Samsung‘s new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is already getting great reviews before its official sale begins in the UK on 7 August. The company says the new Galaxy Z Series is its most successful foldable phone lineup so far, winning more awards than any earlier Galaxy foldable.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has received the highest number of five-star reviews ever given to a Samsung foldable phone. Many technology experts have praised its slimmer design, big foldable screen, smooth performance and improved user experience.

Samsung also says customer interest is very strong. Pre-orders for the new Galaxy Z Series in the UK are up by 21% compared to last year. This is the highest number of pre-orders for any Galaxy foldable phone. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 alone makes up almost 40 percent of all pre-orders.

Technology magazine T3 gave the Galaxy Z Fold 8 its 5-Star Platinum Award. The magazine called it “the future of foldable phones” and said Samsung has raised the standard for foldable devices.

Another technology magazine, Stuff, also praised the phone. It called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 one of Samsung’s most exciting devices in recent years. The review highlighted its new design, large display and strong performance.

Samsung has also made it easier for people to switch from other smartphones. With the Smart Switch feature, users can quickly move their apps, photos, messages and other data to a Galaxy phone without extra apps or cables.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 starts at £1,699, while the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra starts at £1,899. The Galaxy Z Flip8 starts at £1,149. With excellent reviews and record pre-orders, Samsung’s latest foldable phones are expected to be a big success.

Samsung has ended its five-year patent dispute with US memory technology company Netlist by signing a new five-year strategic agreement. The deal covers patent licensing, memory product supply, and technology cooperation.

Under the agreement, Samsung will be allowed to use Netlist’s patents, including those related to server DRAM modules and HBM. In return, Samsung will supply memory products such as DRAM and NAND flash to Netlist.

The two companies have also agreed to end all patent lawsuits and drop all legal claims against each other. This brings an end to a dispute that started in 2021, when Netlist accused Samsung of using its patented memory technology without permission. Samsung denied the claims and argued that the patents were either invalid or different from its own technology.

According to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Samsung will pay Netlist an upfront licensing fee of $239 million. It will also make quarterly payments of up to $32.9 million from the third quarter of 2026 until the second quarter of 2031.

If the highest amount is paid, the total licensing fee could reach $897 million. As part of the agreement, Samsung will also buy 10 million shares of Netlist’s common stock for $1 million under a separate memory supply deal.

The settlement ends years of legal battles between the two companies and allows them to focus on working together. The agreement is expected to enhance their partnership in memory technology and support future business cooperation.

Galaxy S26 Ultra is the first phone with hardware-level Privacy Display technology, but Huawei made it a lot better and more useful on its latest laptop.

Huawei MateBook Pro S laptop comes with Privacy Display, which can be operated using a physical switch. While the Galaxy S26 Ultra allows you to enable/disable Privacy Display through a software interface, Huawei went a step further.

Privacy Display is a technology that adjusts screen pixels intelligently to dim the visibility for side viewers. Samsung had the idea, which it introduced with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and now Huawei laptop following the lead.

Huawei MateBook Pro S sports a 14.2-inch 3.1K OLED panel. The screen features a dual-pixel array structure, which integrates two distinct sub-pixel sets within the same display zone, as reported by Android Authority.

The laptop has a physical button on the side, which allows you to operate Privacy Display. This is convenient to use and easier than playing with software.

Huawei was following Samsung’s lead, and it had to do something to stand out from what the Galaxy S26 Ultra offers. The first thing is that it’s coming to Huawei laptops, not a phone, and there’s a dedicated switch for quick activation.

Samsung plans to expand the use of Privacy Display on Galaxy S27 series. All models of this flagship smartphone lineup are expected to feature Privacy Display. Chinese vendors are also interested in this tech, but Samsung Display isn’t rushing.

The monthly 3nm chip wafer output of TSMC is on track to hit 180,000 units in Q4 2026, and it looks like the foundry giant will get there two to three months earlier than originally planned.

According to Taiwanese media reports (via Yonhap), NVIDIA, AMD, and Broadcom are reportedly placing aggressive orders, and TSMC has responded by converting some of its existing 5nm lines over to 3nm production to keep pace.

TSMC meets Samsung chip demand

Here’s where things get interesting for Samsung fans. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Galaxy, the chip powering Samsung flagships, is built on TSMC’s N3P process. So every bit of this capacity ramp directly benefits Qualcomm’s supply chain.

With TSMC scaling faster than expected, there’s less risk of bottlenecks affecting Snapdragon chip availability as the Galaxy S26 series continues to sell globally alongside the newly released Galaxy Z Fold 8 foldable phones.

TSMC’s 3nm push outclasses Samsung Foundry

TSMC’s growth story isn’t just about phones anymore. AI demand is spilling over from data centers into smartphones and even humanoid robots, giving the company what one industry source called another wing for growth.

Working with Global Unichip Corp, TSMC reportedly completed tape-out for Tesla’s next-gen A15 AI chip on 3nm, reportedly a full quarter ahead of Samsung. Tesla’s AI6.5 chip is next in line, expected to move to TSMC’s 2nm process at its Arizona facility.

Looking further out, TSMC’s new fabs in Southern Taiwan, Arizona, and Kumamoto are expected to push combined 2nm and 3nm output past 400,000 wafers a month by 2028.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 hit US shelves tomorrow. If pre-order numbers are anything to go by, this could be one of the strongest launches the company has had in years.

Anyone picking up a new Galaxy Z device also gets a six-month trial of Google AI Pro, complete with 5TB of cloud storage, a solid sweetener for anyone still on the fence.

Samsung Newsroom’s US press release states that the open sale starts tomorrow in 106 markets worldwide. With pre-orders officially up over 30 percent from last year, tomorrow’s launch will be worth watching closely.

Starting August 7, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8 and Flip 8 will be available through carriers, retailers, Samsung.com and Samsung Experience Stores in 106 markets worldwide.

Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra lead the charge, but they’re taking noticeably different paths this generation. The standard model leans into everyday usability with a lighter 201g body and new Flex Titanium build, which should mean fewer visible creases over time.

The Ultra variant, meanwhile, goes all in on the “Ultra” branding Samsung fans already know from the S series, packing an 8-inch main display, a 200MP main camera with HDR support, and a new 50MP ultra-wide sensor for good measure.

Galaxy Z Flip 8

Then there’s the Galaxy Z Flip 8, arguably the most refined Flip yet in terms of design language. The cover screen experience has been reworked to feel less like an afterthought and more like an actual extension of the phone, with quick access to Gemini and contextual suggestions baked right in.

Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 9 targets everyday wellness tracking with a lighter aluminum build, while the Watch Ultra 2 is clearly built for people who push their gear outdoors, with a rugged titanium casing and dedicated adventure tracking modes.