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Samsung's been teasing Ultra-grade and slim foldable phones for the upcoming Galaxy Z series. The company may also unveil its next smartwatch.

• Samsung just set the date for its next Galaxy Unpacked
• The teaser says 'Ultra Unfolds' on July 9
• We're expecting the next Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip, as well as a new Galaxy Watch

After numerous hints from Samsung and many rumors about the next Galaxy Z Fold, Galaxy Z Flip, and Galaxy Watches, you can now officially mark your calendars for July 9, 2025.

Samsung has set the date for its next Galaxy Unpacked event, and judging from the official event invitation and videos shared, we’re expecting at least two devices. One that resembles a standard candybar smartphone – though I’d bet it’ll be the Galaxy Z Flip 7 – and one that unfolds into something larger, likely the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

The Galaxy Unpacked festivities will kick off at 10am ET / 7am PT / 3pm BST on July 9, 2025, and the event will be live-streamed. TechRadar will be on the scene in Brooklyn, New York, reporting live, so we’ll be breaking down err Unpacking everything that Samsung unveils.

This is a return to New York for Samsung’s foldable-focused Galaxy Unpacked. The devices were unveiled in Paris in 2024 and Seoul in 2023.

Samsung’s last few mid-year Galaxy Unpacked events have been all about foldables and wearables, and the shared invitation photos and videos really lean into this. The animated videos play a jazzy version of Samsung’s classic ringtone, and the main visual is a thin horizontal line that expands into two devices.

(Image credit: Samsung)

The device on top is a long rectangle, likely the Galaxy Z Flip 7 but possibly just the front of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but the bottom is a device that’s starting to unfold, revealing two sides. The bottom most resembles the Fold, which opens like a book into a larger-screen tablet.

Not to read too much into the event invite, but Samsung is using various shades of blue, as well as pops of bright white, which might mean we get a lovely shade of blue for the new Flip and Fold. After all, we saw a similar hint before Samsung’s Galaxy S25 lineup launched.

Further, in typical Samsung fashion, you can already pre-reserve ‘the latest Galaxy device’ and score a $50 credit. As with past promotions, you won’t need to commit to purchasing a device; you’re simply registering interest. That said, if you’re already interested in a new Flip or Fold, it’s worth signing up to score the $50 Samsung Credit.

Now that Samsung has confirmed its next Galaxy Unpacked for July 9, 2025, you can now pre-reserve the next Galaxy and score a $50 credit. As with previous Unpacked events, the entire offer is non-committal and doesn't cost anything – you'll fill out your name, email, and if you want a phone number to register your interest and unlock a $50 credit to Samsung. Additionally, Samsung says you'll unlock up to $1,150 additional savings, which is likely when trading in a device if you opt to preorder one of the new devices.View Deal

What to expect at Samsung’s July 9 Galaxy Unpacked

(Image credit: Samsung)

In several blog posts preceding these invites, Samsung has been teasing that its next devices will be “the next chapter of Ultra,” which leads us to believe that either the Galaxy Z Fold or Galaxy Z Flip (or both?!) will add “Ultra” to their names. Another theory is a new tri-folding device carrying the Ultra designation.

The animated version of the invite ends with 'Ultra Unfolds.' My money is on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 Ultra, but Samsung has already confirmed that an Ultra designation is coming to its foldable phones.

Both the Flip and Fold will now be in the seventh generation, and we’re expecting some pretty iterative but meaningful upgrades for both. Recent reports suggest a significant upgrade for what will likely be the star of the show, the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Much like the Galaxy S25 Edge, it’s expected to be even thinner when unfolded, and it will boast a larger internal screen, reportedly spanning 8 inches.

(Image credit: Future)

It’s also rumored to take a page from the Galaxy S25 Ultra and adopt an impressive 200-megapixel main sensor camera, which should significantly enhance the photography and videography capabilities of Samsung’s flagship foldable.

