Samsung's new folding phones will be announced on 22 July, with pre-orders expected to open soon after. However, you might not get the pre-order perk that you were hoping for.

One of the biggest perks that Samsung has offered in the past is its double storage deal. This sees shoppers getting the 512GB model for the price of 256GB, for example. Sadly, that's set to change with the next generation of Galaxy Z devices.

According to Korean outlet Chosun (via 9to5Google), instead of offering a free storage upgrade, Samsung is only going to offer half the usual discount. That means instead of getting the larger storage at no additional cost, customers will be asked to pay 50% of the difference.

This is in response to the component crisis facing the industry at the moment, it's said, as well as declining profits in Samsung's mobile section. That's not only led to increased prices for Samsung's new phones – thought to be about €100 more per model – but the pre-order benefit will be reduced too.

According to the leaked prices we've seen, that might mean that the 512GB Galaxy Z Flip 8 pre-order offer comes in at €1,359 instead of €1,499. While that's only €60 more than the base price, in previous years customers would only pay the €1,299 price for higher storage under the pre-order deal.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra are expected to be like-for-like replacements of the previous generation, and considering that Samsung offers a seven-year software support promise, that could convince some buyers to opt for older models instead of new.

The model that's going to stand out most this time is the Galaxy Z Fold 8 – the new wider folding phone. As this will introduce a new format, and is expected to be priced lower than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, it could be the model that defines 2026's sales.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to open with a 4:3 internal display while reducing the cameras by dropping the telephoto lens. It might otherwise offer flagship-level power and seeing as it's going to be cheaper than the Ultra, could be the performance phone of choice.

At the moment it's not known if Samsung will have other pre-order incentives: previously there has been the bundling of accessories in some regions, like Galaxy Buds or Galaxy Watch.

According to the source, Samsung will open pre-orders for the new devices on 28 July, with an in-store date of 7 August.

All will be revealed on 22 July at Galaxy Unpacked.

Samsung will be announcing its new portfolio of folding phones on 22 July and there's going to be a change to the display, to reduce the crease and increase durability. Samsung has outlined a new structure for its foldable displays, called Flex Titanium.

While regular displays pose no problem, folding phones have always drawn attention to the fold because of the visible crease. To boost the performance of the folding section of the screen and reduce it, Samsung has turned to titanium.

In the new structure, there's a titanium-alloy film directly behind the OLED panel, replacing a polymer film. Samsung saye that it offers greater mechanical stiffness – up to 20x. This film is said to be a third of the thickness of a human hair.

Beneath the titanium-alloy film is a titanium plate which is flexible, but Samsung says it allows tighter bonding with the rest of the display, eliminating air gaps, and providing more support for the display when unfolded.

Combined, Samsung claims that it "reduces crease visibility", while the OLED panel itself is said to be more efficient with increased performance. Together, the company believes this will set a new standard for folding displays as it looks to fend off rival suppliers BOE.

One thing worth noting, however, is that while these changes take place under the display, the top of the display will still have a protective layer.

I recently wrote about folding phones and their top layer, which is a plastic film. While this can be removed to reveal the ultra-thin glass that sits beneath it, for most phones this will void the warranty and damage the display.

In the past, that top polymer layer has meant that folding displays typically attract lots of reflections, an area where folding screens can't compete with regular displays.

Samsung to launch a trio of folding phones

Samsung is expected to launch three folding phones. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is expected to be nigh on identical to the Galaxy Z Flip 7, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is expected to be the same as 2025's Galaxy Z Fold 7.

The device that's going to attract the most attention is the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which is expected to adopt a wider format, opening with a 4:3 display while making some hardware reductions to be more affordable than the "Ultra".

The wider format of folding phone will likely compete with Apple's much-rumoured iPhone Ultra, that's all but certain to arrive in September.

Rumours have also suggested that the Galaxy Z Flip 8 could be the last of that format, although I much prefer the clamshell-style of folding phone for its compact design over the larger book-style devices.

Samsung has just announced the launch of its new Bespoke AI Washer Dryer, and it might actually make me look forward to doing my laundry! This 2-in-1 appliance conserves space in your home, as well as energy, as the machine comes with plenty of energy-saving features and credentials.

