- A wider Samsung foldable is rumored to be in development
- Early One UI 9 builds may have given us our first look at it
- Both this phone and the iPhone Fold should arrive in 2026
There have been repeated rumors that Samsung will release a wider version of the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 to directly take on the iPhone Fold, and we may now have our first proper glimpse of its design – courtesy of One UI 9.
Builds for the big 2026 Samsung software update have recently leaked, and the team at Android Authority has found an interesting animation hidden in the code. It shows what appears to be a book-style foldable with wider screens than the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
The animation also matches codenames associated with this foldable handset, so it’s likely that these are the dimensions and aspect ratios we can expect. We also get a brief look at the software layout and screen unlocking process.
At the moment, it is not clear when this ‘broad fold’ may see the light of day. The The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 will arrive sometime in July if Samsung sticks to its normal schedule, so any variations of that model could appear a few months later.
Battle of the foldables
Samsung Wide Fold 5.4″/7.6″ 4:3iPhone Fold 5.35″/7.58″ 4:3 pic.twitter.com/9hWLKMIym124 December 2025
So why isn’t the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 the direct competitor to the iPhone Fold? Why is this ‘broad fold’ also necessary? Well, the idea is that Apple’s foldables will have wider screens than the conventional book-style foldables on the market today.
In other words, the phone will have a more square shape when closed and wider when opened. This means we could be in line for a significant battle between Apple and Samsung later this year, with both devices due to arrive sometime in 2026.
Of course, we also now have the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold to consider, which means there’s even more choice for those who want their foldable screens even bigger – even if that phone is very expensive and very hard to come by right now.
This is all unconfirmed and unofficial for now, although evidence is growing that Samsung will release more foldable devices than usual this year – with Apple also apparently considering introducing a foldable foldable.
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