Google has just revealed its all-new family of Pixel 11 devices – and very nice each of them looks, too.

From the base Pixel 11, to the step-up Pixel 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL and 11 Pro Fold handsets – the latter selection with the new HiLife feature – there's an option for everyone (who wants one of the best Android phones anyway).

But while the Pixel 11 series upgrades the internals with the latest Tensor G6 processor, one of the previous big benefits in buying a Pixel from new has been effectively downgraded.

Purchase any Pixel 11 and you gain 6 months of access to Google's AI Pro plan, offering 5TB cloud storage, 4x higher usage limits with Gemini, YouTube Premium Lite and other benefits.

Previously, the Pixel 10 (Pro, Pro XL and Pro Fold models only) offered 12 months of access to Google's AI Pro plan. So with the latest handset that's a reduction of 50% – which is huge.

Even more troubling is that, per Google's own Gemini Apps Help page, you could still buy a Pixel 10 Pro (including XL or Fold) right now and still gain the full 12 months of access to AI Pro – as the cut-off date for this is 31 October 2026. That's well after you can get hold of a newer Pixel 11 handset.

This feels like a big reduction in services, in what is one of Google's major strengths. Granted, AI Pro now offers more – the previous storage volume was 2TB, not 5TB, for example – but most people mid-way through a contract may find the sudden extra bill troublesome.

After all, the Google AI Pro plan is priced at £18.99 per month – it's $19.99 in the USA and AU$32.99 in Australia – which adds up to £113.94 over that 6-month difference (or $119.94 / AU$197.94).

Granted, Google has generation-on-generation reduced the price, as leaked a month ago, but the minor reduction in hardware isn't nearly compensated by this change.

This all feels like an active decision in the normalisation of AI service fees – to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if the 'Pixel 12' only offers a month of courtesy access, before the 'Pixel 13' rescinds any kind of offer at all.

What's the Pixel 11 series' price?

Here's what you'll pay for Google's latest handsets:

Pixel 11 with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £879 / $899 / AU$1,499

Pixel 11 Pro with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,079 / $1,099 / AU$1,849

Pixel 11 Pro XL with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,279 / $1,299 / AU$2,099

Pixel 11 Pro Fold with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage – £1,799 / $1,899 / AU$2,799

This year is turning out to be quite the biggie for folding phones. And while Samsung might be stealing the limelight with its Galaxy Z Fold 8 product, Google is also on top form.

As part of its Pixel 11 line-up, Google has also revealed the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, the fourth-generation model in the device's history – and a step up over its 10 Pro Fold predecessor in a number of ways.

While the previous model was barely different to the generation before it, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold steps out with a 10% reduction in weight and 1mm reduction in thickness as being two of its major design upsells.

That's not all, though. Like the other Pro models in the Pixel 11 range, the latest Fold also gains Google's HiLight feature – explained in more detail here.

HiLight features in the camera bar and can be thought of like a visual indicator when you're interacting with Google's Gemini AI assistant by voice. Not a million miles from Nothing's phones, but more AI-focused at this stage – with more to come later.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold also features the latest Tensor G6 processor advancements, 16GB RAM as standard to ensure those dual-screen tasks run smoothly, brighter displays than ever before, and far better protections courtesy of new material choices.

But for all the positivity of these changes, it's not quite enough to get me to surrender on the latest Samsung – as, after using the Z Fold 8 for a couple of weeks, that's the handset that's got my heart.

Ahead of Apple's expected launch next month, the world of folding phones is about to be reconditioned. Increasingly, it's making me think that many backed the wrong horse: the Samsung Z Fold 8 Ultra feels almost too narrow now, while Google's latest won't fit into this new 'squat and wide' format.

I will say in Google's favour, however, that its more recent foldables have been a great remedy for Samsung's more narrow design solution. The Pro Fold devices are more akin to a standard Android phone when folded – although, for me, that's been enough to then rarely see a need to unfold.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold adds one other new string to its bow, too, squeezing the display bezels down and making them the thinnest of any Google foldable to date. Not quite a no-bezel Tecno phone, but the idea of that as reality is some way off.

Overall, therefore, the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold is an admirable new entry into the world of folding phones – at a less admirable time. It's all change, and with Samsung out the gate with its latest new design, and Apple about to follow, Google's timing here is at odds with the market's direction.

Among all of Google's Pixel 11 device launches – the Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold – there's actually a brand new non-phone device that'll be turning heads.

The Pixel Tag is Google's first-ever finder tag product, revealed some 5 years after Apple introduced its own ecosystem product, AirTag, and many years after the first Bluetooth trackers from Tile launched.

Clearly there's demand among the Android ecosystem for such a product, which Google promises will deliver "less searching, more finding" as a result of its updated Android Find Hub – which, until mid-2025, was called Find My Device.

Find Hub has an extensive volume from which to pull its location data, although Google doesn't disclose full details. You can share location with web tracking, via app access, and call on a Pixel Tag to play a sound to aid finding it.

Pixel Tag will even work beyond browser- and phone-based applications, with Find Hub also operating on Pixel Watch. You can even ask Pixel Buds to ask Gemini to locate a device.

Which is very much in play with Google's latest round of hardware launches. Gemini is now front and centre – well, rear and centre, really – in the new HiLight feature on Pro Pixel 11 handsets.

There's also the brand new Pixel Watch 5, which enhances the brand's Health Guardian features to be their most comprehensive to date – with the addition of Blood Pressure and Insulin Resistance trends.

Pixel 11 series: Pricing per handset

Not a huge amount of additional information about the Pixel Tag has been made available at the time of writing, including its price, colourways – and whether that'll match the Pixel 11 line-up – nor its release date, beyond "later this year".

More information about that as it arrives. But if it's handset pricing that you seek, then here's what we know you'll pay for Google's latest series of flagship phones:

Pixel 11 with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £879 / $899 / AU$1,499

Pixel 11 Pro with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,079 / $1,099 / AU$1,849

Pixel 11 Pro XL with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,279 / $1,299 / AU$2,099

Pixel 11 Pro Fold with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage – £1,799 / $1,899 / AU$2,799

It's official: Google has revealed its 2026 flagship hardware line-up in the Pixel 11 series.

It's also no surprise, as information about these handsets leaked non-stop over the last couple of weeks, including teases direct from Google itself.

As with the new hardware each year, however, the colour options vary depending by device, with the smaller Pixel 11 offering a different palette to the other Pro variants, as outlined below:

Pixel 11:

Pixel 11 Pro / Pro XL:

As you can see from the two images above, while green shades are very in for 2026 – Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 also opts for a 'Pistachio', just like the base Pixel 11 – it's Google's Pro models that get the most striking option of all, a peachy-orange 'Canyon'.

Pixel 11 key spec:

• HiLight feature added for all Pro models (not base Pixel 11)
• Latest Tensor G6 processor in all four models
• Brighter displays all round
• Upgraded cameras

Beyond the colour options, however, the core spec headlines are that Google's latest Tensor G6 silicon is on board to power each of these devices.

The Pro models add a new HiLight feature on the rear camera bar, which is where Google's Gemini AI "lives", showing as a visual when interacting with the devices.

All models have brighter displays for this year, while the Pixel 11 ups its camera ante with a new 48-megapixel main that's based around a larger sensor. The Pro models add a new 50MP main sensor and all-new 48MP sensor for the zoom lens.

In summary: the Pixel 11 series brings broader colours, brighter displays, bigger power, plus new features for Gemini in the Pro series.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is also slimmer and lighter than any foldable Pixel handset before it, to help mark it out among the increasingly competitive world of folding phone releases this year.

Pixel 11 pre-orders:

Pre-orders are live now, for an on-sale date of 20 August. Pricing is as follows:

Pixel 11 with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £879 / $899 / AU$1,499

Pixel 11 Pro with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,079 / $1,099 / AU$1,849

Pixel 11 Pro XL with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,279 / $1,299 / AU$2,099

Pixel 11 Pro Fold with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage – £1,799 / $1,899 / AU$2,799

"It's alive!" Well, not quite. But it will probably come as little surprise that the just-revealed Google Pixel 11 Pro series handsets come with the all-new Google Gemini 'visualisation' feature, which is called HiLight.

The leaks haven't been kind to the Pixel 11 reveal. A full month ago, the entire family was revealed in full. But back then there wasn't fuller detail on what HiLight was and what it could do – so let's break it down.

On the rear of the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold models there's a protruding 'camera bar' as part of each phone's design. Around the flash unit within each are coloured LED lights, which can output a wide array of colours in that circular area.

Note that the base Pixel 11 model doesn't feature HiLight at all, despite featuring a familiar design complete with 'camera bar' of its own. Google wouldn't provide an explicit reason for why this model lacks the feature, but it being the most affordable Pixel model in the series would make sense.

Gemini interaction

The main feature that HiLight brings is that when interacting with Gemini it "glows in different patterns when it's thinking or responding," a Google Product Manager told me.

It's Google's next step in giving Gemini more of a human touch, to let you know that you’re being heard without wondering when a response will come.

Caller ID

There's a second feature that'll be live from launch date, too, which is the ability to programme HiLight to reveal a specific colour when a certain contact is calling.

It could be that your Mum is represented by a blue, your partner by a yellow, and your best mate Dave by a yellow illumination. The choice is yours.

Forthcoming: Message notifications

The third feature that Google confirmed is coming, but won't be available from day one, is similar to the caller ID, above, but for Message notifications.

This will be a software feature update later down the line, presumably adding colour-coded output when messaged by specific contacts.

Google would not provide further information regarding whether this could handle multiple third-party apps, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and so forth.

What else is coming?

While Google's Product Team wouldn't confirm more than "more capabilities will be added", it's clear that there's a lot of scope in this new HiLight feature.

Not that Google is the first company to put illumination on the rear of its phones – that's something Nothing, the UK-based brand, has been doing for years now.

Nothing has opened its Glyph Lights and Glyph Matrix features up to developers via an SDK, though, so third-party apps are able to utilise the feature.

That you can see, for example, your Uber's progress is one good example of Nothing's use from its devices. Google isn't saying a word about whether this could become a similar reality for Pixel 11 Pro devices and beyond via HiLight.

How much does the Pixel 11 line-up cost?

Here's what you'll pay for Google's latest handsets:

Pixel 11 with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £879 / $899 / AU$1,499

Pixel 11 Pro with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,079 / $1,099 / AU$1,849

Pixel 11 Pro XL with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,279 / $1,299 / AU$2,099

Pixel 11 Pro Fold with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage – £1,799 / $1,899 / AU$2,799

During WWDC in June, Apple announced a number of new features coming to iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch later this year, when the new software is released. The software will be iOS 27 for iPhone, iPadOS 27 for iPad, macOS Golden Gate for Mac and watchOS 27 for Apple Watch, and they are expected to arrive in their final form at some point next month.

But if patience is a virtue you don’t possess, you can sign up for Apple’s beta program, which lets you download the public betas of the software for each device and try out the new features before they officially arrive. For iPhone, we’re currently on iOS 27 public beta 3, after it was released at the beginning of this week.

What does iOS 27 public beta 3 add?

The headline addition in public beta 3 is Siri's voice customisation option, which was present but greyed out in earlier beta builds – it's finally been switched on.

You can now tweak how fast and expressive Siri sounds, choosing between two base voices. However, the feature is restricted to the iPhone 17 Pro models and iPhone Air, as it requires on-device processing (and that needs the A19 Pro chip). If you are running the beta on an older iPhone, you won’t see this option appear.

Elsewhere, as detailed by the MacRumors YouTube, Apple has introduced testing of Live Recognition, a new accessibility tool that uses the iPhone’s camera to identify and describe your surroundings in real time.

Photos gets a toggle for star ratings, letting you rate your favourite shots, while Control Centre now shows your cellular signal strength alongside Wi-Fi at the top of your screen.

There’s a neat new trick for AirPods owners too, with a handy Adaptive Audio slider (in the Liquid Glass style, of course) for balancing transparency and noise cancellation.

Reminders also gets a redesigned Liquid Glass icon, while the Lock Screen gets black icons at the bottom of the screen, switching from transparent to help them show up better.

You can sign up for the public beta on Apple’s beta website. However, if you’d rather wait, iOS 27 is expected to launch around the same time as the new iPhone models, usually in early September.

Google will host its annual Pixel launch event today, Wednesday 12 August, and things aren't as they usually are.

For starters, the event will kick off at 11pm BST (6pm EDT), so you'll have to stay up pretty late if you're in the UK. And it'll be hosted by South African comedian and talk show star Trevor Noah, so expect a few clever barbs along the way. You can watch it live below.

Of course, Jimmy Fallon hosted it last year in a weird chat show way, so we could get similar. Although Noah is better know for his political humour and sharp wit, so who knows?

Here's everything you need to know about Made by Google '26 and what to expect.

When will Made by Google '26 start?

Made by Google will begin at 6pm EDT today, Wednesday 12 August. That means it'll be shown from 11pm BST and even into the following day for some other regions.

Here are the times for your area:

• US West Coast: 15:00 PDT
• US East Coast: 18:00 EDT
• UK: 23:00 BST
• Central Europe: 00:00 CEST
• India: 03:30 IST (13 August)
• China (Beijing): 06:00 CST (13 August)
• Japan: 07:00 JST (13 August)
• South Korea: 07:00 KST (13 August)
• Australia (Sydney): 08:00 AEST (13 August)

How to watch the Made by Google Pixel 11 launch live

You can watch the entire show live via the video further up this page.

Alternatively, it will be streamed on the dedicated Made by Google YouTube channel.

What to expect

Hosted by Trevor Noah (The Daily Show, Grammy Awards) in New York, the Made by Google event will introduce a number of guest stars talking about the new product launches. These include Stephen Curry, Chari Hawkins, Alex Cooper, Ayami Nakajo, Shubman Gill, and Pink Pantheress.

They'll talk about and demo the devices launched today, including the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and the Pixel Watch 5 – all of which have been heavily rumoured and even officially teased over the last few weeks.

We might also see a new Pixel Tag – Google's first Bluetooth tracker.

Although we're still awaiting official confirmation, Apple will host a launch event next month where it will undoubtedly reveal at least three iPhone models – the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and the much-rumoured iPhone Ultra foldable.

However, that won't be the end of its iPhone launch plans. It will follow those up with three additional devices over the coming months, with an additional three devices being spotted in iOS 27 code.

References to the six unreleased iPhones were found in the latest developer beta (iOS 27 beta 5) by Macworld. It claims to have found a lineup of internal codenames – V62, V63, V64, V67, V68, and V69 – in system files "related to the iPhone's battery drivers and Battery Intelligence features".

These codes are thought to directly relate to the iPhone Air 2, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 18, iPhone Ultra, and the iPhone 18e respectively.

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have long been thought to be scheduled for the September launch event, along with the iPhone Ultra. However, speculation has long suggested that Apple will delay its other devices this year.

The iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2 will follow early next year, it's claimed. While the iPhone 18e will likely arrive in spring, much like its predecessor. The trio could all launch at once, in fact.

We don't know much more about each phone, with no extra details found in the code so far. But the staggered release could make for an interesting few months for Apple fans, that's for sure.

When will Apple's September event take place?

We don't yet have an official date for Apple's next event, but the current thinking is that it will take place on Wednesday 9 September 2026 – that's according to Bloomberg's resident Apple expert, Mark Gurman.

As for pre-orders, although Apple tends to open orders on the first Friday after its events, the US will be marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11, as it'll be 11 September at the end of that particular week.

It'll be more likely that pre-orders will start the week after this year. Or we might even have to wait a little longer for the iPhone Ultra, for example, as the RAM and components crisis has made production schedules hard to predict.

Either way, if you already have an iPhone capable of the new Apple Intelligence features – ie. the iPhone 15 Pro and up – you'll be able to download the full release of iOS 27 and get arguably Apple's biggest suite of software upgrades in years. That could keep you going while you wait.

If you thought we had seen the last of Samsung phone launches for this year, you’ve clearly forgotten about the more affordable Galaxy S26 Fan Edition.

Rumoured to be coming sometime in September, images of the device have leaked via Android Headlines, along with the specifications via WinFuture, and you might be disappointed.