I have a smart meter in my home, and I always notice the days where I’ve done my laundry as my energy usage goes up significantly. Laundry machines, especially tumble dryers, use a lot of electricity which results in higher monthly bills, so a machine that can help manage these costs is a must for many households.

Samsung has clearly seen this, and is addressing this problem with its new Samsung Bespoke AI Washer Dryer. The brand has adapted the washer dryer with AI Ecobubble technology, a circulation pump that reduces your energy use by quickly turning your washing detergent into bubbles.

This action allows your detergent to wash fabrics more deeply and efficiently, so you can remove stubborn stains much quicker. It also means you can wash your clothes at lower temperatures between 20° and 30°, which has been shown to use less energy while avoiding laundry ‘casualties’ like shrinking and fading.

I’ve always been a sceptic when it comes to AI appliances, but the use of AI within the Samsung Bespoke AI Washer Dryer has actually impressed me, especially in terms of fabric care. The machine has two AI-powered cycles – Air Wash and AI Wash – that treat your clothes in a more automatic way.

Starting with AI Wash, it automatically senses the weight, soil level and softness of your washing load before adjusting the amount of water and detergent needed. It continues to make adjustments throughout the cycle, including soaking, rinsing and spinning times to better suit your laundry.

Air Wash is the cycle for your bedding and delicates. It refreshes these more sensitive fabrics without using water or detergent, and instead, blows hot air onto laundry – it’s like having a dry cleaner in your home!

I got to see Samsung’s range of Bespoke AI appliances in Milan earlier this year, including its line-up of washing machines and tumble dryers. I was incredibly impressed by its detergent dispenser and automatic cycles, as it really takes the stress out of washing, while also helping you save energy.

With the costs of appliances getting more expensive, it’s always handy to find a way to cut ongoing prices, and the Samsung Bespoke AI Washer Dryer seems like a good option for this. Its initial price, though, remains a mystery at the time of writing.

Samsung has launched the Samsung Bespoke AI Washer Dryer in 8kg - 11kg options in select markets. It’s expected to roll out globally in phases.

Shock news comes from a reliable source, with the suggestion that the Galaxy Z Flip 8 could be the last in the series. That's right, Samsung could move away from small format folding phones.

That might come as a shock to many, with the Flip offering a nostalgic hook to clamshell phones of the past and popular with buyers because it's a compact device.

The source of the information – Universe Ice – doesn't offer a reason why, but this rumour has to be taken seriously because of the source.

Traditionally, the Z Flip model outsold the Z Fold, although it's said that that situation reversed in 2025 with the launch of the slimmer and lighter Z Fold 7. However, this doesn't take into account that these phones appeal to completely different users.

There isn't a pot of people determined to buy a folding phone, no matter the format: the Flip is attractive because it has retro charm and is really compact, the Fold's appeal is in offering more screen space. Those are totally different traits.

However, despite the Z Flip model outselling the Z Fold, figures that came from IDC early in 2026 told us that in the US, Motorola had over 50% folding phone market share – and at that time, Motorola only offered flip-type folding phones. This, if nothing else, demonstrates appetite for the format.

But Motorola has had tiered folding devices for a couple of years, with a Razr Ultra model at the top (the latest being the Razr 70 Ultra) and a regular Razr 70 lower down. There's even a Plus model in the middle.

This gives buyer more choice, with lower entry prices to such devices. Samsung didn't make this move until 2025, introducing the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.

Samsung exiting the market would be a gift for Motorola. While both brands (and all brands) are struggling with rising prices because of the demands that AI is putting on the industry, it's currently a market split between two players.

Samsung might, perhaps, be looking at pressing pause on smaller folding phones until it can reduce the costs to make it more profitable, or it might have simply decided that enough is enough.

This is definitely a rumour to keep an eye on: the end of the Galaxy Z Flip would be a sad day indeed.

Samsung will announce three folding phones on 22 July and it's the Galaxy Z Fold 8 that's going to get most of the attention. In a twist to the naming convention, the new phone will just be called Galaxy Z Fold 8, while the update to the Z Fold 7 will have the Ultra name appended.

