Samsung’s last Galaxy Unpacked event was in February in San Francisco.Samsung/Screenshot by CNET
Samsung’s summer Galaxy Unpacked event happened earlier Wednesday in London, with CNET on the ground to see all the new devices the company unveiled. Samsung usually showcases new foldable phones at its midyear event, like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, but this year things took, let’s say, a different shape.
The company revealed its wide-format Galaxy Z Fold 8 alongside the taller Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, as well as the clamshell Z Flip 8. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Watch 9 were also shown off, plus the XR glasses Samsung developed with Google.
If you’re ready for what’s next, you can experience Samsung Unpacked as it happened, either through CNET’s live blog coverage or the official stream of the event on YouTube.
Unpacked comes just months before Apple’s annual fall event, giving Samsung time to flex its foldable phone prowess ahead of the rumored launch of the foldable iPhone in September. Though Apple’s been rumored to have been working on an iPhone Fold for years, I’ll believe it when I see it. It’ll be interesting to watch what Samsung does with its latest generation of foldables in the meantime.
Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event was in London on July 22.Samsung
Ahead of the event, the rumor mill was churning with predictions about which new devices might be revealed, like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide and Z Fold Ultra, and even the Galaxy smart glasses.
How to watch Galaxy Unpacked
Samsung’s event was livestreamed on Samsung’s website and Samsung’s YouTube channel. You can watch the company’s livestream below:
Galaxy ‘wide’ foldable
The Galaxy Z TriFold isn’t the only odd-shaped foldable Samsung has been apparently working on.Patrick Holland/CNET
Samsung was on its seventh generation of Galaxy Fold devices, and ahead of Wednesday’s event, we expected that both the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 would be refreshed with new processors, a few other tweaks and the number eight on their packaging. But it seems that the company’s designers might be getting bored, as they’ve experimented with the folding form factor enough to bring new designs to market.
We’ve already had the wild Galaxy Z TriFold with its tablet-sized display released back in January, and rumors suggested a wide version of the Fold that packs a 7.6-inch inner display with a 4:3 aspect ratio. That’d make it wider and narrower than the squarish, almost 1:1 aspect ratio of the Z Fold 7’s internal screen, which would theoretically make the new foldable’s inner display better for watching movies, with less wasted space for black bars at the top and bottom.
We expected a more “regular” version of the Z Fold 8, which was said to follow the proportions of the Galaxy Z Fold 7. However, rumors suggested it would be rebranded with the “Ultra” moniker to differentiate it from its wider-format (and potentially less powerful) sibling.
Galaxy XR Glasses
Samsung and Google’s glasses had already been announced, but we were still waiting on more details.Scott Stein/CNET
Google talked for some time about its mixed reality glasses at its I/O event earlier in the summer, including showing off Samsung’s upcoming glasses made in partnership with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. But details about the glasses themselves were a bit thin, with the extent of Samsung’s role held back – likely for the summer Unpacked event.
So while we knew the glasses existed – and CNET’s Scott Stein has already tried some prototypes on – we were excited to hear more details. The glasses will feature cameras and microphones (how else will you interact with Google’s Gemini AI?), but we didn’t yet know how much they’ll cost or exactly when they’ll go on sale.
There was more talk about features and usability at Unpacked, and I was hoping it’ll have a fancy try-on section where I can pop some on my face and see whether my wife can still stand the sight of me.
Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 was said to be unveiled at Samsung’s event.James Martin/CNET
Rumors fueled by firmware updates and certification filings suggest Samsung would showcase two new smartwatches at this year’s Unpacked event. The Watch Ultra 2 – the company’s more rugged, outdoor-focused model – is rumored to get a huge battery boost up to 800 mAh. That’d be the biggest of any Wear OS watch and should help it keep on tracking your wilderness hikes long after your legs have given up from exhaustion.
The Galaxy Watch 9 is also rumored to get a bit of a battery boost, along with both models featuring new processors and potentially refreshed designs.
Galaxy Ring 2 – eh, probably not
Samsung has confirmed it is working on a new Galaxy Ring, but it was too early to see it this summer.Andrew Lanxon/CNET
According to Forbes, Samsung has confirmed that it is working on the Galaxy Ring 2, the follow-up to its 2024 finger-based health tracker. The company’s next ring is expected to get a boost in battery life, feature more advanced tracking and likely come with a refreshed design.
But while the ring might be in active development, it wasn’t likely to be launched at July’s Unpacked event. While I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a teaser of some kind, it’s likely that Samsung would unveil its next Galaxy Ring either at CES at the beginning of 2027 or at Mobile World Congress shortly after.
Andrew Lanxon
Editor at Large; Lead Photographer, Europe
When he’s not testing the latest phones or phone cameras, Andrew can normally be found with his own camera in hand or behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food — sometimes all at once.
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