Samsung is preparing to launch the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and a full set of images of this device have leaked from a reliable source.

From the leaks, we can see minor changes that Samsung has made to the design, while much of the watch looks similar to the original 2024 Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The leak comes from Evan Blass who recently announced that he was retiring from leaking forthcoming devices – only for the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 images to appear in my inbox from one of Blass' old mailing lists.

Not a huge amount has changed, with the overall design of the Watch Ultra 2 the same as it was before. There are now numbers on the bezel rather than just sticks. That bezel looks like it might be slimmer and flatter than it was previously.

The button layout appears to be the same, with the orange highlighting now reserved for the central button. We've previously heard that these buttons have been improved on this new model and they do appear to be slightly differently mounted on the Watch Ultra 2.

The body of the watch appears to be a graphite colour, with black and green straps shown (with corresponding faces), with a different design of strap. Previously the Watch Ultra 2 launched with a corrugated style dive strap, but now it appears to be flatter in its design too.

It looks as thought the strap attachment will be the same, suggesting that straps will work with either device.

We already know that Samsung will be using the Snapdragon Wear Elite in its new devices, thank to confirmation by the company at Mobile World Congress.

It's expected that there will also be a bump in the battery capacity, which should see this watch lasting over three days.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is expected to launch alongside the Galaxy Watch 9 at an Unpacked event scheduled for 22 July.

That same event is expected to bring us a trio of folding phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 8.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is expected to come with changes to the design, including thinner bezels and better side buttons.

The new watch from Samsung is expected to be launched on 22 July at Galaxy Unpacked, with the event rumoured to be held in London. The new rugged smartwatch is said to be launching alongside the new Galaxy Watch 9.

Both devices are said to have new strap designs as well as new colours and watch faces, with the power thought to come from the new Snapdragon Wear Elite hardware.

The new Watch Ultra 2 is said to be "slightly boxier" while it will also add numbering to the dial, according to Galaxy Techie on X.

The online source continues, saying that there will be a beige colour, as well as black and silver, although it's not clear which watch this refers to.

Galaxy Techie goes on to share some screens that look like they come from One UI 9, showing the compass, watch faces and apps displays.

We previously heard that the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 could have a big battery update with a 784mAh cell, designed to last over three days.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra was launched in July 2024. While Samsung tends to update the Galaxy Watch annually, other devices slip into a two year cycle. That's previously seen the Classic in 2021, 2023 and 2025 – so the lack of a Classic model in 2026 shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The new Galaxy Watches are expected to launch alongside a bumper selection of Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip 8.

There are also rumours that Samsung might be showing off a little more about its anticipated Galaxy Glasses, with Google also teasing that we'll be hearing more about Galaxy XR devices in 2026.

That could set up Galaxy Unpacked as a huge event, packed with devices as Samsung looks to step into new territory. For those looking for a refreshed version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra, it looks like you're going to be in luck.

Others might also find some great deals on the existing model, especially as Prime Day starts on Amazon this week.

Samsung's forthcoming folding phones – the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 – will come with a higher price than previous years, according to a fresh leak. However, Samsung plans to offset that with more incentives to encourage people to buy.

The details about the increase in price come from Lanzuk on the Naver blog, saying (translated) that "the price increase for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series models is confirmed", citing sources in European and Asian sales channels.

That news is going to come as a blow for those looking to upgrade or move to a folding phone, but shouldn't come as a surprise. The surging demand for hardware to fuel the AI boom has pushed up component prices.

Current estimates suggest that the Galaxy Z Flip 8 could be around $1,200 (the Z Flip 7 is $1,099) while the Z Fold 8 Ultra could be $2,100 (compared to $1,999). Direct exchange to UK prices don't work, because it's already more expensive in the UK, but it could be a 1:1 exchange, ie., £1,200 and £2,100.

To offset this price increase, Samsung will reportedly look at more pre-order perks and bundles, higher trade-in values and repeat the storage upgrades that it's offered before, according to Phone Arena.

The details of those offers aren't specified, but they do have real value: the pre-order offer for double storage on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 meant that a 512GB phone could be had for the price of a 256GB phone – in the UK that's worth about £200.

Trade-in is also a serious consideration, as your existing phone could be worth hundreds, especially if it's a recent model. When it comes to preorders, those things are definitely worth factoring in.

What is Samsung going to launch?

Samsung is expected to host Galaxy Unpacked on 22 July where the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (the new, wider model), Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will likely be launched.

The introduction of a wider folding phone with the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 name suggests that it's going to be cheaper than the replacement for the Z Fold 7, which will get the Ultra name.

There's the suggestion that the Ultra will have a higher capacity battery than the Z Fold 7, with faster charging, and support for the S Pen will return. Otherwise, we're not expecting huge design changes.

The launch of these new Samsung devices is rapidly approaching, and we'll soon have all the answers.

Samsung could return to its split hardware strategy for the Galaxy Z Flip 8, expected to be announced on 22 July. That could see some versions of the phone equipped with Snapdragon, while others will get the latest Exynos chip.

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has been following Samsung's phones over the years, but in 2025, Samsung made a departure from the norm and equipped all versions of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 with the Exynos 2500.

That was out of character, especially for buyers in the US, where the phone is typically sitting on a Snapdragon platform. For those in the Europe and India, Exynos is much more typical.

Now it seems that this flip phone will be returning to a split hardware offering. That's said to see some devices using Snapdragon, while others take the Exynos 2600. The Exynos 2600 sits on a 2nm process, while Qualcomm is yet to move its Snapdragon from 3nm.

The report (via SamMobile) points to a leak from a Japanese carrier suggesting that it will get Snapdragon, while other regions – including Korea and Europe – will get Exynos.

While it's fairly predicable that Samsung will use the Exynos 2600 for the device, it's currently not clear what it will use from the Snapdragon range. Currently it's suggested that it will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, but there's more hardware for Samsung to choose from.

Samsung typically uses a "for Galaxy" version of Snapdragon hardware, clocked slightly higher to boost performance of phones like the Galaxy S26 Ultra. While performance in this flagship phone is paramount, for folding devices the same level of power might not be needed.

That, potentially, opens the door to the 7-core version of the hardware, or indeed the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, both of which drop the performance for intensive tasks slightly, while offering better endurance. That might suit a folding phone better.

Meanwhile, Samsung's biggest rival, the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra, comes packed with the older Snapdragon 8 Elite from 2024, so there's some precedence here to avoid top-tier hardware.

The price of phones is also increasing, with component prices like RAM and storage soaring fuelled by demand from AI companies, and that could see Samsung making decisions to keep the price under control.

With the phones expected to launch at a Galaxy Unpacked event on 22 July, there's not long to go before the Galaxy Z Flip 8 will be revealed in all its glory.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 could offer a much longer battery life than its predecessor. According to the latest details, the watch could have a bigger battery as well as running more efficient core hardware.

That might see the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 able to last for over three days, while the previous could only last two to three. Specifically, it's said that the capacity of the battery will be 784mAh and advertised as 800mAh.

That's a 30% increase over the Galaxy Watch Ultra, if the information from SamMobile is accurate.

It's said that the new Galaxy Watch Ultra will use the Snapdragon Wear Elite chip, which itself claims to be 30% more power efficient than previous chips. That could see Samsung's new Galaxy Watch getting double battery benefits.

Alongside the launch of the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 we're expecting to see the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch 9 Classic, which are also expected to see an increase in the battery capacity.

For the Ultra 2, the bigger battery and more efficient chip might not translate directly into a linear increase in battery life because of the features that Samsung packs into the watch.

With more power on offer, Samsung might feel it can use more power hungry features with less concern for battery life, delivering a better experience. That might come in the form of better on-device AI (powered by that new chip) as well as onboard 5G.

Other than that, we don't know a huge amount about the new devices and what to expect. So far we've not seen any design leaks, but we're not expecting a huge change to the design. That might suit those wanting a Watch Ultra, where the rugged design makes for most of the appeal.

It's likely that Samsung will focus on delivering better health and fitness features, with added refinement in the Samsung Health app, with particular AI functions reserved for Galaxy phone users.

It's thought that Samsung's new smartwatches will launch alongside the new Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 8 at an event on 22 July.

The Samsung Galaxy S27 has just appeared in an official capacity for the first time. No, nothing has come from Samsung itself yet, but the model number for the new phone has appeared in the GSMA database.

GSMA is the organisation that manages the global mobile ecosystem. Getting listed on its database brings the Galaxy S27 into the real world and out of the realm of sheer speculation.

That means the phone is real, with the SM-S952U model number listed (via Smartprix). The U indicates that this is a model for the US, but for now, that's all we have. For reference, the Galaxy S26 is SM-S942U.

Of course, we knew that Samsung would be launching the Galaxy S27 without this confirmation: it's one of the world's biggest phone manufacturers and it's not just going to abandon that. And naturally, because we're talking about the internal model number, there's every chance it won't be called the Galaxy S27, but that would be a huge break with tradition.

We're expecting to see the Galaxy S27, Galaxy S27 Plus and Galaxy S27 Ultra as the next run of Samsung's flagship phones, although launch shouldn't be expected until January or February 2027.

What else do we know about the Samsung Galaxy S27?

While this is the first time the model number has appeared somewhere official, it's not the first we've heard about Samsung's plans, although most have focused on the Galaxy S27 Ultra.

There's been a rumour that it might use a LOFIC sensor for the main camera to boost the performance. That's on top of the 3x telephoto camera potentially being dropped from the selection.

But elsewhere we've heard that Samsung could have another model, the Galaxy S27 Pro. This is pitched as sitting above the Plus and below the Ultra, with a large display and premium camera, but without S Pen support – something that could be really popular.

In recent years, Samsung's phones have only seen minor changes from year to year, the biggest introduction in 2026 being Privacy Display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. And although the Galaxy S25 Edge was a major addition the year before, it didn't continue after that first model.

That might temper expectations for the next generation: will we see a dramatic change from Samsung? It's unlikely.

Samsung's Galaxy S FE range is something of an oddity, offering a mid-year alternative to Samsung's flagship phones. And for 2026, it looks like we'll be getting the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE.

The FE phone – standing for Fan Edition – isn't expected until after the launch of the new Galaxy Z devices, so it's likely that it will appear in August or September. It'll offer a discount on the flagship phones, while still delivering much of the experience of those devices.

Our first look at this phone reveals a design that's pretty much as we expect. It looks just like the Galaxy S26, with the raised camera presentation on the back. The images come from a listing at the Wireless Power Consortium (via 9to5Google), so we know it will have wireless charging at least.

We don't know much else about the Galaxy S26 FE, aside from a previous rumour that suggested that Samsung might be switching from using Samsung Display sourced panels, to CSOT, a change you probably won't even notice.

