A phone that folds like a passport, AI glasses that guide the way: Samsung’s new Galaxy lineup is coming

Samsung Electronics will hold its Galaxy Unpacked event in London, United Kingdom, on the 22nd and unveil its next-generation foldable smartphones. If the first-half Unpacked event, usually held around February, centered on bar-type models, the second-half event will be dominated by foldables. At this event, Samsung Electronics will introduce successor models to the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip, along with a new model designed in a passport-like form. Another key point to watch is how far the company will showcase the artificial intelligence (AI) glasses developed with Google.
■ The passport-shaped Galaxy Z Fold 8 makes its debut
According to industry sources on the 19th, the foldable lineup will consist of three models: the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 8. A wide-format model is being added to the existing standard and flip versions. The successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be named the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, while the wide-format model will be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a new foldable phone with a 4:3 aspect ratio. It is longer horizontally and shorter vertically, making it resemble a passport. The design aims to address the narrow external screen drawback of traditional foldables while creating a more natural transition to the tablet experience. The cover display is expected to measure 5.5 inches, while the main display is projected at 7.6 inches. When unfolded, the device is expected to be 4.1 mm thick and weigh about 201 grams, lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 at 215 grams.
The mobile application processor, often called the brain of a smartphone, will be Qualcomm's cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. The device will use 12 gigabytes of RAM and up to 1 terabyte of storage. It will also feature a 4,800 mAh battery and support 45W wired fast charging.
The top-end Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is expected to feature an 8-inch main display and a 6.5-inch cover display when unfolded. It will also come with a 200-megapixel main camera, a 5,000 mAh battery, and 45W wired fast charging. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 will power the device.
Unlike the previous Galaxy Z Flip 8, which used Exynos 2500 across all units, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is expected to use both Qualcomm Snapdragon and Samsung Electronics' Exynos 2600 chips depending on the sales region. It will also include a 4,300 mAh battery, 25W wired charging, a 50-megapixel main camera, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera.
■ New materials help reduce creasing
The next-generation foldable lineup will be the first to apply Flex Titanium display technology. By adopting titanium materials, Samsung has improved display durability while also reducing screen creasing.
However, many observers believe that a sharp price increase is unavoidable as the prolonged surge in component costs, led by memory semiconductors, continues. While detailed prices are expected to vary by region and model, the domestic launch price of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra base model is forecast to reach around 3 million won.
Samsung Electronics is making a full-scale push into the wearable ecosystem with Android-based smart glasses developed in partnership with Google.
The Galaxy Glass, a tentative name, was designed by eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker from South Korea and the United States, giving it a stylish look suitable for everyday wear. It offers practical features optimized for daily use, including real-time voice and text translation that reflects the speaker's tone, route guidance powered by Google Gemini, and camera-based shooting functions.
The Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will also be unveiled. Samsung is significantly expanding their role as AI-powered health management devices by adding new features such as biometric indicators, heart health scores, daily cardio load, physical fitness index, and hearing analysis.
mkchang@fnnews.com Jang Min-kwon Reporter