The two larger format devices will be launched alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 8 with both the Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra looking exactly like the devices they update from 2025. That puts one phone in the focus as it appears to offer something new.

Thanks to leaked renders of all these devices, we can now see what they look like, along with the expected colours that will be revealed at Galaxy Unpacked.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 sports a wider format, so it's a shorter device, while the cameras on the back have been reduced to two. It's going to miss out on the telephoto camera, but priced cheaper than the Z Fold 8 Ultra. That might be a compromise many will accept.

From the leaked images on Android Headlines (Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Flip 8) we can see Lavender, Graphite and Cream colours, while Pistachio is expected to join the pack. The renders match previous case leaks and dummy leaks.

It's expected that both the Z Fold 8 and the Z Fold 8 Ultra will be powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, after Samsung confirmed that it would be using Snapdragon on Weibo. That could mean that apart from different aspect displays, the camera – and potentially different battery capacities – the two phones will offer very much the same experience.

It's hard to see why you'd pick the Z Fold 8 Ultra.

As for the Ultra, we're expecting to see Cream, Graphite and Purple, with a green colour that's exclusive to Samsung.com.

Looking over these images, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra appears to be exactly the same as the Z Fold 7 from a design perspective and with prices expected to increase over the previous models, some might be deterred, choosing the Z Fold 8 or the older Z Fold 7 instead.

Finally we have the Galaxy Z Flip 8. This, again, looks visually unchanged compared to the Z Flip 7. The expected colours are Cream, Graphite and Pink – while it's also said there could be a Mint version, although that's likely to be a Samsung exclusive.

Samsung exclusives are worthy of your attention if you're buying a phone outright. The manufacturer usually offers competitive trade-in values and is expected to have a double storage offer for preorders, perhaps with other incentives.

Everything will be revealed on 22 July at Galaxy Unpacked, but it's expected that all the attention will be on the new format of Galaxy Z Fold 8.

We've speculated on the date for a fair while but Samsung has finally confirmed its next Galaxy Unpacked, and it promises to be a bumper event.

Taking place in London on Wednesday 22 July 2026, the showcase will be the launch platform for the brand's new foldable phones, smartwatches, and likely earbuds. We might always see the actual Samsung Galaxy Glasses made in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm, and perhaps a surprise or two.

The star of the show though will be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. While it's not been fully confirmed as launching, all the marketing teases and even the new invite suggest it's the main attraction.

That's because the Z Fold 8 will be a wider foldable device than we've seen before – unfolding into more of a tablet shape than the square-like aspect ratio of previous Fold models.

The invite to the event even sports the words "a new shape unfolds" down the side (in small letters). While the tearing of the ticket in the graphic – and accompanying video – signifies the longer form factor being reduced to a wider design.

This is all carefully planned, as Samsung is set to gazump Apple, which will launch its own wider foldable in September – the iPhone Ultra.

Confusingly, it is believed that Samsung has opted not to use "Ultra" for its own wide-aspect foldable phone. It will instead use it on the replacement for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

So basically, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 will not be like the Fold 7, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will. Yeah, we know.

Of course, they're not the only devices we expect to see on 22 July. There will undoubtedly be a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, likely a Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, plus new Galaxy Buds.

The smart glasses were already revealed during Google I/O earlier this year, but we should find out more about them. And maybe we'll see a tease of further Android XR devices – smart glasses with a display, perhaps?

It's certainly not a show to miss, and T3 will be there covering live as usual. You'll be able to follow our reports and watch it live yourself on YouTube and the Samsung Newsroom, starting at 2pm BST (9am EDT).

Samsung launched the Galaxy Fold in 2019 and in the intervening years we've seen progressive improvements to the Fold and Flip formats. The company has invested a lot into the segment as the defining brand for foldables – but 2026 will make or break the folding phone category.

Samsung's Fold, and the Z Fold models that followed, have been an iterative refinement of the same concept. Each has progressively improved the design, while the external display has expanded to offer an experience closer to a traditional phone.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, thanks to its slim design, attracted more interest than previous models, with Samsung confirming record-setting pre-orders and sharing that the Z Fold 7 had exceeded previous generation purchases by 50% in the first few months of sale.