As Samsung generally continues much of a device's specifications from one year to the next, I'd expect that to be a 6.7-inch screen with 120Hz, with an Exynos 2500 sitting at its core. That's the hardware that powers the Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Elsewhere, the Galaxy S26 FE is expected to have a triple camera as shown in the image, comprised of a 50-megapixel main, 12-megapixel ultrawide and 8-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom.

Samsung is in a bit of a bind with this phone: having kept the same camera hardware on the Galaxy S26 models, it can't really make changes to the Galaxy S26 FE without cannibalising those devices. The weakest camera is that 8-megapixel telephoto, but moving to a 10-megapixel sensor would present the same camera as the more expensive Galaxy S26.

The battery is expected to stick to 4,900mAh with 45W charging, while it would be reasonable to expect it to run Android 17 with One UI 9 out of the box – with seven years of updates.

The Galaxy S25 FE launched at £649.00 / $649.99 and we'd expect the Galaxy S26 FE to arrive with the same price. The Galaxy S26 is priced at £879.00 / $899.99.

The changes, then, apart from the design, are likely to come in the software features that it offers and increased power from the new hardware.

Samsung hasn't made huge hardware changes to recent devices, so it would be entirely typical for the Galaxy S26 FE to be much the same as before, just to offer a slightly cheaper sub-flagship option.

Computex was a pretty big deal this year, full of new chips from the likes of Qualcomm and Intel, but while those will likely change the market in bigger ways, the show also offered up some more particular innovations that I got to see. One of these very precise steps forward was taken by Samsung's displays division, which had a secret to share.

While it wasn't visible on the public-facing booth, Samsung had a genuinely tiny sideroom that I was ushered into at one point this week so that I could see a non-final version of the world's first 4K QD-OLED display with a 360Hz refresh rate. While we've obviously seen plenty of monitors go much higher than those numbers, on OLED displays there's been a fairly hard ceiling at 240Hz for technical reasons.

Samsung isn't the only display centre working hard on the problem, but it might just be the first one to get a monitor on the market to solve that problem and burst through that performance ceiling. The QD-OLED Penta Tandem, as it's labelled for now, uses a blend of Samsung's techniques to make things work. It was suitably vague about exactly how it did so, but the crucial thing is that it's been done.

The panel is 31.5 inches diagonally, so it's close to what many of us might call a small TV, but it has a bunch of obvious gaming features to offer. One is that the 360Hz cap only applies when you're in 4K – drop down to 1080p, and it rises up to 680Hz, making this theoretically adaptable to competitive needs.

It also boasts a DisplayHDR True Black rating of 600, which is hugely impressive and means that its blacks should have that super inky richness that you'd want for immersion. Plus, it brings Samsung's new V-Stripe OLED panel system, which again should boost the vividness of its colours a little.

Some of those specs are more than a little technical, of course, and I'm not sure I'm the one to break them down in crazy detail. What I can do, though, is give you a sense of what the monitor actually looked like in motion. The short version is that it's clearly a monster, but I'd have to test it in a more practical setting to get a better sense of its performance.

The brightness isn't to be questioned – showfloor lighting is always a stress-test for devices, and even in Samsung's side room, things were challenging. The monitor looked super bright and vivid, and that makes me think it should be nice and adaptable to different conditions.

The level of detail was exactly what you expect from a 4K demo, albeit with just a looping F1 25 trailer to go from – again, hardly the most comprehensive sizzle reel for a monitor of this sort, not least because it wasn't a 360Hz trailer.

That also cuts to the real dark heart of this hands-on time, which is that I can't really speak to the monitor's smoothness, because the demo wasn't geared that way. Samsung effectively wanted to put its money where its mouth is, and prove that it wasn't making up the monitor it had announced but not shown.

Well, now I can indeed confirm that it exists, but I'm relatively confident that there will be more occasions on which Samsung shows it off in more detail over the coming months. After all, we don't know the monitor's target price or release date, and the former of those is liable to be fairly frightening.

Early adopters in the world of gaming sometimes end up getting incredible deals that stand the test of time (like if you bought a Steam Deck OLED on release day, for instance). On other occasions, they can end up paying more than anyone else for devices that will only ever be better in subsequent revisions. I'm confident the QD-OLED Penta Tandem will be super polished, reducing any risk, but it's likely to be super expensive when it does arrive.

Samsung will launch the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra at a forthcoming Galaxy Unpacked event, with the name confirmed after a listing appeared on a certification site.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has been listed on Bluetooth SIG, where all Bluetooth devices are registered, with the listing revealing a range of model numbers. It was uncovered by Sumahodigest in Japan.

The various model numbers listed align with different carriers in Japan, confirming that's it will be available from all the major national networks.

While that's great news for readers in Japan, what's more interesting is confirmation of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra name.

We've previously heard this name, but it's thought that Samsung is going to shuffle the naming of its devices, with the Ultra name getting appended to devices with the exsiting format - i.e., the replacement for the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

That leaves the old name - Galaxy Z Fold 8 - to the new shorter format "wide" model which is where most of the excitement is focused right now.

So, while confirmation of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra name leads us towards Samsung's plans for its next-gen folding phones, while also confirming that launch is imminent, it's the Galaxy Z Fold 8 that we're more interested in, even if that sounds counterintuitive.

The reason for the switch in naming is because the Ultra will be the higher spec device, offering three cameras on the back rather than two. There may be more to set these devices apart, but so far we don't have a full breakdown of other differences.

Samsung is thought to be launching the Galaxy Z Fold series at Galaxy Unpacked on 22 July, with the shorter format of phone pitched to fend off the anticipated iPhone Ultra.

The thing that's likely to differentiate Apple's folding phone from Samsung's is the price: the iPhone Ultra is thought to cost around $2,500.

With Samsung's folding phone previously costing around $2,000, it might be that Samsung's wide model is cheaper than the "Ultra" – making it look like good value compared to Apple.

Samsung has revealed a major update to Samsung Health that transforms its smartwatches from passive fitness trackers into what the company calls a more "proactive health companion."

The update introduces a suite of AI-powered health tools that analyse everything from sleep quality and cardiovascular fitness to overall activity levels.

Samsung says the goal is to make health management simpler by translating complex biometric information into easy-to-understand guidance.

Among the headline additions is a new Vitals feature that monitors several overnight health indicators, including heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, skin temperature and blood oxygen levels.

The system can then highlight unusual changes and trends that may warrant attention.

If the name sounds familiar, that's because the Apple Watch has a similar feature with the same name, introduced in watchOS 11.

This follows Samsung's strange trend of naming its products after their Apple equivalents (see also: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra).

Samsung is also introducing a Heart Health Score, which combines cardiovascular metrics into a single assessment, alongside Daily Cardio Load.

The feature, reminiscent of Training Load found on Garmin watches, is designed to help users understand how much strain exercise and daily activities place on their cardiovascular system.

Finally, the new Fitness Index brings together sleep, activity and fitness data to provide a broader view of overall wellbeing.

More than just a glorified health dashboard

The update appears to be part of Samsung's wider push towards preventative health monitoring and AI-driven coaching.

The company wants Samsung Health to identify patterns and offer actionable suggestions that can help improve habits over time.

Samsung has also redesigned the Samsung Health app, introducing dedicated sections for Sleep, Activity, Nutrition, Mindfulness and Vitals.

The company says these categories will work together to deliver more personalised recommendations and daily wellness guidance.

The rollout begins on 8 June, giving you an early look at the health platform ahead of Samsung's next Galaxy Watch launch.

While Samsung hasn't officially named the upcoming wearables in this announcement, the timing suggests these features will play a central role in the next generation of Galaxy Watch devices expected later this year.

Last year's announcement followed a very similar pattern, when the brand televised the new features a few weeks prior to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.

Read more about the update at Samsung.

We've reached that point in the rumour cycle where things step into the real world, with the new format Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 spotted out in a restaurant. The excursion helps build confidence that we're going to see this model introduced by Samsung soon.

Following the likes of dummy units appearing online (such as the new shots shared by UniverseIce on X), it's not uncommon for new smartphone models to be spotted in the wild. Now Samsung is doing a turn here. In this case, the source of the images says they were taken at 20x zoom and apologises for the quality.

The Samsung phone appears to be in a protective (or camouflage) case so it looks quite bulky on the table, but we also get a good look at how it might sit in the hand.

From the photos, we can see two cameras on the rear, but that's about all. There are other phones on the table and it's not uncommon for those working on developing devices to use them out in public.

Indeed, this sort of leak is so common, that if you were cynically minded, you might say that it's deliberate to keep the hype rolling, safe in the knowledge that the photos taken don't really reveal anything at all – it certainly wouldn't be the first time that's happened.

For those who haven't kept up with the leaks, it's thought that Samsung is shifting device names around, so the new wider model of phone will be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8, while the conventional aspect model will be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra – likely to compete with the iPhone Ultra that's expected later in the year.

Samsung is thought to be announcing its new devices on 22 July at Galaxy Unpacked, with the new compact model shifting the aspect of the folding display, resulting in a shorter but wider device.

Until now, Samsung has focused on a slightly taller type of folding phone that evolved from its original device in 2019. Over the years, this type of device has moved to offer larger displays and got significantly thinner with the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

It's thought that the change in naming will reflect that Samsung's taller format device will remain the flagship with a triple camera, although Samsung fans will be quick to point out that it doesn't compare to the Galaxy S Ultra that also carries the name.

An image has appeared online showing the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. It comes from a reliable source, but it's said that these phones are dummy versions of the devices expected at Samsung's next launch event.

Samsung is thought to be announcing a new format of folding phone on 22 July at its Galaxy Unpacked event, which is shorter and wider, taking on the name Galaxy Z Fold 8. The Ultra name will be applied to the larger device, the one with the traditional format.

The change in names is thought to reflect the different positioning of these devices and as this image shows, the Ultra model has an additional camera and is expected to be slightly higher spec.

The image has been shared by UniverseIce and it's not the first time that we've seen these devices side-by-side – although previously it was in graphic from within unreleased Samsung software.

As these are dummy devices, the source is unknown: they could very well have been manufactured to match that previous image and based on leaked measurements, so don't take this as official in any way.

Samsung is thought to be releasing the wider format of folding phone to fend off Apple's arrival in the folding phone space with the iPhone Ultra, which is thought to offer a similar design, more like a folding iPad mini.

While we don't have many details about the design of the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 devices, it's expected that they will continue the thin and light theme from the Galaxy Z Fold 7. This dummy phone certainly looks like the previous device.

It's also thought that the telephoto camera will be dropped on the wide model, part of the motivation behind the switching of the names.