What is the Galaxy S26 FE expected to arrive with?

According to WinFuture, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE will be very similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 FE. It’s expected to come with a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with a 2340 x 1080 resolution, a peak brightness of 1900 nits and a 120Hz refresh rate.

The Samsung Exynos 2500 is claimed to be running the show, which is the same processor you will find in last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 7, supported by 8GB of RAM and storage options of 128GB or 256GB.

There is also claimed to be a triple rear camera, comprised of a 50-megapixel main sensor, along with an ultra-wide sensor and telephoto sensor with 3x zoom. An IP68 rating is also suggested in the list of specifications, while the battery capacity is said to be 4900mAh with 45W fast charging support.

None of that is particularly groundbreaking, especially when compared to the Galaxy S25 FE that has broadly similar specs aside from the processor. However, the Galaxy S26 FE is at least said to have a silicon-carbon battery like the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra all introduced last month.

The design also appears to have changed slightly on the rear compared to the Galaxy S25 FE, closer matching the Galaxy S26, though the weight is said to be a little heavier at 196g compared to 190g.

One last bit of bad news is that the price of the Galaxy S26 FE is expected to increase compared to the Galaxy S25 FE, too. That makes the traditionally affordable phone, well, less affordable.

According to WinFuture, the device will start at €799 (around £680), which would be €50 more than the previous model.

Samsung didn’t just announce two folding phones last month like it normally does each year – it released three. The third model introduced a gorgeous new shape and format.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrived alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but while the Ultra features the same design as the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 adopts a wider, squarer design, much like what the first folding iPhone is rumoured to be offering.

Why the Galaxy Z 8 Fold is so popular

Good thing too, really, as according to ETNews (via 9to5Google), Samsung will produce an extra one million units of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to meet the higher-than-anticipated demand.

The 9to5Google report calls the device a “smash hit” after Samsung confirmed much higher pre-order figures than expected. A couple of the models even went out of stock during the pre-order window.

The extra one million run is on top of the initial higher production numbers for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 too, so clearly the wider format is a bit of a winner.

I can see why. I was never quite sold on previous folding phones, despite thinking the Galaxy Z Flip was very cute, but I love the Galaxy Z Fold 8. It reminds me of my BlackBerry from back in the day, with the wider format much nicer to use than the slimmer and taller Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Apple is one of the few main smartphone manufacturers that doesn’t offer a folding phone at the moment, but that is rumoured to be changing come September.

We’ve been hearing about a folding iPhone – the iPhone Ultra – for years, but speculation has really picked up over the last couple of months, with the squarer format widely reported.

It’s looking more and more likely Apple will follow in Samsung’s footsteps come September and with the Z Fold 8's success, it's an obvious step.

I've been using Samsung's latest Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra foldable for a week for this review. And while it's veritably better than its Galaxy Z Fold 7 predecessor, in the current market context it's arguably weaker. Say what?

To explain: Samsung also revealed the shorter-and-wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 at its Unpacked summer 2026 event, which I used for the week prior to this Ultra review. And that device changed the way I think about folding phones.

As such, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is a technological marvel, yet a tall order – quite literally – given its higher asking price than before. It's as if Samsung has spent the last seven years perfecting the imperfect format, but we just hadn't quite realised.

What's clear is that this Ultra foldable is the most advanced to date. Its Flex Titanium display is impressive. It's the thinnest Samsung folding phone yet. It finally bolsters the battery technology. The cameras are even better. It's truly brilliant in so many ways.

But in this brave new world of folding phones, it's got competition not only from Motorola, Honor, Google and others, but even pressure from within Samsung's own camp. And with Apple's answer to come, could this be the beginning of the end for the classic, tall foldable?

Price & Availability

This is the first 'Ultra' in Samsung's foldable range, but that's more a marker to separate it from the base Z Fold 8 – and perhaps argue the 'ultra' price tag that's being commanded, too.

At launch, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is priced from £1,899 in the UK, $2,099 in the USA, and AU$2,999 in Australia. Also known as 'a lot of money' – particularly as it's pricier than last year's equivalent.

What's New?

• New Silicon-Carbon battery, increased capacity (4400mAh to 5000mAh)
• Increased charging speeds (25W to 45W wired; wireless 15W to 20W)
• Latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 'for Galaxy' chip
• Flex Titanium technology for flatter internal display
• Wide-angle camera now 50MP (up from 12MP)
• Thinnest ever Z Fold – just 4.1mm unfolded
• Brighter displays (2600 nits to 3000 nits)
• Internal display resolution increase
• New colourway: Violet Shadow

Here's where the Z Fold 8 Ultra brings some exciting updates over its Z Fold 7 equivalent predecessor. While it might look and feel much the same from the outside, it's got some other benefits going on inside.

A major addition is an upgraded battery type (now Si-C, not Li-Po), which has greater capacity and offers faster charging than before. However, other competitors have even higher capacities and faster charging speeds.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra's internal display is now higher resolution and brighter, too, plus it's backed by Flex Titanium technology – literally titanium that can flex to hold the display rigid and avoid as bothersome a crease – for even better visuals.

A new-and-upgraded chipset, better ultra-wide camera sensor and resolution, thinner overall design, and new colourways tick off the other main highlights.

Design & Displays

• Colourways: Graphite, Cream, Violet Shadow
• 6.5-inch AMOLED external display
  • 21:9 aspect ratio
  • 1080 x 2520 resolution
• 8-inch AMOLED internal display
  • Approximately 5:6 aspect ratio
  • 2256 x 2504 resolution
• 4.1mm thin, 215g weight

Of all the folding phones you can buy, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has the flattest internal display of the lot. The caveat is one foldable you can't buy: Oppo's Find N6, which gives Samsung a run for its money – but is a moot point (for markets outside of China).

I've long said that Samsung's tall-and-narrow format prompts me to open its Z Fold devices more than other wider foldables, such as Google's Pixel Fold Pro series. I still find that the case – although, personally, I find the shorter-and-wider Z Fold 8 better still.

Nonetheless, once opened, the Z Fold 8 Ultra's panel is mighty impressive. Is the crease invisible? Not quite; it isn't on any foldable. But it's barely noticeable – and certainly of no bother when face-on during use.

This massive display is opulent to the max, so great for side-by-side apps, with Samsung's One UI software handling split-screen and floating windows well. There are even swipe gestures to launch apps in specific ways, which is handy.

You won't want to swipe to excess, though, as like with any folding phone, the screen's coating isn't able to negate fingerprint smears. This is more pronounced on a folding panel than a typical flagship phone's glass. I await the day when R&D finds a solution to this.

The main competitor to give Samsung a run for its money, however, is Motorola. The Razr Fold, which has also only just launched, has a panel that's marginally larger and brighter overall.

Considering that device has more storage, making it effectively more affordable, it's a tempting proposition – and one that works with a stylus pen, unlike Samsung, which ditched its S Pen compatibility from its foldable two generations ago.

When closed, the Z Fold 8 Ultra's form remains the same conundrum as ever – and it's not going to please everyone. That's because the 21:9 aspect ratio might be a bit too narrow and too tall for some. But you do always have that squarer panel ratio within, so it's not as if anything's lost.

Performance & Battery

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 'for Galaxy', 12GB RAM
• 5000mAh Si-C battery type, 45W charging
• 256GB / 512GB / 1TB (+16GB) options

Samsung has gone with the top-tier overclocked 'for Galaxy' Qualcomm chipset in the Z Fold 8 Ultra. You'll know about that in some scenarios, such as when gaming, as the device gets pretty hot when it's shut – as heat dissipates better when it's open.

That's part of the reason that the Z Fold 8 Ultra can deliver ultimate results, but it's not endlessly 'ultra'. If the software knows it needs a break then the screen will auto-dim, for example. And despite more cooling provisions than the equivalent previous generation, throttling of that top-tier chipset will happen if you push it for too long.

Fortunately, the new battery technology can take a bit more abuse than the previous generation. The addition of silicon-carbon type to a 5,000mAh capacity is around a 14% rise. It's faster to charge, which helps with quicker top-ups as needed.

Not that I've found myself getting nervous with the battery remaining at the end of a day. I've been hitting 15% remaining after 16 hours of considerable use across a range of media and screen time, including gaming, Bluetooth connectivity, tethering and so forth.

No, it's not the best battery capacity of a foldable. Motorola and Honor both beat Samsung's latest for sake of longevity. No question about that. But Samsung has spent a long time ensuring battery safety for its device, which is why it has taken the time to get this far.

Still, I find the usability here well balanced. There's plenty of power, that big internal display to make the most of, and a much-needed battery boost for this generation.

Cameras

• Main (triple):
  • 200-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture, optical stabilisation (OIS)
  • 10MP 3x optical zoom (67mm equivalent), f/2.4, OIS
  • 50MP ultrawide, f/1.9
• Under-display cameras:
  • Both: 10MP, f/2.2
  • 18mm equivalent (cover), 24mm (interior)

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, per its Ultra name, closes the gap with the Galaxy S26 Ultra flagship. It doesn't seal that gap shut, though, as the latter non-foldable has the upper hand with a higher-resolution selfie camera and improved aperture speeds across its lenses too.

Nonetheless, the Z Fold 8 Ultra delivers a suite of cameras that any other foldable is going to struggle to compete with. Yes, it's still a massive rear protrusion – that causes that pain-in-the-ass 'desk wobble' for everyday on-the-desk use – but it's full of quality photographic potential.

It needs such cameras, though, given the Ultra name – and this is a big part of what you're paying extra to have as part of this package. The base Z Fold 8, by comparison, isn't nearly as accomplished – and lacks an optical zoom altogether.

The star of the show is the main 200-megapixel snapper, which delivers sharp and balanced results. It's best in daylight, but the Nightography mode still sees it as mighty capable when the light dips. It's good with close-up shooting too, although the macro mode can auto-engage a bit too easily sometimes when you might not need it.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra clears up one aspect of its predecessor's biggest weakness, too, by delivering a 50-megapixel ultra-wide that's much improved in delivering clear and crisp results thanks to its higher resolution.

The telephoto remains the same 10-megapixel offering as previously, though, which could really do with a boost. Easier said than done, on account of space limitations, but I have really enjoyed using the zoom optic in this device – it's pointed out to me on repeat that it's a big omission from the base Z Fold 8.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is, in many ways, the ultimate folding phone. It's the most refined ever, just as it should be after the seven generations preceding it.

But there's a problem: the Ultra enters a new landscape, one where the much wider Z Fold 8 has just rewritten the foldables rulebook for the better (save for the cameras).

It's in that context that the Ultra seems almost like a victim of Samsung's own success. Indeed, any other current foldable now feels too narrow as a result of this whole new world – and we'll see in time whether that marks the beginning of a new chapter.

No, the Z Fold 8 Ultra doesn't compromise, but for this sort of money and without the cameras going yet further, the base Z Fold 8 is where most attention will rightly be focused.

It's strange how context can change in such a short period. Samsung has undoubtedly created its most technologically adept foldable ever, but the competition is now abundant, and we're atop a precipice of imminent change.

Also Consider

If the Z Fold 8 Ultra's exterior display is too narrow for you, but you think the base Z Fold 8's might be too wide, then it's Google's Pixel 10 Pro Fold that sits in between – although it's so much like a 'normal' flagship when folded that you might never unfold it.

Otherwise, there's no ignoring the previous Z Fold 7 product, which is largely similar to the Z Fold 8 Ultra, just lacking in the Flex Titanium display technology and upgraded battery and charging tech. A big enough saving might negate that, though.

Elsewhere, Honor's Magic V6 goes big on discounts to lure you in – offering a lot of spec for less money. Or Motorola's Razr Fold dangles a carrot in the form of an included stylus for its brand new release – offering a key point of difference.

Motorola might be kicking itself. Having first announced shown off the Razr Fold back in January, it wasn't fully revealed until March, before then going on sale this May.

A couple of months later, as we come to this review, and the talk of folding phone town is now focused on Samsung's new format, in the Galaxy Z Fold 8 – with barely a glimmer of interest in the taller, classic Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

The Razr Fold is more akin to the latter's format, arriving just as the industry looks to pivot, leaving taller devices to assert themselves against an exciting newcomer. It's taken Motorola a long time to launch its Fold, not least when you consider that it joined the folding phone party with the flip version of the Razr back in 2019.

But don't write it off, as there's still a lot of positives going on in the Razr Fold. It's one of Motorola's most premium devices yet – and shows it means business thanks to a stylus pen included in the box, which is something Samsung's foldables ditched a couple of years back.

Price & Availability

The Razr Fold is widely available, coming with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. That's generous compared to Samsung, making the Razr Fold cheaper than the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Buy it from Motorola.com and you'll get Moto Buds and Moto Watch bundled into the package (in the UK – regionally that deal may differ), all for £1799.99 / $1899.99 / AU$2399.

That's significantly cheaper than Samsung's offering, but it is a little more expensive than the Honor Magic V6. There's no shortage of folding phones vying for your cash these days, it seems.

Motorola Razr Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

• Razr Fold comes with Pen Ultra stylus; Samsung has no stylus capabilities
• Razr battery lasts longer, also features faster charging tech
• Both the Razr Fold displays are brighter than Samsung's
• Z Fold 8 Ultra is thinner and lighter
• Z Fold 8 Ultra also more powerful

As there's no previous Razr Fold model, let's just quickly compare it to the competition – the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra being its most key rival.

Samsung and Motorola have fundamentally different approaches to design, with the Z Fold 8 Ultra sporting a slim-and-light industrial design.

That makes the Razr Fold look a little chunky, at 9.89mm thick (folded; 4.55mm when unfolded) and weighing 243g. And, while the Razr Fold has a lovely textured back with Pantone colours, it's not as dramatic as some of the brand's other models.

Motorola makes up for that with a much larger battery – both brands use silicon-carbon (Si-C), but Samsung's 5000mAh is dwarfed by Moto's 6000mAh. Motorola backs this up with 80W wired charging, while Samsung only offers 45W.

The Samsung phone is more powerful, with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 'for Galaxy', while Motorola sticks with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 – which is a bit of a step down. Motorola responds by offering more RAM and storage as standard and for much less cash than Samsung, though.

Displays

• 5.6-inch external LTPO OLED display, 21:9 aspect ratio
  • 6000 nits peak brightness
  • 2520 x 1080 resolution
  • 165Hz refresh
• 8.09-inch LTPO pOLED, 8:7.2 aspect ratio
  • 6200 nits peak brightness
  • 2484 x 2232 resolution
  • 165Hz refresh

Motorola's approach to the displays in this folding phone are much the same as they are in its other devices: nothing is left to chance, on the spec sheet at least.

You just have to glance at the top line numbers – 6200 nits brightness for the main display, 165Hz refresh rate – and you'll realise that many of those are to upsell, rather than always deliver.

That's because 165Hz content is exceptionally rare, as is getting any display to actually output 6200 nits. Futureproofing? Sure. At the same time, I have very little to complain about when it comes to these displays.

The cover display is large enough and resolute enough to be used as a regular phone. It's a little tall and narrow, but I've found it performs perfectly well in this role.

There's a very slight curving away to the edges, which I don't really like on a regular phone, but considering the thickness of the Razr Fold when closed, it helps make it slightly easier to manage.

Open the phone up and that internal 8.09-inch display is massive. Yes, there's a crease down the middle, it's visible and it can be felt when running a finger across it. There's no Flex Titanium technology going on here. I've not reviewed the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but first impressions were that the crease was less obvious there than it is on Motorola's phone.

With that said, I've been using the Razr Fold for a month – and I'd expect the crease to get a little more established during that time. But like other folding phones I've used, I don't really notice the crease when I'm using it. This is, after all, a display that folds –there's going to be a crease.

But like other folding phones, the top layer of this device is a protective polymer film that's prone to reflections and fingerprints – it just doesn't look as nice as typical glass. That's the same as Samsung's latest devices and, to be honest, that's a bigger bugbear than the crease for me. Still, Motorola's big brightness can at least cut through reflections.

Visually I've been nothing but impressed with how the Motorola Razr Fold looks when using these displays. They are vibrant with rich colours, content looks great, while there's also support for HDR10+ from apps like Netflix.

