Samsung 'H8' foldable rears its head as rumoured Apple iPhone Fold rival

Samsung has finally presented the Galaxy Z TriFold internationally after months of waiting. For reference, the company's first tri-folding smartphone will not be available in select markets for another week. In the meantime, details of another new foldable have emerged courtesy of IMEI databases.

Specifically, Samsung has been spotted connecting a device with the model number 'SM-F971U' to mobile networks. As SmartPrix summarises, 'F971U' departs from Samsung's conventional foldable nomenclature. For instance, recent Galaxy Z Flip models have maintained SM-F7x6 model numbers. By contrast, the Galaxy Z Fold7 (curr. $1,599 on Amazon) carries over the SM-F9x6 model numbers from older models.

Thus, the SM-F971U would appear to relate to a new model altogether. Not the Galaxy Z TriFold, the GSMA database result adds that Samsung is prototyping this mystery device internally by the codename 'H8'. Potentially, this GSMA result could be the first sighting of the so-called Galaxy Z 'Wide Fold', which was rumoured in September to be adopting a 1:1 aspect ratio inner display to rival the long-awaited Apple iPhone Fold. Launch details for Samsung's alternative remain unknown for now, though.