Samsung has confirmed it will hold its next Galaxy Unpacked event on 22 July 2026 in London, where it will reveal the newest additions to its foldable phone range. The company's own announcement promises devices with "innovative form factors" and teases a "new shape," and it will stream the event live from 6:30 pm India time on Samsung. com, Samsung Newsroom India and YouTube. That much is official and comes straight from Samsung. Almost everything else about the event is expectation, and this story keeps the two clearly apart.The simple version is this - Samsung invented the modern foldable phone and has led the category for years. Now Apple is about to enter it for the first time, with a folding iPhone expected in September, as we reported earlier this week. So Samsung is using this event to show it can still set the shape of what a foldable should be, before its biggest rival even arrives. The "new shape" in the teaser is the whole point.Gadgets Now will be in London for the event, reporting live from Unpacked with hands-on coverage of every new device the moment Samsung reveals it. So the confirmed details and the first real look are coming straight from the room.One note on trust before the details. The date, the city, the stream time and the promise of new foldables all come from Samsung. The specific phones, their names, their prices and their features come from leaks and reports, and those are not confirmed until Samsung says so on stage. Everything below is marked as one or the other. This is a fast-moving rumour season, and the details will firm up on 22 July.What has Samsung actually confirmed?Start with only the facts Samsung has stated, because they are the solid ground everything else stands on. In its own announcement, Samsung said Galaxy Unpacked will take place on 22 July in London, a city it described as one that sets trends rather than chasing them. It said the event will unveil the newest additions to the Galaxy foldable range, and it used two phrases worth noting: "innovative form factors" and a "new shape." It confirmed the live stream begins at 6:30 pm IST across Samsung. com, Samsung Newsroom India and its YouTube channel, and it pointed people to samsung. com/unpacked to register for teasers and offers.That is the confirmed core: a date, a place, a time, and a promise of new foldables with a new shape. Samsung did not name a single product, quote a single price, or list a single specification. The company's teaser language, calling the devices more "personal and adaptive" and built for "the AI era," is marketing rather than detail, and this story treats it as such. Everything more specific comes from outside Samsung, and that is where the caveats begin.What is the "new shape" Samsung is teasing?Almost certainly a wider foldable, and this is where the event gets genuinely interesting, though it is important to be honest that the details come from leaks rather than Samsung.For years, Samsung's main foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold, has opened like a tall, narrow book. Reports across outlets including Tom's Guide, Forbes and PhoneArena now expect Samsung to add a wider model this year, one that opens into a screen shaped more like a square or a small tablet. The reason is simple and strategic: Apple's first foldable iPhone, expected in September, is reported to use a wider shape, and Samsung appears to want a phone of the same shape ready first. In plain terms, Samsung wants to reach the new design before Apple defines it.Here the honesty has to be firm, because the reports themselves disagree. Some outlets call the new wider phone the "Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide." Others say Samsung has changed its naming so that the wider phone is the standard "Z Fold 8," while the true successor to last year's Fold 7 becomes a "Z Fold 8 Ultra." The leaks do not fully agree on which name belongs to which phone, so the sensible position is to expect a wider foldable and a more traditional one, and to wait for Samsung to settle the names on stage. Reported specifications for the wider model, from Forbes and others, include a roughly 5.4-inch cover screen, an inner screen between 7.6 and 7.8 inches, a very thin body, and a dual camera without a zoom lens, all of which stay rumours until 22 July.What else is expected at Unpacked?A fuller slate than usual, so here is the tour in plain terms, with the reminder that only the foldables-and-new-shape promise is confirmed by Samsung.Three foldables are expected rather than two. Alongside the wider new model and a standard Fold, reports point to a new Galaxy Z Flip 8, the clamshell phone that folds down into a small square, expected to keep its useful cover screen and add a less visible crease. Between them, that would give Samsung a flip phone and two book-style foldables in one launch, its widest foldable line-up yet.New wearables are also expected. Reports point to a Galaxy Watch 9 series, with leaks suggesting a faster chip and better health sensors, though one detail worth flagging is that a "Classic" watch with the rotating bezel has not appeared in some pre-launch records, which may hint it is being dropped this year. That is a leak-based reading, not a Samsung statement.The most eye-catching possibility is not a phone at all. Several reports expect Samsung to show its first smart glasses, built with Google's software and Gemini AI, and reportedly made in partnership with premium eyewear names. They are described as camera-and-audio glasses without a screen in the lens, aimed squarely at the Ray-Ban Meta glasses that have sold well. Whether Samsung fully launches them or only teases them on 22 July is unclear, so treat their appearance as likely-but-unconfirmed.Why does the price keep coming up?Because foldables are expensive to