At the same time, the Galaxy Z Fold has never quite had parity with the hardware offered on the Samsung Galaxy S Ultra model, so some might question why the renaming is taking place.

Samsung it thought to be hosting Galaxy Unpacked on 22 July, with a rumour suggesting that the launch will take place in London.

It's expected that there will be a new Galaxy Z Flip model and a Galaxy Watch, as well as more information on Android XR devices developed with Samsung.

The crease in the display has long been a point of contention in folding phones, but it could be much improved on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series according to an established leaker.

In a recent post on X, UniverseIce claims that the "crease control on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is just as impressive as that of the Oppo Find N6".

When we previewed the Oppo Find N6, we said that it has "an unfolded display that feels flat across its entire surface", thanks to an innovative 3D liquid printing solution. That's a great starting point for Samsung's next folding phone.

The solution, it seems, is about supporting the area behind the display. While hinge designs are often talked about, we currently don't know what changes Samsung is going to make for its next folding phones.

As the source refers to the "series", it's expected that the crease control will be impressive in both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (that's the wide model) as well as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (that's the normal/old format). If you didn't get the memo, it's believed that Samsung is shuffling the names around.

So, how will this change the experience? Users of folding phones usually report that they don't notice the crease in the display. Yes, you can feel it when you run your finger over it, but typically, when there's content on the display, you can't really see it.

When the screen is off, the darkness then shows the crease much more prominently, but regardless, it's been a focal point for discussions around folding phones and it's certainly an area that has been progressively improved.

It might be that with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series, Samsung hits peak crease flatness and we can move on to something else, like usability.

Samsung is expected to launch two Z Fold models in 2026, with a wider version thought to be designed to counter the arrival of Apple with its first folding phone, thought to be called the iPhone Ultra.

Currently, it's believed that Samsung will position the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra as the top model, while the wide model is more affordable, with slightly pared back specs.

Samsung has announced that it has developed the first monitor combining 4K resolution with a 360Hz native refresh rate. The new 31.5-inch OLED monitor will be shown off at Computex 2026.

Samsung is claiming a world's first with its new QD-OLED screen, as previous monitors featuring a 360Hz refresh rate have required a drop in the resolution to 1440p or 1080p, losing some of that essential detail.

Samsung says that optimisation of the panel circuitry and driving system means that this OLED screen can deliver both for the first time, meaning it will be able to produce incredibly smooth and detailed fast-moving graphics better than ever before.

The options for refresh rates don't stop there, because users can drop the resolution to 1080p to benefit from 680Hz, which Samsung says is ideal for competitive first-person shooter gaming.

Beyond the appeal for smooth and detailed graphics, the Samsung monitor doubles-down on picture quality, with support for Vesa's DisplayHDR True Black 600 standard, and higher brightness than existing OLED monitors. That should boost colour performance, give rich contrast and mean that blacks are really well handled.

The panel itself uses a V-stripe pixel structure where red, green and blue sub-pixels are aligned in vertical stripes, allowing sharper edges to text, which boosts readability and clarity.

Samsung has a strong reputation in this category, producing some of the best monitors, especially in its Odyssey family, designed specifically for gamers. Currently, Samsung's Odyssey G7 monitor offers 4K resolution, but to get 360Hz you have to drop it to 1920 x 1080 pixels.

Samsung's new monitor doesn't appear to have a name – it's just the world's first 4K 360Hz QD-OLED monitor – as it's exhibited by Samsung Display rather than the consumer division. That's likely to change though, once Samsung Electronics offers it for sale, probably in the Odyssey range.

It's also unlikely that Samsung will keep this panel as an exclusive, so it's likely to appear from other brands that have Samsung as a display supplier, such as Asus, Dell or Gigabyte.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 – the wide model that's expected to launch alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra – feels more real than ever after appearing in a quick video.

The video is described as using a "low-quality dummy" of the wide folding phone from Samsung, but it has been shared by a reputable source, UniverseIce.

It gives us a much better idea of how the phone will sit in the hand and what it's actually going to be like to grasp, which previous renders have not.

Samsung is thought to be launching a wider format folding phone in response to Apple's entrance to the folding phone market with the iPhone Ultra. Up 'til now, we've mostly been calling this phone the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide, but recent information suggests it's just going to be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

The existence of the phone feels pretty certain at this point, with Samsung including it in the One UI 9 beta.

The design of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 appears to use the same language as the Galaxy Z Fold 7, with squared sides that should almost seamlessly meet when the phone is closed.

There are two cameras on the rear, so it's a step down from the three cameras of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, with the expectation that the telephoto camera is the one that's dropped. It looks a little like the Galaxy S25 Edge as a result.

We don't get to see the folding display on the interior, but then this is a dummy model and it's probably just a blank panel.

What's most striking about it is the width: the current candybar design of phone has evolved over the years so that even with larger screens, it's manageable. That was thanks mainly to adopting a 20:9 format, so that it fits comfortably in the hand, even with a larger screen.

The width of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is 77.6mm, while this folding phone could be 82.2mm wide, not to mention that it could be 9.8mm thick. While these are only small increases over a traditional phone, it could be a little harder to use and feel bulky.

Samsung is thought to be hosting Galaxy Unpacked on 22 July which is where we should see both formats of folding phones released.

Ever wished travel could be just that little bit easier? Well, if you're a Samsung Galaxy user, your wish may have just been granted.

As reported by T3's sister publication, Android Central, Samsung phones can now act as a TSA-approved digital passport. The brand has partnered with CLEAR to offer verified Digital IDs in the Samsung Wallet.

The service will be available at over 250 TSA checkpoints and selected sporting venues in the USA, though it's currently only available in that country. To make use of the feature, you'll need a US passport and a Galaxy handset capable of running Android 9.0 or higher.

From there, simply head to the Quick Access section within the Samsung Wallet and click the plus button to add a new option. Under the Digital IDs section, you should now see an option called Samsung ID with CLEAR.

In theory, that then makes travel at any of the approved locations as easy as tapping your phone or scanning a QR code. And there's no need to worry about the safety or security of the system, with the brand's Knox hardware security ensuring everything is kept safe.

Personally, I think this is a really neat addition to the Samsung suite of features. While it's definitely not a catch all solution – you'll only be able to use it for domestic travel, for example – it's a good sign of what's possible with modern technology.

I certainly hope that such a feature could become more commonplace around the world. It would allow us to streamline the process and, potentially, do away with outdated physical documents.

There's still a way to go before we get to that point, though. For now, at least, a large swathe of Android users in the USA can reap the benefits – with the rest of us watching on jealously!

The naming of Samsung's forthcoming folding phones have been leaked from a reliable source, with the claim that we'll be getting the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. That leads to some irregular naming for Samsung's wide folding phone.

Samsung has long been rumoured to be working on a wider format of folding phone, thought to counter the arrival of Apple into the segment. Apple's folding phone could be called the iPhone Ultra – and Samsung might have an "ultra" foldable of its own.

However, rather than calling the new wider model Ultra, Samsung is said to be renaming its existing format device to be the Ultra model.

The details come from UniverseIce on Weibo and we'd normally dismiss them as nonsense. But given this source's long history of accurate leaks, we have to seriously consider that this is Samsung's next move.

What's more confusing though is that while the Galaxy Z Fold 7's successor could be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the new wider model will reportedly just be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

You'll have to be paying attention to what you're ordering, as the shift in naming will mean that many assumptions will go out of the window – while many existing stories about the forthcoming phones will potentially point to the other device.

Why would Samsung change its folding phone names?

Currently, it's thought that the wider folding model will be lower spec than the traditional format of device, which comes with a triple camera and should have a higher capacity battery. It would seem strange to give the Ultra name to the new device, given what Samsung already offers.

However, giving the existing name to a new device will just lead to confusion, especially for those who don't keep up with the latest tech news.

The Ultra name might also be controversial, because of the existing Galaxy S Ultra series. The flagship candybar phone is a higher performer than the Galaxy Z, with a better overall hardware loadout, so the two aren't comparable.

It might just be that Samsung wants an Ultra folding phone to compete directly with Apple's naming, so picking the top folding phone makes sense.

Again, there will be some confusion, because Apple's Ultra and Samsung's Ultra will be totally different formats, with Apple's device more like a folding iPad mini.

It's unlikely that we'll hear anything about Apple's folding phone plans until launch (unless they tease it at WWDC in June), while Samsung is expected to launch its new phones on 22 July.

Samsung watch owners are due for a free treat thanks to the newly announced Wear OS 7 update that's on its way.

Google unveiled Wear OS 7 at its I/O 2026 event this week, meaning Samsung smartwatch owners can expect it on their devices in the future too.

One of the standout features expected to arrive with the new Wear update is improved battery performance. Google says this update can give up to 10% better battery life, which could be all the difference for all day and even multi day use.

Google was cautious to say that "select smartwatches" will also get Gemini Intelligence as a helpful AI upgrade. What was less clear was if this will be supported on current smartwatches, or if this is something that will be reserved only for newer models. There is both the hardware strain and the marketing planning to be thought about here.

It would seem likely that Samsung will use this AI upgrade as a way to sell its newer smartwatches, due out later in the year. But, hardware permitting, perhaps it will roll out to older models following that initial launch - potentially.

Wear Widgets is another new addition coming with Wear OS 7. As the name suggests, this offers a "flexible and dynamic" way to get more "expressiveness and consistency".

As you might imagine, these will be similar to the widgets found on Android phones, only more condensed to offer pertinent information on a smartwatch sized display.

Live Updates is also incoming as a way to offer real-time information – ideal for things like delivery tracking coming in from a connected device.

Customisation is also being improved, with the ability to personalise auto-launch on a per-app basis right from the watch.

This is all Google but, of course, Samsung will skin Wear OS 7 with its own One UI. This could mean we see even more features added to Samsung smartwatches when this arrives.

When will Wear OS 7 be available?

Google hasn't officially given a launch date for Wear OS 7. However, based on previous announcements and launches, we should be able to expect this to start rolling out at the back end of this year.

Samsung continues to look at versatile phone formats, including expandable phones that use a flexible rolling display. Thanks to a patent filing dated 5 May 2026, it's possible to get an insight into some of the development work that Samsung is carrying out.

Much of this patent (via WearView) is about AR applications and calculating the changes to the device beyond the physical. While the system describes how the change in camera position is calculated, it's the technical drawings that are more interesting.

They show a phone with typical Samsung design – it looks like a recent Galaxy S model from the rear – but there are two pieces to the bodywork, with the inner section able to expand the width of the phone and it's that section that has the camera attached to it.

