Samsung unveils foldable lineup in London for first time in 14 years

At 2 p.m. Monday (local time), a massive "Galaxy Unpacked 2026" advertisement draped the exterior of a building at Piccadilly Circus in central London. Passersby paused to take in the billboard. "A new shape unfolds" — a short but striking line that signaled the dawn of a new era in foldable phones.

Samsung's 4:3-ratio foldable phone is finally ready to make its debut. The company is set to unveil its next generation of foldable devices in London — the same city where it launched the Galaxy S3 14 years ago.

Leading the lineup is the Galaxy Z Fold8, which adopts a 4:3 aspect ratio to maximize the entertainment experience, joined by the Fold8 Ultra and the Flip8. Samsung aims to cement its position as the pioneer of the global foldable phone market with a Galaxy Z series that is thinner and lighter than ever before.

Samsung Electronics held Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in London on Wednesday at 10 p.m. Korea Standard Time, unveiling the Galaxy Z Fold8 — a new form factor with a passport-style 4:3 aspect ratio — alongside the broader Galaxy Z series, Galaxy Watch and smart glasses.

Anticipation for the new form factor was visible across London. Billboards lining the route from Heathrow Airport into the city center built excitement for the event. From Piccadilly Circus to the city's iconic red double-decker buses, the entire city seemed dressed for Galaxy Unpacked 2026.

Global attention, not just that of Londoners, was fixed on the Galaxy Z Fold8. The new 4:3 model is wider and shorter than its predecessor, featuring a 5.5-inch external display and a 7.6-inch internal display.

It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, Generation 5 — the same chip found in the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Despite the upgraded internals, the device measures just 4.1 millimeters thick and weighs 201 grams, making it thinner and lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold7. It supports a 4,800 mAh battery and 45W wired charging.

Samsung's newly introduced Flex Titanium display reduces creasing at the fold while also improving thickness, durability and power efficiency.

The ultra-premium Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra retains the existing 3:2 aspect ratio. It features an 8-inch display, a 5,000 mAh battery and a 200-megapixel main camera, and runs on the same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, Generation 5 chip.

The Galaxy Z Flip8 will ship with either Qualcomm Snapdragon or Samsung Electronics' Exynos 2600, depending on the market. Its battery capacity stays at 4,300 mAh, matching the previous model, but the unfolded thickness shrinks by 0.4 millimeters to 6.1 millimeters.

The camera system pairs a 50-megapixel main camera with a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera.

However, a broad price increase across the Galaxy Z series appears unavoidable. Surging demand for AI semiconductor memory chips has tightened the supply of DRAM used in smartphones.

Galaxy Unpacked 2026 also featured next-generation wearables, including a new Galaxy Watch and smart glasses. Samsung Electronics expects the launches to further consolidate its Galaxy ecosystem.

The next-generation Galaxy Watch goes beyond logging health metrics — it interprets the user's physical condition and offers behavioral guidance.

Its features include analysis of biometric signs during sleep such as heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, skin temperature and blood oxygen levels; a cardiac health score covering cardiovascular condition; exercise intensity and recovery time recommendations; fitness level analysis; and hearing protection through ambient noise and earphone volume monitoring.

The new smart glasses, previewed at Google's developer conference in May, will also make their full debut. A collaboration between Samsung and Google, the device runs on the Android XR operating system and incorporates Google Gemini.