Of course, it should also get a speed upgrade thanks to new silicon inside and Samsung One UI 8, as well as more AI features. Expect the latter to arrive in the form of Galaxy AI, as well as through Samsung’s partnership with Google.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

With the Galaxy Z Flip 7, rumors suggest no major changes to the cameras – a less-than-stellar development, to be sure – but Samsung could roll out new software to make better use of the 50-megapixel main and 12-megapixel ultrawide cameras that we tested on the Flip 6.

In terms of what’s changing, like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will reportedly be a bit larger, with a 6.8-inch internal display, but the real story is on the front.

Potentially matching Motorola’s latest Razr flip phone, Samsung might stretch the cover display to a full 4 inches on the Flip 7 - up from 3.5 inches on the Flip 6. That, paired with the new One UI 8 user interface and more AI features, might make that cover display a lot more usable and attractive.

Samsung's next two foldables will likely be the stars of the July 9 Unpacked, but considering the tech giant loves teasing upcoming devices, we wouldn’t be shocked if we get a look at a rumored tri-fold device. That would be pretty stellar.

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung didn't just use its last July 2024 Unpacked event to unveil the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6. We also got the Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch 7, and Galaxy Watch Ultra, (oh, and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro), so it’s likely we’ll see some new wearables next month. However, if you’re expecting the Galaxy Ring 2 or Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, don’t hold your breath for a release this time around.

The Galaxy Watch 8 could be getting a screen upgrade and some new health features, but one surprise might be the return of the Galaxy Watch Classic with a movable bezel around the screen – a possible prototype of this device popped up on eBay not too long ago.

Either way, whether you’re excited about a new Flip or a Fold, an Ultra or a wearable, Samsung is set to unveil something that will make you curious on July 9.

TechRadar will be the place to be for our live reporting and analysis, but we’ll also make it easy for you to watch the event unfold. It’ll be the third Galaxy Unpacked of 2025, and hopefully an exciting one.

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• PCIe 6.0 coming to AMD platforms soon but not for consumers
• Most users won’t need PCIe 6.0 speed until much later
• Enterprise and AI will adopt PCIe 6.0 well before desktop and laptop PCs

AMD plans to support PCIe 6.0 starting in 2026, but SSDs based on the standard aren’t expected to appear in consumer PCs anytime soon.

Silicon Motion’s CEO, Wallace C. Kuo, told Tom’s Hardware that PC makers and chip vendors simply aren’t pushing for the technology yet.

"You will not see any PCIe Gen6 [solutions] until 2030," Kuo said. "PC OEMs have very little interest in PCIe 6.0 right now - they do not even want to talk about it. AMD and Intel do not want to talk about it."

PCIe 4.0 speeds are fine for most

That delay isn’t a surprise - as while PCIe 6.0 offers up to 32GB/s of bandwidth on a x4 connection, the complexity and cost of supporting that speed are much higher than for PCIe 5.0.

Enterprise systems and AI infrastructure, on the other hand, are where PCIe 6.0 will land first. These use cases can justify the need for faster interconnects, as they rely heavily on moving massive amounts of data quickly and reliably.

For everyone else, including gamers and content creators, PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 offer more than enough speed.

It’s worth pointing out there are very few laptops shipping with PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Most PCs today use PCIe 4.0, and that’s still fast enough for nearly all mainstream workloads. The real bottlenecks consumers face usually aren’t bandwidth-related.

Technical hurdles are also part of the problem. As PCIe speeds increase, the physical distance signals can travel shrinks dramatically.

A presentation by Astera Labs claims copper traces on a motherboard can reach up to 11 inches at PCIe 4.0 speeds, but that drops to just 3.4 inches with PCIe 6.0. That’s a real issue in desktops using riser cards or complex routing, especially for graphics cards.

Retimers can solve this in servers, but they’re too expensive for most consumer builds.

Making motherboards compatible with PCIe 6.0 also means more PCB layers and higher-quality materials, which pushes up costs. For now, the added expense and power draw just don’t make sense for most users.

