Samsung opens ‘Galaxy Unpacked 2026’ in London tomorrow, July 22, at 10 p.m. Korea time. The event is subtitled ‘A New Shape Unfolds’, and three new foldables will be shown. What makes this Unpacked worth watching is not a spec sheet but a shape. A wider 4:3 model — the so-called ‘passport-style’ foldable — joins the lineup. 📱

TL;DR

  • July 22, 10 p.m. KST (2 p.m. local) at Old Billingsgate, London, streamed live on Samsung.com, Newsroom and YouTube.
  • Three foldables. Among them, the 4:3 ‘passport-style’ wide model is a brand-new form factor.
  • ‘Flex Titanium’, a crease-reducing technology, was revealed last week, and the Galaxy Watch9 and AI Glasses are expected to appear as well.

🗓️ When and where is Unpacked being held?

Let’s start with what is confirmed. The date, time, venue and streaming channels all come straight from the invitation Samsung distributed officially.

Samsung locked in the schedule on July 8, sending invitations to media worldwide. The event runs at 2 p.m. local time on July 22 — 10 p.m. the same day in Korea — at Old Billingsgate in London. It will be streamed online via Samsung.com, Samsung Newsroom and Samsung’s YouTube channel.

The official name is ‘Galaxy Unpacked 2026 (Galaxy Unpacked July 2026: A New Shape Unfolds)’. The phrase ‘A New Shape’ effectively sums up the character of this event. So does the invitation image: it depicts the top of an elongated card bearing the Galaxy AI logo being trimmed away, hinting at a form that is wider than the existing Fold.

📐 What makes the ‘passport-style’ wide model different?

The core difference is screen ratio. Unlike the tall, narrow Fold, this model folds into a passport-like shape closer to 4:3.

The existing Galaxy Fold was taller than it was wide when opened. The new wide model is broader across and somewhat shorter vertically. Because it resembles an open passport, it picked up the ‘passport-style’ label.

This shape offers two practical advantages.

  • Content immersion: Wide content such as video and web documents can use more of the screen.
  • Multitasking and AI work: When the display is split left and right, each pane gets more room. That structure favors workflows where an AI assistant surfaces output while the user works alongside it.

That said, the product name is written differently across sources, so it cannot be treated as settled. Seoul Economic Daily calls the new model the ‘Galaxy Z WideFold’ and describes the lineup as three devices — Z Flip8, Z Fold8 and WideFold. ZDNet Korea labels the wide model itself the ‘Galaxy Z Fold8’ and counts three devices alongside a Z Fold8 Ultra and Z Flip8. The official naming is best confirmed on the day of the event.

🔬 Has the crease problem actually been solved?

On July 15, a week before Unpacked, Samsung separately unveiled ‘Flex Titanium’, a technology that reduces the crease left by folding.

The long-standing weakness of foldable phones has been the fold mark running down the middle of the display. Samsung’s answer is a change of material. In place of the conventional plastic (polymer) film, it uses a titanium alloy film combined with an upgraded titanium plate in a dual structure.

  • Thinness: An ultra-precision rolling process reportedly made it about one-third the thickness of a human hair.
  • Rigidity and flexibility: It is harder than polymer, while micro-hole machining is applied so the folding section retains flexibility.

The specific scope of application and the real-world effect will be revealed alongside the products on July 22. Until hands-on reviews arrive, it is worth keeping in mind that this remains the manufacturer’s own account.

👀 What else is coming, and what remains unconfirmed

Beyond the foldables, the Galaxy Watch9 series and Galaxy’s first eyewear device, ‘AI Glasses’, are reported to be part of this event.

On the wearables side, the Galaxy Watch9 series and Watch Ultra line are both being mentioned. If the eyewear device is shown in physical form, it could read as a signal that Samsung is not betting its form-factor expansion on foldables alone.

By contrast, the following should be treated as reference material only, as it has not been cross-verified.

  • Production forecast: PhoneArena reported that the tipster ‘Ice Universe’ cited plans to produce roughly 2.8 million wide models, 2 million Ultra units and 1.5 million Flip8 units. This is not an official Samsung announcement and rests on a single source.
  • Chipset configuration: There is speculation that, unlike its predecessor, the Z Flip8 will use Qualcomm Snapdragon chips split by region, but this has not been announced as a confirmed specification.
  • Pricing: Forecasts suggest prices will run higher than the previous generation due to rising memory costs — so-called ‘chipflation’ — and performance gains. No specific pricing has been disclosed.

There is a competitive backdrop as well. With Apple reported to be launching its first foldable this year, Samsung ends up putting the wide form factor on the market first.

Overall 📝

This Unpacked looks like an event weighted toward form-factor experimentation rather than a spec race. Samsung, which effectively opened the foldable market, is stretching the tall book-type template it has held for more than seven years.

Three things are worth watching. First, whether the wide model’s thickness and weight actually support the passport concept. Second, whether Flex Titanium goes beyond marketing copy and is felt in daily use — that requires early reviews to judge. Third, price. What the device costs in the middle of chipflation may well determine how quickly the new form factor spreads.

The answers arrive tomorrow at 10 p.m. Until then, most of the specs and prices circulating are leaks and speculation. 🕙

※ This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

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