camera to see what I’m seeing and ask Gemini questions. Since the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a flip-style phone, I could see myself putting the phone in my shirt pocket in such a way that only the one half of the phone with the outer screen hangs off the sleeve.

t’s like how Joaquin Phoenix’s character in the film carries around Samantha in his shirt pocket, giving the AI assistant access to see the world and interact with it in a more natural way.

I wouldn't be able to do this with a book-style foldable phone like the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Much more practical outer screen

One thing that annoys me about notebook-style foldables is that they’re no easier to handle, even when they’re closed and just relying on their outer screens. After testing out the Motorola Razr Ultra (2025), it proves yet again how the outer screens in flip-style phones are underrated.

All of today’s phones are simply too big to comfortably handle with one-handed use, which is why I often default to the outer screen with my Razr Ultra (2025) when I’m waiting to reach my subway stop.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is tipped to come with an even larger 4-inch cover screen, which I think could benefit from having full apps support by default — rather than burying the feature.

Since it would get the ‘ultra’ treatment, it would be even better if the camera app is unlocked to leverage more of the manual controls that’s available when the phone’s opened.

Right now, camera controls are limited to the basics and you can’t select the option to shoot in 4K. That’s why it would be even better if an ‘ultra’ version could give me these controls and much more.

Power of a computer in my pocket

In my Galaxy Z Flip 6 review, I explicitly said how I was disappointed to find out that it doesn’t support Samsung DeX. The feature has proven to be a lifesaver countless times in the past year wherever I left my laptop at home, by connecting the Galaxy Z Fold 6 to my work monitor — essentially giving me that desktop experience.

I’m not hopeful that Samsung will bring it to the Galaxy Z Flip 7 either, but I think it would be an extra incentive for an Ultra model. Considering how Google has been collaborating with Samsung to bring a desktop mode with Android 16, it would be also better if Samsung upgrades DeX to be even more powerful.

More from Tom's Guide

• I wasn’t sure how different the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 would really be — but then I saw these leaked renders
• Google Pixel 11 could finally catch up to Samsung and Apple on performance — here's how
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 prices leaked — and it's worse than we expected