PCIe 5.0 SSDs are likely to remain the top-end option for desktop PCs for the rest of the decade. The storage industry might be ready for the next step, but consumers probably won’t need or want it until well after 2030.

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Choosing a top pick was no easy task.

I get it. Parents confronted with the exorbitant cost of a college education and the possibility that their progeny will also need a new laptop are disinclined to spend $1,000 or more on a Mac when a Windows machine could be had for hundreds less.

I also know that the decision is not that obvious or straightforward. A Windows computer that costs $450 is in no way comparable to, say, a $999 MacBook Air. That, I think, was the point of the nearly 8-minute-long YouTube ad Apple launched and then apparently made private within 24 hours (but other copies of it still exist – see below).

Titled "Convince Your Parents to Get You a Mac", the ad is set in a college pep assembly with an audience full of disinterested teens (or actors, it's hard to tell) and SNL's Please Don't Destroy's Martin Herlihy as presenter.

It's not what I'd call a clever ad. The premise...well, I'm not sure there is one. Herlihy is mostly just presenting Apple's "The Parent Presentation" Keynote template, which anyone can download and, ostensibly, modify to convince their parents why it's a good idea to invest in a Mac for their child's college experience.

Taken at face value, Apple's presentation is spot on. Yes, a Mac is more expensive, but still an excellent value because of things you don't need to invest in or worry about, like backup software, blue screens, and antivirus software. The best MacBooks are well-built and lightweight.

Like I said, solid argument.

I do not understand why Apple chose to promote it with an overly long video featuring jokes and bits that didn't land with me or the college prep audience, which sits in uncomfortable silence for most of the video. This may have been part of the joke, but I didn't see the humor in it.

Hard to watch

Herlihy gives it his all. The cringe humor fits in nicely with some of the work he's done on SNL with Please Don't Destroy castmates Ben Marshall and John Higgins. Without them to play off of, however, each joke floats lifelessly out over the audience before cashing in the aisles.

I wonder if someone at Apple, maybe CEO Tim Cook, happened to check out the "ad/infomercial" after it launched and immediately knew this was a misfire.

Essentially, Apple managed to take its most salient points and make them hard to listen to or sit through.

Obviously, Apple considers this a critical moment in the pre-back-to-school buying period. It's hoping with this ad or maybe others like it, to plant a seed, and preferably one in the heads of those who can make the laptop purchase. Enlisting teens who want new laptops in the efforts is smart, but this was not the way.

The video is too long, too weird, and too oddly earnest to be a shareable bit of content. If this were on TikTok, I would've swiped up within 12 seconds.

There may be some salvageable parts from this marketing misstep, but I kind of doubt it. Don't worry, though, Apple is good at this stuff and I'm sure they'll be back soon enough with a TikTok-length ad that all your friends will want to share with each other and, eventually, their parents.

If there's a lesson in this, it's that Apple might just want to leave the whole effort to teens who, it seems, are already earnestly sharing their presentations on TikTok.

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• Klarna wants to be your bank, your store, and now your phone network too
• It’s new mobile plan offers unlimited 5G, but it's unclear how support will work
• Unlimited data sounds great, but what happens when you need help or travel abroad?

Klarna, the fintech company known for reshaping the buy-now-pay-later space and once using an AI bot to do the job of 700 staff, is moving into a very different line of business: mobile connectivity.

The company is launching a mobile network that promises unlimited 5G data, talk, and text for $40 per month in the United States.

Klarna’s new service is being rolled out in partnership with Gigs, a company that describes itself as the “operating system for mobile services.”

Klarna moves beyond banking

“Klarna’s push into the mobile space marks the beginning of a new era for connectivity. Now, consumers can expect a seamlessly integrated mobile experience that bundles premium connectivity with financial tools, all through the apps they already know and love,” said Gigs CEO, Hermann Frank.