Hardware & Performance

• Colours: Pantone Lily White, Pantone Blackened Blue
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, 16GB RAM
• 6000mAh Si-C battery, 80W charging
• 512GB storage

Folding phones trade screen space for performance to a certain extent and that seems to be as much the case for the Razr Fold as it is for other foldables.

That might justify the decision to use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. For those who don't know, it's a slight step down from the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with the cores clocked slightly lower and lacking some of the graphical features.

But let's put that into context: folding phones aren't great at cooling themselves down, so high-performance hardware often gets throttled because of the form factor. Basically, not having the top-tier hardware doesn't hold the phone back, and I never found the Razr's performance worrying.

With that said, testing this phone through a series of heatwaves, I've felt it get really warm – especially when using Android Auto – and I've also fished the phone out of my pocket a couple of times to discover that it had turned itself off. A byproduct of overheating or a software quirk? I haven't been able to determine in today's climate.

The battery life, however, is truly impressive. I've easily got the Razr Fold through the day and well into the next, thanks to that huge 6000mAh battery. The 80W charging is the icing on the cake, because you can top it up in barely any time at all.

So I don't have a problem with the hardware loadout, despite it not matching Samsung's overall power, which I don't think that's a huge disadvantage. This isn't a gaming phone, after all, and multitasking (opening a number of spreadsheets and PDFs for a closer look) didn't seem to bother the phone during my testing at all.

But Motorola hasn't been doing itself any favours with its software recently. The introduction of Moto AI through Hello UI over the past couple of years has seen increased bloat and the attempted insertion of additional junk on your device. The newsfeed and AI search box in the apps tray are terrible, slowing the experience down. I turned both off – and a lot of the other Moto AI options besides.

There's a dedicated AI button on the frame that can only be assigned to Moto AI tasks, so after a couple of weeks I disabled that – it sits right next to the volume controls and it's too easy to accidentally press it.

Some housekeeping is required, therefore, but do so and you'll find a phone that should run smoothly for plenty of years to come. That's bolstered by Motorola stepping up with 7 years of support on this phone, finally matching the competition.

Cameras

• Triple rear cameras:
  • Main: 50-megapixel, f/1.6, 1/1.28in sensor, OIS
  • Wide: 50-megapixel, f/2.0, 1/2.76in sensor
  • Tele: 50-megapixel, f/2.4, 1/195in sensor, OIS, 3x optical
• Seflie cameras:
  • Cover: 20-megapixel, f/2.4
  • Internal: 32-megapixel. f/2.4

Motorola's big push on the Razr Fold is offering three 50-megapixel cameras on the back. It's a hefty chunk of camera, not just on the spec sheet, but it's physically bulbous, matching Motorola's other phones in terms of design.

However, the selfie cameras drop down to a lower resolution, but the argument is that on a folding phone you can open it up and use the main camera to take selfies, benefitting from the higher quality that it offers.

Taking a selfie with the internal camera is unwieldy, which makes it surprising that the cover display camera seems to be the lowest spec, considering it's the easiest to use. It has a tendency to overexpose, so it's definitely my least favourite camera for selfies on this phone. The selfie cameras have a noticeably different tone too, so there's little consistency.

The main camera on the Razr Fold is great, supported by the ultrawide and telephoto cameras for a complete set. I found the colour consistency across these to be great too. The best results come in daylight conditions, but once it gets darker the main camera suffers, failing to capture detail cleanly. While taking a set of complex night photos, I had to revert to the Google Pixel 10 Pro to get usable results.

The telephoto is great to have on a folding phone, with the native 3x optical zoom or even 6x cropped zoom delivering great results – but the 100x digital zoom that it offers just goes a little too far to be useful. That's down to AI upscaling being too obvious – not presenting what you actually saw, rather what AI thinks it should be.

I've found the video recording to be generally good, too, with the option for Dolby Vision a quick tap away and making a noticeable difference to the quality when playing it back on the phone.

Motorola Razr Fold review: Verdict

The Motorola Razr phone is a great folding phone, with the battery life a clear advantage over Samsung's best, while the overall camera performance is decent and the design has a touch of class – even if it's a little chunky.

While there's a welcome 7-years of support into the future, Motorola's general software experience needs work to make it more friendly, with the bloat and Moto AI interruptions unwelcome. But that can be turned off, excess apps removed, and the AI button deactivated too.

Motorola's first full-scale foldable is more affordable than big-name rivals, with better battery life and charging, a lovely duo of displays, and a competitive camera setup. Ultimately, if you're shopping for a classic, taller type folding phone, then you're in safe hands with the Motorola Razr Fold.

Also Consider

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the biggest rival to the Motorola Razr Fold, but while it has nicer software and a slimmer design, it's more expensive with a smaller battery and slower charging.

Or there's the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold for a better software experience, great cameras, but less power and a smaller battery. It's now heavily discounted, however, so is much better value.

Or there's the Honor Magic V6, which has a nicer display, more power, a larger battery and a slimmer-and-lighter design, but with software that's a little more bloated and fussy.

Like many of its phone chassis, Nothing has been refreshingly transparent on its release plans over the years – regularly furnishing us with teases and reveals long before products launch.

It has also been open about absences, with CEO Carl Pei saying in January that we shouldn't expect a flagship Nothing phone this year. And while we have had three handsets since, the company has so far lived up to that promise

The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro and Phone (4a) have recently been joined by the Phone (4b), and each of them have their merits. But they are also entry to mid-range. What we need is a Nothing Phone (4) to shake things up again, and there's some news on that front.

Six new Nothing phones planned for 2027, says co-founder

Speaking to TimesNow, the brand's co-founder, Akis Evangelidis explained that although plans were tempered this year due to the global RAM and components crisis, things will be better in 2027: "It's still too early to discuss individual products, but I can say we've launched three smartphones this year, and we're looking to launch twice that number next year," he said.

"We'll share more details closer to launch, but the idea is to have a wider range of smartphones."

That could include the Nothing Phone (4) – the flagship device many hoped would appear earlier this year, but was already publicly postponed. It could also include the CMF Phone 3 Pro, which was also abandoned.

"We pulled the plug quite late," revealed Evangelidis.

"We're looking at different ways on how we could make it happen for next year. But that's still in consideration. We're staying close to how the memory price will evolve."

Nothing has continued to release headphones this year though, with the CMF Clip Pro open earbuds being the latest to hit the market. Announced earlier this week, they will be available to purchase for £79 / $99 from 15 August.

Since Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked summer showcase back in July, I've been using the brand's latest folding phones – namely the all-new Z Fold 8, which has made any other phone now feel too small for me.

However, now that the trio of new foldables are on sale – those being the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Fold 8, and Fold 8 Ultra – Samsung has released a bit of pat-itself-on-the-back information about just how well its latest line-up has been performing.

The Korean electronics giant says its pre-orders were up 70% year-on-year, compared to last year's Galaxy Z Fold 7 launch. While I really loved that phone, clearly people have been waiting for the newer style – and the Z Fold 8 is the winner.

Indeed, of all the pre-orders – which continue through until the end of today (Thursday 6 August), with £100 off if you use PayPal – it's the Galaxy Z Fold 8 that's racked up 40% of that total (in the European market), affirming that it's the most popular format out of the lot.

I can certainly see why, having compared it to the Ultra model, which is still a technological marvel – but it just feels outsmarted by this new and more content-forward format. My review of the Ultra will be live in the coming days.

So is this a turning point? Are foldables about to become the norm? Well, I doubt that's the case just yet, given the enormous asking prices of such devices. The Ultra is pricier than its equivalent predecessor, too.

That said, this year's pre-orders totalled more than 17% greater volume than any foldable year prior – and Samsung has been going at this for seven years now. So the interest is clearly higher.

I think the ongoing sales will continue to be greater than usual, too, especially when people see the Z Fold 8 in other people's hands and get a bit of touch-and-try time. That's important for a new format, in order to really 'get it'.

Let's also not forget that next month it's widely expected that Apple will reveal an iPhone Ultra – or a product of similar name – complete with foldable trickery, in the very same size and format as Samsung's newest.

With an iOS device in the market, that's only going to increase the overall growth. Who knows, it may even help massage yet more interest in the Android side, too, which Samsung is the only phone-maker currently poised to benefit.

Come 2027, I suspect we'll be seeing a variety of new releases and prototypes in a new physical format and aspect ratio, trying to grab a piece of this pie. Foldables are certainly growing in market share, but it's still only a drop in the ocean at this stage.

We’ve been waiting over two years for Apple’s new personalised, AI-powered Siri to arrive. The company first revealed it during WWDC 24, but following a number of delays, it never fully launched. Little was said about it at WWDC 25, but then at WWDC 26 this year, Apple showed off the new assistant in all its glory. It was better than many expected.

Rebranded as Siri AI, the new assistant will launch with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate and watchOS 27 when they arrive – likely next month alongside the new iPhones.

However, not all devices compatible with the new software will support Siri AI.

Your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch need to be able to support Apple Intelligence for Siri AI, and as 9to5Mac points out in a report, even then, some features, like the ability to customise Siri AI’s voice, will only be available on selected hardware.

What devices are compatible with Siri AI?

These are the models that will support Siri AI across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro – at least at the start.

• iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max
• iPhone Air
• iPhone 17
• iPhone 17e
• iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
• iPhone 16 and 16 Plus
• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
• iPad Pro (M1 chip and later)
• iPad Air (M1 chip and later)
• iPad mini (A17 Pro)
• All Mac models with Apple silicon (M1 chip and later, and A18 Pro chip)
• All Vision Pro models
• Apple Watch Series 9 and later
• Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later
• Apple Watch SE 3

Note that Apple Watch needs to be paired with an Apple Intelligence supported iPhone to run Siri AI.

Here’s where the complications come in, though.

For some Siri AI features, including the ability to change the pace and expressivity, you will need specific devices. According to Apple, that's the “iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, iPad models with M4 and later and at least 12GB of unified memory, Mac models with M3 and later and at least 12GB of unified memory, and Apple Vision Pro (M5)”.

So while Siri AI is almost here for older devices, it might be time to upgrade anyway.

Google Assistant launched way back in 2016, so there is a good chance you've come across it at some point. That might have been on an Android phone, an iPhone, a smart speaker, headphones or even a car through Android Auto. We could go on – the list of devices it's been available on is not insignificant.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. With Gemini on track to replace it – and doing so quickly – the company has confirmed the date Google Assistant will be shuttered on Android phones and smartwatches.

When is Google Assistant shutting down on Android?

Picked up by 9to5Google, an email has been sent to existing Google Assistant users, explaining that the service is “being discontinued” on mobile devices.

It also highlighted, just in case you haven’t been keeping up over the last couple of years, that Gemini is now the assistant experience on Android.

Google detailed in the email that Google Assistant will begin to be removed from devices starting on 4 September 2026, and that will include Android phones, Wear OS smartwatches, headphones and any cars “running Android Auto projected from a user’s mobile device”.

The company did say the process may take a few weeks, so you might have a few days grace. However, it’s time to start saying your goodbyes.

Google added in the email that after its removal, you will no longer be "able to use or switch back to Google Assistant on your phone, tablet, or paired devices”.

It also said: “We are committed to providing a smooth transition and are confident that Gemini will offer you an even more capable and helpful assistant experience."

Let’s hope that’s the case. We really did like Google Assistant.

There are some big changes coming to the iPhone with iOS 27 when it launches later this year. There's Siri AI for starters, which I’ve found surprisingly helpful in my first beta experiences.

However, alongside the more contextualised Siri are updates to native apps, including new icons for Maps and Photos, a slider to increase or decrease the Liquid Glass effect, and new photo editing tools.

What will Captured by Me offer in Photos?

Look a little deeper into the Photos app though, and there are improvements coming here too. Shared albums and slideshows are being tweaked within iOS 27, but as spotted by 9to5Mac, there is also a new Captured by Me feature that effectively acts as a camera roll.

As its name suggests, this feature will present any photos or videos that you yourself have taken on your iPhone. You won’t see any screenshots or photos friends have sent you in this section, nor any other content, so there will be no dog memes or random screenshots you’ve snapped while doomscrolling.

The Captured by Me feature can be found in the Utilities section of the Photos app, and it’s present in the latest iOS 27 beta if you want to try it out for yourself.

There is also an option to filter by Captured by Me in the iOS 27 Photos app. If you tap on the Library tab at the bottom of the Photos app and then the filter icon in the top right (three lines), you will see Captured by Me appear in the list. Tap on that, and you’ll find all the photos and videos you’ve ever taken with your iPhone’s camera.

Apple hasn’t revealed exactly when the final build of iOS 27 will be released, but if previous years are anything to go by, it should be early September, alongside the launch of the new iPhones.

As mentioned though, if you can’t wait that long to try out the Captured by Me feature, you can download the public beta of iOS 27 now.

Samsung has only just revealed its latest folding phones – they're so new they aren’t even on sale yet – but that hasn’t stopped the rumours for its next big devices.

Usually rumours bring good news, whether it’s the leak of a fresh design or a camera upgrade, but the latest speculation surrounding the Galaxy S27 Ultra suggests this flagship phone could see a downgrade instead.

Camera changes incoming for the Galaxy S27 Ultra

According to ETNews (via 9to5Google), the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra could ditch the 3x telephoto camera lens, reducing it to just three lenses on the rear. This would be a first for the Ultra.

The report claims the 50-megapixel 5x telephoto lens would remain, as would the 200-megapixel main camera and 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, but the 3x telephoto could be no more in order to reduce manufacturing costs.

The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra isn’t due to launch until early 2027, so there is still time for things to change, and there will no doubt be more leaks that appear between now and then. But for now, you may want to grab a Galaxy S26 Ultra if you really want that telephoto.

What else is new?

The other devices that are rumoured to launch alongside the Galaxy S27 Ultra include the Galaxy S27 and Galaxy S27+, as you would expect, as well as the Galaxy S27 Pro.

The Pro model is rumoured to have a 200-megapixel main camera and 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, like the Galaxy S27 Ultra, but it is claimed it will opt for a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto lens – the one that’s being ditched on the Ultra.

Meanwhile, the standard Galaxy S27 and Galaxy S27+ are said to come with a 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera.

As mentioned, we are several months away from the release of these devices, so plenty could change. At the moment it’s looking like some interesting changes are coming.

Google will officially unveil its new Pixel 11 phone family and several other devices on 12 August at a Made by Google event, but let's face it, there'll be nothing left to unveil by then.

Not only have we now got a whole swathe of leaked images and information about pretty much everything that'll launch, Google itself is even getting in on the act. It has released a video teaser of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold that reveals the new foldable.

In it, you can see the new pill-shaped camera unit on the rear and little else, to be honest. But it looks extremely clean and could be a straight-forward, folding option for those who aren't ready to adopt Samsung's new Z Fold 8 form factor (or the forthcoming iPhone Ultra).

On top of this, serial online leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) recently posted a series of what looks to be official marketing images of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Made available on his new Leakermail Substack, they reveal more about the phone.

Over the last few days, he has also released leaked images of the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL – the four phones expected to launch on 12 August.

And there are a couple of added extras too – of the Google Pixel Watch 5 and what looks like green versions of the Pixel Buds Pro 2, to match the new green colourway of the 11 Pro Fold.

Also expected to make an appearance during the Made by Google even next week is at least one Googlebook. The new laptop range will replace Chromebook and was announced just prior to Google I/O in May.

We've recently seen a leak of Googlebook devices from Lenovo, which suggests that something will be shown soon – the Made by Google event seems the perfect place.

Back to the phones though and as well as the official teaser, it is understood that pre-orders will open either during or immediately after the event.

Both Google and Best Buy in the US have countdown clocks, with Best Buy's stating that pre-orders start on 12 August. There's every reason to believe that will be the case in the UK and Europe too, maybe globally.

At the end of July, Apple rolled out a new subscription service to help you get your hands on the latest iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch. The catch is that, for now at least, it's a US-only affair.

Called Apple Upgrade, the scheme is essentially a device leasing plan. Rather than paying the full price upfront or spreading the cost through a traditional instalment plan, eligible customers pay a monthly fee to use a device, with the option to swap it for a newer model, buy it outright, or hand it back once the term is up.

