[London (UK) = E-Daily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] “Spider-Man detected.”

As a warning popped up on his smartwatch, Ned Leeds—a character from the “Spider-Man” movie series—was startled and rushed off the stage. Immediately afterward, a stunt actor dressed as Spider-Man appeared on one side of the venue. The audience turned their heads in unison, and smartphones were raised in a row above the seats to capture the moment. Though it was a brief appearance, applause and cheers erupted, instantly heating up the atmosphere in the venue.

This is a scene from the “Galaxy Unpacked 2026” event held on the 22nd (local time) at Old Billingsgate in London, UK. On this day, SamsungElectronics wove together Spider-Man footage, the actor’s product demonstration, and a stage performance into a single narrative to showcase the versatility of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra’s large screen.

Prior to the performance, a video was shown on a large screen depicting Spider-Man’s smartphone being damaged after a battle, prompting an artificial intelligence (AI) system to create a new communication device. The “Fabricator,” the device used for production, presented the Galaxy Z Flip8 and Fold8 Ultra. In the video, Spider-Man used the portable Flip 8, while Ned unfolded the Fold 8 Ultra to track Spider-Man’s location.

After the video ended, actor Jacob Baddelan, who plays Ned, appeared on stage. The audience erupted in cheers at the actor’s unexpected appearance, and attendees raised their smartphones to film the stage.

Badlerun unfolded the Fold 8 Ultra to personally demonstrate the “Spidey Tracker” featured in the video. On one side of the screen, a map showing Spider-Man’s location was displayed, while the other side showed related incident records. Both sets of information updated simultaneously in real time, allowing users to examine the connection between location and incidents on a single screen without having to switch between multiple apps.

“On the large screen, both the Spidey Tracker and Spider-Man’s case records run simultaneously,” he explained. “It’s not just simple multitasking—it’s about tracking, comparing, and connecting all the information while viewing the entire situation at once.” He presented the Fold 8 Ultra’s screen not merely as a space for viewing content, but as a workspace for simultaneously checking and processing multiple pieces of information.

Approximately 1,200 people, including representatives from global media outlets, partner companies, and influencers, attended the event. SamsungElectronics unveiled the Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8, and Flip 8, followed by the Galaxy Watch 9, Watch Ultra 2, and Intelligent Eyewear.

Following the product announcements, SamsungElectronics’ AI ecosystem strategy took center stage. Choi Won-jun, Head of Development at SamsungElectronics’ MX Business Division and Chief Operating Officer (COO), emphasized that technology must be tailored to people and presented “openness” as a core principle of the Galaxy ecosystem.

SamsungElectronics is expanding Quick Share into a cross-platform experience that works between Android and iOS. The company has also enhanced the Smart Switch feature, allowing users to transfer photos, contacts, messages, and passwords from their existing devices to a Galaxy device using a QR code, without the need to install a separate app.

President Choi explained that AI is evolving from individual, sporadically used features into the foundation that powers the entire Galaxy ecosystem. The plan is to build an “AI OS” starting with the Galaxy Z series that connects apps and services at the system level, and to expand the “agent-based AI” experience, where users simply state what they want to do and the AI handles the intermediate steps on their behalf.

CEO Choi emphasized that the future competitiveness of flagship devices will depend not on the performance of a single device, but on how seamlessly multiple devices and services are connected. He explained that even when AI handles tasks on the user’s behalf, it will always obtain the user’s permission before accessing information to ensure control remains with the user.

Google and Qualcomm also took the stage to outline their AI collaboration plans with SamsungElectronics. Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Platforms and DEVICES at Google, said that Android is evolving from an operating system that assists users with their tasks into an intelligent system that handles tasks on their behalf.

Gemini understands the information and images displayed on the screen and then performs multi-step tasks that span multiple apps. For example, if a user takes a photo of a product and asks to find a similar but more affordable item, or requests travel or restaurant reservations, Gemini handles the process of switching between apps in the background. Google plans to expand the scope of its automation support to more than 40 apps, including those for retail, restaurant reservations, travel, and event tickets.

The new foldable devices also come pre-installed with “Gemini Notebook,” which connects the context of various materials to provide answers. It can process photos, documents, and audio files together to create personalized podcasts or presentation materials. SamsungElectronics will provide Google AI Pro for six months to purchasers of the Fold 8 series and Flip 8.

Cristiano Amon, President and CEO of Qualcomm, emphasized the semiconductor performance that powers these AI features. The Snapdragon 8 Elite 5th Gen for Galaxy, featured in the Fold 8 series, combines a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), and neural processing unit (NPU) to support on-device AI, graphics, and connectivity performance.

The Galaxy Watch features the Snapdragon Wear Elite for the first time. Qualcomm explained that this enhances performance, power efficiency, and connected health management capabilities while improving battery life and charging speed. CEO Amon highlighted the collaborative structure in which Samsung builds the Galaxy ecosystem, Google develops Gemini Intelligence, and Qualcomm provides the computing and connectivity technologies to power it.

The event concluded with a showcase of SamsungElectronics’ Intelligent Eyewear. President Choi presented a screenless, audio-centric model as the first product in SamsungElectronics’ AI glasses roadmap. He explained that, since users will wear the product all day, the company collaborated with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to ensure not only technical performance but also design and comfort.

The intelligent eyewear offers up to 9 hours of use on a single charge and can be recharged more than seven times using the charging case. It supports features such as capturing the scene the user is viewing, summarizing the contents of a meeting room whiteboard and saving them to Samsung Notes, and asking for the next step while cooking. It also provides cross-device integration features, such as answering calls or taking photos with hand gestures on the Galaxy Watch.

CEO Choi announced that the company will unveil a lineup of smart eyewear designed by Gentle Monster and Warby Parker this fall. As the AI glasses capped off the Unpacked event—which began with foldables and the Galaxy Watch—they demonstrated how Samsung’s AI is expanding its reach beyond the smartphone.

Ned’s demonstration—tracking Spider-Man using the Fold 8 Ultra—summed up the direction of the Unpacked event. Rather than switching between multiple apps to find information, the experience involves AI gathering the necessary content on a single screen and guiding the user to the next task. The story of Galaxy AI, connecting smartphones, watches, and smart glasses, has now begun.