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Galaxy Z Fold Wide: In summary Samsung is tipped to release a wider foldable in 2026 Likely to arrive during the 22 July Samsung Unpacked event ahead of the iPhone Ultra foldable Despite initial rumours, the phone might launch as simply the ‘Galaxy Z Fold 8’ The squat design more closely resembles a tablet when open There could only be two rear-facing cameras Samsung was the first brand to really go all in on the foldable phone concept, and although there are now plenty of competing (and in some cases, superior) options on the market, the company deserves its due for spearheading the charge to bring foldables into the mainstream. After years of getting accustomed to the Z Fold and Z Flip line-up, Samsung is now looking to bring a third style into the mix that follows a wider form factor. Known only at this point as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Wide (or the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide in some circles, depending on whether Sammy uses the generation number), this phone will seemingly launch alongside the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 – set to be the usual July Unpacked event – but instead of having the taller aspect ratio that we’ve all come to expect, it’ll follow a more squat build that’ll make it feel more like a traditional tablet when unfolded. So far as we can tell, the whole thing has come about as a means of competing more directly with the upcoming iPhone Ultra (aka the iPhone Fold, which Samsung is supplying displays for), Apple’s first folding phone , which is set to release later this year and may also follow a wider form factor. We now know a fair bit about the Galaxy Z Fold Wide thanks to various leaks and rumours, which we’ve rounded up below along with our expert analysis. We’ll keep updating this page up to the Z Fold Wide’s official announcement. Will the Z Fold Wide have a different name? Given that this is the first of, potentially, a new series of phones for Samsung (if it doesn’t incur the same fate as the Galaxy S25 Edge ), you’d think that the company would want to make its inauguration a seamless one, with a clear understanding delivered to consumers over how it differs from the more traditional Z Fold 8 that it will debut alongside. Well, if one of the most recent rumours turns out to be on the money, then Samsung might be making the process a lot more difficult than it really needs to be. From what we can gather, it seems as though Samsung might be looking to have the Galaxy Z Fold Wide release as the Galaxy Z Fold 8, effectively becoming the direct successor to the Z Fold 7 despite having a very different design and bearing one less camera lens on the back. If you’re wondering where that leaves the other phone, the one that we all assumed would be called the Z Fold 8 then fear not, Samsung hasn’t left it out in the cold as it could be rebranded as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Given that so many brands are now using the ‘Ultra’ moniker with phones like the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and the Vivo X300 Ultra , it’s understandable that Samsung would want to hop aboard the bandwagon, but that association typically comes with the understanding that you’re paying a lot more in return for the type of specs that represent massive leaps forward, to the point where you won’t be left wanting for anything. From what we’ve heard so far, though, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra just doesn’t seem to fit that bill, appearing to be more of a modest upgrade on the Z Fold 7 than a complete reinvention of the line-up. Not to mention that the wide model will be a much closer rival to the iPhone Ultra, Apple’s first foldable phone. Regardless of what Samsung may or may not have in mind for these phones, we will continue to use the existing naming conventions to keep things simple. Until these phones get their official debut, we will refer to the taller model as the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the squatter alternative as the Galaxy Z Fold Wide. Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry When will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Wide be released? In summary 22 July is the expected launch date Multiple rumours suggest this is when the next Unpacked event will take place Likely to launch at the same time as the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 Although it has yet to be officially confirmed, all signs now point towards the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Wide as being unveiled on 22 July during the next major Samsung Unpacked event. During this same event, Samsung will also launch the standard Z Fold 8 as well as the more compact Galaxy Z Flip 8 . Don’t be too surprised if the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 also makes an appearance, as Samsung does tend to lump these products together during the same event. There’s even a rumour about Samsung’s very first smart glasses making an appearance during this July Unpacked, so there’s a lot for Samsung fans to get excited about. Given Samsung’s supposed plans to beat Apple to the punch with its own wide-framed foldable, it makes perfect sense for the Z Fold Wide to be launched around this time as it’ll give the company a sizeable headstart as we anticipate seeing the iPhone Ultra in September. Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry For context, here are the release dates of previous phones in the Galaxy Z Fold series: Samsung Galaxy Fold – September 2019 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 – September 2020 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 – August 2021 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 – August 2022 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 – August 2023 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – July 2024 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 – July 2025 Sources: ET News | Korea Economic TV | Seoul Economic Daily How much will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Wide cost? In summary No concrete price details yet The phone might be cheaper than the standard Z Fold 8 This is where things get interesting. Even though there are no major rumours floating around about the actual price of the Galaxy Z Fold Wide, we would be surprised if it wasn’t made available as a more affordable alternative to the standard Z Fold 8. The reason, as far as we can tell, is that Samsung has had to remove a few features from this wider foldable in order to accommodate the different design. The problem is that, given recent price rises to both the Galaxy S26 range and existing Samsung phones in Korea , including the Z Fold 7 , the Z Fold 