The design has the advantage of keeping the whole phone encased in the body – it opens like a drawer – meaning that the rear of the flexible display isn't exposed. It's similar in design to an unreleased LG rolling phone from a few years back.

The original filing date for this patent is 2023, when there was a little more activity around this type of device. And while we're yet to see any real commercial success for this type of flexible display device, it does have some advantages.

It allows the phone to behave like a regular device, because when "closed" it's just a normal candybar phone. But when expanded, there's a lot more screen space to use.

However, it's also easy to see why Samsung might not be rushing to launch this type of device.

Book-style folding phones already struggle to really make use of that large display effectively and this minor screen expansion might not offer a great advantage considering the complexity and cost of the design.

As is always the case with these sort of patents, it's not clear if this will ever make it to a device that gets launched, so while it's clear that development work still continues on rollable phones, it's not an indication of launch.

Instead, it gives Samsung the opportunity to develop and protect various technologies through the patent process. The renders – drawn up by xleaks – make for a great looking device, however.

As heavily rumoured in the build up, Samsung and Google have partnered for a new smart glasses venture, with Ray-Ban and Meta firmly in their sights.

The new range will be called Intelligent Eyewear and has been created in collaboration with spectacles brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.

As with the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, Intelligent Eyewear pairs with a mobile phone and gives wearers access to AI features through voice commands. There is no display (not initially anyway), while the glasses can come in sunglass or clear lens styles.

Each pair will keep the wearer informed with notifications from their phone, guidance through Gemini – such as directions or local attractions – and real-time translations. One neat feature is that the translation will match the speaker's voice, using AI speech.

The glasses feature speakers in the arms, plus a camera unit on the front of the frame – this will see what the user sees, to better enable advice. It can also be used to take photos and, we assume, video.

The Samsung Intelligent Eyewear collection will run on the Android XR platform and will hit stores "this fall". Additional details, including price and exact availability will be announced "in the coming months".

"This intelligent eyewear marks an important step in Samsung’s vision for AI,” said Samsung's head of consumer experience, Jay Kim.

“With this new AI form factor, we are further expanding the Galaxy device ecosystem, where each device is optimised to deliver unique AI experiences that best fit each form.”

The glasses are naturally a direct competitor to the Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 that are available now. Other brands are also starting to release their own rivals, including L'Atitude 52°N with its Berlin pair having gone on pre-order today.

It's likely to become a busy market soon, especially with additional fashion labels lurking in the background and waiting to unveil their own smart creations.

Samsung has announced the One UI 9 beta program for Galaxy S26 users, built on Android 17, giving owners the first chance to experience the latest from Google and Samsung itself.

Of course, before you jump in, it's important to understand that this is still part of the beta program, so this isn't finished software and if your S26 is your main phone then you might not want to upgrade.

Android 17 is still in development: we're expecting to hear a lot more about new features for the platform at Google I/O next week – some of which will be Pixel exclusive – but Samsung will also be making tweaks of its own for Galaxy phone owners.

Android 17 is expected to make its debut on Pixel some time in June or July 2026, with Samsung debuting One UI 9 and Android 17 on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 – expected to launch on 22 July.

Samsung explains that the software includes a couple of new features, including new tools in Samsung Notes, an updated Quick Panel for greater layout controls with independent brightness, sound and media adjustments.

There are also some tweaks to DeX and Game Booster, new accessibility settings and options for physical keyboard and mouse. Basically, a lot of background stuff that Samsung doesn't mind sharing with you now.

What else is coming with One UI 9?

There will be other tweaks and improvements from the Android 17 side, while many of Samsung's core new features won't be delivered until the new phones are launched.

That's because the top features will be getting a lot more fanfare on stage at the launch of the new devices and Samsung doesn't want to spoil the surprise early. That's likely to include access to Gemini Intelligence, the new AI system from Google.

For those wanting to sample the new software, you can join the One UI 9 beta program through the Samsung Members app on your phone.

Here there's the option to opt in, pushing the beta update to your device. It's a limited roll-out at the moment with Germany, India, Korea, Poland, UK and the US getting access this week.

While many Samsung owners might not be ready to jump onto the beta to try One UI 9 and Android 17 right now, the fact that this is happening tells us a couple of things.

First, it indicates that Android 17 is progressing well and that we're getting close to final release from Google. And second, it tells us that Samsung's work is well underway and it's likely that the Galaxy S26 will move to new software fairly soon after it's introduced at Galaxy Unpacked.

In the past we've seen some really long delays from Samsung – hopefully, the move to Android 17 will be much faster.

Samsung could reveal its Galaxy Glasses at Galaxy Unpacked, said to be taking place on 22 July in London. It's expected that the new AI glasses will be revealed alongside the new Galaxy Z phones.

It's long been known that Samsung is working on AI glasses, with rumours suggesting that it will offer both screened and non-screened glasses, powered by Android XR.

Samsung previously released the Galaxy XR headset, working with Google to reinvigorate the company's wearable display devices – with the move into glasses driven by advancing AI capabilities.

We previously heard that the AI glasses are being built under the codenames Jinju and Haean, and now new details about the launch timing comes from Seoul Economic Daily.

Samsung has been working with Gentle Monster on the new glasses, with Android XR at the heart and Gemini baked into the experience to provide the AI skills.

It's thought that the Galaxy Glasses will be launched to compete with Meta's popular Ray-Ban models, first without a screen and offering capture, audio and voice controls.

Samsung's second pair of glasses are expected to be launched in 2027, offering an internal display for more of an augmented reality experience.

That could see Galaxy Unpacked offering the Galaxy Glasses alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide, Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Galaxy Watch 9 series.

That will not only be a bumper selection of Samsung devices, but it will see Samsung launching into a new category and helping to expand the proliferation of AI glasses, this time powered by Google.

This leak comes at an interesting time: Google is just about to host Google I/O and there's a chance that we'll learn more about Google's future plans for Android XR. That could see the Galaxy Glasses getting some time on stage alongside other announcements even sooner than the summer launch.

The Gentle Monster Galaxy Glasses are thought to be powered by the Snapdragon AR1, have a 155mAh battery, 12-megapixel cameras on the front and feature photochromic lenses.

Samsung just revealed results from testing that found its Galaxy Watch 6 was able to accurately detect fainting, and warn wearers before that happens.

The trials, carried out at Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital in Korea, showed that the watch could successfully predict VVS - vasovagal syncope with high accuracy.

This is important as VVS is what happens when a person's heart rate and blood pressure drop abruptly. This can be caused by sudden stress and can result in a temporary lack of consciousness.

By detecting fainting before it happens, it could mean the watch is able to save people from potentially fatal accidents. From falling, to crashing while driving, detecting fainting before it's too late is a pretty big deal.

Professor Junhwan Cho of the Department of Cardiology at the hospital said: "Up to 40% of people experience vasovagal syncope over their lifetime, with one-third experiencing recurrent episodes.

"An early warning could give patients advance time to get into a safe position or call for help, which would dramatically reduce the incidence of secondary injuries."

The research - carried out on 132 patients - found that the watch's PPG sensor, which tracks HRV, when used in conjunction with an AI algorithm, could detect fainting early.

This was able to detect fainting up to five minutes before an episode with nearly 85% accuracy.

Samsung plans to use these results to offer better detection technologies using its wearables in the future. So expect to see this feature implemented as a software update across hardware supportive watches in the future.

How much is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6?

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 isn't the company's newest watch, making it a bit of a deal to grab right now. Keep in mind this new feature may not be available soon, but if you like everything else the watch can offer right now, then it could be worth snapping up in a deal.

Current pricing has the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 at the £180 mark.

When Samsung announced the Galaxy Ring back in 2024, it was a big deal. The smart ring market wasn’t as accomplished as it is now, with Samsung’s most notable competitor being Oura.

If you’ve ever looked into buying a smart ring, you've likely come across Oura. The Finnish company made its first smart ring back in 2015, and the latest model that launched in 2024 is excellent. But you pay a monthly subscription, which is something the Galaxy Ring managed to avoid, making it a compelling alternative if you had an Android phone – like the Galaxy Watches, the Galaxy Ring is not compatible with iPhone.

When might we see the Galaxy Ring 2 and what could it offer?

There’s nothing yet to suggest that will change for the second generation of Samsung’s smart ring, but the latest report does claim we won’t get to see the Galaxy Ring 2 until early 2027.

According to ET News, it’s “virtually impossible” for Samsung to release a successor this year – most likely thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis.

The report suggests that the Galaxy Ring 2 will focus on longer battery life, increasing from the current claim of seven days to up to 10 days. It’s also claimed that the comfort is being worked on too, which would apparently come from optimising component placement and reducing the weight and thickness.

In terms of features, it’s suggested Samsung is looking to improve things here as well. There could be a focus on improved sleep analysis and an expansion in cardiovascular health data.

Nothing is confirmed by Samsung itself for now, but if the rumour of an early 2027 release is true, perhaps the Galaxy Ring 2 will launch alongside the Galaxy S27 models. These usually appear in the first couple of months of the year.

If you use a Samsung phone, there's some great news coming your way. That's because the brand has just unveiled rollout dates for its next software update – and it should be arriving within a matter of days.

The One UI 8.5 update is likely to be one of the last boosts given to this version of the software. That's because its successor – One UI 9 – is anticipated to arrive in the coming months, alongside the brand's new foldable phones.

The One UI 8.5 update is actually already rolling out to users in South Korea, with the first release on the 6th of May. For those of us in other territories, things are set to kick off on the 11th of May – this coming Monday.

According to a report from SamMobile, that will affect users in Europe, Hong Kong, India, Latin America, North America, Southeast Asia and Taiwan. There's no word on release dates for other locations at the moment, but we'd assume it won't be too long after.

There's also a bevy of devices set to enjoy the updates. That includes the Samsung Galaxy S25 series – including the S25 Edge and S25 FE models – the Galaxy S24, the Z Fold and Flip 7 and the Z Fold and Flip 6 models, plus many more.

It even affects some of the brand's tablets, with the Galaxy Tab S11 and Galaxy Tab S10 series devices both set to enjoy the update. And mid-range handsets also see some love, with the Galaxy A56, Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A36 models all getting access.

Once the rollout begins, users will be able to install the update via the Settings menu on their handsets. Simply head there, and then to the Software Update section, where you'll be able to install the new software.

The update offers a liquid glass design, complete with enhanced Galaxy AI features and advanced security.

Samsung is planning to launch a wider format of folding phone, as it looks to fend off Apple's entry into the folding phone market.

The Galaxy Z Wide Fold has leaked again, this time showing off the difference in aspect to Samsung's existing format of device, which is expected to be updated in the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

This time the reveal comes via unreleased Samsung software, giving us a glimpse at how the devices will compare in design and giving us a good expectation of what we'll see come launch day.

