Samsung Unpacked on July 22 in London promises to be more than an annual refresh: Samsung is expected to unveil a new generation of foldables — including a wider-format Fold — alongside an expanded portfolio of AI-enabled devices, from watches to its first smart glasses.
## Samsung Unpacked: a moment to rethink the foldable
Branded under the slogan “A New Shape Unfolds,” the event will primarily showcase a book-style Fold whose proportions change significantly. After seven years of a passport-like format, Samsung is preparing a device that opens to a display closer to a 4:3 aspect ratio, aimed at delivering a more tablet-like reading and multitasking area while making the external display more usable as a conventional smartphone. Ahead of Unpacked, the company also introduced a new display architecture called Flex Titanium, designed to reduce the visibility of the crease and improve durability.
## A standard Fold and a Fold Ultra: clearer segmentation?
Available leaks point to a two-tier strategy for the Fold line: a mainstream, wider “standard” model and a Fold Ultra focused on productivity and premium use cases. Reported model names are Galaxy Z Fold8 for the mainstream device and Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra for the high-end offering, alongside a thinner, lighter Galaxy Z Flip8. Commercial differentiation will likely come down to screen size, camera systems, battery life, memory, stylus support and multitasking capabilities.
## Price pressure: the impact of a memory shortage
The factor most likely to shape early reception is price. Heavy demand from data centers for high-bandwidth memory has tightened supplies of the DRAM and NAND used in smartphones, pushing component costs higher. Cited figures show memory’s share of the bill on an $800 smartphone rising from roughly 14% in early 2025 to nearly 40%, with the DRAM+NAND cost jumping from about $63 to $291. For foldables — already costly to produce — this inflation is material. European price leaks suggest a Fold8 around €1,999, a Fold8 Ultra at €2,199 and roughly €100 increases on some Flip models — unconfirmed figures but indicative of upward pricing pressure.
## Personalized AI as the throughline
Beyond hardware, Samsung will emphasize AI that “understands the user.” Roh Tae-moon, co‑CEO responsible for devices, has suggested the advantage won’t be simply the most powerful model but the one that best grasps user context. The stated aim is tighter integration across phones, watches and other Galaxy devices to share calendars, tasks, health data and routines, delivering more natural, personalized experiences — while Samsung will also need to clarify safeguards for data protection and user control.
## Watches moving from tracking to guidance — and AI glasses to watch
On wearables, the next Galaxy Watch generation appears to shift from passive tracking to active interpretation: sleep, heart rate, respiration, skin temperature and SpO2 analytics could translate into exercise-intensity and recovery recommendations. The Watch Ultra 2 targets outdoor athletes with a larger battery, a brighter display and increased storage.
Samsung may also reveal its first AI glasses, co-developed with Google on Android XR and Gemini. Those glasses are reported to bring photography, messaging, navigation, object recognition and real-time translation via onboard cameras, microphones and speakers.
Expect Samsung to put these devices and services on stage in London on July 22 — a preview of how foldables and AI will shape its device ecosystem going forward.
