Everything announced at Galaxy Unpacked 2026: Can Samsung compete with the rumored foldable iPhone?
Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Watch 9, and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 at its Unpacked event in London, with a bold 4:3 foldable design and new Flex Titanium crease-reduction tech.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
Samsung used its London Unpacked to stake out a foldable-first identity as Apple's rumored foldable iPhone looms this fall. Headline hardware: a slim, lightweight Z Fold 8 with a passport-sized form factor and a redesigned hinge, plus a first-ever Ultra foldable and two new smartwatches.
Samsung showed off new phones that fold open like a book. The newest one, the Z Fold 8, is super thin and light, and the line you can usually see in the middle of folding screens is almost gone now. Samsung is racing to get people excited about folding phones before Apple possibly releases its own folding iPhone later this year.
Analysis
The Passport Gambit
Samsung's most surprising move wasn't a spec bump or a camera upgrade — it was the form factor. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 adopts a squat, passport-sized 4:3 inner display that breaks from the tall-and-narrow profile Samsung has used for years. At 9.7mm closed and just 201 grams, it's the lightest Z Fold Samsung has ever shipped, and according to ZDNET's on-site reporting, the device feels different in the hand in ways that take a few minutes to appreciate. This is a deliberate aesthetic bet: Samsung wants the Z Fold 8 to look and feel like nothing else on the market at the moment Apple is expected to debut its own foldable. The risk is real — a 4:3 ratio won't suit everyone, and Samsung is asking consumers to relearn how a "phone" should feel.
Engineering the Crease Away
The single biggest complaint about foldables for nearly a decade has been the visible crease running down the middle of the inner display. Samsung's answer for 2026 is a new material it calls Flex Titanium, a titanium-alloy film combined with a titanium plate that improves flexibility while reducing the crease's visibility. ZDNET's hands-on coverage described the result as the best crease Samsung has ever shipped, and the phone now lies fully flat when opened with only a minute gap between the two sides. That sounds incremental, but in the foldable category, crease reduction is the difference between a premium device and a prototype. Samsung is also giving the Z Fold 8 an anti-reflective coating and a bigger battery, two of the most-requested upgrades from existing foldable owners.
The Pre-iPhone Window
The timing of this Unpacked is not accidental. With Apple widely expected to ship a foldable iPhone this fall, Samsung has roughly a quarter to define what a premium foldable looks like before the most influential competitor in the industry enters the space. The company is leaning hard on its seven-year head start, an Ultra-tier foldable for the first time, two new Galaxy Watch models, and even a tease of smart glasses to position its hardware ecosystem as the mature alternative. The gamble is that consumers who have been waiting for foldables to "get good enough" will buy a Z Fold 8 now rather than wait for an unproven first-generation Apple device. If Samsung's design bet pays off and the crease is genuinely minimized, the company could lock in early-adopter loyalty that is very hard for a new entrant to dislodge. If it doesn't, Samsung hands Apple a clean template for what to improve on.
Key points
- Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Watch 9, and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 at its London Unpacked event on July 25, 2026.
- The Z Fold 8 uses a new 4:3 passport-sized form factor, weighs 201 grams, and is 9.7mm closed, making it the lightest Z Fold Samsung has ever made.
- A new 'Flex Titanium' hinge material reduces the display crease and lets the phone lie fully flat when opened, per ZDNET hands-on testing.
- Samsung is positioning the lineup against a rumored foldable iPhone expected to launch this fall, leaning on its seven-year head start in the category.
- All announced products are available for pre-order and are expected to ship on August 7, 2026.
If the 4:3 form factor resonates with consumers and the Flex Titanium crease-reduction proves as effective in real-world use as it did in ZDNET's hands-on testing, Samsung could establish itself as the default foldable brand before Apple's rumored entry this fall. A successful Unpacked would also lift the broader Android foldable category, validating the form factor for developers and accessory makers.
A 4:3 passport-sized foldable is a polarizing design choice, and if early reviewers and buyers reject the new aspect ratio, Samsung will have shipped its flagship foldable in the worst possible window — just months before Apple's entry. There is also a risk that the crease improvement, however real, is still not enough to overcome the durability stigma that has dogged foldables for years, and that any rumored foldable iPhone will capture the media narrative regardless of Samsung's head start.
Market signals
- 005930 The article describes a major product launch with new foldable hardware and ecosystem expansion, which could support Samsung's stock if consumer reception is positive ahead of Apple's rumored foldable iPhone.
AI-generated analysis of potential market relevance. Not financial advice.