Traditionally, the Z Flip has outsold the fold, with estimates suggesting a 60-70% share taken by the Flip in previous years. But the Z Fold 7 reportedly shifted that balance, making the book-type device more popular.

But while Samsung is the brand in folding phones, surprise information from IDC outlined that Motorola had over half of market share in the US in 2025 – and that's without offering a book-type folding phone.

The Fold is still seeking purpose

This points to something we all already knew: people like flip phones. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 and rival Motorola Razr Edge 70 Ultra have something that the Fold doesn't. It makes for a smaller phone, surfing on a wave of nostalgia for the phones we grew up with, while still delivering an experience that's the same as a regular handset.

The Fold can't claim that: instead of charm it’s looking to technical proficiency, instead of nostalgia it looks to increased functionality. While there's no denying that the Z Fold 7 scores with the former, it's wide of the mark with the latter.

The problem here is multi-faceted: opening the fold you're presented with a bigger screen, close to square, with very little application for square content.

That's seen a scrabble to make better use of screen size, which for some apps doesn't happen (it's just the normal app), some turn into columns, eating space without really aiding functionality, while others (like movies) waste all that space because the screen is letterboxed.

Wider folding phones could hold the answer

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is thought to move to a wider aspect and that might make for a more usable screen space. That could give you a larger screen with less letterboxing when watching movies, or let you rotate it more like a tablet display for reading, because let's face it, a wide display is not conducive to reading.

The wider aspect will better suit games whether in landscape or portrait, while the whole device could fit into a pocket better.

Don't get me wrong, folding phones aren't bereft of functions: I read and signed a PDF on my Moto Razr Fold just the other day, I used that larger display to show friends the content of another document so all could see and I've found folding phones useful for working on spreadsheets, something that regular devices are terrible at.

But when people who've never used one suggest it might be great for movies, I just want to cry, because it isn't. The Samsung Galaxy S26 UItra will show a larger movie screen than the Z Fold 7. For the Z Fold 8, that may not be the case.

It's going to be an Apple versus Samsung showdown

Ultimately, Samsung will introduce this new format of folding phone, appending the Ultra name to the refreshed taller folding phone. (Samsung was actually using Ultra in 2025, it peppered the announcement of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 with the word ultra.) The new aspect folding phone is expected to take the fight to Apple's similar short and wide device.

But while we know Samsung as a company that throws things out there, often first with a new technology, Apple is more considered. Use case and user experience will be forefront in Apple's software and if it nails it, if Apple gives the iPhone Ultra real purpose, it could change the category forever.

Apple will be able to lean on the iPad experience for the iPhone Ultra and while Samsung is the biggest player in Android tablets, the app experience has never been as good as iPad. There's no shortage of technical brilliance out there, but if Apple can deliver purpose, then folding phones have their place.

The gauntlet will be thrown down and on 22 July we'll see what Samsung has to offer. Apple is expected to follow with its own folding phone in September 2026.

Samsung's smart glasses are on track to launch before the end of 2026, as the collaboration between Samsung, Google and Qualcomm comes to fruition. These will be the first from the partners to compete with Meta's Ray-Ban glasses.

Now we've got a much better idea of how Samsung's smart glasses are going to work, thanks to a leaked video showing them in action. There doesn't appear to be any branding on these glasses, giving this video a sort of generic feel (we've previously seen leaked renders with "Samsung" along the arms), but the details seem accurate.

The new video joins a collection of leaks that point to how Samsung Galaxy Glasses are going to pair and be controlled, although the actual naming of the glasses isn't fully confirmed yet.

The video points out the hardware features and some of the controls, the camera and LED on the front, so people know you're filming. There's also an additional LED inside so you can see that you're filming, too.

We're then shown a button on the top of the right-hand arm, along with the touch area, which appears to support both taps and swipes. The operation of this is expected to be much like it is on headphones.

This corroborates with details that previously appeared from SammyGuru, which appears to have come from the same source.

SammyGuru refers to these as the "Warby Parker version", although comparing these to high quality images on the Warby Parker website, they're a similar but different design – the position of the bridge is entirely different.