The scheme is backed by buy-now-pay-later specialist Klarna and covers Apple's core hardware lineup. It's restricted to the latest models though, and not all of them are available (sorry MacBook Neo).

The iPhone and Apple Watch can be leased over 12 or 24 months, while Mac and iPad are available on 24- or 36-month terms. We assume that's because these devices are more expensive.

How much do devices cost on Apple Upgrade?

Entry pricing starts at $17.99 a month for iPhone, $11.99 for Apple Watch and iPad, and $24.99 for Mac. The exact amount depends on the model you choose and whether an old device is traded in to bring the cost down.

Those old devices can be an Apple device, as you would expect, but you can trade in an Android phone too.

Anyone signing up to Apple Upgrade will need to go through a soft credit check that Apple says won't affect your credit score. You should get approval within minutes, whether applying online or at a physical Apple Store, and there are a couple of perks available within the scheme. These include the ability to earn cashback through Apple Card if you use that for payment.

Notably, the launch spells the end of the road for the older iPhone Upgrade Program and iPhone Payments scheme in the US, both of which are being retired now that Apple Upgrade is live.

Which devices are included in the Apple Upgrade program?

Apple’s Upgrade program includes the latest Apple devices, including the iPhone 17 models, Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3. You can also use it with the MacBook Air (M5) and iPad Pro (M5).

The iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, Apple Watch SE, MacBook Neo, Mac mini, iPad (A16), and Studio Display are not currently available as part of the Apple Upgrade program.

Will Apple Upgrade launch in the UK?

Apple is yet to mention whether it will be bringing the Apple Upgrade leasing scheme to the UK or anywhere else outside the US. The official announcement doesn’t mention international availability, and there's no confirmed timeline for a wider rollout either. Sad times.

There's is some hope, however. Apple's AppleCare One protection bundle launched stateside first before reaching UK, France, Germany and Australia a year later, so hopefully the Apple Upgrade program could follow the same playbook.

For now, UK buyers wanting to spread the cost of a new Apple device will need to stick with existing options, such as 0 per cent finance deals through Apple's retail partners or standard carrier contracts. Apple itself offers the Flexible Finance Account option for now.

We’re a couple of weeks away from Google’s next event, which is set to reveal the next generation of Pixel phones and Pixel Watch, but it looks like there could be another device making its debut, too.

According to a report on 9to5Google, the tech giant might finally be adding a Bluetooth tracker to its portfolio, competing with the likes of the Apple AirTag and Samsung Galaxy Tag.

Until now, Google hasn’t offered its own tracker despite being responsible for the Find Hub network on Android. It works with a number of third-party trackers, including Samsung and Chipolo, but this would be its first dedicated hardware.

What will the Pixel Tag offer?

The Google Pixel Tag has reportedly started to appear in online listings, featuring the model number GA12506. It’s claimed it will come in a “Fog Light” colour, and 9to5Google has managed to obtain an image of the tracker too.

Based on the image, the Pixel Tag will be oblong in shape, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Tag. However, it looks like it doesn’t have a built-in keyhole as Samsung’s model does. That might suggest you will need to buy separate accessories, as you do with the AirTag, to attach it to your keys.

There’s no information on whether the Google Pixel Tag will have a replaceable or rechargeable battery either, nor is it known whether it will use Ultra-Wide Band technology like the Apple AirTag and Samsung Galaxy Tag. Still, one of the online listings picked up by 9to5Google does offer a marketing description to provide some extra detail:

“The Google Pixel Tag smart tracker helps you quickly and reliably locate your lost items using the secure 'Find My Device' network," it says.

"Never waste time searching for your keys, wallet or luggage again."

The listing goes on to describe the Google Pixel Tag as a "compact, lightweight and durable smart tracker that attaches discreetly to your most important items".

There's also a loudspeaker inside, to alert you to its whereabouts when lost.

As this is the first time the Google Pixel Tag has appeared in leaks, it’s not clear whether it will be announced alongside the Pixel 11 phones or released at a later date. With that launch happening on 12 August, though, at least it’s not too long to wait to find out.

The time had finally come; time to move out of my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and into the supposedly step-up Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. You can see how vastly different they are in the image above.

But from the very moment I finished copying all my apps and data across, handling this new top-tier foldable just felt immediately, well, tiny.

I know that many have criticised Samsung's foldable over the years for being "too narrow". It was marginally rectified in its Galaxy Z Fold 7 of last year – which is of a similar blueprint to this Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Samsung has arguably become a victim of its own success by releasing two broadly different foldables in tandem. The Ultra has been finessed to an undeniable degree – but may become the more niche format in the future.

Change the format

This isn't just "a Samsung thing", mind, as I've made sure to pick up various other handsets around my office (and when you've been reviewing the best phones for as long as I have, there are plenty around).

Oppo Find X9 Pro? Love it. Except, hold up, I can't easily reach the top. It's quite a tall bit of kit, despite being totally "the norm" for a 2026 flagship. I think that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has effectively rewired my brain in only a matter of days of use.

The story feels the same with any other handset I dare to pick up: Nothing Phone (4a) Pro? It's actually a minuscule amount larger in size than the Oppo. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL? Same deal in terms of height – despite being a mite narrower.

For the first time in a long time, the change in shifting between one handset and another has felt dramatic. That gives me all the more reason to call on Samsung to do yet more with its One UI 9 software though – as the Z Fold 8 would definitely benefit from the option to utilise more app icons per row, among other adjustments unique to the format.

Small beginnings

Phones have changed so much over the years that it's sometimes easy to forget just how much smaller the handsets of yesteryear were. I picked up an iPhone 3G for the first time in years the other day and my first thoughts were: "where is it?"

The days of 3.5-inch phone displays are behind us, though, and I'm fully here to embrace the advancements that have come along the way. The Galaxy Z Fold 8, however, is a signal to an incoming step change.

No, not everyone can afford a foldable. Not everyone even wants a dual-screen phone, for that matter. But when Apple reveals the iPhone Ultra next month, I suspect it'll help "normalise" this new frontier in phone formats.

When I first handled the Galaxy Z Fold 8 I assumed it would be too wide. Now that I've been forced to part ways with it, I'm already missing its currently unique offering. And everything else just feels too narrow and tall – especially the Ultra.

A new flip phone has been unveiled as a way to offer minimalism to your pocket and, hopefully, your life. Light, the company best known for its distraction-free phones, has revealed the Light Flip. This is a modern take on the classic clamshell handset that's designed to be opened only when you actually need it.

Unlike today's foldable smartphones, there's no flexible display or cover screen demanding your attention. Instead, you get a physical keypad, a compact 2.8-inch OLED display and a tiny notification light on the outside.

That minimalist philosophy continues inside. Running the company's custom LightOS software, the phone skips social media, web browsing, app stores and AI assistants entirely.

Instead, you'll find practical tools including calls, texts, navigation, alarms, notes, podcasts, music playback, weather, a hotspot mode and two-factor authentication. The idea is to keep everything genuinely useful and to remove the features that encourage endless scrolling.

Light says the flip phone was created after repeated requests from customers – especially younger people – who wanted a better-built alternative to ageing feature phones without being dragged back into the smartphone ecosystem.

Closing the phone is intended to create a physical signal that you're switching off, rather than simply locking another glowing screen.

Despite its retro appearance, the hardware is actually modern. The Light Flip supports 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C charging, dual SIM via nano SIM and eSIM, a removable 1,800mAh battery and even retains a 3.5mm headphone jack.

There's also a 12-megapixel rear camera, and predictive T9 typing is joined by voice-to-text and audio messaging, to make communication straight forward too.

Available in six colours, the Light Flip is priced at $299 (around £220 / AU$460) and is expected to ship in April 2027.

Whether this becomes the ultimate antidote to smartphone overload remains to be seen. For anyone craving a calmer relationship with technology, this is one of the more refreshing phone launches for 2026.

If you had any doubts about what Google was launching at the Made by Google event, then put them to rest: all the Pixel 11 devices, in all the colours, along with the Watch 5 have leaked.

These images come from a reliable source, Evan Blass on X (via Android Authority) and via the Leakmail substack, so they are pretty much a certainty - although Google has been sharing images of the Pixel 11 already in its teasers and marketing.

While this flood of images exposes these new Google devices in all their glory, just kerb your excitement a little: they look almost identical to the Pixel 10 and Pixel Watch 4.

Starting with the Pixel 11 - that's the entry-level device - Google moved it to a three camera system in 2025, but dropped the spec of the camera system slightly. The camera is important here, because that looks to be the only design change.

Previously, the flash (and temperature sensor on the Pro) was encased in the metal. Now the surface of the camera appears to be one piece of glass, with a little detail sitting in it. As previously revealed by Google, the flash now appears to offer a full range of colours, thought to be the Pixel Glow notification system.

The Pixel 11 is expected to come with 256GB storage in the base model, with a starting price of £879. The colours for this model are reported as Light Sterling, Fuchsia, Midnight Haze and Moss.

For the Pixel 11 Pro, it's much the same, with the colours said to be Dune, Light Fog, Midnight Haze and Pine. All these colours align with previous leaks which came from a listing on Amazon. As before, we're expecting the Pixel 11 Pro (from £1079) to come in an XL size (from £1279) as well.

That's not the end of it, because Google will also be releasing an updated folding phone. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold seems to have a little more tweaking happening around the camera. These images are more of a lifestyle angle on the device, appearing in the Pine colour. The Pro Fold is expected to also come in Midnight as well.

Finally, we come to the Pixel Watch 5. We've previously reported that the Pixel Watch's biggest change is going to be an increase in the RAM, which we expect is to power more AI functions from Gemini.

Here we have the Pixel Watch 5 in what we believe are Natural Silver and Warm Gold, while the images show 41mm and 45mm sizes. The fact that the design isn't changing suggests that the experience will be similar to the Pixel Watch 4.

Some will be disappointed with the lack of change in these devices, but Google seems to be following Apple's lead in keeping the design more consistent. For the phones at least, I think it's a winning strategy as the camera bar on the back makes for a great experience - it's something to grip, it doesn't wobble on the table and I'd expect the performance to be great.

That's one thing we don't yet know - if Google is planning any real hardware changes to its cameras.

Well, would you look at that. Or, as the case is, not look at that. This is the Tecno "Next-Gen Bezelless Concept Phone", which, as its name clearly proclaims, is a handset with no visible bezel.

Indeed, Tecno claims it's the world's first handset with a "0mm bezel" – a phone developed to conquer "the final millimetre". It's all beginning to sound a little bit Star Trek, albeit for phones, isn't it?

Not that this is science fiction. The Next-Gen Bezelless Concept Phone is the real deal – and the Chinese phone-maker will have it on show at the IFA technology show in Berlin this coming September.

That does fall in the month when we're also expecting another major phone launch. Namely Apple's reveal of the iPhone 18 series and, if rumours are accurate, the iPhone Ultra foldable.

Tecno is no stranger to foldable devices either, with its Phantom V Fold 2 expected to spawn a follow-up device for the Indian market in the near future. That's not happened yet, though, with Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 being the one to steal the limelight.

But we digress. Arguably there could be a wider market for a bezel-free phone, with many makers still delivering devices with notable borders. Some argue they deliver practicality, providing an edge to hold; while from an engineering standpoint they offer greater robustness in applying the panel within a design.

Nonetheless, Tecno's Next-Gen Bezelless Concept Phone is here with a clear mission to impress. It required "rethinking from the inside out," using "advanced internal stacking, structural re-engineering, and novel screen packaging techniques," to make it possible.

But will you ever be able to buy one? Not in this concept state, no. But the brand does say that it brings "new possibilities to Tecno's upcoming device generations". Which certainly sounds promising – but as Tecno doesn't sell phones in most regions, chances are you'll never actually be able to buy one.

Still, it's impressive enough to distract from that incoming iPhone launch. And there's more than a minor resemblance between the phones – if you were to eradicate the borders on Apple's device. The 'HiOS' operating system is a great little touch, too.

Technology is under the hammer right now thanks to the rising demands for components being funnelled into booming AI data centres. That's already seen price increases from brands like Samsung and Apple, but those increases are about to be compounded by another factor.

Qualcomm has announced that it will be increasing prices from 1 September, according to CNBC, meaning that the chip that powers your next phone is likely to be more expensive.

The price increase will hit in advance of the announcement of Qualcomm's next-gen Snapdragon hardware, which is expected to deliver big performance gains through move from a 3nm to 2nm process in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.

The cause of the pressures is acknowledged in Qualcomm's quarterly statement, reflecting on a "challenging memory and supply environment", something that smartphone makers themselves are struggling with.

That has seen the component costs for manufacturers increasing, which in turn sees higher prices for customers.

The report goes on to outline that chip sales for smartphones are a huge part of Qualcomm's business, although the company has actively been looking at other segments for growth, with announcements such as the partnership with BMW giving another avenue for development.

While that's good for Qualcomm - who says that revenue remains strong - it reflects on the continued pressures that AI has put on consumer electronics.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is expected to be announced at Snapdragon Summit in late September 2026, while MediaTek is expected to announce the Dimensity 9600 around the same time, also moving to a 2nm process.

MediaTek's hardware has traditionally been cheaper than Qualcomm's and smartphone brands might look to alternative suppliers to keep costs down. That could be a boon for MediaTek as well as Samsung's Exynos brand.

One established leaker on X has shared prices for Qualcomm's flagship hardware over the past generations, reflecting the price changes. It's thought that MediaTek could be 25% cheaper, which could see it appearing in many more devices in 2027.

Unfortunately, most consumers look for Snapdragon in their devices, with Qualcomm's chips aligned with the best flagship phones.

Google will be announcing its new Pixel devices on 12 August at a Made by Google event and it looks like two of the Pixels are going to buck the trend and actually be cheaper than the predecessor.

We've heard a lot about the Pixel 11 recently, from Google sharing the Pixel Glow indicator on the back of the phone, through to colours leaking for the new phones.

But thanks to WinFuture's Roland Quandt, we now have another piece of the puzzle. Taking to BlueSky, Quandt shared prices, storage and the battery capacity for three models - and two are cheaper than they were before.

The trend for recent releases has seen a price increase across devices because of increasing component costs. In the recent Samsung Galaxy Z launch, devices typically had a £100 / $100 / €100 increase. That's not the case for Pixel.

Firstly, it seems that 256GB is now the standard, as there are no prices for 128GB models. That makes the Pixel 11 seem inordinately expensive, priced at £879 whereas previously the 128GB model was available for £799. However, the 256GB model of the Pixel 10 was £899, so if these prices are correct, the new model will be £20 cheaper.

The same applies to the Pixel 11 Pro: starting at 256GB it is listed as £1079 compared to £1099 for the Pixel 10 Pro (256GB). Sure, the absence of the 128GB model at £999 makes this phone feel more expensive, but for the given capacity, it's actually cheaper.

The Pixel 11 Pro XL doesn't do so well: at £1279, it's £80 more than the £1199 asked for the 256GB Pixel 10 Pro.

So on one hand, Google is assuaging those who would have previously wanted the cheaper 128GB models, while the Pixel 11 Pro XL - which is probably the model that most people want - is going to be more expensive.

In addition to the prices and confirmation of starting storage, Quandt also shares the battery capacity:

• Pixel 11 - 4985mAh
• Pixel 11 Pro - 4850mAh
• Pixel 11 Pro XL - 5115mAh

These don't appear to be significantly different to previous models. From what we've seen leaked, the new Pixel 11 phones will offer much the same design as their predecessors, with the Tensor G6 expected to boost their performance.

What we don't know is how Gemini will continue to govern the experience of these phones and what camera changes we might see.

Samsung is thought to be shaking its device strategy and that's going to see an increase in the number of premium phones offered, including the reintroduction of the Galaxy Z TriFold.

Samsung's first crack at producing a larger folding phone resulted in limited availability of the three-panel device, selling out almost immediately in the countries that it was offered in, before being discontinued.

While the production numbers were low, it suggests that in some segments there is the appetite for a larger folding device, although how long that would last once the novelty had worn off remains questionable.

