Here are two fresh reasons to get excited about Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8
The two (or three) fast-approaching new additions to the Z Fold and Z Flip lines could run One UI 9 and support Gemini Intelligence features right off the bat.
One UI 9 will almost certainly make its stable debut on the Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 rather than the S26 family. | Image by Samsung
You probably don't remember this now, but one of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7's key selling points at launch was something Samsung had never done before... and that had nothing to do with the company's objectively gorgeous hardware.
If you thought releasing a new One UI version on the latest Galaxy foldables before any of Samsung's "conventional" S-series flagships was a one-time thing, a Korean media report (translated here) claims otherwise today, and there are two major reasons why that's extraordinary news this year rather than just one.
The Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 could beat the Galaxy S26 family to the Android 17 punch
While you can already give Samsung's first Android 17-based One UI 9 build a try on the S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra if you're not afraid of beta-specific bugs and glitches, the stable update is unlikely to roll out to the company's newest ultra-high-end handsets anytime soon.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 will obviously have a lot to offer on the hardware front as well. | Image by AndroidHeadlines
If history is any indication, you may have to wait until August or September (or even later if the One UI 7 fiasco repeats itself), but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 are expected to be announced on July 22 and possibly released by the end of that same month.
The two next-gen foldables are tipped to run One UI 9 out of the box, which obviously means the S26 trio will only be second in line to Android 17. But it also means something potentially even more important and exciting...
Will the Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 be the world's first devices with Gemini Intelligence?
As crazy as it sounds, Samsung could also beat Google to the punch as far as Google's own new AI breakthrough is concerned. Unveiled as a core part of Android 17 earlier this week, Gemini's latest evolution is now expected to make its commercial debut on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 rather than on any of its maker's Pixel handsets.
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That seems to suggest that the Pixel 10 family will be left on Android 16 until July (or even later), which would certainly be disappointing after Google managed to move the Pixel 9 lineup away from Android 15in June 2025.
Of course, there's also a possibility that the search giant will pull off a similarly early Android 17 rollout without the full Gemini Intelligence support next month and then add to that first update a little later with the virtual assistant's latest features. Or maybe we're looking at some sort of an arrangement between Google and Samsung that will see Gemini Intelligence debut on the Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 just one or two days before expanding to the Pixel 10 series.
If you already routinely use Big G's AI chatbot to automate tedious tasks, you'll probably do that even more often soon, and if you don't, you will. Basically, Gemini is becoming smarter, more intuitive, and better at switching back and forth between different apps and services to help you speed up things like ordering food, planning a vacation, filling out online forms, and turning your disorganized thoughts into coherent texts.
While I'm not convinced anything truly game-changing or revolutionary is included in Gemini's expanded new tool set, I'll admit I'm pretty excited to check out the custom widget creation capability... when Gemini Intelligence eventually reaches other devices than Google and Samsung's latest and greatest flagships.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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