Galaxy Z Fold 8 & Z Flip 8: Specs, Price, Release Date

Samsung has confirmed its next Galaxy Unpacked for July 22, 2026, and the headliner is the Galaxy Z Fold 8 — joined by a wider new sibling that could reshape the entire Fold line. Here is the honest state of play: the event date, the Galaxy Watch reveal and last year's prices are confirmed, while every Galaxy Z Fold 8 spec, price and chipset circulating right now is still a leak. If you are weighing an upgrade against keeping your current phone, this roundup keeps those two buckets separate and closes with a straight verdict.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: date, time and how to watch

Samsung has officially confirmed that Galaxy Unpacked takes place on July 22, 2026, at 2 PM BST (9 AM ET / 6 AM PT) in London, streamed live on Samsung's website and YouTube channel [CONFIRMED]. That part is not a rumor — it comes straight from Samsung's own teaser, so you can put it in your calendar.

The teaser itself is deliberately thin. It promises only "foldables and Galaxy Watches" [CONFIRMED] — no model names, no specs, no prices. Everything past that headline is reporting and leaks. Hold that line as you read: the date and the product categories are locked; the details are not, and Samsung is the only source that can confirm them on stage.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 release date and pre-order timeline

Following Samsung's usual playbook, pre-orders are expected to open on event day, July 22, with general availability landing around Friday, August 7, 2026 [REPORTED]. Samsung typically runs a two-to-three-week reservation window between the reveal and shipping, often sweetened with storage upgrades or credit for reservers, and the current leaks line up with that rhythm. Treat the on-sale date as a strong estimate rather than a promise until it is announced.

If you want the Galaxy Z Fold 8 on day one, the practical move is to register your interest with Samsung before July 22 so you are first in the pre-order queue — that reservation is free and does not commit you to buying.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 price: what the leaks say

This is where you should be most cautious. Leakers currently peg the Galaxy Z Fold 8 at around $1,899 to start, with the wider "Z Fold 8 Ultra" from roughly $2,099, and the 512GB and 1TB tiers adding another $400–$500 on top [REPORTED]. For context, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 launched in July 2025 at $1,999.99 for 256GB [CONFIRMED], so a $1,899 base would actually be a slight drop — plausible, but unconfirmed.

Pricing also shifts by region once VAT and local taxes apply across the US, UK and Australia, so read any single-currency figure as a starting reference, not a quote. Do not budget around these numbers until Samsung reads them out.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Z Fold 8 Ultra: the new passport-shaped foldable

The biggest storyline this year is a shape change. Reports point to Samsung splitting the Fold into two devices: the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 and a wider model variously called the "Z Fold 8 Ultra" or "Z Fold 8 Wide," built around a new passport-shaped form factor for a more usable cover screen [REPORTED]. The pitch is that a broader closed phone feels less like a narrow remote and more like an ordinary handset when folded shut — the single most common complaint about tall, skinny foldables.

Note the unsettled name: sources disagree on "Ultra" versus "Wide," so do not assume either is final. What stays consistent across the leaks is the concept — a wider, squarer Fold sitting above the regular one, likely at a higher price.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 specs: chipset, cameras, battery, display

On silicon, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is rumored to run the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy — the same chip reportedly powering the Galaxy S26 Ultra [REPORTED]. That would give the Fold flagship-grade performance without the throttling foldables are sometimes accused of.

For cameras, expect the 200MP main sensor and 10MP front and cover cameras to carry over from the Z Fold 7, with a possible ultra-wide jump from 12MP to 50MP and a telephoto bump from 10MP to 12MP [REPORTED]. If those hold, the ultra-wide is the meaningful upgrade — the rest is refinement.

Battery is where the Ultra earns its badge: the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 is rumored at roughly 4,800mAh and the Ultra at around 5,000mAh, both up from the Z Fold 7's confirmed 4,400mAh [REPORTED]. Every figure in this section is a leak — Samsung has confirmed none of them, and spec sheets often shift in the final weeks before launch.

Galaxy Z Flip 8: what's new for the clamshell

The clamshell draws less noise but has a couple of meaningful rumored changes. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is reported to use an Exynos 2600 chip, continuing the Flip line's move to Exynos — the Z Flip 7 was the first Flip to use one, which is confirmed for that 2025 model. Leaks suggest a thinner, lighter body and possibly faster charging, with cameras and battery broadly similar to the Flip 7 [REPORTED]. If you want a foldable under $1,200, the Flip 8 is the one to watch, and it usually steals a chunk of the launch-day attention despite the Fold getting the headlines.

Spec and price comparison: Z Fold 8 vs Z Fold 7 vs Z Flip 8 vs Z Flip 7

Read the 2025 columns as confirmed and the 2026 columns as leaks.

Only the 2025 figures are confirmed. Treat every 2026 cell as "specs to be confirmed at Unpacked," and expect at least one surprise Samsung has kept off the leak sheet.

Everything else at Unpacked: Galaxy Watch 9, Watch Ultra 2 and Galaxy Glasses

Beyond phones, the event is expected to bring the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, plus Samsung's Android XR "Galaxy Glasses" with Gemini integration [REPORTED]. The glasses are the wildcard — a first real consumer step in Samsung's XR partnership with Google, and potentially the most interesting reveal of the day. If you care about where the on-device AI powering these devices is heading, our LLM leaderboard tracks how Gemini and its rivals actually stack up on real benchmarks.

Should you upgrade from the Z Fold 7 (or older)?

Here is the verdict. If you own a Galaxy Z Fold 7, wait — do not pre-order blind. The rumored gains (a newer chip, a slightly larger battery, a better ultra-wide) are incremental, and the genuinely new idea is the wider Ultra/Wide model, which you should see and hold in person before spending $2,000.

If you own a Z Fold 5, Fold 4 or a regular slab phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a far easier yes. The multi-year jump in hinge durability, screen brightness and software support is real, and waiting the few days for the July 22 reveal costs you nothing. For clamshell shoppers, the Z Flip 8 is the value pick of the lineup, and last year's Z Flip 7 will get discounted the moment the new one lands.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs iPhone Fold and Pixel 11 Pro Fold

2026 is the year foldables go mainstream. Apple's first foldable — widely called the iPhone Fold — is expected in September, and Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold is due in August [REPORTED]. Samsung's edge is a seven-generation head start on hinges and multitasking software; the newcomers' edge is fresh design and ecosystem lock-in. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 does not have to be the most exciting foldable of the year to be the safest one, and for most Android buyers it still is. If you tinker with your own Android builds, a mature foldable also pairs neatly with tools like our website-to-APK converter.

The bottom line: the July 22 date is real, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is coming, and the smart play is to watch Unpacked live, confirm the price and specs yourself, then decide. Nothing on the current leak sheet is worth a blind pre-order.