According to ETnews, Samsung is moving to a 4+4 strategy that's going to see four devices available in the first half of the year (that's the Galaxy S) and the four devices available in the second half (that's the Galaxy Z).

This runs counter to previous reports we'd heard where Samsung was planning to step away from the Galaxy Z Flip - instead it seems that the company is going to increase the options for buyers.

According to "industry sources", Samsung has approached suppliers and entered the early stages of development for the new folding phone, with a target launch of 2027.

There are some challenges that Samsung will have to deal with, however. Production of the first Galaxy Z TriFold was thought to be expensive and component prices have only increased since that time.

Samsung might be banking on increased supply to bring the costs back to a realistic level, otherwise the second-generation Galaxy Z TriFold could be inhibitively expensive. The first model was $2,899 - and recent folding models typically saw a $100 increase in the price, suggesting it could cost $2,999 if trends continue.

Samsung is banking on growing interest in folding phones, with Apple's launch of the iPhone Ultra in September expected to boost the folding phone segment.

But that's not the only additional model that Samsung is looking at. The 4+4 strategy would also add the Galaxy S27 Pro into the selection, sitting under the Ultra. The addition of a Pro model is a long-running rumour, first thought to replace the Plus, but then appearing to be an additional model.

Previous rumours have suggested it will offer many of the features of the Ultra, but lack support for the S Pen. We're sure that as we move through the latter stages of 2026, we'll hear a lot more about Samsung's future plans.

Honor has been showing off the Robot Phone since it was first revealed in October 2025 and now the company has staged a press conference to talk about the camera. That details the partnership with ARRI, while also fleshing out some of the specifics.

The Robot Phone's unique feature is that is has a camera attached to a gimbal that lives within the device itself. This opens up a full range of features and possibilities that other phones can't manage.

Firstly, it's a really advanced platform for the camera that it contains, and secondly, it allows the camera to behave like an interactive robot. Not only can it track the subject you're recording, but it can follow you around the room and react to what you're doing.

Thanks to ITHome sharing the conference held in China, we now know that the main camera has a 200-megapixel sensor, with a 1/1.28in type sensor, with the lens offering an f/1.6 aperture and a 23mm focal length.

That sensor is large for a smartphone - not quite as large as you'll find in the Xiaomi 15 Ultra or Oppo Find X9 Ultra - but it's still a big sensor with a wide aperture.

There's another 200-megapixel sensor powering the periscope-style telephoto camera, while there's a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera too.

Core to the photography experience is the new Honor Yuguang H1 image signal processing chip, said to be developed in house and promising low noise, real-time RAW image processing and power efficiency.

We'd already had confirmation that Honor was working with ARRI - the German cinematic camera company - and that's going to bring that heritage to video capture, something the Robot Phone is poised to revolutionise.

That's going to include ARRI Log-C encoding and LUT colour grading, along with advanced controls to give Robot Phone owners options to put that gimbal to good use. We've already seen advanced stabilisation and AI-powered subject tracking in action.

But how does this relate to future phones from Honor? It's thought that the camera system will feed into the Honor Magic 9 series. While those devices aren't expected to benefit from the Robot Phone's gimbal, the generation of 100 patents for the technology in the phone - as well as the new ISP chip - should benefit future smartphones from the company.

The Honor Robot Phone will be announced on 12 August in China.

Twelve South, the luxury accessories brand, has just announced that it's bringing its Valet charging tray to the UK and Europe, having already launched it in the US – and that the tray will now come in two different sizes.

The Valet comprises a compact tray that's ideal for dropping your keys or other small items on, whether it's by the entry to your home or on your bedside, but it also features a Qi2 wireless charging puck. This gives your phone a home on the tray, and holds it slightly elevated from the rest as it charges.

Being from Twelve South, you can be pretty confident that the tray will feel exceptionally sturdy and well-made, and it now comes in three colours – black, brown and taupe. Each comes with a detachable frame around its edge to let you choose where the Twelve South logo sits, which is a nice little touch.

The biggest news from Twelve South's point of view, though, is that there are now two versions of the Valet to choose from. The standard version, the one that launched in the US, is now called the original Valet, and it launches at £179.99 and €189.99. It's big enough that your phone sits within the tray while it charges.

The new smaller size is called the compact Valet, and it's a bit cheaper at £129.99 and €139.99, and has a far narrower rectangular shape. This means your phone sort of hangs over the tray while it charges, but it makes the Valet potentially fit onto a much wider range of surfaces.

I should be getting hold of one of those smaller Valets very soon, so I'll know more about whether it justifies what is still a pretty steep price. Twelve South has never been shy about pricing its accessories at luxury levels, but when you have the relatively frequent Apple stamp of approval, that'll happen.

Its chargers are indeed some of the best in the business, after all, so this could be a really choice addition to a nightstand or living room counter. Both sizes should be available to order directly from Twelve South today.

After seven generations of folding phone releases, Samsung did something dramatic with its eighth-gen model – changing the Galaxy Z Fold 8's display aspect ratios so dramatically that it has created an all-new experience and a first for Android phones.

I was dubious initially, because the folded device's almost-passport-sized exterior display looked so squat and wide that I couldn't fathom how it would enhance my experience. Yet here I am, a full working week later of using the Z Fold 8 nonstop, and I'm fully on side with this new format.

That's partly down to it solving one of my criticisms inherent in folding phones (and I've tried pretty much all of them): that I would rarely unfold any, given how 'normal' the exterior display would usually feel in use. The Z Fold 8's addition of a 4:3 aspect ratio panel within has changed that for me.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is no iterative upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold 7 – for that, you'll need to look to the also-new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (here's the two compared) – but a landmark step towards folding phones' wider acceptance and, if rumours are true, a precursor to Apple's expected arrival in this space later this year.

Price & Availability

But with a price tag that remains an obvious hurdle, is wider acceptance ever going to be feasible? You might need to factor in increasing your monthly contract costs to accommodate here.

The Z Fold 8 is up for pre-order now, ahead of its 4 August on-sale date, and retails from £1,699 / $1,899 / AU$2,699 for the 256GB model with 12GB RAM. Only the 1TB storage variant offers 16GB RAM.

That is £/$200 less than the £1,899 / $2,099 Z Fold 8 Ultra (which is AU$2,999 in Australia), so it's not the most expensive foldable in Samsung's line-up or, indeed, in the market overall. But it's still pricier than most typical Android flagships.

What's New?

• Lightest Fold yet, at 201g
• Totally new aspect ratio displays
  • 5.5-inch external, 10:16 ratio
  • 7.6-inch internal, 4:3 ratio
  • Flex Titanium tech
• Samsung's first-ever silicon-carbon battery
  • 4300mAh, 45W charging
• Dual camera system, not triple, without optical zoom
  • 50MP main and 50MP wide

Samsung has been in the folding phones game for longer than any other maker, with a new model arriving annually since 2019. But the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the eighth-generation handset in the range, changes the playbook.

That's clearly visible in the gallery above, where I've photographed the Z Fold 8 next to the Z Fold 8 Ultra – the latter being more in line with the previous Z Fold 7 model that released last year.

This radically different size and shape is also paired with the lowest weight of any Samsung foldable to date, while also marking Samsung's first foray into using a silicon-carbon battery type (Si-C) for greater capacity from this new form.

In opting for a new aspect ratio, however, Samsung has cut back on the cameras – it's a dual rear offering, lacking the optical zoom of the Ultra – which seems a sensible cost-saving move. These lenses do protrude quite dramatically from the rear, though, so the dreaded 'desk wobble' is still a bother.

Displays

• 5.5-inch external AMOLED display, 10:16 aspect ratio
  • Wider and shorter than Z Fold 8 Ultra
  • 3000 nits peak brightness
  • 1264 x 1848 resolution
  • 120Hz refresh
• 7.6-inch internal AMOLED display, 4:3 aspect ratio
  • Flex Titanium Technology for anti-crease
  • Anti-reflective coating finish
  • 1828 x 2584 resolution
  • 120Hz refresh

I've already established that the displays differ from what's come before, but there's plenty going on behind the scenes, too, in what Samsung calls Flex Titanium technology. I interviewed a Samsung exec about how tricky this was to deliver – and it's an interesting read on the challenges faced.

Flex Titanium is designed to further negate the much-maligned 'crease' down the centre of the foldable panel – by using a titanium plate behind the panel to benefit from its rigidity. Getting sheet metal to actually fold, however, took some clever engineering to create a layer thin enough, with micro-etched and laser-cut patterns to enable the folding process.

I found the Z Fold 8 satisfyingly 'snaps' into position when unfolded, the crease barely visible from a front-on viewpoint and only marginally present when viewing at more acute angles. That 'snappy' operation means you can't position this foldable in anything but fully open or closed positions, unlike with the Ultra.

Good work on the crease, but the Z Fold 8 doesn't address one of my other general frustrations with folding phones: fingerprints! Samsung hasn't made further headway into negating how the natural oils prevalent in human skin sit on a folding display's surface. It just looks worse than on any standard glass panel.

The Z Fold 8's folding panel is finished with an anti-reflective coating, though, so it does at least battle sunlight better for an improved viewing experience when outdoors. The bright nature of this panel also helps in cutting through any would-be reflections for clear visuals all of the time, while a 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth, flowing visuals.

The biggest new feature to get used to with the Z Fold 8, however, is this unfolded display's 4:3 aspect ratio. You just don't see that in Android devices. But you do elsewhere: as that's precisely the form of Apple's iPad line. I maintain that this is unusual for an Android device, but as I've learnt over the past working week, I've grown to really enjoy it.

It's better for reading, it's better for some games, and it's certainly better for content consumption. I've actively found myself moving between external and internal panels more than with any folding phone before, which is certainly a positive.

Less positively, however, is that Android, and the apps this system inherently runs, just aren't always designed for on-the-fly aspect ratio adjustment – so when an app is open, and you unfold the device to benefit from it on the larger display, you'll typically have to restart said app.

That's not true of all apps, mind, with Gmail loading your inbox plus selected email in a dual format. WhatsApp is similar, with Chats loaded and the selected conversation opening into the right-hand portion of available space. Samsung's One UI 9 software also permits multiple apps to be open at once.

This multitasking feature needs to be activated, but you can easily swipe with two fingers from the side to create a split-screen view. It's even possible to swipe diagonally from the corner of an open app and redraw its position as a floating window (some apps enforce a fixed aspect ratio). It's actioned well and not fiddly, unlike some competitors' software (Oppo's ColorOS springs to mind).

Hardware & Performance

• Colours: Graphite, Cream, Lavender, Pistachio (Samsung exclusive)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 'for Galaxy', 12GB RAM
• 4800mAh Si-C battery type, 45W charging
• 256GB / 512GB / 1TB storage options

Samsung did tell me that the Flex Titanium technology actually frees up space in this design, as does the adoption of the new battery technology, so there's 7% more graphite for thermal dissipation in this design compared to the previous-gen Z Fold 7.

That said, in its folded form this phone can run hot – and when the system decides that it's crossed a threshold, I've seen automated screen dimming and likely performance throttling. It has been particularly warm in the UK where I'm testing, however, so such preventative measures are hardly a surprise – and certainly not a deal-breaker in overall performance.

There's no doubting the Z Fold 8's abundant specification, which includes Qualcomm's top-tier 'for Galaxy' overclocked processor. Whether multitasking, as I described above, or playing full-screen games, the experience is fluid and every bit the flagship.

It'll be interesting to see how Samsung evolves its One UI 9 software offering, as there's the promise of 7 years of updates for the latest features and security patches. The software at time of testing is in beta (which might explain the lack of a 5-across app grid), but the more that Samsung can leverage this screen real estate, the better.

I've been pleased with the introduction of that Si-C battery type, too, with its 4800mAh capacity proving good enough to last through a day with ease. No, it's not the highest capacity, per some competitors, but it's more than good enough – I've managed 16-hour days unplugged with 6 hours of screen time and still gone to bed with 15% remaining.

Streaming time might be the most valid figure to consider in relation to this foldable, though. Samsung specifies continuous playback up to 26 hours. If you're using Wi-Fi, with Bluetooth headphones connected and are cranking the display's brightness, however, then I've found an hour of YouTube to cut 9% battery – so more like 11 hours total. That's with no concessions, though, so it's a decent innings.

There is one point to note on this battery type, however, as we reported ahead of the device's on-sale date. While the earlier Z Fold 7 claimed 2000 charge cycles, the Z Fold 8 drops that to 1200 – which is a 40% dip. That suggests the longevity after some years may be challenged.

Cameras

• Dual rear cameras:
  • Main: 50-megapixel
  • Wide: 50MP
• Selfie cameras:
  • Both: 10MP, f/2.2

A phone's cameras tend to be the biggest sign of its flagship status these days. The Z Fold 8 doesn't go quite as far as the Ultra model here, however, dropping any optical zoom lens and relying on tried-and-tested 50-megapixel cameras in wide and ultra-wide forms.

It's the Ultra model, in its altogether different format, that gets the more sophisticated camera setup (including a 200-megapixel main), therefore. But Samsung's well-established photographic prowess is still on fair display in the Z Fold 8 – much as I do miss having a more capable zoom – thanks to decent processing and resolution.

You can certainly crop into images easily, providing a sort of 'zoom equivalent' – the exec interview and on-stage photos in my gallery above, for example, are heavily cropped, yet still retain enough core detail. Even low-light images come out well, much as the processing can leave some subjects looking a little softer as a result.

The suite of Galaxy AI features on board also delivers plenty of tools to manipulate images with ease. These have been established over the last couple of years of Galaxy flagship launches, though on the video front this generation adds My FanCam, which can crop video focus to a specific social platform aspect, as you please.

Verdict

Much as the Galaxy Z Fold 8's passport-sized form could have proved a floundering move for Samsung, having used this unique Android device for a full working week, I think it's opened new borders – and represents the future of foldables.

The high asking price and limited camera setup don't guarantee overnight success with the masses, mind, and there's scope for both Google's Android and Samsung's One UI software to bring yet more beneficial features to the device's two display formats.

But in terms of practicality, core hardware and raw power, Samsung has delivered a new kind of folding phone experience that feels as fresh and fun as it does mature. I've found the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to transform the foldable experience for the better and set a new bar.

Also Consider

There's nothing directly comparable with the Z Fold 8's aspect ratio, but if you want more camera and more screen – albeit in a taller and narrower form – then the Z Fold 8 Ultra is your most obvious option.

Elsewhere in the market, Honor's competitive pricing with the Magic V6 makes a strong case, despite software quirks. Or for a more 'standard' external display, Google's Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the most obvious pick.

Samsung announced three new folding phones recently, featuring a change to the battery technology. Samsung has embraced silicon-carbon for the first time, following the lead of many smartphone brands. But there's a downside to that battery technology: it doesn't last as long.

The specifications for Samsung's new folding phones show the change clearly, with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 listed as having a minimum battery endurance (in charging cycles) of 1200. The Z Flip 8 is 1200 and the Z Fold 8 Ultra is also 1200.

While we can't compare the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to a previous model, we can check the details for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7, both of which state that their batteries are good for 2000 charging cycles.

In the case of the Galaxy Z Flip 8, the battery capacity remains the same at 4300mAh, but its longevity is reduced because of the move to silicon-carbon battery tech. For the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra there's some benefit, with an increase to 5000mAh over the 4400mAh so this battery will last longer between charges, but again, won't last as many years.

Silicon-carbon battery technology has the advantage of being more energy dense, allowing the manufacturer to get greater capacity within the same physical size. It's the tech that's see phones soar over 5000mAh which seemed to be the ceiling on battery capacity in a practical design.

That's resulted in phones with huge capacity, some over 7000mAh, with very little impact on the phone's design. For Samsung's part, it said that moving to silicon-carbon enabled the 45W charging now offered, but that's not strictly the case: the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra offered 45W charging in 2022, using a regular lithium-ion battery.

The evolution of silicon-carbon use in smartphones has followed a path that tells us a lot: it was first used by the Honor Magic 6 Pro in 2023 and then went on to be widely used by the likes of Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo and Motorola, all with the aim of increasing the capacity to extend the endurance of the phone.

These brands have also championed fast charging, while Samsung, Apple and Google have been a little more conservative.

