Galaxy SM-F971: New sightings indicate global release for Samsung's iPhone Fold rival

More signs that Samsung is preparing to release a second book-style foldable have emerged online. For context, a mysterious smartphone bearing the model number SM-F9710 surfaced towards the end of last year. More recently, South Korean media suggested that Samsung hoped to sell far more of this foldable than the Galaxy Z TriFold following the latter's limited US release.

Now, multiple regional variants for this so-called Galaxy Z Wide Fold have appeared in new IMEI database results. Specifically, Samsung appears to be testing the SM-F9710, SM-F971N, SM-F971U SM-F971U1 and the SM-F971W. Based on Samsung's current model numbers, these new versions correspond to Chinese, South Korean, US, Canadian, and rest-of-the-world variants, respectively.

As a result, it seems that the Galaxy Z Wide Fold is set to receive a global release. Ultimately, this is unlikely to be the device's final name. However, these SM-F971 designations indicate that the device is unrelated to existing foldables like the Galaxy Z TriFold, Galaxy Z Flip7, Galaxy Z Flip7 FE or the Galaxy Z Fold7 (curr. $1,249 - refurbished on Amazon). Currently, Samsung is believed to be targeting a July 2026 release for the Galaxy Z Wide Fold to get ahead of Apple's rumoured iPhone Fold.