Samsung Electronics took over London this week for its July 2026 Galaxy Unpacked event, pulling back the curtain on the eighth generation of its foldable lineup. The star of the show was undoubtedly the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, the first device to carry the Ultra badge in the company’s foldable portfolio. Samsung clearly wanted to make a statement with this one, and it delivers an impressively thin profile of just 4.1 millimeters when unfolded and a weight of only 215 grams, making it the thinnest Galaxy Z Fold yet. The expansive eight-inch main display is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor paired with a 5,000mAh battery, and Samsung’s proprietary Flex Titanium technology works behind the scenes to reduce the visibility of the display crease while boosting overall durability.
What sets the Fold8 Ultra apart from previous generations is how deeply AI has been woven into the multitasking experience. A feature called Now Nudge uses agentic AI to anticipate when you might need multiple apps open at once, proactively suggesting actions like adding dinner plans from a text message directly to your calendar and splitting the screen accordingly. Gemini Notebook takes meeting notes or audio recordings and transforms them into summaries, presentation slides, podcasts, quizzes, and even AI-generated videos. The standard Galaxy Z Fold8 also got a significant redesign this year, moving to a 4:3 aspect ratio on its 7.6-inch main display that feels natural whether you are watching movies, reading e-books, or scrolling through short-form content on the cover screen’s familiar 10:16 ratio. At just 201 grams, it is the lightest Galaxy Z Fold model Samsung has produced.
The Galaxy Z Flip8 rounds out the trio with a focus on doing more without ever needing to open the phone. At 6.1 millimeters thick unfolded and weighing 180 grams, it prioritizes portability while still packing a stronger frame and a newly engineered hinge built from high-strength materials. The real upgrade lives in the FlexWindow, which has evolved well beyond a notification hub into something approaching a fully functional external interface. Users can now browse photos, chat through messaging apps, and check personalized information cards through the new Now Brief feature, which surfaces weather, schedules, exchange rates, and stock updates throughout the day. Camera features like Camcorder Grip for stable one-handed recording and Dual Recording for capturing both creator and subject simultaneously further cement the Flip8 as a content creation tool rather than just a stylish accessory.
Together, these three devices represent Samsung’s clearest vision yet of what foldables can be when hardware innovation meets genuinely useful artificial intelligence. Whether users want maximum productivity, reimagined everyday use, or pocket-friendly creativity, the eighth-generation lineup offers a distinct experience tailored to each lifestyle — all anchored by an increasingly capable ecosystem of agents working quietly in the background.