That reluctance to move to silicon-carbon probably comes down to the fact that it doesn't last as long and with Samsung, Apple and Google all offering the longest software support to keep devices going, that doesn’t dovetail with a battery that has a shorter lifespan.

There have been calls for brands to adopt silicon-carbon from some corners of the media, but the true cost is right here in the specs: these phone batteries won't last as many years as they would with traditional lithium-ion.

There's a scene in Steven Spielberg's 1998 classic, Saving Private Ryan, in which Captain John Miller, played by Tom Hanks, is desperately shooting his pistol at a tank in a last-ditch attempt to take it out. It explodes in a seemingly impossible moment.

While a movie analogy isn't typical of mobile phone production, I spoke with BD Yang, Samsung's Deputy Head of Core Component Technology Team about the brand's latest Z Fold 8 folding phone – revealed at Galaxy Unpacked in London.

He confirmed the Z Fold 8 – which introduces Flex Titanium technology, in which the company has been able to create a folding layer of the metal – posed "so many challenges" that it "seemed impossible – so we started internally to call [the project] 'Saving Private Ryan'".

That's a rare piece of human insight from a corporate executive, but one that humanises the struggle in order to improve their products. "We’ve handled countless materials in the past seven generations," Yang said, in reference to Samsung's production of folding devices since back in 2019.

Why titanium?

"This time around we decided that titanium had the best fit for foldable form. Why? It's strong, stable, resistant to permanent deformation under external force – which is why it's used in golf clubs and aerospace applications – and offers improved elastic recovery."

But it wasn't an easy solution to deliver. After all, titanium is a chemical element and metal in its own right. To make it fold repeatedly, in order to provide a more rigid, flatter display and help to negate the crease that so often plagues foldable devices, it needed to be super thin.

"We knew that titanium would be the next level," says Yang. But there were "so many challenges to overcome without compromising; so many roadblocks when we started the project. But in the end we broke through – and are very proud of this achievement".

So just how is it achieved? The titanium layer is topped with a film that's "roughly a third the thickness of a human hair" and created using "ultra processing and heating to make it so thin".

The plate beneath has the "bottom part cut out using wet-etching, with liquid agents used to dissolve little holes – beneficial to provide the flexibility [needed]."

But the "innovation this time around is in the top part – where we create laser-cut holes, which are smaller micro-holes." This allows for a " flatter and more rigid" result where the display flexes down the centre of the device. And that's what lessens the visibility of the crease.

Samsung has literally created folding metal for this generation of foldable, in both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra. So you can see why it felt like overcoming the impossible – and earned its secret 'Saving Private Ryan' namesake.

Bolstered battery

There's a lot more going on with these new folding phones, though, as I previously reported that they're the first Samsung devices to deploy a silicon-carbon battery (Si-C) technology – long used by competitors and increasingly demanded by would-be customers for its enhanced life.

Samsung has deeply invested research and development into this new technology: "We have continued to observe the demand for silicon-carbon. But Samsung holds ourselves to the highest standard for many qualities, including [battery] stability," said Yang.

The Z Fold 8's increase to a 5000mAh capacity in a slimmer overall design "required more than a new material alone. On the anode side, a thin carbon coating helps stability. On the cathode side, a high-porosity separator [is used] to improve ion mobility.

"This was not just about changing the anode material itself," but a full project to "cover end-to-end components to meet spec and standard. It may look as though it’s only about changing the anode material – but it’s more [than that]", confirmed Yang, unable to share some of the secretive aspects of Samsung's solution.

New display format

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is Samsung's big bet on a new format, though, offering a 16:10 exterior aspect and 4:3 interior – that's unlike anything Android has seen before. It's widely expected to be the format that Apple will use in its iPhone Ultra later this year.

So why now for such a change? "We're able to observe changing use case patterns over seven years – and made the decision by closely monitoring user data and insights. Over time [there's been an] increase in video content consumption, so have introduced an aspect ratio to best fit."

When pressed if Samsung will be selling this AMOLED panel to other companies, without explicitly citing Apple, Yang was reluctant to answer directly: "We're not sure if it's an IP (intellectual property) that can be commoditised – so don’t know whether that will become the future."

Notably, none of Samsung's trio of 2026 foldables feature the Privacy Display feature that rolled out in the Galaxy S26 Ultra at the beginning of this year. That display hardware can switch off certain pixels in real-time to hide notifications or specific apps' visibility to would-be snoopers, creating a black of privacy screen effect.

"We're happy to see the excitement around Privacy Display. Whenever we design and engineer for our devices, we base it on the target market. There are priorities and different considerations. The biggest priority here [in the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra] was to take durability to the next level."

I've been using a Galaxy Z Fold 8 since the Unpacked summer showcase and it's an impressive piece of kit, with a hinge that feels different to any before it. "You felt that correctly," said Yang.

"The 8 and 8 Ultra have different hinge architectures. The Ultra is to maximise productivity, so the hinge is slimmer. The 8 is about content consumption, so makes the [unfolding] experience more natural and seamless – so we incorporated a hinge that’s smoother and lighter to open."

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-orders are live now, with the on-sale date expected from 4 August. Making the impossible possible, these new foldables are a great achievement – and Yang's detailed explanations show just how much work has gone on behind the scenes in producing something truly unique in this market.

Google is expanding the number of ways to secure your Google account, adding a surprise addition – selfie videos. The industry as a whole is on a mission to replace passwords and passcodes with a wider range of sign-in methods, so now we have the selfie video.

Face has long been used to unlock phones – with Apple popularising the method with Face ID back in 2017 – but using your face to secure your Google Account makes a lot of sense.

That's because you're not going to write it down on a Post-It note stuck to your monitor, it's not going to be dog's birthday backwards or your mother's first pet name. Instead, it's a multi-faceted biometric.

Google isn't the first to turn to offer face verification for account access, it's popular with banking apps like Revolut. But Google says that you'll be able to use your face to get back into your account if you're ever locked out of it. Google describes it as an optional private backup for your password.

That's a great move, because if you've lost that Post-It note and you have no idea what your password is, you'll probably have your face with you to be able to unlock via the camera on any device.

Of course, there are huge privacy fears here, as this means Google is storing your literal face which provides access to your account. But the tech giant emphasises that it can be deleted at any time and it's only used for signing in.

Security assurances

There will be lots of security to keep it protected and if you're locked out, you'll be tasked with recording another video, with movements to prove that it's live, which will be compared to your face on record.

There's an interesting detail in Google's wording too, with the firm saying: "It’s used only for helping you sign in, unless you opt to share it for additional purposes."

There's no word on what those additional purposes are.

Google already loves faces: it was first to bring facial recognition to the Nest Hello in 2018 – as Familiar Faces – so it could announce who was at the door and it still uses that system in Nest cameras now. It also likes to link Google Photos to faces so it's easy to find people.

But I'm still interested in what "additional purposes" there might be. I'd love to be able to sign in with a video selfie on new devices rather than tapping in my randomised password every time.

On my first attempt to access the new service I was told that selfie video was not available for my account, so it's not exactly clear how this will roll out.

For the last couple of months, there have been no end of reports on the rumoured iPhone Ultra. We’ve seen everything from dummy leaks to give us an idea of what it could look like, to specification rumours to let us know what we can expect in terms of things like screen sizes.

Most reports of late haven’t focused on whether Apple will launch a folding phone (that much appears to be clear) but on when. And there have been a few about its release date, with claims that could be significantly delayed, slightly delayed, or barely delayed at all.

Will the iPhone Ultra be delayed, or won't it?

Now it seems to be been flipped again. A report on DigiTimes (via 9to5Mac) suggests the delay could be back on.

DigiTimes writes that “Foxconn is now carrying out 'final mass-production adjustments' for the device”, which could lead to "production hurdles".

However, there is nothing in the report to confirm whether those adjustments are routine or an issue. So unfortunately, we are back to things being a little up in the air.

We're choosing to look at this positively though.

Samsung has just announced its latest folding phones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a new, wider format. It is widely thought this new shape will be showcased on the iPhone Ultra too, offering a squarer phone when folded and an iPad mini-like aspect when unfolded.

So with Samsung having put its marker down, all eyes are now on Apple and what it will bring to the folding phone space. Sure, the phone might release a little later than the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro XL, to give those devices a chance to sell, but we suspect the “final mass-production adjustments” won’t stop us seeing a folding iPhone this year.

If it is indeed on the cards.

Samsung has just updated its Galaxy Z Flip, alongside the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 (the wide model) and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. But in the world of flip phones, Samsung faces a big rival in the form of Motorola and its Razr family.

The Motorola Razr 70 Ultra was announced earlier in the year, and it has something in common with Samsung's phone: neither of these devices changed significantly from the previous generation. On one hand, that might point to smartphone stagnation. On the other hand, it could just be that phones don't need to be updated every year.

With that said, both these phones also increased their prices, something that's a trend in tech right now. With that in back of mind, and having used both of these phones ahead of Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event, just how do they compare – and which one should you buy?

Price

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 has just been announced, with a launch price of £1149 for the 256GB version. Currently, I don't have confirmed pricing for the US or other regions.

It's expected that pre-orders will open immediately, with general sales from 4 August.

The Razr 70 Ultra launched at £1199 in May 2026 and it's still listed at that price, although Motorola is offering free Buds Loop if you order direct. Note that this is for the 512GB version, so technically, it's 'cheaper' than the Galaxy Z Flip 8. Prices have been really stable, with no discounts so far.

In the USA the (differently named, but effectively the same device) Razr Ultra 2026 is priced at $1499, while in Australia it's AU$1999 (albeit for the 256GB model in that instance).

Design

With neither of these phones changing much generation on generation, I could direct you to my comparison of the Z Flip 7 and Razr 70 Ultra – as much is going to be the same. The design of the new Samsung phone is essentially the same as it was before, but it's now only 6.1mm thick and drops to 180g in weight.

It remains more compact than the Razr, which is 7.19mm thick when unfolded and weighs in at 199g. That's close to 20g difference in weight, but it's the overall bulk that separates these phones – and you don't get more screen space on the Motorola as a result of the increased size (but you do get something else as I'll get to below).

The design language is different, too, with Samsung's approach being more industrial. Flat sides meet a flat back, while the Razr 70 Ultra hangs on to some curves. Samsung has made a tiny adjustment in the Flip 8, with a bevelled edge that makes it a little easier to open than the previous model. Motorola, thanks to its slightly more rounded frame, has always been a little easier to flip open.

While Samsung sticks to a glass back on the Galaxy Z Flip 8, this is where the biggest point of difference comes in: Motorola remains committed to using unique colours and materials. The Razr 70 Ultra comes in Pantone Cocoa, which has a wood veneer finish, while the Pantone Orient Blue is an opulent Alcantara.

This lends a completely different feel to these devices. While they principally have a similar folding design, Motorola's Razr has a slightly warmer feel about it. Both will turn heads, but the Razr will draw more questions – and I applaud that.

Much as it was before, this is a choice between industrial precision from Samsung or a slightly more lifestyle look from Motorola. My only concern is that the Razr 70 Ultra comes in just two finishes, at the moment, which is fewer than previous years.

Samsung offers four colours – although one is a Samsung.com exclusive.

Displays

Motorola stole an early lead from Samsung with its cover display: while Samsung was still offering an odd-shaped window on the Galaxy Flip 5, Motorola's Razr wrapped it right around the cameras on the Razr 40 Ultra. That set a new trend, which now sees these two going head-to-head on the cover screen.

The playing field has levelled, with Samsung offering a 4.1-inch screen compared to Motorola's 4.0-incher. That fractional difference in size makes a difference, especially when you consider that Samsung's phone is smaller: the Razr has wider bezels around the edge. Again, Samsung's precision comes through here.

Motorola is known for pushing the display specs, though, and the Razr 70 Ultra has a 3000 nits cover screen with 165Hz refresh rate and high pixel count. Samsung hasn’t confirmed the Z Flip 8 specs at the time of writing, but to me it looked just like the previous version.

That applies to the main display too: the Z Flip 8 has a 6.9-inch internal display, while Motorola is 6.96-inches. Motorola offers 165Hz – although I'm not sure you'll ever use more than 120Hz – while it also has a peak brightness of 5000 nits.

Finally, Samsung's crease is a little less visible than Motorola's. That's about all that separates these displays, although Motorola probably retains the brightness advantage.

But there's one other levelling factor: Motorola's advantage has long been the ability to use apps in full on the cover screen. Samsung is now offering the same on the Z Flip 8, moving on from the widget-based experience that it previously offered. I compared a couple of apps and Samsung might just have the edge now, offering a little more visible app space.

Performance

If you're looking for stagnation, Motorola's decision to stick with the Snapdragon 8 Elite in 2026 (the same as 2025) might cost it: Samsung updates to the Gen 5 version (in the USA; it's Exynos 2600 in some other regions, including the UK).

But before you get too excited, it's not simply a case of 'newer is better': the Snapdragon 8 Elite remains powerful hardware and many prefer to have a Snapdragon in their phone. While I haven't been able to fully test the Galaxy Z Flip 8, previous tests on the Exynos 2600 suggested that it was outperformed by the older Snapdragon hardware in some areas.

But let's keep this in check: this isn't a gaming phone, so absolute performance probably doesn't matter. In that sense, what happens in the battery department is probably more important.

The Motorola Razr 70 Ultra has a 5000mAh battery, while Samsung sticks to 4300mAh. Samsung battery now uses silicon-carbon (Si-C) tech, which is the same as Motorola. Samsung's motivation for moving to Si-C seems to be to support the 45W charging, which is very welcome.

Motorola, meanwhile, offers 68W charging and, let's face it, that's a world apart from Samsung's offering. I found the battery life of the Razr 70 Ultra to be really solid.

Cameras

When the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra launched, all the talk was about the introduction of a 'LOFIC' sensor, the first time the tech had been used in a folding phone. That's designed to strengthen the performance of the main camera – and it's a pretty good performer.

It leads a trio of 50-megapixel cameras, including an ultrawide (that's a little blurry towards the edges) and a front camera (that's pretty inconsistent in my experience). It's a so-so camera experience.

Samsung doesn't appear to have made any changes to its camera in the Z Flip 8, so there's a 50-megapixel main, supported by a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel selfie camera. Motorola wins on the spec sheet, but I can't really judge which is better until I get to test them both.

There are clever features, like multiple ways to use the external display, the option to use the rear cameras for selfies, as well as clever features like camcorder mode and twist-to-zoom on the Motorola device.

Both lack a telephoto camera, which is the biggest downside at this price point when compared to a regular non-folding phone.

Software and support

This section is worth paying attention to and we'll start with the fact that Samsung offers 7 years of software support for its flagship devices, while Motorola has only promised three OS updates and 5 years of security updates on the Razr 70 Ultra. Whichever way you cut it, Samsung is better in this regard.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 has the benefit of launching on Android 17 (almost the first phone to offer it – the Google Pixel literally updated the week before launch), along with One UI 9. During my time exploring the Z Flip 8, I didn't spot huge changes – except for the cover display features that I've already mentioned.

Samsung with One UI remains one of the best experiences on Android – and that remains the case for the Galaxy Z Flip 8. Motorola, on the other hand ,isn't quite as slick.

The move to Hello UI has seen Motorola introduce a lot of preinstalled apps, while making changes to insert Moto AI in places you might not want it. Most annoying is the attempt to shoehorn a news feed into the apps tray, along with a search function that can draw on Perplexity to give you more waffly answers.

Thankfully you can turn off a lot of these intrusions, but it does take some effort. Samsung instead offers Galaxy AI, which always gets a high billing, but doesn't appear to offer much more than Google's Gemini – which both these phones offer as standard.

The caveat with Samsung's AI is that you have to use the Samsung Keyboard to get it to function – if you choose to use Google Gboard, for example, you basically void the Galaxy AI features.

Which should you buy: Samsung or Motorola?

Samsung has a couple of things stacked in its favour: it has a tighter and more compact design, which is lighter; it offers longer software support; and many will prefer the One UI experience over Motorola's Hello UI. But for the price, you get half the storage.

Motorola offers more unique finishes, with higher spec displays in some areas and a battery that's significantly higher capacity, with much faster charging. Motorola also offers 512GB storage for only a little more cash, so it's also better value for money.

