Samsung is hosting its Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event tomorrow, July 9, and the South Korean tech giant is expected to announce a range of new products, including new foldable smartphones and possibly the next generation of its Galaxy smartwatch.
It is far too early for a new mainline Galaxy smartphone after the company debuted the Samsung Galaxy S25 series in San Jose in January, including the flagship Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Samsung also announced its ultra-thin Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge in May, so that’s a no-go.
That leaves Samsung’s foldable phones, the Z Fold and Z Flip. The latest models, the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, were unveiled almost exactly one year ago, so their successors are ripe for arrival. In Samsung’s Unpacked teaser, the company’s tagline is “Ultra Unfolds,” which provides sufficient evidence to get a good idea of what the main draw will be at the event.
It’s a safe bet that the new Z Fold and Z Flip phones will follow Samsung’s existing naming conventions, making them the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, although it’s always possible that Samsung will throw a curveball. In any case, the new phones should run a custom version of Android 16, which is expected to be One UI 8.
Industry analysts, including at Forbes, expect the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to be the “thinnest and lightest Fold ever.”
Samsung has some work to do to catch up to the Chinese competition when it comes to ultra-thin foldable phones. As Ted Kritsonis wrote for PetaPixel last December, foldable smartphone innovation has not yet arrived from the “usual suspects” in the industry, instead arriving from companies like OnePlus, Vivo, and Honor, to name just a few. As of now, the OnePlus Open is PetaPixel‘s pick for the Best Foldable Smartphone thanks to its excellent design and impressive photo capabilities.
Speaking of photo capabilities, Android Central speculates that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will feature a 200-megapixel camera, which would bring it in line with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s main wide-angle camera and be a significant upgrade over the 50-megapixel main camera in the Z Fold 6.
The Z Fold 6’s other cameras, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and a 10-megapixel telephoto, are also candidates for upgrades, although rumors currently indicate no changes there, unfortunately.
The Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 7 FE, a less powerful model, are both expected to include 50-megapixel main cameras and 12-megapixel ultra-wide imagers, the same as last year’s Z Flip 6.
As for what else Samsung has up its sleeve, and the exact specs and features of its new foldable phones, Samsung fans will have to wait until tomorrow’s Galaxy Unpacked event in Brooklyn, New York, at 10 AM ET on July 9. The event will be streamed on samsung.com, and PetaPixel will have all the news as soon as it becomes available.
Image credits: Samsung
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