We've previously seen renders of the wider folding Samsung phone, with details suggesting it will have a 3:2 aspect to the internal display, matching the iPhone Fold. While Apple's device lives mostly in the land of rumour and assumption, we're getting a much better idea of what Samsung will offer.

This time, representations of the forthcoming device have been uncovered in One UI 9 – the software expected to accompany the launch of Samsung's next-gen folding phones.

This doesn't just give us an illustration of a wider folding phone, but also shows the regular format of folding phone, so this isn't just a drawing that's out of scale, it's showing two distinctly different devices.

That's also highlighted in the cameras: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is seen with three cameras, the Wide Fold with two cameras – with a design that's similar to the Galaxy S25 Edge in layout.

These images were spotted by Android Authority and they seem to match previous renders that have been shared online.

The foldable phone wars are heating up

What does this have to do with Apple? Rumours that Apple was planning to launch a folding phone in this wider format seems to have driven to the emergence of a new format of device.

While Samsung is known for the taller format – which was a characteristic of its originally Galaxy Fold device in 2019 – it seems that the threat of Apple having a different format has prompted action.

That's already see the announcement of the Huawei Pura X Max, a folding phone in a similar style, although likely to be limited to release in China.

Talking of release, any new folding phone from Apple would be expected alongside the iPhone 18 Pro in September, while Samsung is said to be preparing a launch event in London in late July.

Samsung could be preparing a lighter Galaxy Z Flip model with a new hinge as it tries to reassert itself in the face of competition from the Motorola Razr.

With Motorola just launching the 2026 version of the Razr, Samsung is said to be making changes to its own flip phone as it tries to claw back some market share. According to a report earlier in 2026, Motorola has 50% of the market in the US for folding phones.

As I highlighted in my side-by-side comparison of the new Motorola and incumbent Samsung flip phones, there's quite a difference between these devices – and Samsung's moves will increase that gap.

According to a leak from Lanzuk on Naver (via 9to5Google), Samsung is going to be using a new hinge on the Z Flip 8. This brings the weight down from 188g to 180g. The Razr 70 Ultra is 199g, so that's a substantial difference.

Not to mention that Samsung's phone is already slimmer, but Samsung could be shaving a fraction of a millimetre off here too.

Along with the new hinge, the crease is going to be reduced, so the display should appear flatter when you look at it and hopefully feel less undulating when running your fingers across it.

Can the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 beat the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra in 2026?

The question is whether this is going to be enough to draw in customers. With Motorola setting out its stall already, we've seen that the 2026 Razr phones are now more expensive, while they still only offer three OS updates and five years of security updates compared to Samsung's seven years of updates.

Motorola offers a better external display experience, where you can place and open full apps, so it will do a lot more, while the screens are brighter than Samsung's.

However, Samsung offers a better user experience, with One UI more refined that Motorola's Hello UI which is slowly getting polluted with bloat and distractions.

Motorola is pushing the Razr very much from a design point of view, focusing on colours and materials, to good effect, but Samsung's design is tighter and looks more technically proficient.

Where the 2026 Razr models surprise is that much of the hardware remains the same as it was before, with only a few tweaks – and it sounds as though Samsung is going to do much the same. It may well be the case that if Samsung undercuts Motorola on price, it will stand a greater chance of having an impact.

Samsung appears to be working on not one but two pairs of Android XR-powered smart glasses due for release relatively soon.

According to sources of Android Headlines, we can expect to see these new Samsung glasses arrive in 2027. They will come in two forms, each differing in price and feature sets.

The first, dubbed code name "Jinju", will be a more simple set of glasses akin to the current Ray-Ban Meta offering. These will not feature a screen but should offer voice controls using AI on the connected Samsung phone.

The second, code named "Haean", should be more expensive but could come with an augmented reality screen thanks to a micro-LED display. Samsung, as a display manufacturer, was always expected to offer a screen-toting pair of glasses at some point – here's hoping the wait is due to the perfecting of that screen offering.

The Samsung Galaxy Glasses are expected to arrive as the follow-up to the Galaxy XR, which is an Android-powered mixed reality headset, more in the style of the Apple Vision Pro. While these will fit into that line of wearables, they will be far more mobile and design led – running on the Android XR platform.

The glasses leaked in the images here are the Samsung Jinju, which can be seen to feature dual lens cameras but are not expected to have a display. This is reserved for the more premium model. That should mean these remain lighter and more efficient on battery performance.

Google is working on its own smart glasses which will also run on that XR platform. So expect it to be well refined and ready for Android friendly integrations right from launch. Also expect to hear more about the Android XR platform, and Google glasses, at the Google I/O 2026 event next month.

How much will the Samsung glasses cost?

The Samsung Jinju glasses, without display, are claimed to be priced at between $379 and $499.

The Samsung Haear glasses, featuring that micro-LED display, should go for between $600 and $900 a pair.

The company is expected to launch the glasses publicly in 2027.

The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra could lose one of its oldest features, with rumours suggesting that the 3x telephoto camera could be removed.

The Galaxy S Ultra models have flip-flopped with the telephoto cameras they offer, with the first – the Galaxy S20 Ultra – offering at 10x periscope telephoto that ran through until the Galaxy S23 Ultra, alongside the more common 3x optical zoom.

That was then ditched for 5x optical, with the 3x remaining. Through these changes, the "big zoom" has remained the focus, while the 3x just sort of hung in there. On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, there's still a 10-megapixel 3x optical zoom mixing it in with the rest.

It's that little old camera that could be ditched, with established and frequently accurate leaker UniverseIce taking to X to share the news: "It didn't get stronger. It didn't get weaker. It's simply gone," they wrote.

That would suggest Samsung is just going to do away with the 3x camera entirely, reducing the number of cameras on its flagship handset overall.

The question is whether Samsung would make this move, given that other Ultra devices are offering a wider selection of lenses – including a similar "portrait" lens.

We've previously heard that Samsung is planning to make other changes to the camera, including swapping to a new main camera sensor using LOFIC technology, and it might be that Samsung thinks it can bridge the gap between the main camera and 5x zoom camera with cropping on the main camera sensor.

It might be that there's a major reset in the lenses that are offered, with a camera that feels much newer than the version that's been rolling from phone to phone over the past few years.

The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra is not expected to be announced until January or February 2027, so there's still a good way to go until launch day, so many of these plans will probably change.

We're certain that we'll be hearing a lot more about the Galaxy S27 over the coming months.

While the smart glasses space has been relatively dominated by one brand for a while, it looks set to explode soon. There are rumours that several major brands are gearing up to enter the space, which should galvanise more users.

The latest leaked images show off an impending model from Samsung – and it will look very familiar for anyone who has used the Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarer's. While not an exact match, the design used here is pretty darn similar, which should make switching up easy for anyone who wishes to do so.

According to the report from Android Headlines, the model will make use of a Snapdragon AR1 processor, complete with a 155mAh battery. The model is also said to feature a 12MP Sony IMX681 camera on the front, for first-person POV content.

The model is expected to arrive using the Android XR platform, complete with Gemini AI capabilities. The design is rounded out with bone-conduction speakers in the arms, and photochromic transition lenses.

This isn't a model with displays in the lenses, though that is also said to be in development from the brand. Those are slated for a 2027 launch, according to the same report.

In terms of pricing, there is no concrete information at the moment, though the rumour mill has given us something to work with. Estimates place it somewhere between US$379 (approx. £280 / €325 / AU$530) and US$499 (approx. £370 / €425 / AU$695).

That puts them broadly in line with Meta's pricing structure, though it will of course be dependent on the ongoing pricing crisis happening with certain computing components. The subsequent display model is expected to cost roughly twice as much, though again there could be some variance between now and when that gets released.

Either way, it feels like an exciting addition. Meta aren't a small company, but getting Samsung in on the act is certain to give the sector some added gravitas – much like it did with the smart ring sector and the Samsung Galaxy Ring.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to make a change to one of its displays, with one aspect of the external screen getting smaller. Before you panic, the element that Samsung is looking to shrink is the cut-out for the front camera.

That's probably not where you thought the attention would be focused, but this is the subject of the latest leak about Samsung's forthcoming folding phone.

The source of this information is UniverseIce, who is often reliable. They explain that the Z Fold 8 front camera will only have a 2.5mm diameter hole.

The current Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a 3.7mm diameter hole, so those opting for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will have a tiny amount of screen space around that camera that the older phone lacks. By my quick calculation, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will restore 5.84mm² of display to users.

That's not a significant amount of space, but every little helps.

The famed leaker on X says: "Samsung appears to have adopted a new technology". This is likely to eliminate the black ring around the camera that's common on many phones.

Is this going to make a material difference to the experience? Probably not because there's a huge folding display inside if you need more space, but these sorts of small refinements are perhaps the real measure of progress.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to launch at an event in London in late July, accompanied by a Galaxy Z Flip 8, as well as a slightly new format of phone offering a wider folding format.

Indeed, it's the wide fold that's attracted the most speculation from Samsung's future plans, with the device said to rival the iPhone Fold. So far we've seen Huawei announce a wider folding device, but this new style of folding phone could be the future for the format.

For those sticking to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and its more traditional design, perhaps you'll just get a slightly smaller camera hole.

Samsung is thought to be working on a third folding phone to launch alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Galaxy Z Flip 8. It's a wide folding design and new details have revealed a little more about the expected device's specifics. There's something familiar about these details, too.

Samsung's new wider fold – which some are calling the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide – could bring about a shift in Samsung's folding phone design. It will reportedly move from a taller type of phone, which we have seen from the Z Fold in the past, to something that is shorter and wider.

It's thought that the new phone is designed to compete with the iPhone Fold (or iPhone Ultra, as some call it), also thought to be adopting this format. That's where the familiarity comes in.

Apple does everything by design, so it's no surprise that its first foldable is expected to adopt an internal screen aspect similar to iPad models. The iPhone Fold could open up to be a 4:3 device, which has been used on many iPads in the past.

Why does Apple do this? Because if a decision was right before, the same justification now applies – and the 4:3 aspect is nicer for reading (when rotated into portrait) and because it's less square than existing folding phones, so could be better for watching movies without the sort of letterboxing that current book-type folding phones use.

Returning to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide and the details from leaker UniverseIce suggest that the display will have a 4:3 aspect on the inner display. That's also similar to the Huawei Pura X Max that has already been teased, which has a 4.24:3 aspect inner display.

There are a couple of other interesting dimensions to leak: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide is expected to be 4.3mm thick when unfolded and 9.8mm thick when closed. It's also said to be 82.2mm wide (folded), with a height of 123.9. When unfolded it will be 161.4mm wide.

