Samsung staged its second major Galaxy Unpacked of 2025 on July 9 in Brooklyn. The company showed off devices that push its foldable lineup closer to mainstream phones in feel and performance. Thinner profiles. Sharper AI tools. Yet the announcements also carried a less welcome detail. Prices are climbing.
The Samsung Newsroom recap captured the theme “Unfold Ultra.” Executives positioned the new Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 as devices that close the gap with traditional slabs while adding capabilities those slabs cannot match. Foldables have moved from experiment to category leader inside Samsung. Shipments keep rising. Competition from China has grown fiercer. So the South Korean giant answered with hardware that feels less like a compromise.
The Fold7 sheds nearly half its thickness
At 8.9 millimeters when folded, the Z Fold7 measures almost 48 percent thinner than earlier generations. That change comes from refined hinge engineering and new material choices. The device opens to a near-flat 7.6-inch inner display with a less noticeable crease. Samsung engineers spent years reducing the gap between halves. The result looks and feels closer to a single sheet of glass.
Inside sits a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip tuned for Galaxy. Paired with up to 16 gigabytes of RAM and improved vapor chamber cooling, the phone handles heavy multitasking and AI workloads without throttling. The rear camera system now leads with a 200-megapixel sensor. Early hands-on reports from CNN Underscored praised the low-light performance and natural color science. Video stabilization also improved. Creators who shoot on the go gain a legitimate alternative to dedicated cameras.
Software receives equal attention. Android 16 arrives out of the box with deeper Galaxy AI features. Real-time translation works across calls and messages. Notes app summaries appear instantly. The large inner screen makes these tools practical rather than gimmicky. Users can run two or three apps side by side without the lag once common on foldables. But the experience still demands adjustment. Muscle memory built on bar-shaped phones does not transfer cleanly.
And the price. Base models start several hundred dollars higher than last year. Industry watchers tie the increase to memory component shortages. Business Insider noted the jump affects the entire July lineup. Buyers face tougher decisions. The added performance and slim design justify the cost for some. Others may wait for discounts that typically appear within months.
The Z Flip7 takes a different route. Samsung kept the compact form that made the Flip series popular. This year the cover screen grows larger with edge-to-edge coverage and thinner bezels. Samsung’s Flip7 preview highlights how the expanded display supports full apps and widgets without unfolding. Quick replies. Camera control. Music playback. All happen on the outside.
AI again plays a starring role. The device suggests replies based on conversation history. It can generate wallpapers from simple text prompts. Battery life benefits from a more efficient chipset. Reviewers at the event described the Flip7 as the most refined version yet. Pocketable. Fun. Capable enough for daily tasks. Its lower entry price compared with the Fold7 could widen the audience for foldables.
A budget-minded Z Flip7 FE also debuted. The Fan Edition model trims some specifications but keeps the core folding experience. Storage options start lower. The camera setup is simpler. Still, the device gives cost-conscious buyers a way into the category. Samsung now offers three distinct foldables at three price tiers. That breadth matters. It mirrors the strategy the company used to dominate premium bar phones.
Wearables received updates too. The Galaxy Watch8 series includes standard, Classic and Ultra models. Health tracking takes center stage. New sensors monitor sleep stages with greater accuracy. Exercise detection feels more responsive. The Ultra variant adds rugged materials and longer battery claims. The Verge coverage called the changes evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Yet the cumulative effect makes the watches more useful for serious fitness users and casual wearers alike.
One of the most intriguing reveals involves wearable AI beyond the wrist. Samsung previewed its first smart glasses. The lightweight frames carry cameras and run Google Gemini as an on-device assistant. No bulky headset. No distracting heads-up display. Instead the glasses capture what the wearer sees and offer contextual help through audio. Think live translation during conversations or object identification on the street. Details remain limited. A fuller launch could come later. But the prototype shown in Brooklyn signals Samsung’s intent to expand its AI ambitions into new form factors.
The glasses tie into a broader multimodal strategy. Samsung wants its devices to work together. Phone, watch, earbuds and now eyewear share context and intelligence. A photo taken on the Z Fold7 can be analyzed by the glasses moments later. Voice commands started on the watch can continue on the phone. This interconnected approach differentiates Samsung from rivals who treat products as standalone items. Success depends on execution. Privacy questions loom large when cameras point outward continuously. Samsung has promised strong on-device processing to limit cloud uploads.
Analysts see the July event as evidence of maturing foldable technology. Creases have faded. Durability has increased. Prices, however, have followed. Whether consumers accept the higher cost will shape the next chapter. Early sales data from previous launches suggest demand remains strong among early adopters. Mass market acceptance still lags. The Z Flip7 FE could help close that gap.
Software support now stretches seven years. That matches flagship bar phones and removes a longtime objection. Security patches and feature updates arrive on the same schedule. Buyers gain confidence that their expensive foldable will not become obsolete quickly. The combination of hardware refinement and long-term support positions Samsung well against Chinese competitors who often cut corners on software maintenance.
Of course challenges remain. Supply chain pressures on advanced memory chips drove the price increases. Competition in the AI space grows hotter. Google, Apple and smaller startups all chase similar multimodal experiences. Samsung must keep innovating to hold its lead in foldables. The thinner designs shown this week buy time. But the next leap, perhaps true rollables or under-display cameras that eliminate notches entirely, already sits on drawing boards.
Event attendees left Brooklyn with early review units. First impressions published in the following days reinforced the official messaging. The devices feel premium. AI features mostly work as advertised. Battery life meets expectations for the form factor. Camera quality stands out on the Fold7. The glasses generated the most curiosity. Their practical value will become clearer once developers build experiences around them.
Samsung streamed the entire presentation on YouTube. The replay, available here, runs just over an hour. It offers a concise view of the keynote and product deep dives. For those who missed the live broadcast, the video provides context that written recaps cannot match. Executives spoke with visible pride about the engineering breakthroughs. Their tone suggested these devices represent more than incremental steps. They mark a point where foldables can stand toe-to-toe with any smartphone on the market.
Pre-orders opened immediately after the event. Trade-in programs and carrier deals aim to soften the sticker shock. Samsung also bundled accessories and extended warranties for early buyers. The commercial machinery that turned the Galaxy S series into a global powerhouse now works on the Z family. Success is no longer in doubt. The question is how quickly the rest of the industry follows.
Recent coverage from TechRadar highlighted the absence of a surprise XR headset launch. Rumors had pointed to a possible preview of Project Moohan, the mixed-reality device developed with Google. Samsung chose to keep focus on products ready for immediate sale. That decision reflects a company more interested in near-term revenue than speculative future platforms. The glasses, while forward-looking, fit better into the current wearable portfolio.
Industry insiders will watch return rates closely. Foldables still carry higher repair costs if hinges fail. Consumer trust grows with each reliable generation. The thinner Z Fold7 and more capable Z Flip7 test that trust. Early signs look positive. But real judgment comes after months of daily use in pockets, bags and briefcases around the world.
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