Purple ‘Galaxy Unpacked’ Adorns London Landmark as Foldable Reveal Nears
Early in the morning on the 21st in London, joggers running along the banks of the Thames paused in front of a building, pulled out their smartphones and took photos. They had stopped to look at the light purple installations for the “Galaxy Unpacked 2026” event that adorned the exterior of “Old Billingsgate,” one of London’s landmarks.
Large and small rectangular structures announcing Samsung Electronics’ (005930.KS) “Galaxy Unpacked” live event had indeed been installed on all sides of the building. The windows were all covered with purple “Galaxy Unpacked” stickers, keeping internal security tightly maintained. An outdoor booth, expected to host product experiences and events, was also taking shape, and beyond it stood “The Shard,” the area’s largest landmark and a skyscraper situated across the Thames.
Old Billingsgate was a fish market that boasted the world’s largest scale in the 19th century, a historic building that chronicles the Victorian era and a landmark still frequented by many tourists today. It operated as a fish market until 1982 and is now used as an exhibition venue for global events.
Samsung Electronics will hold Galaxy Unpacked here on the 22nd and unveil its new foldable phone. Following the 2024 event in Paris, France, and last year’s in New York, the United States, Samsung Electronics has adopted a policy of holding Galaxy Unpacked in global cultural cities to promote foldable phone innovation. This time it chose London, and specifically Old Billingsgate, where classic and modern culture coexist, as its marketing base.
The move also carries the significance of Samsung Electronics showcasing the AI and technological innovation of its foldable phones in a global AI hub, raising the profile of its new product. The United Kingdom is regarded as a strong candidate to become one of the three artificial intelligence (AI) powers alongside the United States and China. Among these, London is home to world-class AI companies including Google DeepMind, Imperial College London (ICL), and nearby global universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.
An outdoor advertisement for Samsung Electronics’ “Galaxy Unpacked 2026” is displayed on the main electronic billboard at Piccadilly Circus in London, UK, on the 20th (local time). Reporter Kim Yoon-su
On the 21st (local time), one day ahead of “Galaxy Unpacked 2026,” installations bearing logos and slogans announcing the event are set up throughout the Old Billingsgate exhibition venue in London, UK. Samsung Electronics will hold Galaxy Unpacked here on the 22nd (local time) and unveil new products including three foldable phones. Reporter Kim Yoon-su
On the 21st (local time), one day ahead of “Galaxy Unpacked 2026,” the Thames River and the skyscraper landmark “The Shard” are visible beyond an event booth being installed at the Old Billingsgate exhibition venue in London, UK. Reporter Kim Yoon-su
On the 21st (local time), one day ahead of “Galaxy Unpacked 2026,” preparations for the event are underway at the Old Billingsgate exhibition venue along the Thames River in London, UK. Reporter Kim Yoon-su
Accordingly, Samsung Electronics is also running a large outdoor advertisement on the main screen at Piccadilly Circus, called London’s busiest district. On the Piccadilly Circus streets visited firsthand, the Galaxy Unpacked advertisement, placed alongside an Adidas ad featuring Lamine Yamal, the top star of this year’s World Cup, caught the eyes of tourists and passersby. Images bearing Samsung Electronics and Galaxy logos also filled electronic billboards along the route from London Heathrow Airport into the city.
The innovation Samsung Electronics will most emphasize at this event is the form factor (device shape). The new foldable phones will be released in three models, adding the “Galaxy Z Fold8,” the series’ first wide-format product, alongside two models that succeed their predecessors. The Z Fold8’s biggest feature is a design that increases the horizontal screen ratio compared with the previous Z Fold7. When folded, the cover display measures 5.5 inches with a 16:10 aspect ratio, and when unfolded, the main display measures 7.6 inches with a 4:3 ratio. When folded, it offers usability similar to a standard bar-type smartphone, and when unfolded, similar to a tablet PC. The wider horizontal screens on both the cover and main displays are expected to further enhance the multitasking efficiency the new product emphasizes.
The new product will also feature new technologies for the first time in the series, including Google’s “Gemini Intelligence,” in which an AI agent (assistant) strengthens its multitasking capabilities to move between multiple apps on its own and carry out commands, and “Flex Titanium,” which introduces a titanium alloy material into the display panel to boost rigidity 20-fold and improve creasing.
