Samsung Galaxy Unpacked LIVE: Z Fold 8 'Wide', Watch Ultra 2, more

The end of the crease?

Samsung, like every other folding phone maker, has rightly been preoccupied in recent years with the crease in the middle of its phones' displays. Minimising that crease makes the internal display nicer to use, so it's a major goal – and leaks suggest this generation of phones could improve things massively.

A new image shared on social media today, ahead of Samsung's launch event, appears to show last year's Galaxy Z Fold 7 next to this year's Z Fold 8 Ultra. The harsh lighting makes it easy to see the crease on the older model, but the newer version next to it looks much smoother.

The angle is flattering, admittedly, and it's not the most scientific of comparisons given we only have the one image, but it's a great sign for those hoping Samsung would be able to keep things nice and flat on its new internal display.

Heavy metal

But here's one key aspect to Samsung's latest foldables that's already officially been released, as we reported last week.

That's all to do with the brand's new sub-structure, which uses a titanium-alloy film directly behind the display panel, replacing a polymer film. Samsung says this offers greater mechanical stiffness – up to 20x – which also means better anti-'crease' properties.

That ought to set the latest Galaxy Z Fold devices apart from the competition, as the crease has blighted foldable devices across all brands for many years now.

The new standard?

Wait, hold up, that's not a Galaxy Z Fold 8. Here's where things are going to get interesting – as it's widely expected that Apple will reveal the 'iPhone Ultra' in September of this year.

Samsung, however, has beaten the Cupertino company to the punch. Sure, it was already several years ahead anyway, but this new format is likely to become the 'new standard' in what consumers expect.

It's believed that Samsung will be providing the AMOLED panel for Apple's foldable, which makes it even more likely that it'll be the very same base solution – hence the dummy render image, above, looking mighty similar.

What does that mean for the tall-and-narrow foldables market? We'll just have to wait and see. Samsung is expected to support both formats, but for how long?

Is anything ever secret anymore?

Well, that's a bit of a giveaway, isn't it? BTS' J-Hope is pictured holding the purported 'Wide' Galaxy Z Fold 8, showing off the new-form foldable for all to see. In a fetching purple finish of all things, too.

READ: Hello Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, where have you been all my life?

Given the Korean popstar's ties with Samsung, this seems to be no accident, more a coordinated tease of what the new wider-and-shorter foldable looks like – complete with its duo of cameras.

There's a lot more that Samsung will have to say about the latest Z Fold, though, so this glimpse is just that. It's the displays that we really want to see in action in this new aspect ratio.

Hello from London

Samsung has chosen the UK capital for this year's second Unpacked event, so I'm on home soil ahead of the event kicking off by the Thames.

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for any billboards or accidental giveaways ahead of the event kicking off at 14:00 BST, should anyone slip up.