Samsung hosted Galaxy Unpacked on Wednesday simultaneously in Brooklyn, N.Y., where I attended, and London. The event was about more than just unveiling another generation of smartphones. It was a chance for the company to reinforce its leadership in foldable devices just weeks ahead of Apple's expected unveiling of its first foldable iPhone.
With the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Flip8, Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Galaxy Watch9, Samsung has assembled its most mature and comprehensive foldable portfolio to date, while reinforcing its broader vision of AI becoming the foundation of the Galaxy ecosystem.
Samsung largely achieved its goals. The hardware is thinner, lighter, and more refined than ever. Galaxy AI is becoming more integrated across the product lineup, and Qualcomm continues to play a key role in enabling many of Samsung’s newest AI experiences. But the announcements also raised several strategic questions that Samsung will need to answer as foldables competition heats up significantly.
Samsung Expands Its Foldable Portfolio
After almost eight years of iterative updates, Samsung’s foldable lineup no longer feels like an experimental category but a complete family of premium smartphones. Rather than offering every customer essentially the same device, Samsung now offers three differentiated experiences.