Therein lies one of the problems: there's still plenty of confusion about what Samsung is actually launching and where all these smart glasses lie.

A large part of the communication has been about the partnership with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker – shown off at Google I/O as the first devices to use Android XR alongside Xreal Aura.

But some of the leaks we've seen for Samsung Galaxy Glasses have pointed to a slightly different design, along with the talk of One UI XR – the experience that Samsung layers over the top of Android XR.

There's long been talk of Galaxy Glasses as a separate piece of branding from other Google smart glasses, although we also know that the collaboration with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker will result in multiple designs.

Hopefully there will be some clarity soon, with 22 July expected to see Galaxy Unpacked hosted in London, with the potential that Galaxy Glasses will be on stage.

It’s been a couple of years since Samsung launched the Galaxy Ring, and now the company has confirmed it is working on a follow-up.

The current version was made available back in July 2024, competing with the likes of Oura and Ultrahuman by offering a lightweight, concave design made from titanium and no monthly subscription. It’s Android-only, meaning it isn’t compatible with iPhone. And while it will work with Google phones or other Android phones, it plays nicest with Samsung smartphones and smartwatches – understandably so.

The Galaxy Ring 2 might work with iPhone

However, in an interview with Forbes, Samsung’s senior vice president and head of the digital health team, Dr Hon Pak, confirmed the second generation of the smart ring was in development. He told David Phelan: "We are working on the next generation. I can tell you that."

Unfortunately, Pak didn’t reveal timings or any specifications for what we are presuming will be called the Samsung Galaxy Ring 2, though he did hint that iPhone compatibility might be on the cards this time around.

When Phelan asked about iOS compatibility, Pak’s response was: "I’m smiling, but I can’t say anything.

"I think you’ll be very pleased with some of the releases and the upcoming news,” he added.

Hon also told Phelan that he believed the biggest current differentiator in smart rings wasn’t necessarily the hardware, suggesting that most of the sensors are the same.

"If you look at the comparison of other rings, regardless of the competitor, the sensors are not that different right now," he said.

"It’s really about what services you create on the top layer. It’s really the software differentiation that you see."

He added: "One device doesn’t cover all things. Our approach is connected ecosystem, connected devices, that give people choices."

While we will have to wait a little longer to find out when the Samsung Galaxy Ring 2 will officially appear, it’s good news to hear the company is at least working on one.

The Galaxy Ring was great when it launched two years ago, but Oura’s recently announced Ring 5 is significantly smaller and lighter, giving it the title of world’s smallest smart ring – so things are moving in this field.

Samsung is set to hold it’s next Galaxy Unpacked event on 22 July, so we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for more information on the Galaxy Ring 2 at that. Maybe it'll just be teased for now.

Samsung has now officially started teasing its next folding phone, showing off a shorter stature device. It's expected to launch as the new Galaxy Z Fold 8, a shorter but wider folding phone. And while Samsung hasn't officially confirmed the date of the launch event, a fresh leak gives us a hint.

We first heard details for Galaxy Unpacked in April, with the suggestion that the event would take place in London on 22 July. That's the timeframe that we've been working towards, and that's now corroborated with a leak directly from Samsung.

In this case, Samsung Malaysia (via SamMobile) shared details about a pre-order voucher via the Samsung Members app, which said that the voucher was valid from 22 July through to 4 October.

Through the offer, those pre-registering to buy the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra could get RM700 off (about £130 / $170 / €150). There also appears to be an offer for wearables too, with the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 expected on launch day.

That ties in nicely with what we've been hearing about the launch of Samsung's new devices. While the price may be increased because of rising component costs, it's expected that Samsung will have a range of pre-order offers.

That's expected to include the double storage offer, which represents a real saving and benefit, while trade in values could also be increased.

What is expected at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked?

Samsung is expected to have a busy event come launch day. First of all, we're expecting a complete refresh of its folding phones, including:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8

Then we're expecting updates to Galaxy Watch, expected to include:

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 9
• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2

There might be more on offer too, with the expectation that Samsung will be showing off its Android XR glasses. The models built with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker were briefly demoed at Google I/O, with a launch expected later in the summer.

