Samsung is getting ready to unfold an updated smartphone portfolio on Wednesday, July 9th, at 10AM ET / 7am PT. The biggest thing coming, at least if the rumor mill has things nailed down right, will be a smattering of new foldables, and of course, Galaxy AI features. Wouldn’t be a big tech event without AI these days, right?
As for the event itself, you can watch it live on YouTube or at Samsung’s newsroom. And if you’re ready to go no matter what, Samsung will happily take money from you now to reserve whatever it announces.
Samsung Hinges Its Bets?
Samsung is heading into its seventh generation of folding devices this month, and we expect to see its lineup refreshed with three – or maybe even four – such devices when all is said and done. Look for a new Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and Z Flip 7 FE, some new Galaxy Watches, and the possible tease or announcement of a double-hinged Galaxy foldable, a first for Samsung.
Of the updates to Samsung’s existing lineup, the biggest improvements may be coming to the Z Fold 7, or what Samsung could call the Galaxy Z Fold Ultra. Roland Quandt, who frequently leaks details about unreleased smartphones, showed what he claimed were official marketing materials on Monday, which say the phone will have a 6.5-inch exterior screen, with an interior one that unfolds to 8 inches. The new version of the book-style foldable will be Samsung’s thinnest yet, just 4.2mm thick when unfolded or 8.9mm when folded up (versus 5.6mm and 12.1mm in the Z Fold 6, respectively), according to the materials Quandt shared.
The Z Flip 7 is expected to get its own revamp versus last year’s clamshell model, with an outer 4-inch display that now spans the entirety of the top panel, minus the areas where the cameras and flash punch through. You can see what that looks like over at Sammobile, which posted screenshots from a leaked hands-on of the Z Flip 7. Inside, the phone is expected to have a 6.9-inch display, up from 6.7 inches in last year’s phone. The outlet notes that although rumors have suggested Samsung shaved off some of this phone’s thickness, too, it’s hard to tell from the images if that’s true.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE will be the first time the company has released a clamshell foldable in its budget-friendly FE line. According to more marketing materials that Quandt shared on Monday, this model will come in black and white options, feature the same overall design and specs as the Z Fold 6, a phone that IGN’s own Jacqueline Thomas was pretty fond of in her review.
Finally, Android Authority uncovered some animation files last week inside Samsung’s One UI 8 software that hint at a new wrinkle: a new Galaxy device with dual, inward-folding hinges. The files Android Authority discovered call the phone the “Multifold7,” although it could also be called the Galaxy G Fold when Samsung officially reveals it. Don’t look for Samsung to release that phone just yet, though. Like the Galaxy Ring and the Samsung Galaxy Edge before it, the company could easily briefly tease the phone, or stick it on a look-but-don’t-touch pedestal.
Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom’s Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn’t be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.