But between all these things, I think it boils down to two factors: pick Samsung if you want the more compact device with a design that's slightly sharper; pick Motorola if you'd rather have longer battery life.

Okay, so it wasn't the best-kept secret in world history – Samsung had been openly teasing the new shape of its Galaxy Z Fold 8 for a couple of weeks. So, even without the many leaks that preceded it, we had a pretty good sense that the main Z Fold phone would be getting a new look.

Still, it's one thing to see leaks and another to get an entire Galaxy Unpacked event to check the phone out, and then the hands-on thoughts of our Tech editor, Mike Lowe. The phone looks like it's making a great impression on people in the first instance, although we'll doubtless get more context in the next few weeks.

I'll admit, though, that I've been a bit of a sceptic. The steep price tag attached to foldables makes them a non-starter for me, and I didn't see why a squatter design would change that. What I didn't expect was one moment in Samsung's presentation when they showed the phone opened up, but not in landscape mode – using a portrait orientation instead.

The photo at the top of this article shows that moment exactly, and that Samsung was using it to underline how the Z Fold 8 could be a great little e-reader alongside all the other more phone-like tools it offers. My surprise? I'm won over, at least moreso than before.

I've tested every Kindle released in the last few years, and I still regularly use the Kindle Paperwhite when I'm travelling, to cut down on the weight of a book (especially if I'm reading something chunky). Still, while I like an e-reader as much as the next reader, I'm mostly doing it for that weight reason.

So, if I had a phone that could be as satisfying to hold and as easy to read with, that would indeed be pretty tempting. There's a lot to wonder about in terms of ergonomics, still, and the biggest question for me would be how reliably I'd be able to read on the Z Fold 8 without worrying about battery life, but the concept it still quite a winning one.

The simple reality is that as long as these foldables stay this expensive, there's no way I'd ever commit to them – at £1,699, I just don't think the Z Fold 8 having a more adaptable aspect ratio is enough to move the needle. Still, this is the first time in a few years that I've even really perked my ears up at all in this area.

I'll be super interested in the folding iPhone we're likely getting later this year, but again will almost certainly never get my hands on one, if the rumoured pricing is to be remotely believed. Perhaps in half a decade, though, when folding phones are even more widespread, and the memory crisis has hopefully abated, I could end up not needing a Kindle at all – one less device is rarely a bad thing.

Today, Samsung used its Unpacked summer 2026 event to reveal a host of new devices – including, most critically of all, the brand new Galaxy Z Fold 8.

While the foldable's naming convention follows suit with its predecessor, the Z Fold 7, the new device is anything but – a 16:10 external aspect ratio, with a 4:3 aspect panel within.

That's an important difference to the typically 'narrow and tall' foldables of recent years, in particular because Android devices have consistently swerved a 4:3 aspect ratio – unlike Apple's iPad, which is precisely that form.

Has Samsung effectively just shown us the iPhone Ultra, expected to be revealed in September of this year? In a way, yes.

How's that the case? Well, Samsung is the producer of AMOLED panels – Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode – and it's largely expected that Apple will be a customer of this new panel.

Therefore this size and scale – 5.5-inches on the exterior at 16:10; 7.6-inches on the internal at 4:3 – is widely expected to be the very format that Apple also brings into the world of foldables.

But Apple has its own ecosystem, of course, with iOS and iPad OS fundamental to iPhone and iPad products – unlike Google's Android system, on which Samsung is based (with its own One UI interface).

That's the area where Apple could really excel in a way that Android hasn't quite presented in foldables as yet. Indeed, Samsung hasn't presented specific differences that the Z Fold 8 can offer compared to its Ultra, for example.

All that said, however, while Samsung may well sell the panel to Apple, it's not selling all of its research and development. And, with eight years of experience under its belt – the first Z Fold launched in 2019 – the South Korean maker has a lot to offer.

Indeed, the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra both utilise what Samsung is calling Flex Titanium technology. Which is literally a laser-etched micro-thin layer of titanium that sits beneath the panel, ensuring flatness, rigidity and negating the crease more than any product of this type before it. Apple's not going to have that straight out of the gate.

None of this is guaranteed, of course, as it's all speculative. But it makes sense: if Samsung can claim to be first, with Apple doubling down on the new foldable format, then it ought to gather greater momentum. That's a winner for both sides – and all of us, the intended users.

With the Z Fold 8 confirmed to be priced from £1,699 in the UK, however, it remains a pricey piece of kit. Many think Apple's effort will be nearer to the £1,999 mark – which could be too much of a hurdle for many buyers. Guess we'll have to wait and see what comes later this year.

Samsung has announced a trio of new phones at its Unpacked 2026 event. And everyone's attention is on one device – the new Galaxy Z Fold 8, the phone that's effectively going to rival the first folding iPhone.

While the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has the advantage of novelty bias, the spectre of the Z Fold 8 Ultra hangs over it – higher-specced, more expensive, and looking just like the previous Z Fold 7 model.

But somewhat under the radar is the Galaxy Z Flip, now in its eighth generation. With wide retro appeal, the Flip has always been popular with a non-tech audience, those who want a style phone that slips more easily into a pocket or bag.

But there's been a rumour that the Z Flip's days could be numbered, as Samsung faces a deficit in its mobile division and focus shifts to larger folding phones. So that's seen everything thrown into the new Z Flip 8, right? Well, not quite.

How do the prices compare?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 starts at £1149 in the UK, with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. It's $1,199 in the USA and AU$1,949 in Australia.

The earlier Galaxy Z Flip 7 launched at £1,049 / $1,099 with a 12/256GB configuration. The price has been as low as £849 / $799 on Amazon over Black Friday and has been regularly on offer since.

Pre-orders for the Flip 8 are open, with an on-sale date expected from 4 August 2026. As per previous years, there will be exclusive colours on Samsung.com, as detailed below. While the core colours change, Mint remains the exclusive:

The Z Flip 8 design is incredibly close to the Galaxy Z Flip 7

Samsung's Z Flip has evolved over the generations, with the Galaxy Z Flip 6 introducing the current industrial design with flattened sides, refined in the Galaxy Z Flip 7 to be a notably slimmer device, while the Z Flip 8 makes it thinner again.

Not much else has changed, but it's now 6.1mm thick when open, compared to 6.5mm, and dropping some 8g of weight – which you'll barely notice, of course.

None of those things are likely to convince you to part with the extra cash, but in evolutionary terms, it's all movement in the right direction.

There's a tiny detail, however, which you might have overlooked – and that's a slight change to the edges of the frame. They are bevelled on the Galaxy Z Flip 8, designed to make it a little easier to open.

The Z Flip 7 was notable for how flush the two halves of the phone were when closed – now there's a couple of additional millimetres in the frame to give you grip when opening. That's the same across all the new Galaxy Z devices for 2026.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is more powerful, but that might not matter

Turning to the actual hardware, what the Galaxy Z Flip 8 runs on depends on which region you buy the device in.

For the USA, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 'for Galaxy' is what's inside. In the UK, it's Exynos 2600 instead.

While Samsung's latest Exynos launch was exciting for its move to 2-nanometre process, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is more powerful.

There are a couple of things particular to flip phones that mean power isn't as important as it might be elsewhere. Firstly, it's more difficult to cool the hardware in a folding phone where the priority is on remaining slim, so that can limit absolute performance, as it’s more likely to get hot.

Secondly, the display doesn't lend itself to gaming, which is what a lot of people want that power for. The folding display is softer than one topped with a big slab of glass, and intense gaming can damage the display. I know, because I've done it.

So while the newer phone has more power, those choosing the older phone will probably find they don't miss out on much.

The rest of the hardware is mostly the same

The battery stays at 4300mAh, so although it's the same capacity as before, Samsung tells me it's moved to a silicon-carbon cell instead of lithium-polymer. There's also an increase to 45W charging, over the 25W previously. This is a respectable step forward for Samsung and very welcome.

The camera, unfortunately, appears to be much the same, with a 50-megapixel main camera supported by a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel front camera.

Then you have the 6.9-inch folding display and the 4.1-inch cover display. Samsung didn't have anything to say about the display when introducing the new phones and, while there might be marginal changes, I didn’t spot anything during my time comparing the two devices. They might be brighter, but that's not officially confirmed.

Unlike the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, there's no use of Flex Titanium technology here either, which is what enables the bigger foldables to negate the much-maligned 'crease'.

A big software change – which both are likely to get

So that leaves us with a big software change that looks to be ushered in with One UI 9 on Android 17 that the Galaxy Z Flip 8 launches with. Samsung's cover display now offers access to apps, rather than it being a widget-based experience, which makes it a lot more usable.

I opened up YouTube and tested it out with Google Maps – and it seemed to work as I'd expect. It's definitely the missing piece of the software puzzle for this device. However, as Samsung offers a 7-year software update policy on its devices, it's highly likely that the update will come to the older phone too – although Samsung has yet to confirm that.

Elsewhere, I expect the software experience to be the same: it's One UI sprinkled with Galaxy AI. But as Samsung continues to drive home the artificial intelligence message, it's worth remembering that if you choose not to use Samsung's keyboard and switch to Gboard, for example, then most of the AI simply won't function.

Which should you buy: Galaxy Z Flip 8 or Galaxy Z Flip 7?

If you're approaching the Galaxy Z Flip 8 as a style-based purchase, then I'd say it's safe to buy the colour that you want without worrying about the specs. These two devices are so closely related in their hardware, that you really don't lose out on much either way.

It's safe to save yourself the cash and hunt out the cheaper Galaxy Z Flip 7, knowing that you'll still have 6 years of software support. As long as the software update includes the new cover screen app access, then it's the more obvious approach.

There are incremental improvements – a new battery type with faster charging; it's slightly thinner; and it's a little more powerful – that just about cover that increase in price, but much of the experience will be exactly the same as before.

Which, by the way, isn't to denounce the Galaxy Z Flip's accolades. In the world of flip phones, this is a highly accomplished handset, only really rivalled by Motorola, it just happens to be largely familiar rather than revolutionary.

This is Samsung's eighth year making folding phones – but it's a significantly different year to any prior, as the Korean giant has officially revealed not one foldable, but two.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is the 'renamed' flagship, following the same fundamental design and proportions as the previous Z Fold 7, but with some core hardware updates.

The big change for 2026? The introduction of a Galaxy Z Fold 8 – which some are calling the 'Wide', given its form – with an all-new aspect ratio that stands it apart from the Ultra.

So you now have a choice in foldables. But which would be best for you and why? Ahead of Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked summer 2026 showcase I got to see both handsets in person – here's how they differ and my key takeaways.

Price

The Z Fold 8 is priced from £1,699 / $1,899 / AU$2,699, whereas the Z Fold 8 Ultra is from £1,899 / $2,099 / AU$2,999. That's for the 256GB model, with the 512GB or 1TB options costing yet more.

The on-sale date is expected to be 4 August 2026, with pre-order deals available prior. Samsung Store will have exclusive (green-themed) colourways, with the table below detailing what's available:

Display Sizes

The most obvious difference between these two foldables is their sizes, as result of their differing display aspect ratios.

You can see why the Z Fold 8 has been dubbed the 'Wide' already, while the Ultra goes down the tried-and-tested route – with its taller and skinnier external display.

Samsung's take is that the Z Fold 8 is engineered for content consumption above all else. The Ultra, meanwhile, is a little more 'business', yet still good for content if that's your main goal – its internal display has a larger surface area overall.

The aspect ratios are vastly different between the two. The Z Fold 8's 5.5-inch external display almost sounds small by today's standards. It's not, though, it's just wide rather than extending tall across its 16:10 aspect ratio.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra, meanwhile, maintains the 21:9 aspect ratio for its rear display, which has attracted criticism in the past for being too narrow. I've tended to find that gives greater reason to use the unfolded display, though, which is fitting for such a product.

Once opened, the Z Fold 8's 4:3 aspect ratio is an uncommon sight in the world of Android. Not even Android tablets elect for this aspect ratio, with perhaps the OnePlus Pad 2 from 2024 representing the closest (at 7:5).

What is in 4:3, though? Well, an Apple iPad. How Samsung will leverage this much-utilised form to its own advantage we'll have to wait and see. But I suspect that come September this year, we'll have an iPhone Fold/Ultra to compete – and this will be the new 'standard' in foldables. Samsung got there first, though.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra's internal panel is akin to two 6.5-inch displays presented side-by-side, which is great for multi-tasking. The 8-inch measure across the diagonal is as big as it gets, too, just as it was in the previous model.

What has changed significantly for this internal panel, however, is the fundamental hardware beneath, in what Samsung calls Flex Titanium technology. Ingeniously, Samsung has devised a way to laser-etch a titanium plate so that it'll fold, maintaining rigidity and flatness – which is ideal to negate the 'crease' so often maligned in foldables. It's done that best job at that I've ever seen, too.

Now, don't panic, both the Z Fold 8 Ultra and the wider Z Fold 8 get Flex Titanium as part of their build. Their hinges feel different, though, with the wide model 'snapping' into place, whereas the gentler feel of the Ultra can be positioned from flat, through to V-shape, or completely closed.

While I got the perception that the Z Fold 8's display was brighter in my side-by-side viewing (brightness manually pushed to maximum), the core spec reads that they're both the same with a 3,000 nit peak. So there's no compromise in picking one or other – it's literally down to the size, shape and aspect ratio use that will work best for you.

Core Spec

Aside from aspect ratio, then, how does the Ultra justify its more elaborate name? In terms of core spec, the two foldables also aren't dramatically different – as you can see from the table above.

Both use Qualcomm's current flagship chipset, upgraded with 'for Galaxy' designation (meaning it's overclocked for extra power), the same amount of RAM and storage. Neither is S Pen compatible, so no stylus options here.

A major new addition is that, finally, Samsung has ventured from using a lithium-polymer battery to a silicon-carbon type. This means greater density in a smaller footprint and, ultimately, improved longevity.

Both Z Fold 8 and Ultra devices have this Si-C battery type, but the 4,800mAh capacity of the former is bettered in the Ultra, which has a 5,000mAh total capacity. I'd consider that similar, however, in light of the display sizes – one has more pixels to power, after all.

Both handsets split this across two cells rather than one, which is why the 45W charging is faster than it may read – with at least 63% charge in 30 minutes (it's 67% for the Ultra, given how the duo of cells is divided).

Cameras

If anything, therefore, it's the cameras that provide the Ultra with its namesake. That's because it features a trio, including a zoom, just like the previous Z Fold 7 did – indeed, they're exactly the same cameras, with no upgrades for this generation.

The Z Fold 8, meanwhile, drops to a duo of cameras instead, with a pair of 50-megapixel sensors handling the main and ultra-wide offering. Zoom is digital-only, cutting out that more advanced offering from the wider foldable.

This would go some way to explaining the price difference between the pair, of course. Both still awkwardly 'wobble' when placed on a desk, given how the cameras protrude from the rear of each device.

The key, therefore, is whether you want a proper zoom lens. The 50-megapixel versus 200MP is neither here nor there, really, given how processing sees typical output vastly reduced in output size anyway.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide vs Ultra: Verdict

In a nutshell: the all-new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the wider aspect ratio option designed with content consumption in mind. It ditches a camera in favour of price, with the core hardware otherwise akin to the Z Fold 8 Ultra's outlay.

Why spend the extra for the Ultra instead? If the tall-and-narrow format suits you better – and that bigger interior screen overall – then it's the better match. The Flex Titanium technology does wonders for the crease – but you get that on the wider model, too.

Scrub any thought about the cameras, therefore, and the key difference between these two foldables is very much their aspect ratio. They're markedly different, which marks an exciting new option in this market – and what is quite likely to become the foldable 'norm' this year and beyond.

During the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 launch last summer, I queried Samsung's Minseok Kang, Head of Smartphone Product Planning, about when we might see the company release a phone with new battery technology.

He confirmed that "years of work" had already gone into testing at that stage. But now the wait is finally over – as the all-new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and 8 Ultra each feature a silicon-carbon (Si-C) battery type. That's a first for the Korean giant.