We're also likely to see the introduction of One UI 9 on Android 17.

While the event is expected to take place on 22 July (a Wednesday), with pre-orders opening immediately, the in-store date is likely to be 31 July at the earliest (Friday the following week). Either way, there's not long to go and the official build-up has started.

While Samsung readies itself to announce its new folding phones on 22 July there's been no shortage of leaks. Now we have images claiming to be the official cases that Samsung will offer, modelled by the new phones.

The phone that everyone is excited about is the Galaxy Z Fold 8. That's thought to be the name for the wider model, with the taller model adopting the Ultra name. Finally, we also have cases for the Galaxy Z Flip 8, which appears to be much the same as the previous version.

These cases where shared by Android Headlines, a site with a reputation to leaking information of this type. These are high quality images, so look believable.

The collections appear to be based around aramid fibre cases, including a kickstand, as well as clear cases. There are also silicon cases including magnetic charging rings.

Starting with the aramid fibre cases, these appear to come in a number of colours, likely to support the colours of the phones, so there should be different options to match the two different Fold models. Above is a selection on cases on the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Samsung's next-gen folding phones are also going to feature clear case options with artist designs from Esher Kim, Joker and Kakao Corp – which adds a nice touch, as seen below.

Next we have some silicon cases, which aren't as exciting as the previous ones, but give a good look at the three folding phone models that Samsung is going to launch. While the Z Flip 8 and the Z Fold 8 Ultra look the same as they did before, the addition of the Z Fold 8 (the wide one) looks great.

This is just a selection of the cases that Samsung is expected to offer – and there are many more pictures over at the source so you can get an idea of what you might dress your next folding phone in.

Currently, it's believed that Galaxy Unpacked will be taking place in London on 22 July, with the new wider folding model lining up to be the star of the show.

For the better part of the last decade, foldable phones have been the ultimate marker of a phone brand's ingenuity and innovation. That's only set to get more prominent, as it seems Apple will enter the space with its iPhone Ultra later this year.

But Samsung is already looking beyond the world of folding handsets. According to a new report, the brand is working on a device with a rollable display, which could launch in the first half of 2028.

It's not the first time we've seen rollable displays. Lenovo has been a major player in this arena, with many concepts being showcased at trade shows around the world over the last few years.

This feels a little different, though. The report suggests that the device from Samsung will be a full production model, rather than just a concept.

There's also no denying that Samsung is more of a household name brand, and we've already seen what kind of impact that can have. You only need to look at the Samsung Galaxy Ring and the subsequent uptick in smart ring interest to see that.

According to SamMobile, the device is expected to feature a 10-inch OLED panel, with a pixel density of 440ppi. That should make it a bit of a productivity demon, which can blur the lines between a traditional phone and tablet, similarly to how foldable phones have.

Personally, I'm really interested in this. I've always advocated for more innovation in the modern phone space, where things can often feel very one-dimensional.

While I can't possibly say whether or not this would be any good, I already know that it would be markedly different to anything else on the market right now – and that can only ever be a good thing. It's still a little way off, but we'll be keeping a very close eye on how this one develops.

The Samsung Galaxy XR might have taken its sweet, merry time to come to the UK, but a release date is now imminent and I got the chance to spend two hours with one prior to it arriving.

Pre-orders are now open for the £1,699 headset with shipping to start on 8 July, and although it was launched in the US and South Korea last October, this was my first chance to try it personally.

In many ways, prospective UK owners might have had longer to wait, but they are getting a better product. Some of the initial software quirks and bugs have been ironed out, and new features have arrived in post-launch patches. So what are my first impressions?

Well, even from the first minute I was struck by just how sharp the dual Micro-OLED displays are. You cannot see the pixels (3552 × 3840 per eye). The resolution is higher even than the Apple Vision Pro, which I was already impressed by, and it's the first time in any VR or mixed reality headset that I've even stopped looking for flaws.

The field of view is also exceptional – at 109° x 100° – and so you stop thinking that you're looking through a couple of lenses at a virtual scene, but just allow yourself to get swept away in it.