The details suggest that Samsung's phone will be slightly wider and less tall than Huawei's device, but crucially it will be thinner too.

If Samsung is going to move to offer a wider folding phone, we'd expect that to appear in late July 2026 at a Galaxy Unpacked event in London. If Apple is going to launch its own folding phone, that will likely appear alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in September.

Samsung TV owners have famously long lived without a few features found on televisions from rival brands – Dolby Vision, for one. Another that comes as more of a surprise is Google Cast.

Samsung's smart TVs have not had native support for Google Cast, with the manufacturer favouring its proprietary Smart View feature instead. Built around Miracast, it has basically offered a similar experience, allowing you to mirror your phone's screen, but it's not quite the same.

However, that's all changing. As well as finally supporting Google Cast on its new, 2026 smart TV models, Samsung has started to roll it out as an upgrade to older sets too. That includes TVs made from 2023 on.

According to XDA Developers, the One UI Tizen v2115 update is now available across multiple Samsung smart TVs released in the last few years. And it includes Cast support.

There is a caveat – your TV needs to have been made and sold from 2023 and run on Tizan OS. But if compatible, you'll find a much better streaming option waiting.

That's because Google Cast is universal – it works across pretty much every Android phone and tablet you can think of, iPhone and iPad too. You just have to tap the Cast icon when you're in a streaming app (if supported), select your TV and away you go.

Perhaps the biggest benefit over Samsung's own Smart View is that Google Cast doesn't technically mirror your device's display. Once Cast, the content is streamed by the TV from the internet directly, leaving your phone to perform other tasks with no slow down or interruption.

You can use your mobile device as a remote, but the video is streamed independently.

This is a big deal for Samsung smart TV owners, many of which have bemoaned its absence over the years. It also allows you to stream from apps that might not be otherwise available on your TV.

Many other brands have offered the service for years – especially those that run Google TV or Android TV – which Samsung owners and others have had to add a Chromecast device for the same functionality. You won't need that any longer.

If your Samsung TV doesn't currently run Tizen v2115.3 or later, check your settings to see if an update is available. It might take a bit longer to reach all the supported models, depending on your region.

In the world of AI, a new robot assistant has been revealed by Samsung, dubbed Project Luna.

Samsung took to the Milan Design Week 2026 to show off this new physical AI assistant as a concept idea. This appeared briefly as part of a larger video showcasing how Samsung sees a potential future for AI in the home.

The device itself was a table-sitting, round-faced screen that can move its "head" about and change what is displayed. It communicates using beeps and boops – yes, much like R2D2.

How does Samsung Project Luna work?

The idea here is to have an AI in your home that works for everyone living there. It can base itself in the robot body that sits on the table but can also move about. Talking to it about a TV task? It's can digitally appear on the TV and continue to assist you there.

So this would essentially be like a digital butler or conductor that works with you to control all the devices in your home as you need.

The screen gives a face-like point of interaction with a pulsating orb graphic which is like its eyes and mouth – allowing for some expression of personality. That swivel head also allows it to move and look at people interacting with it.

At this stage Project Luna is very much a design concept, showing how Samsung imagines a future of living with AI could look. So, while this may be made a reality, it's not a final design at this early stage.

The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 may not be as exciting in all areas as hoped. While that's not a massive surprise, it has left me to consider waiting for the next generation, in the Flip 9, instead.

Typically, Samsung offers the cutting-edge folding screen tech at a reasonably affordable price, but makes cuts in others areas. In the next generation Flip 8, it sounds like that cut could come in the battery department.

The latest leak from a Korean source clearly states the 25W charger, found as far back as on on the Flip 4, is still remaining the same. That translates to a pretty slow charge compared to some of the more mainstream smartphones.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, for example, features a 60W charger, that's so fast it can go from one to 75% in just 30-minutes. And that's on a hefty 5,000mAh battery.

By comparison, the Flip 8 is due to receive less than half that charging pace for a battery which is expected to come in at 4,300 mAh.

Should I get the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8?

While the battery might not be upgraded in size or charging speed, that's perhaps not a deal breaker for everyone. This could, of course, mean that Samsung is able to pass on any savings it makes to us – keeping the price similar or making even lower. Although, with all the shortages and price hikes in other areas of tech, I'm not holding my breath there.

So, is it worth waiting for the Flip 9 instead? It's a risk, as we can't know that Samsung will upgrade the battery then either. So, if you're considering going foldable, keep in mind that battery limit, but also the fact that this will likely be the best foldable screen yet.

Samsung has just announced its new appliance line-up for 2026, and I was lucky enough to visit its HQ in Milan and see them in action.

For this year, Samsung is releasing five new appliances, including an extractor induction hob, single door fridge freezer, washing machine, dishwasher and stick vacuum cleaner. All these appliances feature Bespoke AI which is designed to enhance performance, save time and energy, and keep your home connected.

I was very kindly invited to Samsung’s launch event in Milan so I got to see the new appliances before they were announced. The demonstrations and product tours were great to see – and featured a surprising amount of liquid nitrogen! – and I think Samsung may have changed my mind about AI’s place in the home.

I’ve picked out my three favourite Samsung appliances from the launch that I want in my home – the extractor induction hob will definitely go to the top of your wishlist.

1. Extractor Induction hob

Starting off strong with my favourite launch – and the one I think people will be most excited about – is the new Samsung Extractor Induction Hob. The 2-in- hob integrated an induction hob cooktop and extractor hood into one gadget, and it has an invisible built-in design that aesthetically blends into your kitchen.

Measuring 80cm, the Extractor Induction Hob features Flex Zone Plus technology, which gives it a wide open cooking area with the extractor ventilation at the centre. It’s compatible with multiple cookware sizes, and has denser heating elements for even heat distribution.

The most impressive part of the Extractor Induction Hob is the extractor itself. It’s slim and compact yet insanely powerful and captures steam, smoke and odours as it releases during cooking.

During the event, there was a cooking demonstration which featured liquid nitrogen, and the Extractor Induction Hob easily tackled a huge amount of fog. It was immediately sucked into the extractor and cleared the room quickly, all while making very minimal noise.

The Extractor Induction Hob looks the part too, and it has a nice feel to it. It’s scratch-resistant – as was demonstrated by running forks over the surface – and it has a matte black finish. It’s also easy to clean and the extractor can even be removed from the hob and washed in the dishwasher.

2. Bespoke AI Single 1Door Fridge & Freezer

Double door fridge freezers aren’t often seen in UK and European kitchens, so to fill the gap in the market, Samsung has launched the Bespoke AI Single 1Door Fridge & Freezer. This new, slimmer style means you can take advantage of Samsung’s AI and cooling features but in a more compact size that will better fit in your home.

My favourite feature of the Bespoke AI Single 1Door Fridge & Freezer is its Auto Open Door. It has a built-in touch sensor and light which allows the door to open smoothly when you approach or tap it. This is especially useful if you have your hands full but need to open the fridge.

The new Bespoke AI Single 1Door Fridge & Freezer also has enhanced cooling, including AI Precise, Metal and All-Round Cooling. AI Precise Cooling works with the SmartThings app to automatically adjust the temperature in line with your home patterns and schedules.

For example, if you do a food shop on a specific day and time, the Bespoke AI Single 1Door Fridge & Freezer will learn that and reduce temperature fluctuations to keep things fresh for longer. Metal Cooling is best for temperature stability and features a full metal design inside the fridge, while All-Round Cooling is great at evenly distributing cold air with full metal cooling integrated into the door.

3. Jet Stick 95S

My third favourite new launch is the Samsung Jet Stick 95S vacuum cleaner. This new cordless, stick vacuum might look small – although it can be extended to stand taller – but it’s packed with 280W of suction power, and smart cleaning features.

The Jet Stick 95S now has a HexaJet motor which a Samsung representative said was faster than an F1 engine! It has a Boost mode which adapts its suction and settings to cater to different floors, like hardwood and carpets.

My favourite feature of the Jet Stick 95S is its smart motion cleaning. If you’ve ever stood your vacuum up to quickly move something, you’ll know that it keeps whirring and making noise without really cleaning anything. Now, the Jet Stick 95S switches to standby mode when you prop it against a wall or lay it on the floor. If it’s like that for longer than 60 seconds, it turns itself off.

EU battery regulations are coming in less than 12 months that will change the manufacture and sale of mobile devices forever.

New rules will be enforced in the European Union from February next year making removable batteries a legal requirement for all portable gadgets, including smartphones. And while other regions might not have similar restrictions, manufacturers will invariably change designs universally or face a ban in EU member countries.

That includes Apple, Samsung and other major makers of Android phones.

The battery does not need to be easily swappable, but the device has to be built in such a way that any user can remove and replace it with only basic skills. In addition, replacement batteries have to be made readily available for every device sold, and will continue to be available for at least five years after a device's original release date.

Some manufacturers have already made changes to their phone and tablet designs with the new regulations in mind. However, all products released after 18 February 2027 will need to be compliant (via The Olive Press).

The new rules are part of the EU's drive to reduce e-waste, with approximately five million tonnes of electronic waste being discarded each year. Europe has already enforced regulations on system software updates, requiring at least five years of patches per device, to lengthen the lifespan of phones and other personal electronics.

Gaming handhelds are also thought to be included in the new guidelines, with very few exemptions. Nintendo is expected to introduce a new version of the Switch 2, for example, with a battery that can be more easily replaced.

And, as a Lenovo Legion Go S owner who has already had to open it up to repair a broken trigger, I know just how hard it can be to access some components without damaging others. So I wholly approve of any measures to make it more simple.

New features expected to be available in Samsung One UI 9.0 have surfaced thanks to early beta versions of the software. They include Tap to Share and new Bixby widgets.

While Google is developing Android 17 – expected in final form in June or July – Samsung is working on its One UI version that will sit on it and power the company's phones and tablets. And with One UI 8.5 launching with Galaxy S26 phones just a couple of month's ago, it's One UI 9.0 that's next in line.

The new version of the software isn't expected to appear until the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8, expected to take place at Galaxy Unpacked in London in July. However, Sammobile has revealed a couple of the features spotted in the latest beta build.

While the transition to Android 17 is exciting, it's Samsung's own additions that normally result in more features for customers and Tap to Share seems like a handy new tool.

This will give you contact sharing – like Apple's NameDrop – while it can also be used to trigger Quick Share file sharing. Both rely on NFC to make contact, with Samsung specifying that the "tap" is mandatory to trigger the action.

If you're on the home screen, then your contact info will be shared. If you're in the Gallery, Quick Share or share panel, then images, videos and other files can be shared. Basically, it's an automation of Quick Share, ideal for people you don’t know.