But it's far from a first for the industry, which is why so many have been querying when the mobile-maker would invest in the higher-density battery technology. After all, a key function of Si-C is greater longevity as a result, or the option of utilising less space in a design without compromising.

History lesson

I'm not surprised there's been an extended wait, though. It was almost a decade ago when the launch of the Galaxy Note 7 prompted a recall after risk of fire was identified. Ever since then Samsung has been cautious in pushing ultra-capacity batteries or the fastest-charging technologies.

“When Samsung apply or implements the battery, we consider three key points: one is the size; second is the charging speed; and the third one is safety – the reliability of that battery. We think a little more priority on the reliability is best practice," Kang said to me 12 months ago.

Clearly there's been ample testing time for Samsung's testing processes to be passed for these product lines. While it was initially thought that only the Ultra would feature such a battery, Samsung has confirmed it's that device, plus the all-new Z Fold 8 – which some have dubbed the 'Wide', given its less tall and wider ratio – and Z Flip 8 products.

A glimpse of the future

For future Samsung products I think this marks big potential to see further leaps forward. The Galaxy S27 Ultra is prime for a key update or two come next year – with battery being an area where it's stagnated. Sure, its 5,000mAh cell is perfectly capable, but when Oppo is delivering a 7,500mAh in its Find X9 Pro flagship, it's clear where the market is going.

Samsung can no longer afford to sit behind the pack, depending on its loyal customer base. But the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is proof that it's put the work in to keep up with the times – and on its own terms. And a safety first approach is no bad thing, even if a bit of patience has been required.

There's a whole lot going on around Samsung's second Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026, with the Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Flip 8 and Watch Ultra 2 launches the major headlines. Keep your eyes on T3 for more, as we'll be reporting live and direct.

Privacy Display made its headlines at the launch of the Galaxy S26 Ultra and it looks like Samsung is boosting its features in a forthcoming software update.

The clever feature that's exclusive to Samsung's flagship Galaxy S phone works by limiting the light output to narrow pixels, limiting the viewing angle of the display. That means that only those right in front of the screen can see what's on it and those to one side can't.

It appears that Samsung is now going to expand the use of the feature to cover another use case, with Privacy Display working on picture-in-picture video too.

That means that if you're watching something that you want to keep private and you leave the source app, the floating miniature version of that video will remain obscured to those spying on your screen. The rest of the display becomes visible as normal.

Previously, if you left the app, the entire phone would stay in Privacy Display because part of that app was still open.

To get it to work you firstly need app support for picture-in-picture video. That list includes some big hitters like YouTube and Netflix, but it also extends to WhatsApp, Zoom and Google Meet, which is where you might have more sensitive video that you want to keep private.

When these apps are playing video, swiping back to the home screen minimises the video to a floating picture-in-picture window, which will then benefit from being private.

There are a couple of things you'd have to ensure to get this to work: first, you'll have to have selected the individual apps that you want Privacy Display to work on. Second, you'll have to ensure you're not using Privacy Display across the entire screen, in which case it would all be private all the time.

It's an interesting move and if you don't want that person next to you on the train watching your videos, this could potentially be useful.

The feature is reportedly included in beta One UI 9 software, according to 9to5Google, so once the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is out of the way, we're sure this will be heading the S26 Ultra in an update.

Samsung will launch its new range of foldable phones today, with the wider Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 being the much talked about newcomer.

It'll be joined by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 at the Galaxy Unpacked presentation being held in London, and you can watch it all unfold live right here on T3.

We also expect to see two new smartwatches announced on stage during the event, with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 also heavily leaked in recent times.

And who knows, maybe there'll be a surprise or two along the way? Let's hope so.

Here then is everything you need to know about the summer Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, including when it starts, running time and more.

When does the Galaxy Unpacked launch event start?

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked has a kick off time of 2pm BST – that's earlier than usual thanks to the event being held in London for the first time in years.

Here are the start times for your region:

• US West Coast: 06:00 PDT
• US East Coast: 09:00 EDT
• UK: 14:00 BST
• Central Europe: 15:00 CEST
• India: 18:30 IST
• China (Beijing): 21:00 CST
• Japan: 22:00 JST
• South Korea: 22:00 KST
• Australia (Sydney): 23:00 AEST

How to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked live

You can watch the entire event live via the video feed higher up this page.

It will also be available on Samsung's website and YouTube.

What to expect

We expect the main presentation to last around an hour, with the main focus being the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. This is the wider version of its book style foldable, which pre-empts the Apple iPhone Ultra by a few months.

The idea is that while more square-shaped when folded, the handset unfolds into a mini tablet form factor that's better to view videos on in comparison with conventional foldables.

The more traditionally-shaped Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will also launch. It'll be a direct replacement for the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It will also have a beefier camera system than the new wider model, and maybe a few extra upgrades, too.

Finally, the Flip 8 will be very similar to the Flip 7, we believe. We're just waiting to see what upgrades it might enjoy.

There will be a couple of smartwatches launched too – the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Both have leaked extensively in recent times.

As for surprises, we might hear a bit more on Samsung's Android XR ambitions. Watch this space.

Samsung will unveil its new foldable phones later today, during its London Galaxy Unpacked event, but just in case you haven't had enough spoilers already here's another.

One of the most talked about upgrades coming with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is its alleged "crease-less" display. And now we have some evidence. An image shared by an online leaker shows the new flagship device against the model it's replacing and the difference is obvious.

Posted by @kro-roe on X, the hands-on photo looks to have been taken in a factory environment or during an official event. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 on the left has a very visible crease down the middle of the open display, while the Fold 8 Ultra does not.

Admittedly, the Fold 7 in the shot might be a well-used device, as the crease can become more pronounced through wear and tear. However, it does seem that Samsung has made a major breakthrough in its screen technology – as it has suggested during the launch build up.

Of course, this might be a bogus image and we're not that familiar with the leaker, so do take it with a pinch of salt. But it does comply with previous rumours and information we've seen over the last few months.

What else is launching during Samsung Galaxy Unpacked?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will be the flagship model launched today, with an upgraded Z Flip 8 expected too.

For many though, the most exciting new foldable to be announced will be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (sans the "Ultra"). This is a brand-new device with a wider, more square external display which unfolds to reveal a screen with a traditional tablet aspect ratio.

It is effectively Samsung's push to get ahead of the iPhone Ultra, which should launch in September. That is expected to have a very similar form factor. Indeed, it might even have the exact same display, as Samsung is likely to be supplying it to Apple as well.

Hopefully, the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 will also feature the crease-less technology we can see in the latest leak (the iPhone Ultra, too). It will have some cutbacks, we understand, in comparison with the Z Fold 8 Ultra – such as a lower-spec'ed camera – but will still be the main focus of Unpacked.

You can also expect new smartwatches today, in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

References to a battery health feature deep in the iOS 27 beta code have given a big hint to Apple's future folding phone plans with a reference to "batteries". That pluralisation might seem like nothing, but it could point to the split cell arrangement of batteries in a folding phone.

Apple is thought to be preparing its first folding phone, generally known as the iPhone Ultra. Traditionally, the battery in book-type folding phones is split in two, so there's a cell in each half of the phone to make the best use of space.

That's led MacWorld, which found the code, to believe that this references the iPhone Ultra. The code string discovered says: "The batteries in this iPhone are performing as expected".

This is exciting because no iPhone model currently has multiple batteries, so it's thought that this feature might be to support and monitor the split cells in the iPhone Ultra.

This isn't the first time that references have been made to features that a folding iPhone might offer – previously we saw references to fold state and display numbers in the code.

Apple is expected to launch a 4:3 aspect folding phone, shorter and wider than we've seen from most other manufacturers in the past – more like a folding iPad mini.

The iPhone Ultra is expected to sit at the top of Apple's range price wise, above the iPhone 18 Pro Max that it's expected to launch alongside in September. It's said to have a 7.8-inch internal display and a 5.5-inch cover screen.

As is always the case with Apple, it's hard know what the company is planning until launch day, so there's no shortage of speculation out there.

But to play devil's advocate, there's a further explanation that might apply to the use of the word "batteries". Apple is known being rather conservative with its batteries and charging speeds, but one of the things that enables faster charging is a dual-cell battery.

This splits the battery into two storage cells and it allows for faster charging because there's the potential for better heat management. That also typically allows for higher capacity batteries too.

It could be that the reference to "batteries" is this, with Apple planning to support faster charging speeds on future devices with a dual-cell design.

However, with so much speculation pointing to Apple's entry into the folding phone segment – including brands changing their own folding phones to match Apple's plan – it's highly likely that this is, in fact, pointing towards Apple's iPhone Ultra with a battery in each half of the phone.

It's a good job that Spain won the World Cup, because it gave defender Eric García the perfect platform to show off Honor's unreleased Robot Phone.

Mixed into the celebrations, the Barcelona player was seen filming with Honor's next-gen smartphone, which features a pop-out camera on a gimbal.

That camera, powered by Honor's AI, can respond to what it sees, reacting like a little robot, while also offering a versatile capture platform, a bit like the DJI Osmo Pocket.

This isn't the first time that's we've seen the Robot Phone. No, at Mobile World Congress we got up close and personal with it, but we weren't allowed to touch it. That doesn't seem to be the case for World Cup winner García – and perhaps that's what Argentina's Leandro Paredes was after during their post-match scuffle.

Well, judging by the look on García's face, all that was forgotten as he set about capturing a few moments on the pitch with the new device.

He's seen taking a selfie, filming his teammates still on the pitch while many of the fans seem to have left the stadium.

Honor's Robot Phone currently seems to be in its launch phase, having appeared at WAIC 2026 (World Artificial Intelligence Conference) in China, with confirmation that the phone will be launched in August.

It's not clear exactly where the device will be available, but it's available for preorder in China.

Honor has previously reported that it had really focus on reducing the size of the motors for the gimbal, allowing it to be stored in the phone and pop-out when needed. Previously, we've seen it dancing along to music, providing pretty amazing stabilisation, while also offering great object tracking.

But so much of the experience will depend on software and the AI behind the camera that gives it its personality. There's fine line between cute and creepy and I guess Honor will be one of the first to experiment with that.

We don't have many confirmed specs for the phone: a 200-megapixel main camera is expected to be joined by a 50-megapixel ultrawide and a 200-megapixel telephoto.

It's thought to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with a battery around the 6000mAh mark, and a 6.4-inch screen.

On the pre-order page on Honor's Chinese website, I spotted that Honor is offering free gimbal replacement for the first year to assuage fears. It's rumoured to be very expensive - perhaps you'll have to be a top flight footballer to afford one.

Samsung will host its annual foldable phone launch event this week, with Galaxy Unpacked on Wednesday, but there might be nothing left to announce by then. Nothing that will come as a surprise, anyway.

That's because just about everything is either already known or subject to more leaks than the hull of the Titanic. We fully expect a couple of new Galaxy Watches and a trio of new foldables, including the wider Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Samsung itself has not been shy about its ambitions for the latter, revealing a new, more square-like form factor is coming in online teases. And now we have almost everything else, thanks to serial leaker Evan Blass and a regular Samsung collaborator, J-Hope from BTS.

J-Hope's posts on X (via @smasithick) show him using the new device openly during the band's global tour – currently in Paris.

His hands-on clips are likely staged for Samsung, as we never get to see the new phone open. However, you do get to see the device's shape and, as all the videos are recording using it, what the selfie camera is capable of.

Perhaps more revealing are a mighty bunch of marketing images posted by Blass. He has a renowned history of acquiring press images from a number of companies, including Samsung, ahead of launch. And while he's on a self-imposed "retirement" at present, he clearly couldn't resist sharing the latest.

Appearing on his Leakmail newsletter (via 9to5Google) there are official-looking images of all the foldable phones we expect, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Flip 8, too.

The Ultra is the more conventional book-style foldable, but with a few tech tweaks to justify its new moniker.

The Flip 8 looks very similar to the existing Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, so arguably the most interesting is the wider device, which unfolds into an iPad mini-like tablet.

The rest of the leaked images reveal some details, but not everything. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, for example, will sport dual 50-megapixel cameras on the rear (wide and ultra-wide). The selfie cam on the front will be 10-megapixel. As will the one on the internal screen.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra ups the ante in that regard. It'll have a similar 50-megapixel ultra-wide, but a 200-megapixel wide and a third lens for the 10-megapixel telephoto cam.

The selfie cams will be the same.

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 will sport a 50-megapixel wide and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, with a 10-megapixel selfie cam on the "main screen.

All will become more clear this Wednesday, when Galaxy Unpacked starts at 2pm BST in London, but don't be surprised if there are more rumours and leaks in the meantime.

While Andy Warhol's most prolific period was more than 60 years ago, his art looks as fresh and current today as ever. His screen prints and iconic imagery can be found on millions of T-shirts, cushions, walls and album covers, while his style has influenced just about every modern and pop artist since.

It also seems to look good on anything, including cases, covers and bands for tech products. Just take a gander at the new Andy Warhol x Casetify "Factory Collection" – the case manufacturer's second collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation.

Four new print collections have been used for iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy and Pixel cases, as well as MagSafe compatible wallets, grip stands, and Apple Watch bands. There are even some designs available on MacBook sleeves.

Our favourite is "Cows", featuring one of Warhol's most mundane yet striking images of the late 60s/early 70s.

There are options in blue/yellow, yellow/red for iPhone models from the 12 to the 17, Samsung Galaxy S22 to S26 series, Z Flip and Fold, and Pixel 9 and 10 Pro Fold.

Alternatively, you can get it for your iPad mini, 10th Gen, Air or Pro, and even in a laptop case form.

"Flowers" is another favourite range, with a print that I'm coincidentally wearing on a Uniqlo T-shirt as I write. There are three styles/colourways available, for most of the same models as mentioned.

"Fragile" is more typographic, showing a repetition of shipping labels, while "Dollar Signs" shows Warhol's predictive sense of irony, as a piece to highlight the commodification of art.

The new collection is available globally from Casetify now, with prices starting at £33. The prints can be found on the manufacturer's Impact and Bounce cases, so there should be something for you depending on your protective needs.

The rumours are true, OnePlus has confirmed that it is pulling out of Europe and the US, marking the end of a brand that shot to fame on the back of viral marketing for the OnePlus One. Sadly, it seemed to struggle to differentiate from parent company Oppo in recent years.

While the brand will continue in regions such as China and India (for now), those with recent phones in the UK, Europe and US might be wondering what will happen next to those devices.

The good news is that some level of support will continue, but the bad is that you'll be prompted to move to ColorOS.

That's to be part of the move to Android 17, so if you have a device with continuing support, you'll be moved away from the OxygenOS that OnePlus was once famous for, and moved over to ColorOS, the Android skin that Oppo uses.

That update will also include continuing security updates and aftersales support. And OnePlus has confirmed that warranties will be respected, including repair services.

The decision is yours

There's an extra twist in this tale: the move to ColorOS will be voluntary and OnePlus says that you'll be able to roll-back to an older version of OxygenOS if you want to.

The news will come as a blow to those who have loyally supported OnePlus, although arguably, there's another brand in town that offers a similar exciting feel – and that's Nothing.

Many will point to the change in OnePlus starting with the departure of Carl Pei, the co-founder alongside Pete Lau. While Lau continued to lead the Oppo and OnePlus brands, Pei left to ultimately found Nothing Tech.

Nothing offers a similar focus on software efficiency, pushing devices that are good value for money, often with respectable core power and with interesting designs. OnePlus devices, however, quickly moved down the path of mirroring Oppo's launches, which perhaps explains waning enthusiasm.

OnePlus hasn't shared a definitive list (it should be devices that still have support remaining), but the list according to a community post should include:

• OnePlus Open
• OnePlus 15
• OnePlus 15R
• OnePlus 13
• OnePlus 13R
• OnePlus 12
• OnePlus 12R
• OnePlus 11
• OnePlus Nord 5
• OnePlus Nord CE 5
• OnePlus Nord 4
• OnePlus Pad 3
• OnePlus Pad 2
• OnePlus Pad Lite
• OnePlus Pad Go 2

It's a sad day for OnePlus fans, especially those who have followed the brand from the start, but with such a change to the feeling of what OnePlus stood for, I suspect many will not be surprised.