build, and this year an unusual cost is making them more so, which matters for anyone in India planning to buy one.Reports across multiple outlets expect Samsung's prices to rise this year, with the top foldable rumoured to start near or above $2,000, which would make it one of the most expensive mainstream phones on the market. The reason given is one we have covered repeatedly this year: a global shortage of memory chips. AI data centres are buying enormous amounts of memory, which has pushed up the price of the memory that goes into phones, and that cost is landing on shoppers. It is the same pressure that lifted the price of the OnePlus Nord 6 and Apple's laptops earlier this year, now reaching foldables.Two honest points sit on top of this. Every price figure circulating today is a leak, unconfirmed until Samsung announces, and Samsung is reported to be holding its entry price steady while raising the cost of higher-storage versions. And for India specifically, the local price will depend on taxes and Samsung India's own decisions, so the dollar rumours are only a rough guide. What can be said plainly is that foldables are getting pricier this year, and the memory shortage is the main reason.Why is Samsung holding this event in London, and why now?Because the timing and the place both send a message, and the message is aimed at Apple.London is a deliberate choice. Europe is one of the most competitive markets for premium foldable phones, and holding the event there, rather than in Seoul or the United States as in past years, puts Samsung's newest phones in front of that audience directly. The date matters even more. By launching on 22 July, Samsung gets its foldables on sale roughly two months before Apple is expected to reveal its first folding iPhone in September. That head start lets Samsung set the terms of the comparison, so that when Apple's phone arrives, it is measured against a Samsung foldable already in people's hands.This is the heart of the story. For years Samsung had the foldable market largely to itself, refining the hinge and the screen while rivals stayed away. Apple's arrival changes that, and it changes it in the exact wider shape Samsung is now rushing to show first. So this Unpacked is less about beating last year's Fold and more about planting a flag before the biggest newcomer in the category's history walks in. Samsung is telling the market that it defined the foldable, and it intends to define the next shape too, on 22 July, before anyone else gets the chance.What should a buyer in India do?The sensible advice is simple: if you are thinking about a foldable, wait until 22 July before deciding.There are three good reasons to wait. First, the new phones will be revealed that day, so you will know exactly what is coming and at what price before you spend. Second, the arrival of new models usually pushes down the price of last year's foldables, so even if you want an older model, waiting may save you money. Third, with Apple's foldable iPhone expected in September, anyone open to either brand has a genuine choice coming within weeks, and it is worth seeing both before committing this kind of money.The honest caution is about price. Foldables were already costly, and this year's memory shortage is pushing them higher, so buyers should be ready for the top models to cost more than last year. For most people, the more affordable Flip-style foldable or an outgoing model on discount will make more sense than the most expensive new foldable. Either way, the smart move is to wait the short time until Samsung takes the stage, then decide with real prices and real specifications rather than rumours.Gadgets Now will bring all of it live from London on 22 July, with hands-on impressions, real prices and full specifications the moment Samsung unveils the new Galaxy line-up. Stay with us for coverage from the room.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhen is Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026?Samsung has confirmed the event for 22 July 2026 in London. It will stream live from 6:30 pm IST on Samsung. com, Samsung Newsroom India and Samsung's YouTube channel. Registration is open at samsung. com/unpacked.What will Samsung launch at Unpacked in July 2026?Samsung has officially confirmed new foldable phones with "new form factors" and a "new shape." Reports expect three foldables, including a new wider model, a standard Fold and a Z Flip 8, plus new Galaxy Watch wearables and possibly Samsung's first smart glasses. Only the new foldables are officially confirmed by Samsung.What is the new Samsung foldable shape?Leaks point to a wider foldable that opens into a more square, tablet-like screen, built to rival Apple's coming foldable iPhone. The exact name is unclear, with both "Z Fold 8 Wide" and "Z Fold 8 Ultra" reported. Treat the names and specifications as unconfirmed until 22 July.How much will the new Samsung foldable cost?Prices are rumoured to rise this year, with the top foldable reported to start near or above $2,000, blamed partly on a global memory-chip shortage. All prices are unconfirmed until Samsung announces them, and the India price will depend on local taxes and Samsung India's decisions.How does this compare with the foldable iPhone?Apple is expected to reveal its first foldable iPhone in September 2026, about two months after this Samsung event. Samsung's new wider foldable is widely seen as its answer to Apple's entry, and its earlier launch lets Samsung set the comparison before Apple's phone arrives.Should I buy a Samsung foldable now or wait?Waiting until 22 July is sensible. You will know the new phones and prices, older models may drop in price once the new ones launch, and Apple's foldable is due in September, giving buyers a real choice within weeks.end of article