Samsung changes production plans for its upcoming Galaxy Z foldable smartphones

It's raining cats and dogs. Or rather, it's raining Samsung leaks, rumours and new reports as Wednesday's Galaxy Unpacked event draws near. One such report, citing industry sources, states that the South Korean tech giant has significantly ramped up production of the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 — a new model expected to feature a wide, 4:3-ratio display — to 2.8 million units for the initial run, up from the originally planned figure of 2 million.

The shift is striking because Samsung had initially intended to split manufacturing evenly between the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, keeping room for adjustment based on demand. The revised production targets suggest Samsung expects the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 to become its best-selling foldable. As for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip 8, production estimates are 2 million and 1.5 million units, respectively.

Analysts also partly link the move to Apple, which is rumored to be preparing its own foldable iPhone for a launch later this year with a similar 4:3 display. Other industry voices suggest that the aspect ratio is becoming a de facto standard for the category. In any case, time will tell. All three Samsung devices are expected to debut this week, alongside pricier tags related to ongoing memory-chip shortages.