8 is almost guaranteed to come in at a higher price than its predecessor. Whether that means the Z Fold Wide then adopts the original £1,799/$1999.99 price of the Z Fold 7 remains to be seen. To get some idea of the price bracket the Z Fold Wide will be working with, here’s the price history for previous Z Fold handsets: Samsung Galaxy Fold – £1,900/$1,980 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 – £1,799/$1,999 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 – £1,599/$1,799 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 – £1,649/$1,799 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 – £1,749/$1,799 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – £1,799/$1,899 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 – £1,799/$1,999 What specs and features will the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Wide have? In summary The wide design makes the phone feel more like a traditional tablet Likely to have a larger 4800mAh battery Faster 45W charging speeds could be on the table No telephoto lens, with just two rear-facing cameras Could miss out on a 200Mp main camera for a 50Mp alternative May shoot at 24Mp natively A whole new design philosophy Originally spotted as ‘SM-F971U’ on the GSMA product database, the Galaxy Z Fold Wide is now far beyond being simply a hint that Samsung might be working on a new vertical, as it’s become one of the most leaked phones in recent memory. While it probably isn’t great for anyone at Samsung who wanted to hold on to the element of surprise, it does mean that we have a far better understanding of what the company is trying to achieve with this new phone. Because it’s a shorter, more squared-off device, the Z Fold Wide brings back memories of using the Blackberry Passport when closed, but when open, it’s designed to feel far more like a traditional, wide-screen tablet in the hand. This should allow the Wide to perform better as an entertainment device, as traditional book-style foldables do incorporate some very heavy bordering when streaming a bit of Netflix on their inner displays. Credit: Onleaks, Android Headlines Although it’s nice to have a different style of foldable as it’ll mean more consumer choice, it’s very easy to see the Z Fold Wide as a means of beating the iPhone Ultra to market, Apple’s first-ever foldable, which is said to utilise a similar design. From what we know so far, the Z Fold Wide will weigh in at 201g, making it 14g lighter than the existing Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. It is expected to be 4.5mm thin when unfolded, which is just a tad bigger than the 4.2mm thickness of the Fold 7 in the same state. Rumour has it that the visibility of the crease has been significantly reduced, potentially bringing the Z Fold Wide in line with the Oppo Find N6 , a device that’s known for a near-seamless appearing inner display. The actual look of the Z Fold Wide is no longer left up to the imagination either thanks to several leaks, including one from a supposed Samsung employee. On the latter point, a Korean news outlet spotted a wide-looking Samsung foldable out in the wild, being used by someone at a restaurant. Although this is likely to be a development unit and the final design will almost certainly change, it does give us a rough idea of what the device will feel like in the hand, as it fits more comfortably when closed. DCInside While the snaps of that real-life encounter with the Fold are a bit on the grainy side, the same cannot be said for dummy units posted to X of both the Fold Wide and its larger sibling. These shots show the height disparity between the devices, and provide a closer look of how the Z Fold Wide sits when held one-handed. Let's take a look at the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.(dummy) via 千奇百怪红油派 pic.twitter.com/GQltyjHKZB — Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) June 2, 2026 Because of the taller aspect ratio of the standard Z Fold 8, it’s easy to imagine how that phone might work better for multitasking and typing when unfolded, while the Z Fold Wide will be more preferable to users who game and stream on their phones. Sources: Smartprix | ET News | Ice Universe | Android Headlines (2) | SamMobile | Techmaniacs | DCInside An unfortunate camera downgrade As eager as we are to get our hands on Samsung’s new foldable, there is one fly in the ointment that may scare off potential adopters. Much like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, the Z Fold Wide will only have two rear-facing cameras , ditching the telephoto lens completely. Given that foldables have often struggled to compete with the camera set-ups of traditional candybar-style flagship phones, this could be a notable step backwards unless Samsung can deploy some impressive computational processing to pick up the slack. Anyron Copeman / Foundry The situation only gets worse as more recent rumours now have it that the two sensors on the back will be a 50Mp wide and a 50Mp ultra-wide, meaning that the phone will also be ditching the main 200Mp sensor that the Z Fold 7 pinched from the Galaxy S25 Ultra . If this ends up being the case, that’s a pretty paltry excuse for a phone that’s guaranteed to be closer to £2000/$2000. At the very least, it now seems as though the main 50Mp will take photos at a 24Mp resolution by default and without the need of the Camera Assist function which can be installed via Samsung’s Good Lock infrastructure. A lot of smartphone cameras, even though they boast high megapixel counts, tend to capture images at 12Mp unless prompted otherwise, with the intent of saving on storage, so it does seem as if Samsung is going to really push these cameras so that users can make the most of them. Source: Techmaniacs | Ice Universe Improved charging and battery life At the very least, while the Z Fold Wide’s cameras leave a lot to be desired, there are likely to be a few upgrades in the battery department that should have a positive effect on everyday use. For starters, the battery itself might be a larger 4800mAh cell, which is a notable increase on the 4400mAh equivalent of the Z Fold 7. Working in tandem with that increased battery size are faster 45W charging speeds. Samsung has been fairly stingy with battery upgrades in its phones as of late (just look at the virtually unchanged Galaxy S26+ ), but it’s good to see that that hasn’t been the case here, particularly as foldables need a decent battery life to help you make the most of their larger screens. Source: Techmaniacs That’s all we know about the Galaxy Z Fold Wide for now, but as mentioned earlier, we’ll keep our ears to the ground for any more news in the coming days and weeks to keep this article updated.
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