At the moment, this appears to be a Samsung feature and as 9to5Google points out, Google is working on a similar feature. In fact, it's already there as part of Quick Share (triggering sharing with a tap), but it doesn't work very well and no one really knows about it – probably because it's not signposted anywhere in the user interface.

If nothing else, contact sharing will be an exciting addition.

The second new feature sees Samsung leaning into its renewed enthusiasm for Bixby.

In the Galaxy S26, Samsung elevated Bixby into being a useful AI on your phone, ideal for answering questions about your device.

A new set of widgets will offer shortcuts to get to Bixby and start that conversation – presumably because the device is using Gemini through button and wake word shortcuts. Giving Bixby a more prominent widget might encourage owners to actually use it.

These are still early days for One UI 9.0. While it's expected to make its debut in the summer, it's likely to be a fairly long wait before it appears on the majority of Samsung Galaxy phones.

Samsung's next TriFold phone might have a shorter and wider design, better placed to challenge incoming "wide" devices like the iPhone Fold. And so, even though the first TriFold phone from Samsung has already been discontinued, it seems the concept could live on.

Samsung announced the Galaxy Z TriFold in late 2025, but it was a limited run that sold out quickly with no plans to restock. While many thought that was the end of the idea, rumours then surfaced that Samsung was looking at a new hinge design for a thicker device and now we have a patent for a revised use of a dual-hinge foldable.

In an extensive patent filing, the company outlines new details of a folding phone, exploring different modes of use – and there's even the appearance of the S Pen, with an explanation of how it might magnetically attach to the frame.

The patent details were uncovered by Network Right, along with concept images from @xleaks77, with a filing date of 12 March 2026, with the original source focusing on the appearance of a wider folding device.

Much of the patent appears to show a design of a dual hinge device that's the same as the Z TriFold, but the purpose of the filing isn't to showcase a new format of phone, it's to talk about how the device will operate "in a multi-folded state".

In some of the images the device appears like the Z TriFold, in others, it's clearly a wider and shorter TriFold.

That might come down to the fact that these are patent drawings not engineering drawings, so the proportionality of the device isn't to scale. That raises a question of the validity of a "wide fold design" – however, it certainly looks like it.

What's really interesting about this patent is how the phone is presented in a tent-style folded shape, or "prism shape" as Samsung refers to it. It appears to be to enable a bedside mode, with subsequent illustrations displaying on-screen widgets, a clock, timers and so on.

Reading into the details, Samsung describes that in this state the folding display could also be illuminated, providing a nice ambient lighting effect. There are details of using different materials to support the prism shape, so it doesn't slide flat. That might appear in the form of a rubberised part in the corners, for example, so there's friction against the frame.

In other images, Samsung displays how it could connect with magnets or slot into a groove to support the prism shape.

This all points to Samsung looking for expanded use cases, in this instance, changing the design to support them. If nothing else, this propagates the idea that Samsung is still looking at TriFold phones, rather than just abandoning it completely.

While it's a bit of a leap to take this as evidence of a wider folding phone, it definitely tells us something about Samsung's intention to keep working on this type of device.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 has surfaced in reliable CAD renders, giving us a look at the forthcoming folding phone. According to these details, the phone will basically be identical in design to the Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Samsung underwent a significant redesign of the Galaxy Z Flip in 2025 with the launch of the Z Flip 7. This was thinner and all round better than the generation before it, making it a much more attractive device – especially when folded.

To a certain extent, it's understandable that Samsung would want to stick to the established design, because it went down well, striking a good balance between form and function. However, it looks like there won't be significant changes, perhaps because Samsung's focus is on its new wide folding phone instead.

We'd previously heard the suggestion that the Galaxy Z Flip 8 was in line for a 10% reduction in thickness and weight, which doesn't appear to be happening, although once again, it appears that the folding thickness is reduced, most likely due to further hinge efficiencies.

The new renders come from My Mobiles, working with a familiar name, OnLeaks, but from the exterior we don't see a huge number of changes.

It's also not clear what will power the new phone: Samsung used Snapdragon hardware for many years but turned to the Exynos 2500 for the Galaxy Z Flip 7. It could be that with the Exynos 2600 in the Galaxy S26, that the Z Flip 8 goes down the same route.

However, Samsung is facing something of a battle in the folding phone space. A recent report from IDC outlined that Motorola had 50% of the folding phone market in the US – and with the Motorola Razr Ultra (2026) lining up for launch, Samsung could be left on the back foot.

Considering that Apple is also expected to launch its first folding phone in 2026, it could be that the folding phone space that Samsung has dominated for the past seven years looks rather different moving forward.

There's been no word from Samsung on this device yet, but a report recently suggested that Samsung would be hosting Galaxy Unpacked from London in July, which is where we might see this new phone announced.

Samsung will reportedly get ahead of Apple in announcing a wider foldable phone this summer. The so-called Samsung Galaxy Z Wide will beat the iPhone Fold to the punch by several months, it's claimed.

It is tipped to launch alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 at an Unpacked event this July, which could be held in London this time.

According to the Korean Economic Times, Samsung will "unveil a new foldable phone series" including its "Wide Model". It's also suggested that the S Pen will return to the foldable range.

The exact date for the next Unpacked is yet to be revealed, but the current foldable models in Samsung's lineup were announced on 9 July last year, so expect the latest event to take place around then too.

That previous Unpacked took place in New York, but the manufacturer might have decided to switch the launch to London after learning that Motorola had overtaken it in the foldables market in the US. Samsung continues to be the dominant provider of such phones in Europe.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Wide (if that's its final name) is thought to have a wider form factor, much like the oft-rumoured iPhone Fold. This allows for a larger internal display more like a tablet, although the outer case is more square than the Galaxy Z Fold.

As for the S Pen, Samsung is reportedly set to reintroduce it to the series – potentially pointing to a thicker build this time around. Galaxy Z Fold phones had become so thin that it was difficult to find the place in the shell to house the stylus, but that seems to have been solved.

We'll keep you up to date on future Unpacked rumours and announcements, but if this report turns out to be true, it could take away some of the impact of Apple's first foldable release. That's likely to be part of Samsung's plan.

It's no secret that foldable phones have been gently creeping up in popularity over the years. What started as a niche has now got multiple different brands involved, offering their own take on the form.

2026 is tipped to be an even bigger year for the segment, with the anticipated launch of the iPhone Fold expected to bring new swathes of interest. Now, users may have a final chance to get their hands on one of the most interesting devices on the market.

That's because the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold looks set to be restocked later this week, for what is presumably the final time. As reported last month, the model is set to be wound down, marking it as something of an experiment from the Korean brand.

Its discontinuation doesn't point towards an issue with sales figures, though – quite the opposite in fact. The model has continued to sell out almost immediately every time it was restocked, with the next drop expected to offer much of the same.

The new stock is expected for the US online store, which currently has a timer set to run out at 9am ET (6am PT / 2pm BST) on the 10th of April.

There's no telling how much stock is coming, but its likely to be minimal, with the overall stock levels for the handset said to be low. For those who do miss the online allocation, there's also the opportunity to pick up some stock in stores.

According to 9to5Google, those locations include:

• Los Cerritos Center – Cerritos, CA
• Mall of America – Bloomington, MN
• Queens Center – Elmhurst, NY
• Roosevelt Field – Garden City, NY
• The Americana at Brand – Glendale, CA
• The Galleria – Houston, TX
• Stonebriar Centre – Frisco, TX

For anyone still hoping to get their hands on one of the most futuristic pieces of tech of the modern era, this could well be the last chance.

Samsung could be planning to have a four-model line-up for the Galaxy S27, expected to launch in 2027. The additional new model is said to be the Galaxy S27 Pro.

According to a source at ET News, the fourth model will sit towards the top of the range, effectively splitting the Galaxy S27 line up into two. There will be the Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus, but then the flagship models will be the Galaxy S27 Pro and the Galaxy S27 Ultra.

In 2025, Samsung attempted to add a new model to the range with the Galaxy S25 Edge, but the appetite for a slim phone over one that was more fully featured didn't appear to be there.

One of the interesting details about the Pro model is that it's said to drop support for the S Pen. While the Ultra has continued to house the S Pen and support a range of on-screen stylus features, the Pro would drop this – which I don't think too many people would be worried about.

Why a Samsung Galaxy S27 Pro makes sense

The source speculates that the aim in adding a fourth model is to "expand consumer choices", but it's almost certainly an attempt by Samsung to increase the average selling price across the range.

While the Ultra remains one of the leading phones in the Android space, the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus feel a good step lower in their offering. It's likely that Samsung will mirror Chinese manufacturers who often have a "pro" model as well as an "ultra", with the biggest differentiator being the camera.

With brands like Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo offering a flagship phone that puts the emphasis on camera performance, often picking larger and more dedicated sensors, it could be that Samsung expands what the S27 Ultra offers to make space for the Galaxy S27 Pro below it.

It's suggested that the Galaxy S27 Pro and Galaxy S27 Ultra would share many properties, likely to include the 200-megapixel main camera, but it's likely that other lenses might not be as comprehensive. That's generally the pattern we see in other brands.

Another area that's likely to be similar between the Pro and the Ultra is the display. The display on the Ultra is the largest and generally the best of the Samsung family, which in 2026 expanded to include Privacy Display. This feature is specifically called out as the Galaxy S27 Pro could be the only other phone to offer this clever privacy feature.

We're early on in the rumour cycle at the moment, but if the launch of the Galaxy S26 taught us anything, it's that Samsung could change its mind on the composition of the Galaxy S27 family over the coming months, so you can expect a lot more to come from this story.

Samsung has enabled a new feature for Galaxy Watch users in the US, bringing the wearable's feature set more in line with international markets.

The update adds blood pressure monitoring to supported models (Galaxy Watch 4 onwards), a feature that has been available in select international markets for years but remained locked in the US due to regulatory hurdles.

The rollout means users can now track blood pressure directly from their wrist using Samsung Health, although the system isn’t quite as straightforward as heart rate tracking.

It requires regular calibration with a traditional cuff-based monitor, and Samsung positions it as a wellness feature rather than a medical-grade tool.

Not all heart data is treated equally

Blood pressure tracking sits in a more tightly regulated category than most smartwatch metrics, and companies have to tread carefully in how they present and deploy it.

Samsung appears to have taken the cautious route, waiting until it could bring the feature to the US in a compliant way rather than pushing ahead earlier.

The result is a delayed launch compared to other regions, but one that aligns more closely with regulatory expectations.

Rival wearable brand Whoop remains in a standoff with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after its blood pressure feature was flagged as an unauthorised medical device.

Updated guidance, however, suggests the door may be opening to more carefully framed wellness features.

