Samsung unveiled three new foldable smartphones on Wednesday at an event in London, expanding its Galaxy Z lineup to three distinct devices as Apple $AAPL is widely expected to release its first foldable iPhone later this year.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Z Fold8, and Z Flip8 go on sale as Samsung faces its first foldable competition from Apple
Credit: Samsung
Samsung unveiled three new foldable smartphones on Wednesday at an event in London, expanding its Galaxy Z lineup to three distinct devices as Apple $AAPL is widely expected to release its first foldable iPhone later this year.
The three new devices and their starting prices are the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra at $2,099, the Galaxy Z Fold8 at $1,899, and the Galaxy Z Flip8 at $1,199, according to CNBC. All three are available for pre-order. Both the Fold8 Ultra and Flip8 carry price tags $100 higher than their respective predecessors, which traced the increases to surging memory chip costs tied to AI-sector demand and constrained supply.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is Samsung's first foldable to carry the "Ultra" designation. It features an 8-inch main display that measures 4.1 millimeters thick when unfolded and weighs 215 grams, a 200-megapixel main camera, a 5,000 mAh battery, and a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. The Galaxy Z Fold8 introduces a new form factor with a 7.6-inch main display built around a 4:3 aspect ratio, dual 50-megapixel cameras, a 4,800 mAh battery, and the same Snapdragon processor. At 201 grams, the company said it is the lightest Galaxy Z Fold yet. The Galaxy Z Flip8 weighs 180 grams and measures 6.1 millimeters thick when unfolded, with a 4,300 mAh battery and a redesigned FlexWindow cover screen.
All three devices run Android 17 with Samsung's One UI 9 software and include support for Galaxy AI features, including Now Brief, Now Nudge, and integration with Google $GOOGL's Gemini.
The Z Fold8's squarish form factor represents a deliberate design shift. Ben Wood, chief analyst and chief marketing officer at CCS Insight, said that Samsung's move to a wider screen format was not surprising given reports that Apple's foldable iPhone is expected to use a similar wide-screen design. "It is little surprise that we have seen Samsung deliver a different form factor for its Fold portfolio, because it has been widely rumoured that Apple is looking to have a wide screen foldable for the forthcoming iPhone and it is something that Samsung and others are keen to get ahead of," Wood said.
Wood also said that Apple entering the foldable category carries significant implications for Samsung. "2026 is a huge year for foldables with the near certainty that Apple will be unleashing a foldable iPhone later in the year," he said. "Therefore, this is a critical launch for Samsung who were the market makers in this category, because Apple joining any category immediately gives it another level of legitimacy."
Samsung has held a commanding position in the foldable market since introducing the category's first device in 2019, according to CNBC.
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