That's enhanced by its relative light weight – 545g – which is impressive considering the build quality and materials used. And also by the lack of latency in its external view mode.

As soon as you put the headset on, you can see the outside world in glorious colour and high resolution 3D, shot through two outward facing, passthrough cameras. It helps ground you, as you see everything in real time around you.

The super low latency continues with gesture sensing, as the additional six cameras on the faceplate and just underneath also track your hands and fingers. It seems extremely responsive and accurate, with fairly light movements tracked accurately.

I'll be going into more detail when I've had even more playtime with the headset for a full review, but interacting with the virtual overlays and utilities was as akin to Minority Report as I've ever got before. Within seconds (thanks to a startup tutorial) I was throwing around windows in the demo room, and bringing up and resizing software like a pro.

Among all the built-in tools I tried, Google Maps was one of the most impressive – allowing me to literally zoom into London's Camden, the place of my childhood, and visit the streets where my parents still live.

I also tested the spatial imaging options in Google Photos, which turn your pictures and videos into 3D to look around in a different perspective. However, arguably the most impressive tryout was with 4K World Cup highlights in YouTube.

Grabbing the corner and expanding the screen to IMAX-like sizing, I was left in no doubt that this was the best way to watch live football. Admittedly, there were fewer friends and pints involved, but I've never seen the action so close and so pin sharp before.

I can only imagine how good it'd be to take a Samsung Galaxy XR on a long-haul flight to catch up on some of the latest blockbusters in a full cinema-style experience.

Of course, there's much more to the headset and I'm looking forward to giving the Android XR software a more robust test in the coming week or so. And I'd like to see just how much playtime I can get from the separate battery pack (up to 2.5-hours, claims Samsung).

Until then, I'll watch the England and other World Cup matches on my 65-inch OLED – albeit with a background feeling that it's no longer the best way possible.

Samsung Galaxy XR UK pre-order deals

The Samsung Galaxy XR is available to pre-order on Samsung's UK webstore for £1,699.

There are also a few deals available for those looking to get in early. For starters, if you order via PayPal, you'll get £100 off. You just need to enter the code PAYPALXR at checkout.

That offer is available until 7 July 2026, the day before the full release.

Other offers do last a bit longer.

Deals until 4 August 2026:

• Get 10% off Galaxy XR when you buy any Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

Deals until 30 September 2026:

• Save 30% on a travel case and controllers, and 10% off any Galaxy Buds or Galaxy Watch when ordered with the Galaxy XR.

Deals until 16 December 2026:

• Redeem an explorer pack for free, containing a bundle of apps and subscriptions (Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium Pass, Google Play Pass, and more).

The UK is the next country to get the Samsung Galaxy XR, after the US and South Korea. It is T3's understanding that it will also become available in other regions over the coming months.

First impressions of Samsung's forthcoming folding phones raise a question over the "Ultra" naming for one of the devices, while the new format device garners more excitement.

Samsung will launch two book-style folding phones soon. The first will be an update to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and one will be a new wider model. However, the Ultra label that's been added to the replacement for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 – retaining the old style – isn't justified based on the first impressions from one leaker.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra appears to have got its name because it’s a superior device based on the spec sheet. But a familiar leaker – Lanzuk on Naver – says that the crease and the "display pixels" are better on the wider device.

If the display is better on the wide device, then it's going to be harder for the Ultra phone to earn its name.

Elsewhere, Lanzuk says that first impressions of the wide folding phone is how light it is, calling it "unbelievable", before going on to say "the overall perceived weight is really light".

This has been a focus for Samsung, with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 weighing 239g and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 weighing 215g. It's suggested that the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 will weigh 200g, which is about the weight of a regular candybar phone.

More impressively, the leaker says it "feels like a new beginning".

While talking about the Ultra name, we get the impression that the wide model presents the display better than the updated legacy phone.

What else do we learn about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra?

While the post gives us snippets of information, it's easy to get the sense that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is going to be exciting, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra isn't.

As a new format device, the wider phone has an advantage, especially if it tackles the two areas of weight (or bulk) as well as the quality of the display and the crease. Those things might overrule the rest of the package and help it appeal to buyers.