The rules are still being written

Against that backdrop, Samsung’s approach looks more conservative, but also more sustainable.

By framing blood pressure monitoring as part of its broader heart health toolkit, alongside ECG and heart rate tracking, the company continues to build out its health ecosystem without risking overstepping into unsupported medical claims.

Blood pressure monitoring joins a range of health and wellness features already available on newer Galaxy Watches, including Antioxidant Index, Vascular Load, Bedtime Guidance and more.

Bottom line: one of the most requested Galaxy Watch features is finally available in the US, though it arrives with a few caveats.

[via NotebookCheck]

The pace of change when it comes to high-end PC gaming is generally a little frightening, especially if you're coming from a console background and you're used to a platform staying the same for six or seven years between generations. In the PC world, companies seem to rip the rulebook up every year.

I'm not going to go overboard and suggest that Samsung's done just that with the new gaming monitor tech it's unveiled, but it's certainly a welcome upgrade that might just indicate how it and others on the market are trying to win people over to upgrading their monitors.

After all, the slow spread of OLED panels has been interesting to observe, but if you have an OLED right now then are you really in any need of an upgrade in the next few years from a picture quality perspective?

Well, Samsung's answer might just be its newly announced QuantumBlack display tech, which apparently cuts reflections by 20% compared to its previous system, while making the display harder and therefore more durable. The film is applied on top of Samsung's displays, so this presumably should debut on forthcoming models very soon.

That boost to hardness shouldn't be overlooked before we move on to reflections, though. Cleaning your gaming monitor can be a stressful affair, and it gets more stressful the more you've spent on it – so knowing that it's properly scratch-resistant should make it far less of a burden.

Plus, of course, there are the immersive benefits to those dulled reflections, which should ensure that you can see everything on your monitor more easily, regardless of lighting conditions. That's huge for anyone seeking to get more competitive at a game online, but also great if you're just wanting to remove distractions while immersed in single-player gaming.

Samsung isn't saying when this new film will actually start to roll out on its monitors, for now. In fact, I wouldn't be totally surprised if it keeps the tech for its next big unveil, possibly even at CES next year. However, it clearly wanted to get the news out that it's working on anti-reflective tech, since it knows this is the direction of travel in gaming monitors right now.

I've got a lovely Sony Inzone M9 II on my desk right now, and it's impressively sharp and accurate. It's also one of the least reflective monitors I've yet used, but even then, if you offered me an upgrade with 20% less reflectivity, I'd hardly turn it down.

Samsung is synonymous with OLED displays on phones, but the company appears to be switching suppliers for some future models.

According to The Elec, Samsung Electronics has sourced displays for some of its cheaper models from CSOT – a division of TCL – rather than from its own Samsung Display. It's likely that the reason is that CSOT displays can be up to 20% cheaper than those from Samsung itself.

The details outline that Samsung has ordered 15 million displays, expected to be found in devices like the unannounced Galaxy A57 and Galaxy S26 FE.

It's thought that the increasing price of memory has seen Samsung looking to lower the bill of materials and while there's nothing they can do about storage and RAM, switching supplier for the display can reduce that cost.

However, it's also thought that Samsung Electronics didn't want to be solely reliant on one source of components.

While much of the attention of Samsung's launches is focused on the Galaxy S flagship phones, the company sells many more Galaxy A devices. It's thought that of the 240 million phones that Samsung sold in 2025, Galaxy A devices account for more than half of sales.

According to Counterpoint's figures, the Galaxy A16 and A06 outsold the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Switching supplier might not have the impact on customers that is be expected at face value. While Samsung displays are known for their quality, CSOT has a good reputation, so if you're considering buying one of Samsung's more affordable phones in the future, you might not even notice the difference.

Often, manufacturers don't declare where components within phones come from. The exception is often the core hardware where there's a lot of interest – Samsung Exynos, MediaTek or Snapdragon, for example – but for other elements, it's often not stated.

That's changed slightly over the past few years, with some of the more aggressively priced brands often including the supplier on the spec sheet. That's seen some brands stating that it's a Samsung display, Sony cameras and so on.

Often, this is a move to increase the perceived value – the sum of the parts being greater than the whole – while in reality, it's the experience of the whole that defines how good a phone is. It doesn't matter if you have the best display or camera sensors if the software experience is horrible.

Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy A57 on 25 March, which could be the first time we see these new displays in action.

The new Spider-Man: Brave New World trailer has landed and despite exciting cameos from – spoiler alert – Punisher and Scorpion, it's his phone that's lighting up the chats.

Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is seen in his Spidey outfit, hanging upside down from a building checking a video on his phone which is a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.

He casually uses the handset – likely the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 – to watch a video in its fully expanded screen mode. Lucky for those sticky fingers, as the chances of dropping that expensive handset could make for a tense scene indeed.

On the subject of the price, it does seem a little out of place here. A flagship priced handset in the hands of the ever-struggling Peter Parker? Sure, he may have got some of that Tony Stark money, but it still seems a little at odds with his usual struggling persona.

Until recently, Spider-Man has been strictly a Sony Xperia man – as the movies are Sony Pictures productions. But now that he is in the Marvel universe proper, it looks like Samsung swung in there to make sure he's using its handsets exclusively now.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is available to buy now, and you can see the web slinger using it in the movie which is scheduled for release on 31 July 2026.

Samsung could be working on a second generation of the Z TriFold while also looking at options for a slider, to release over the next couple of years.

The news comes hot on the heels of confirmation that the original Galaxy Z TriFold - which only launched in December 2025 – has already been ceased.

The first Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold only had a limited release, quickly selling out in the regions that it launched. But with small numbers produced, it was more of an engineering demonstration than a mass market device.

Reporting on the end of sales for the device, it was believed that the cost of manufacture was part of the problem, while Samsung is also generally thought to be tightening its belt in other areas.

Now, according to 9to5Google, it looks like Samsung might not be completely abandoning the idea, after all. The tech site reports on a slightly dubious Naver source that claims development of a Z TriFold 2 is in progress, looking at a new hinge design with a device that might be thicker than the last.

That change in thickness is probably to make manufacturing easier, which might either allow a larger production run or for a lower price.

The second rumour is about taking a Samsung sliding prototype and making it a real phone. Samsung Display – that’s the division that develops the display technology – showed off a concept at MWC 2026, with the phone expanding by about two inches.

It basically allows for a compact device in the pocket, but with a larger display when needed – and takes advantage of AMOLED's inherent flexibility. The source says that the production model will be thinner than the prototype.

The problem with a slider of this type is that the entire display surface may be less stable than a traditional phone with a solid glass covering, and that might mean that for a relatively expensive device the advantages are limited.

It's thought that the Galaxy Z TriFold 2 could make an appearance in 2027, while the slider might wait until 2028. At the moment however, it's probably best to wait for more concrete evidence before getting your hopes up.

It’s currently Sleep Month here at T3, and after a few weeks filled with mattress reviews and advice on the best sleep gadgets, it’s now time to turn our attention to sleep hacks. One area I’ve been looking into recently is something most of us rely on every single day – our alarm sound.

Rather than talking about what time you should set your alarm or how long you should stay in bed after it goes off, I thought it’d be interesting to take a closer look at the actual alarm tones we wake up to. To help with that, the behavioural science experts at Startle analysed over 140 smartphone alarms, testing them to find out which ones are the best – and worst – for waking up your mind and body.

Below you’ll find the top picks for both iPhone and Samsung alarms, so if you’re still using one of the harsher default sounds, it might be time for a quick change.

According to the research, the ideal alarm sound should have a melody you can hum or sing along to, a dominant frequency of around 500 Hz (or the key of C5), and a tempo that’s not too fast or too slow – with 100–120 beats per minute.

If you’re one of the billions of people using an iPhone or Samsung phone, the findings are quite revealing. The study suggests that around 60% of the default iPhone alarms should actually be avoided, whilst 26% of Samsung’s built-in alarms may also not be ideal for waking up gently.

iPhone

After analysing the data, the experts found that Sencha came out as the best iPhone alarm sound. Its gentle melody, played in the key of C with a tempo of 110 BPM and a frequency close to 500 Hz, makes it far less likely to jolt you awake or leave you feeling groggy.

Other iPhone tones that scored well include By the Seaside, Steps and Uplift, all of which share similar melodic qualities that help the body wake up more gradually.

Samsung

For Samsung users, the top choices are Synth Bell and Roller Disco, both of which tick the boxes for the ideal wake-up sound and could help reduce the effects of sleep inertia – that groggy feeling you get straight after waking.

Dr Ritz Birah, psychologist and sleep expert at Panda London, explains why the alarm you choose can make such a difference to how you start the day:

“Abrupt, high-pitched or purely mechanical alarms are more likely to trigger the sympathetic nervous system, creating a startle response that wakes the body quickly but leaves the brain lagging behind. In contrast, alarms with melodic and rhythmic qualities engage wider areas of the brain involved in attention and auditory processing, allowing for a more gradual increase in alertness and better cognitive performance in the minutes after waking.”

So if you’ve been waking up feeling groggy lately, your alarm sound might actually be part of the problem. Switching to a more melodic tone could be a surprisingly simple way to start your mornings on a slightly better note.

If you’re in the market for smart glasses, then the most obvious options to consider right now are either the Ray-Ban Meta or Oakley Meta Glasses. Both look like typical glasses, in their respective styles, while adding a number of smart features that make them considerably more useful than your average Wayfarers.

However, there might soon be a new, big name contender in this field, and rumour has it, they could come with better battery life than the Ray-Bans.

What could Samsung's smart glasses offer?

According to a report by Sammobile, Samsung could launch its Galaxy Glasses this year, which will not only be the company’s first smart pair, but they'll apparently have a 245mAh battery.

For context, the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses are thought to have a battery capacity of 154mAh, so that would give Samsung’s Galaxy Glasses quite the advantage in this department.

Elsewhere, the Galaxy Glasses are claimed to be coming in a sunglasses variant and come in a number of colours and styles, though it is not clear what these will be.

Samsung has confirmed it is working with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, so it's expected there will be a couple of styles designed in collaboration with those eyewear brands.

Hopefully, that'll include Gentle Monster's excellent Soho 01 [pictured].

In terms of other specifications, the Samsung Galaxy Glasses are rumoured to have an eye-level camera, which could feature a 12-megapixel sensor, while microphones and speakers are expected.

There is also thought to be a touch-senstive control area, as you might expect, while Android XR is said to be powering the glasses with Gemini on board to help with AI tasks.

For now, there is no word on when the Samsung Galaxy Glasses might make an appearance, but with the company typically announcing its smartwatches at the end of summer, it’s possible the smart glasses could also debut then, too. We will keep you posted.