The plan includes unlimited 5G data that reportedly won’t be throttled, with coverage on AT&T’s nationwide network.

Klarna claims there are no hidden fees, no contract lock-ins, and a setup process that happens in minutes through the Klarna app.

But questions remain about long-term service reliability, especially when services like customer support and international roaming haven’t yet launched.

For now, only a basic unlimited plan is available, with premium options expected later.

“Klarna has saved consumers time and money, and reduced financial worry for over 20 years. With mobile plans we’re taking that one step further, as we continue to build our neobank offering,” said Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and co-founder of Klarna.

“Consumers already know and love Klarna’s super smooth services and now, with one tap in the Klarna app, they’ll be up and running with their new phone plan, no hassle, no hidden fees, just great value.”

The offer seems to address common frustrations among US mobile users. Klarna’s internal research suggests half of Americans "believe switching phone plans is too difficult.”

The company touts its 25 million active users and high Net Promoter Score as reasons why it could disrupt telecom just as it did digital payments.

With N26 and Revolut already venturing into telecom, Klarna’s entry is part of a larger trend where neobanks try to wrap financial and connectivity tools into one platform. Surely it's only a matter of time before PayPal joins the fold.

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• Asus ProArt P16 beats most laptops in its price and size class
• You get RTX 5070 graphics and OLED visuals in a surprisingly slim 4-pound frame
• Bundled AI apps like StoryCube and MuseTree boost productivity for visual creators and editors

Asus has introduced the ProArt P16 (H7606), a laptop which pairs AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, targeting content creators and professional users.

The new addition joins the wave of Copilot+ PCs built to support advanced local AI tasks and aims to rival some of the most premium creative laptops on the market.

At $2,499.99, the ProArt P16 also undercuts competitors like the Razer Blade 16, which retails for $2,799.99 but offers a similar target user experience.

Asus ProArt P16 bundles AI tools and software for creatives

The ProArt P16 features a 16-inch OLED display, a premium visual specification often reserved for machines priced higher.

It also supports up to 64GB of RAM, which is nearly unheard of in this segment, and up to 2TB of internal storage.

These specifications position it as a contender for the best laptop for graphic design, especially those working with high-resolution files and complex color spaces.

At just 0.59 inches thick and weighing 4.08 pounds, the Nano Black chassis keeps things portable despite the raw horsepower inside.

Asus bundles in additional creative features through its exclusive apps: StoryCube and MuseTree. The former is pitched as a digital asset management tool that utilizes AI to automatically categorize and generate clips from user content, while the latter turns graphical prompts into images while intelligently organizing creative inspiration.

At just 0.59 inches thick and weighing 4.08 pounds, the Nano Black chassis keeps things portable despite the raw horsepower inside.

This pairing of hardware and software seems designed to capture those looking for the best laptop for video editing without committing to a desktop setup.

Asus has also partnered with CapCut, giving new users an exclusive six-month membership that includes access to premium features and AI-driven editing tools.

In addition, the laptop comes with a three-month Adobe Creative Suite subscription, further appealing to professionals working across photography, video, and design workflows.

These bundled tools offer value for those searching for the best laptop for photo editing, as they come integrated into the buying experience.

That said, Asus will release a more powerful model featuring the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 in late 2025, which will likely push the price higher. This model will be available for purchase at the ASUS official store after launch.

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• Tesla unveiled its “public-facing” Robotaxi service this weekend
• The service is currently an invite-only affair
• Reports suggest it is still behind Waymo and other rivals

In a surprising turn of events, Tesla has stuck to its recent timelines and actually kick-started a “public-facing” autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin, Texas this weekend.

Despite Texas lawmakers asking Musk to postpone proceedings until it had finalized and introduced new laws surrounding fully autonomous taxis, the controversial CEO has ploughed ahead anyway.

As a result, reports are surfacing on various social media networks that show the first few VIP invitees enjoying their debut Robotaxi experience.

