Thinnest foldable yet, but at the cost of a feature
Samsung's new Z Fold 7 is the thinnest foldable yet at 8.9mm folded, featuring a 200MP camera and starting at $1,999. Google Pixel 10 prototype surfaced on Chinese auction site showing Tensor G5 chip; Meta's next Ray-Ban glasses leak hints at improved battery and AI capabilities.
- Galaxy Z Fold 7: 8.9mm folded, 4.2mm unfolded, 200MP primary camera, starts at $1,999
- Galaxy Z Flip 7: 4.1-inch cover display, 6.9-inch main screen, 31 hours video playback, starts at $1,099
- Pixel 10 prototype leaked on Chinese auction site showing Tensor G5 processor in EVT stage
- Ray-Ban Meta next-gen: two styles (Aperol sunglasses, Bellini optical) with improved battery and AI features
- Garmin adds Google Maps to Venu, Forerunner, Vivoactive, and Fenix smartwatches
Samsung launched its Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and Watch 8 series with AI features, while Pixel 10 prototypes and next-gen Ray-Ban smart glasses leaked online.
Samsung held court in New York this week with its summer Unpacked event, and the company came ready to show off what it's been working on. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 arrived as the thinnest foldable device the company has ever made—8.9 millimeters when folded, 4.2 millimeters when unfolded—while somehow maintaining a 4,400 milliamp-hour battery. The cover display stretches to 6.5 inches with a 21:9 aspect ratio, and the inner screen reaches 8 inches with 2,600 nits of peak brightness. Inside lives the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, paired with a 200-megapixel primary camera, the first of its kind in the Z series, along with 12-megapixel ultra-wide and 10-megapixel telephoto lenses. Both displays carry 10-megapixel selfie cameras. The device ships in three colors—Blue Shadow, Jet Black, and Silver Shadow—with preorders live and pricing starting at $1,999.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 took a different approach, shedding the traditional folder-like cover screen for something far more expansive. The new 4.1-inch Super AMOLED FlexWindow stretches nearly edge-to-edge, letting users accomplish real work without opening the phone. Inside, a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display runs at 120 hertz. The Exynos 2500 processor powers the device, which Samsung claims delivers up to 31 hours of video playback on a single charge from its 4,300 milliamp-hour battery. Storage comes in two configurations—256 gigabytes and 512 gigabytes—with three color options available: Blue Shadow, Jet Black, and Coral Red, plus a Mint variant exclusive to online orders. Preorders began immediately, with retail availability set for July 25 at $1,099.
Samsung also introduced the Galaxy Z Flip FE, a more affordable entry point that borrows the Z Flip 6's bones but runs the older Exynos 2400 processor. The 3.4-inch cover display pairs with a 6.7-inch FHD+ main screen at 120 hertz. A 50-megapixel primary camera handles the heavy lifting, supported by a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and 10-megapixel selfie shooter. The device carries the new Galaxy AI features and costs $899 in black and white.
The Galaxy Watch 8 series arrived in two flavors. The Watch 8 Classic comes in a single 46-millimeter size with a 1.34-inch display, weighing 63.5 grams and featuring a Sapphire Crystal screen. It brings back the physical rotating bezel for app navigation and adds a new Quick Button for convenience. A 445 milliamp-hour battery powers the device, which includes 2 gigabytes of memory and 64 gigabytes of storage. The standard Galaxy Watch 8 claims to be the thinnest yet—roughly 11 percent thinner than previous models—with a Dynamic Lug system for improved comfort. It comes in 40-millimeter and 44-millimeter sizes with 1.34-inch and 1.47-inch Super AMOLED displays respectively, and brightness increased by 50 percent to 3,000 nits. Both watches run Wear OS 6 and the latest One UI 8 backed by Android 16.
Meanwhile, a Google Pixel 10 prototype surfaced on a Chinese auction website, with the seller offering the device's motherboard. The listing shows a phone with the familiar rounded corners and flat edges Google has favored in recent generations, with a horizontal camera bump housing three lenses and an LED flash. The motherboard bears a bolded "G5" marking, suggesting the Tensor G5 processor inside. The seller indicated the device sits in the EVT stage—the final phase before mass production.
Meta's next Ray-Ban smart glasses leaked in rendered form, showing two distinct styles: Aperol for sunglasses and Bellini for optical frames. The shift away from a one-size-fits-all approach signals Meta's ambitions to broaden the appeal of its eyewear. Both models promise significantly improved battery life and advanced AI capabilities including object detection, scene recognition, and possibly facial recognition. An always-on mode could keep cameras and sensors running continuously, enabling live reminders and real-time assistance. Reports conflict on timing—the XR Research Institute suggests a late-2025 launch, while The Information points toward 2026.
Garmin announced Tuesday that several of its smartwatch lines will gain Google Maps support through the Connect IQ Store. The Venu, Forerunner, Vivoactive, and Fenix product families will all receive the feature, allowing users to send destinations from their Android phone to their wrist and receive turn-by-turn directions while walking, running, or cycling. Susan Lyman, Garmin's vice president of Consumer Sales and Marketing, called the addition a game-changer for hands-free navigation.
In a notable trade-off, Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will not support the S Pen, marking a departure from previous foldable generations. A Samsung spokesperson attributed the decision to the phone's slim form factor, which would require additional internal space to accommodate the stylus. The company achieved its thinnest foldable yet, but at the cost of a feature that had become expected on the flagship model.
Citas Notables
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 does not include S Pen support this time around. It's a notable shift from previous models.— Samsung spokesperson
The turn-by-turn notifications will be a game changer for those who want to stay hands-free and keep their phone in their pocket.— Susan Lyman, Garmin vice president of Consumer Sales and Marketing
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Samsung keep making these phones thinner when the Z Fold 7 already folds down to less than nine millimeters?
Because thinness has become the measure of engineering prowess. It's what people see first, what they feel in their pocket. But there's a cost—they had to drop the S Pen to get there.
That seems like a real loss. Who actually uses the S Pen on a foldable?
People who want to sketch, take notes, sign documents. It's a small audience, maybe, but they're the ones who bought the Fold specifically for that capability. Samsung decided the broader market cares more about a sleeker device than a stylus.
And the Pixel 10 showing up on a Chinese auction site—is that a security problem for Google?
It's embarrassing, but not catastrophic. The prototype is in EVT stage, which means it's close to production but still months away from launch. Someone with access to the supply chain sold it. It happens. The real question is whether the specs match what Google intended to announce.
What about Meta's Ray-Bans? Two styles instead of one feels like they're finally taking glasses seriously.
It does. The original Ray-Ban Meta was a proof of concept—can we put a camera and AI in frames people actually want to wear? Now they're saying yes, and we want different styles for different uses. Sunglasses for outdoors, optical for indoors. That's maturity.
But the battery life is still the question mark, isn't it?
Always. Smart glasses live or die on battery. If you have to charge them every night, they're not glasses—they're another device you have to manage. Meta knows this. The fact that they're promising "significantly improved" battery suggests they've finally cracked something.