Apple is likely to enter the foldable device market this year, but Samsung is preparing to create a competitor even before the iPhone Ultra launches.
Samsung is set to showcase its latest products at the Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22, and many expect the company to announce a third foldable device to add to the Fold and Flip form factors it has already been selling for years.
This new foldable device will reportedly be shorter and wider, similar in shape to the yet-to-be-announced iPhone Ultra.
Here’s everything you need to know about Samsung’s wide foldable phone ahead of its likely launch later this month.
SEE ALSO:
Samsung finally confirms Galaxy Unpacked release on July 22
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide: when will it arrive?
As mentioned earlier, the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event will take place on July 22nd. The phone likely won’t hit shelves that day, but it should be on sale within a few weeks if precedent holds.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide: what is it called?
This is where things get confusing. While we expect the new wide foldable phone to be called the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, it is not a true successor to the Z Fold 7 (launching in 2025), at least in terms of design.
There will will be the successor to the Z Fold 7, launched alongside a new wide foldable device, but it will reportedly be called the Z Fold 8 Ultra. Hopefully Samsung will clear up the confusion as to why this should be the case.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide: design and specifications
Samsung hasn’t officially announced the Z Fold 8, but we have a good idea of what to expect based on various leaks over the past few months.
Mashable Speed of Light
For example, well-known leaker Sonny Dixon posted images on X back in April purporting to show mock-up cases for a new batch of foldable devices.
Two of them will look familiar to Samsung phone fans, but one of them is decidedly squat and wider than anything the company has ever made. We’re pretty sure it’s the Z Fold 8.
This tweet is currently unavailable. It may be downloading or has been deleted.
There are no official details yet, but host Tarun Vats recently released X’s specs. They include:
5.5-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate.
Internal display with a diagonal of 7.6 inches and a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset for Galaxy
12 GB RAM
256 GB/512 GB/1 TB internal memory
4800 mAh battery
Based on the mockups shown above, the display dimensions appear to be about right. The idea is apparently to have an internal display aspect ratio of around 4:3, which is what Apple is reportedly looking to do with its foldable screen.
This was recently further confirmed by Android Authority, which discovered alleged images of the phone in One UI 9 files.
Yes, this is not your average foldable Samsung.
Credit: Android Authority
As for the other features offered by Tarun Vats, there are no surprises here. The RAM and storage capacity is quite normal for an expensive phone, while the Galaxy’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset has been used in other recent Samsung devices.
All this should ensure smooth operation of the phone. The 4,800mAh battery is about what we’d expect from such a device. We hope it can hold a charge for at least 24 hours.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide: Cameras
This is one area where Samsung seems to be making compromises. The render above from Android Authority shows that the Z Fold 8 only has two rear cameras. It’s not perfect: the Z Fold 7 had three, and we expect the same from the Z Fold 8 Ultra.
Tarun Vats’ list of specs suggests that they won’t be the most powerful lenses in the world either. A 50MP wide lens and a 50MP ultra-wide lens with two 10MP selfie cameras may seem impressive, but it’s a far cry from the 200MP primary lens we got on the Z Fold 7.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide: price
It’s impossible to say how much this phone will cost before it’s announced. RAMageddon is very real, and foldable devices have already cost around $2,000. to the memory became impossible to recover.
Don’t be surprised if this phone, even with its weaker cameras, is out of your price range.