However, this is a far cry from the futuristic Cybercab scenario that Tesla showcased at its Hollywood-spec 'We, Robot' event in October of last year, where bespoke Cybercabs ferried folks around a film set and the company’s Optimus humanoid robots served drinks to party-goers, only for the world to find out they were actually tele-operated.

It is a similar story with Tesla's recent robotaxi endeavor, as the “fleet” of 10-20 Model Y vehicles (sporting some Robotaxi branding) are strictly limited to a small and relatively uncomplicated area of Austin, Texas.

They also only operate between 6am and 12am and have a remote operator in the passenger seat to manually verify riders' ID and take control should a problem arise.

The Verge reported that some of Tesla’s driverless vehicles are also followed by 'chase' vehicles, presumably packed with engineers ready to jump in should there be an issue that both the in-car and remote operators can’t handle.

So far, only a select number of invites have gone out to predominantly “pro-Tesla” influencers, according to The Verge, with the initial invite list of test pilots reading like a who’s-who of the Musk sycophant contingent – renowned Tesla stock hype-man Sawyer Merritt being among those names.

Just like the 'We, Robot' event, this initial launch phase feels very much like a massive PR stunt, with the company essentially inviting the “general public” (read Tesla content creators) along for a ride during the very early testing phase, rather than during the widespread deployment of a legitimate, paid-for service.

Why Waymo is way ahead

(Image credit: Waymo)

It’s impossible to talk about Tesla’s robotaxi service without mentioning its closest competitor Waymo, particularly when Musk reportedly said after this successful initial launch phase that there could up to a thousand robotaxis on the road in a few months.

As a reminder, Waymo currently has a fully operational fleet of 1,500 vehicles on the road in four major cities in the US, with the areas in which it operates constantly expanding inside those cities. Anyone can summon a driverless cab with a simple app interface and they won't see a human inside the vehicle.

By the end of 2026, it hopes to have added another 2,000 vehicles according to a blog post by the Alphabet-owned company released in May this year, as it continues to ready a fleet of Jaguar i-Pace cars for autonomous driving.

Waymo also announced that it will be the first major client of Hyundai’s mass-produced Ioniq 5 robotaxi, which will help it scale even faster.

To think Musk will be able to reach this stage a couple of months after what is basically an initial testing phase is pure fantasy, especially as he insists on using a camera-only Full Self-Driving system that lacks the radars, Lidar and myriad other sensors that its rivals say is mandatory for a reliable and safe service.

Scaling up is the true test

(Image credit: Hyundai)

Already, a number of videos have already surfaced on Reddit that appear to show Tesla Robotaxis behaving erratically, swerving at busy intersections and slamming on the brakes for parked police cars that aren’t even stopped in the road.

Granted, it’s impossible to verify the authenticity of a Reddit video, but there is a growing list of very public cases where Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system has been active during an accident.

The first few reviews of the experience seem largely positive, with most riders describing the drive as “smooth” or “human-like”, but these are still very early days.

Things will get far more complicated if and when Tesla legitimately has thousands of vehicles on the road, it removes the operator sat in the passenger seat, and it builds out its app so the general public can genuinely use it. I predict that being at least two years away.

Alongside Waymo, there are companies in China that are also racing ahead with active fully autonomous ride-hailing services. Baidu, WeRide and Pony.ai are already racking up hundreds and thousands of miles.

Just last year, Baidu reportedly sparked anxiety among taxi drivers, automotive brands and the working public after it launched a driverless service in Wuhan that offered rides of around six miles (much further than the reported four or so miles Tesla can currently travel) for around 50 cents.

It undercut journeys with a human driver at the wheel by around two bucks and naturally proved very popular, according to CNN, leading to panic that many jobs could soon to be at risk.

Once the legal framework is in place for the widespread rollout of autonomous vehicles, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think that the Chinese could swoop in and dominate the market... just like they have done with EVs.

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This feature update is for Xbox Insiders first.