There was a bit of an undertone present in Samsung’s latest Unpacked keynote. Not one of progress or triumph, but what felt a bit like fear. After seven years, the foldable market is about to enter uncharted territory and, frankly, I’m not sure Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 series will be able to hold its ground.

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Samsung and Apple have battled for decades, trading places as the world’s top-selling smartphone brands. But in the foldable space, Samsung has pushed forward uncontested for the better part of a decade, and now Apple is finally ready to step in. The first iPhone foldable is coming, and you can feel the tension in the air.

The Fold 8 series isn’t subtle in its acknowledgment of the first folding iPhone. Between a new form factor and “Ultra” branding, Samsung didn’t hold back in trying to beat Apple to the marketing punch.

And that’s fair.

“Does Apple make one?” is perhaps one of the most common replies to someone experiencing a foldable for the first time, so there will be a lot of eyes on what the company delivers, most of whom have never even considered an Android phone.

That’s why I struggle a bit with Samsung’s playbook here. Samsung is the market leader in foldables, the company that brought this technology to fruition in the first place. And, now, we’re just back to the usual, “So what’s Apple doing?”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad Samsung is branching out. The Galaxy Z Fold 8’s new shape is delightful and so refreshing in what’s been a stagnating market, but that is the problem. After just a few generations, it’s ridiculous that foldables have already started stagnating. We’re certainly not getting mainstream tri-folds anytime soon, but maybe we could have tried a couple of other ideas.

The other thing about Samsung’s move here is that it very much feels like the company just wanting to position itself as having been correct from the start. By calling its existing form factor the “Ultra” and introducing this new shape as a standard offering, it’s rewriting history by making it seem like the taller display is the “right” one. I’ve yet to decide which one really is the best, but it could go either way if I’m being honest.

Consider these the ramblings of a foldable fan somewhat optimistic but still cautious about its future. Apple’s entrance will certainly give a lot of credibility to the form factor, but it’s pretty crazy that, with so much of a head start, every Android brand seems like it was just waiting for Apple to come up with something new to copy. That’s especially true when you’ve already seen companies like OPPO and Google trying and abandoning the same design.

Our Galaxy Z Fold 8 review is in progress. Stay tuned for more and, if you’re looking to buy, pre-orders are open.

This Week’s Top Stories

The rest of Samsung Unpacked

Beyond just the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s new shape, other announcements this week include the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Flip 8, Watch 9, and Watch Ultra 2. These devices bring Samsung’s take on Android 17 to a stable release, introduce updated tech including silicon-carbon batteries, and more.

  • Here’s everything new on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 series, Flip, and new Galaxy Watch — is it enough?
  • Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Fold 8 Ultra: A question of your priorities, and it’s a tough call [Gallery]
  • Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 series finally have anti-reflective displays [Gallery]
  • The Galaxy Z Fold 8’s display crease is a huge improvement [Gallery]
  • Samsung made it way easier to open up its Galaxy Z Fold 8 foldables
  • Galaxy Z Flip 8 finally cares about cover screen apps, but just barely

Android XR glasses

Android XR also took a bit of a spotlight this week, with a closer look at the first glasses from Samsung and Google. The Warby Parker and Gentle Monster styles were on display, with details on features and the privacy light also confirmed.

  • Samsung & Google’s first Android XR glasses have 9-hour battery life
  • Samsung & Google’s Android XR glasses privacy light works like Meta Ray-Bans, core features detailed [Gallery]
  • Samsung and Google are betting they can avoid Meta’s ‘perv glasses’ problem

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  • Google launches Gemini 3.6 Flash and 3.5 Flash-Lite, teases Gemini 4
  • Gemini Spark rolling out to Google AI Pro users in the US
  • Android Auto finally starts rolling out a speedometer in Google Maps
  • Pixel 11 series leaks in more official-looking images with new angles [Gallery]
  • The Pixel 11 Pro showed up on one of Google’s websites
  • Google releases Android 17 QPR2 Beta 1 for Pixel
  • Google Wallet rolls out built-in order tracking with Gmail on Android

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