In summar
- Samsung ‘Wide Fold’ tipped
- Wider, perfectly square internal display
- Could pre-empt foldable iPhone in 2026
Samsung is reportedly working on a new foldable phone for 2026 with a wider aspect ratio.
According to South Korean website ETNews , Samsung is planning to follow up on the well-received Galaxy Z Fold 7 with two large foldable phones in 2026.
One of those full-sized foldables will be a so-called ‘Wide Fold’, which is being described as a pre-emptive strike ahead of Apple’s entry to the foldable market later in the year.
The report claims that Samsung’s new foldable option will come with “a screen ratio that is shorter vertically when folded, but longer horizontally” (via machine translation).
In other words, both screens will be noticeably wider than the current Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 offering. The cover display is expected to be a stouter 18:9 aspect ratio, which will result in a perfectly square 18:18 internal display.
Ice Universe
Established leaker Ice Universe has posted a concept image of what the Galaxy Wide Fold will look like over on Weibo .
This will mirror Google’s approach with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (and, from next month, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold), but should also match Apple’s rumoured approach.
What to make of the ‘Samsung Wide Fold’
It’s a somewhat unusual claim. Is Samsung really going to launch two ostensibly similar full-sized foldable phones at the same time, with the key difference being a slightly different aspect ratio? It seems like an unusual plan to us if so.
Surely there’ll be more points of differentiation when it comes to the wider specification of this new foldable. The report claims that Samsung is still nailing down the details on this front, but a plan should be in place by the end of this month or early October.
Of course, this doesn’t even factor in Samsung’s heavily rumoured double-foldable Galaxy TriFold model, which is expected to launch as a severely limited edition in November.
After building an early lead in the foldable market, Samsung is clearly working all the angles ahead of Apple’s belated but inevitably disruptive entry in late 2026 or 2027.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.
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