Samsung unveiled three new foldable smartphones at its July 22, 2026 event in London: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Flip 8. Preorders began that day, with availability set for August 7, 2026 [1, 2, 3].
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is Samsung's thinnest foldable to date, measuring 4.1 mm thick when unfolded and weighing about 215 grams. It features a 6.5-inch cover display, an 8-inch internal display, a 5000 mAh battery, and supports 45W wired and 20W wireless charging. Its camera system includes a triple setup with a 200 MP main sensor [1, 4, 5, 6].
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 offers a wider 7.6-inch main display with a 4:3 aspect ratio optimized for video and reading, plus a 5.5-inch cover display. It has a 4800 mAh battery and a dual 50 MP rear camera. It weighs 201 grams (7.09 ounces) [1, 2, 7, 8, 6].
The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is a thinner, slightly lighter clamshell phone with similar design and cameras as its 2025 predecessor. It uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and retains the same battery capacity as the Flip 7 [1, 7, 9, 6].
All three models run Android 17 with Samsung's One UI 9 featuring new AI capabilities called Gemini Intelligence. This system enables task automation across more than 40 apps [2, 7, 10, 11]. The Fold 8 Ultra and Fold 8 introduce Flex Titanium technology under the display to reduce crease visibility and improve durability [4, 5, 8].
Samsung raised prices compared to last year’s models, citing rising memory chip costs amid AI demand and supply constraints. The Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2099, the Fold 8 at $1899, and the Flip 8 at $1199 [2, 7, 10, 3]. Omdia senior analyst Sheng Win Chow said, "Memory is a much smaller share of the bill of materials on a device above US$1,500 than on a mid-range phone, so there is more room to absorb (higher chip prices) at the top-end. The harder question is what justifies the price. A bigger screen alone is no longer enough" [2].
Market analysts emphasized the significance of this launch. Francisco Jeronimo, IDC vice president, noted, "Strategically, this is one of Samsung’s most important foldable launches. Samsung has to defend the category it created, and that’s why it cannot play it safe." Ben Wood, CCS Insight chief analyst, added, "2026 is a huge year for foldables with the near certainty that Apple will be unleashing a foldable iPhone later in the year. Therefore, this is a critical launch for Samsung who were the market makers in this category" [2, 3].
Samsung also offers promotions such as Amazon gift cards up to $350 with Fold 8 Ultra preorders [10, 12]. Despite an overall smartphone market decline forecast of 14% in 2026, Samsung expects foldable smartphone shipments to grow 20% this year [2].
The new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8, and Flip 8 will officially release and be available for purchase starting August 7, 2026 [1, 7, 10, 12].
