Early details of new Galaxy Z 'Wide Fold' suggest Samsung is concerned about Apple's first foldable
Samsung is not expected to be finished with flagship smartphone releases this year quite yet. Based on current rumours, the company plans to introduce its first tri-fold before the end of 2025 as an answer to Huawei's recent Mate XTs. Nonetheless, rumours about Samsung's 2026 foldable lineup have started surfacing in South Korean media.
Apparently, the company intends to switch up its foldable series again with a release strategy akin to last year's. To recap, Samsung unveiled two book-style foldables last year, which it sold as the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, as well as the Galaxy Z Flip6. So far this year, it has updated the Galaxy Z series with its first Fan Edition (FE) offering, which it offers as the Galaxy Z Flip7 FE alongside the Galaxy Z Flip7 and Galaxy Z Fold7 (curr. $1,999 on Amazon).
According to ETNews, Samsung will return with direct successors to the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7, but not necessarily the Galaxy Z Flip7 FE. Additionally, the company is also rumoured to be considering releasing an alternative to the so-called iPhone Fold rather than offering a new Special Edition variant.
Dubbed the 'Wide Fold' for now, the rumoured device is said to contain a foldable display with a relatively 1:1 aspect ratio rather than the 6:5 equivalent found in the Galaxy Z Fold7. As a result, this change will allow the Galaxy Z Wide Fold to drop to an 18:9 cover display, which would be noticeably smaller than the 21:9 equivalent found in the Galaxy Z Fold7. In other words, the Wide Fold may look more like the Oppo Find N2 from the front than Samsung's current Galaxy Z Fold models.
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