[Digital Today reporter Jinju Hong (홍진주)] Samsung Electronics will hold its second-half strategic product launch event, 'Galaxy Unpacked 2026', in London on July 22 at 2 p.m. local time. Attention is growing as the possibility is being raised that it will unveil a range of new products, including next-generation foldable smartphones, smartwatches, AI smart glasses and bone-conduction earphones.

Samsung Electronics said this in an official invitation on Tuesday. The event will be held at 10 p.m. on July 22 Korea time (2 p.m. local time) and livestreamed online through Samsung.com, the Samsung Electronics Newsroom and YouTube channels. The event's subtitle is 'A New Shape Unfolds', and a new Galaxy lineup that has led the foldable category is set to be unveiled in London.

In the invitation, Samsung said it will unveil next-generation Galaxy devices that combine intelligent functions with innovative form factors. It said it will set a new standard for the AI era with a more personalised and adaptive experience.

The biggest focus is on new foldable smartphones. The industry is weighing the possibility that Samsung will unveil three models: the clamshell 'Galaxy Z Flip 8', the book-style 'Galaxy Z Fold 8' and the top-end 'Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra'.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to feature a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch inner screen when unfolded. The possibility has been raised that the outer screen aspect ratio will change to 16:10 from 21:9, offering a user experience closer to that of a conventional smartphone.

The top-end Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is expected to keep the existing design while featuring the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon chip and an improved main camera. Whether Samsung will apply the 'Ultra' brand to its foldables is also a point of interest to be confirmed at the event.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is expected to keep the previous model’s design while focusing on performance improvements. A new chipset and reduced crease visibility are expected, but some observers say a large jump in performance could be limited due to factors such as memory supply conditions. The rear is likely to keep the dual-camera setup as before.

Wearable products are also expected to be unveiled. The Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 are being mentioned as leading candidates. Both are expected to be upgrades that strengthen health management features and make some design improvements. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 may feature a new numeric watch face, a thinner bezel and improved usability.

Another focus of the event is Samsung’s first AI smart glasses. The industry expects the product name to be 'Galaxy Glasses'. The product is known to focus less on augmented reality (AR) features and more on voice and visual AI functions using an embedded camera and Google’s AI model Gemini. It is likely to take the form of AI recognising what a user is looking at in real time and providing information, and it is expected to be functionally similar to Meta’s smart glasses.

The possibility of unveiling new audio products is also being raised. The possibility of a new wireless earphone launch was discussed after the name 'Galaxy Able' was found in recent code for the Galaxy Wearable app. The industry is suggesting it could be a product that applies bone-conduction technology instead of the existing driver 방식.

This Unpacked event is seen as an occasion to confirm Samsung’s mobile strategy for the second half. It is expected to reveal a direction that both strengthens foldable smartphone competitiveness and expands the smart glasses and wearable ecosystem centred on AI.

Key points to watch are whether all three foldable models will be unveiled, whether Samsung will introduce AI smart glasses for the first time, and whether it will also unveil new audio devices.