From leaks, we've seen that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will have two cameras, while the Ultra will have a third camera, likely the telephoto. That's probably the distinction that Samsung is drawing between these two phones, which are otherwise expected to have the same core power and offer the same overall experience.

What will really matter is pricing: the Ultra name might attract a higher price handing another advantage to the new device.

While specs and prices are important, Lanzuk nails a key point: first impressions will matter. Some will be drawn to Samsung's folding phones for the first time in 2026 – perhaps spurred on by Apple's forthcoming iPhone Ultra launch – and the lighter weight of the wider device could be what sells it.

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 has finally brought its premium Android XR headset to the UK, with preorders now being accepted and shipping expected to start on 8 July 2026.

The Samsung Galaxy XR was released at the tail end of 2025 in the US and South Korea, so it's taken a while to reach the UK too. However, it could be that Brits are the lucky ones, as many of the initial bugs may well have been ironed out by now.

The Galaxy XR is the first headset to launch using Google's Android XR platform. It was designed in collaboration between Samsung, Google and Qualcomm – which provides the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset. There's 16GB of RAM on board, along with 256GB of storage.

Although we don't have a final price at the time of writing, the headset is priced at $1,799.99 in the US – similar to the Apple Vision Pro, which is seen as a direct rival.

That puts it in a totally different category to the Meta Quest 3 and 3S, and the specifications support that step-up.

The display in particular is super high-end. You get a 3552 x 3840 resolution on a Micro-OLED panel. This results in 27 millions pixels in view, so images are super sharp.

It is also capable of refresh rates up to 90Hz, with a 109-degree horizontal field-of-view.

There are two high-resolution passthrough cameras on board, along with six front-facing tracking cameras. Inside the visor you also get four eye-tracking cameras, which helps make the experience more natural and limit motion sickness.

There are dual two-way speakers built-in, to provide stereo sound without needing headphones, and beamforming microphones for chat and voice recognition capabilities.

Battery life lasts up to two hours on a charge with normal use, and like the Apple Vision Pro it's a separate pack that is connected to the headset. You can also use the Galaxy XR while the battery is charging.

Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 are supported, and the whole headset weighs 545g. Prescription lenses are also available separately for glasses wearers.

"The UK launch of Galaxy XR marks a significant milestone for Samsung, introducing a new category of AI-native devices," said Samsung UK's vice president of product and marketing, Annika Bizon.

"Our ongoing collaboration with Google and Qualcomm Technologies reflects our long-held belief that an open ecosystem accelerates innovation and creates seamless, connected experiences across the Galaxy ecosystem."

Samsung will also launch its first smart glasses later this year, also in collaboration with Google.

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.

The reveal of the next batch of Samsung Watches must be upon us, as the brand is seemingly trying to clear its stock of 'old' smartwatches, including one of my favourite – and certainly most handsome – wearables from last year, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.

Shop all Galaxy Watch deals on Amazon

The watch fell to its lowest ever price today and is currently selling for only £249, a 45% saving compared to its recommended retail price. Full disclosure, it's been retailing for around £260-£270 in recent months, but that doesn't change the fact that it is the cheapest it's ever been!

Samsung’s top-tier wearable combines classic watch aesthetics with modern smartwatch functionality. The 46mm GPS-only version has a stainless steel case and a rotating bezel, offering a tactile way to scroll through menus, notifications and apps.

The watch features a bright 1.34-inch Super AMOLED display protected by Sapphire Crystal glass, with peak brightness reaching 3,000 nits. It uses the Exynos W1000 3nm processor alongside 2GB of RAM and a generous 64GB of storage, double the standard Galaxy Watch 8.

Its BioActive Sensor can track heart rate, blood oxygen, ECG readings, and provide sleep analysis and body composition measurements. Newer software-led tools such as Energy Score, Running Coach and vascular load monitoring also make an appearance, alongside dual-band GPS for more accurate workout tracking.

Running on Wear OS with Galaxy AI and Google Gemini integration, the Galaxy Watch8 Classic also supports voice commands, smart replies, NFC payments and app syncing across the wider Samsung ecosystem. The GPS-only model skips LTE connectivity but still includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC support.

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.