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Samsung has been taken aback by the overwhelming support for its wider foldable. Launched in July, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 has already proved a "smash hit" and the company is said to have ordered a million more units to be manufactured.
It also bodes well for the iPhone Ultra – Apple's first foldable that will reportedly come in a very similar form factor, and likely with the exact same folding display. We'll find out just how popular that will be too, when it will almost certainly launch early September.
But, it seems, Samsung is not going to wait until then to double down (or, in fact, up) on its own success story. It seems that it's already making plans to release two wider foldable phones next year.
According to trusted leaker Ice Universe, Samsung roadmap for folding devices next year includes another new foldable with a wider display, in addition to a follow-up to the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Citing his X post as an "ETnews exclusive", the online leaker claims there will be five new Samsung foldables in 2027, although doesn't say whether the new wide model will be a cheaper or more premium device than the Z Fold 8 replacement.
If genuine, we'll be getting the following new phones around this time next year:
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 9
- New wide-format Samsung Galaxy Z Fold model
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 9 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 9
- Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold 2
That's a whole lot of new foldable handsets, with pretty much something for every budget.
"Samsung has clearly tasted the benefits of expanding its foldable form factors, and next year it plans to go even further," he posted.
And what about other manufacturers
With Apple soon to announce its own, it is surely just a matter of time before other manufacturers adopt the new form factor too.
Xiaomi is already rumoured to have a wider device in the works, and anyone who has had a play with the Z Fold 8 will understand why.
Unlike conventional book-style foldables, the wider format allows the inner display to provide a wider aspect ratio – more akin to an iPad mini. And while it means the outer screen is more square in shape, video content, games, and all manner of other applications look better on a 4:3 display.
It might take a little getting used to, but our tech editor Mike Lowe believes that it could be the future of foldables full stop: "Much as the Galaxy Z Fold 8's passport-sized form could have proved a floundering move for Samsung, having used this unique Android device for a full working week, I think it's opened new borders," he wrote in his review.
It seems Samsung agrees.
