In an all-too common (and annoying) tactic these days, Samsung has been drip teasing its «Ultra-experience» for more than a month prior to Unpacked, despite the lack of anything named «Ultra» besides a new blue version of the Watch that bears the name. We’ve seen teasing views of the new Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Z Flip 7 and 7 FE and the Watch 8 (and the Watch 8 Classic), which are now officially official.
All the devices debut One UI 8, Samsung’s skin and apps for Android 16, which brings a new look of its own and increased Gemini AI integration to its partner’s products. One UI 7 is still rolling out to Samsung’s older phones. Lots of One UI 8’s feature updates are agentic AI-based thanks to Gemini.
Those features include AI Mode, a multistep-capable version of Circle to Search, plus Gemini Live to search via the camera and perform actions across apps. The phones come with six months of Google AI Pro, Google AI Ultra’s affordable sibling. Along with the usual anticipatory reminders, summaries, writing help and so on, Samsung has updated its security to sandboxed apps that are encrypted on-device.
On the other hand, Senior Reporter Imad Khan opined during our event group chat «I’m using the Z Fold 6. I’m an AI reporter. I’ve never seen any of these AI features actually ever surface in my normal use.» So there’s that.
If you want a deeper play-by-play, check out the archived version of our live blog. And if you’ve decided that the newest Galaxys aren’t worth the money, look for upcoming Prime Day deals on other models like the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy A36 and more.
Galaxy Z Fold 7: Thin is in for this foldable
In a pre-Unpacked interview with Senior Editor Abrar Al-Heeti, Samsung implied that it believes the Z Fold 7‘s thinness and improved cameras will make it a turning point for foldables, stating that its «newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet» — that there are no more tradeoffs between the type of phones we’ve become used to and the folding models. And the Z Fold 6 really is chunky; in contrast, the Z Fold 7 is thinner than even the S25 Edge when open.
Notably, it incorporates the same 200-megapixel main camera as the thicker S25 Ultra, as well as 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto cameras and a 10MP selfie camera on the inner and cover screens. The battery capacity stays the same as the previous model. Gemini can run on the cover for quick access. The processor is the new Snapdragon 8 Elite, and apps are optimized for the big screen as well as for transitions between the smaller and larger screens.
There is one tradeoff that remains, though: price. It starts at $2,000, more than most standard phones. It will come in black, blue, silver and light green. Preorders start today, with devices shipping at the end of the month.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 and 7FE: Bigger or cheaper
Samsung redesigned the Galaxy Z Flip 7 for this year’s line, with a thinner body — 6.5mm when unfolded — 4.1-inch cover screen (FlexWindow) that runs at 120Hz like the main screen (and hits a peak brightness of 2,600 nits), a 6.9-inch main display and a larger 4,300-mAh battery. The FE is more like the last-generation Galaxy Z Flip 6, smaller than the 7 with a 3.4-inch cover screen and the older model’s cut-out for the cameras.
The Flip 7 has a 50MP wide-angle main camera plus a 12MP ultrawide, the same as on the 6. There are enhancements to the image pipeline, though, and Samsung added 10-bit HDR video, updates to portrait shooting, and a zoom slider. There’s a 10MP selfie camera on the main display.
On the other hand, the Z Flip 7FE seems less of a «Fan Edition» and more like a «we have to hit a price below $1,000» version. It’s essentially the same as the 6, albeit with Samsung’s Exynos 2400 processor rather than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, likely for its better heat management to compensate for the 7FE’s thinner body. It also comes with less storage at the lower price, 128GB, and tops out at a lower 256GB. But it’s still not cheap enough.
Both phones are now available for preorder, shipping on July 25. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 starts at $1,100 (it comes in blue, black and coral), while the FE model (your options are black or white) is $200 less, starting at $900.
Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic: Rotate me again
Samsung redesigned the latest generation to look more like the Watch Ultra — circular face set within a rounded rectangle bezel quick-action button, plus a rotating bezel on the Classic — and thinner and lighter than their preceding models, but with slightly higher battery capacity for the Watch 8. A new band design ensures the sensors are pressed more tightly to your wrist (for more reliable data capture).
The watches also have double the storage. More space is essential to handle larger local AI models, especially now that Gemini is now integrated into Samsung’s One UI 8 on Wear OS and handling more complex and multistep requests. That’s not to say Gemini runs completely locally: It still requires an internet connection, either via an LTE model of the watch or paired with a phone.
New health data available to factor into wellness suggestions include a needle-free Antioxidant Index and Vascular Load (strain on your heart during sleep), plus Bedtime Guidance aggregates metrics to help you AI your way to better sleep. Samsung also follows Apple’s Workout Buddy with its own Running Coach, but the latter acts more of a personal trainer than cheerleader.
Samsung bought Xealth, a company that integrates health provider connections with personal devices; the plan is bringing deeper management into Watch.
You can preorder now, with prices for the Watch 8 starting at $350, the Classic starting at $500 and a new Titanium Blue model of the Ultra — which includes the increased storage — running $650.