Samsung's next Galaxy foldable may depart from the tall shape that has defined its book-style phones.
The company will hold its next Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22, 2026, beginning at 2 p.m. BST. Its "A New Shape Unfolds" invitation depicts a tall ticket with its lower section torn away, leaving a shorter silhouette.
Samsung has not named the devices it plans to announce. However, reporting from The Verge indicates that the company may introduce a shorter, wider foldable alongside successors to its existing Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip phones. The conventional Fold successor could adopt the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra name to distinguish it from the new format.
A two-model Fold lineup would mark a notable shift for Samsung. Instead of relying on one book-style design, the company could offer separate models built around different screen proportions and hardware priorities.
A wider Fold could ease its biggest usability compromise
Samsung has gradually made its Fold phones thinner and lighter, but their proportions have remained a trade-off. The narrow cover screens on earlier models could make keyboards, websites, and other everyday interfaces feel cramped, prompting users to open the phone for tasks that would normally stay on a standard handset's outer display.
The new format appears shorter and wider, with proportions closer to a small notebook. That shape could give the cover screen more horizontal room for typing, maps, messaging, and browsing.
A squarer internal display may also provide more usable space for documents, photo editing, and side-by-side apps. Samsung already supports multitasking features such as split-screen layouts, floating windows, and a taskbar on its Fold devices, so the value of the new shape will depend partly on how well One UI adapts those tools to the revised dimensions.
The design will bring trade-offs. A wider body may be less comfortable to hold when closed, while widescreen videos could appear with larger black bars on the nearly square inner display. Apps that do not adapt properly to unusual aspect ratios may also display empty space or awkwardly arranged controls.
The wider proportions therefore need to improve routine use, not simply make the phone look different from Samsung's existing Fold.
Leaked specs point to a lighter but less versatile phone
Unconfirmed specifications suggest that Samsung may also reduce some of the physical bulk associated with book-style foldables.
A leaked specification sheet lists the wider phone at 201 grams, with a thickness of 9.7 mm when closed and 4.5 mm when open. Those measurements would make it 14 grams lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, although slightly thicker when folded.
The leak also describes a 5.5-inch QHD+ cover screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 7.6-inch QHD+ internal screen with a 4:3 ratio. Both displays are said to use 120 Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels.
Other reported specifications include a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, 12 GB of RAM, up to 1 TB of storage, and a 4,800 mAh battery. Samsung has not confirmed any of those details.
Camera hardware may be the wider model's most important compromise. Specifications compiled by TechRadar point to two 50-megapixel rear cameras: one main camera and one ultrawide. The leaked configuration does not include a dedicated telephoto lens.
Removing the telephoto camera could help Samsung control the phone's weight, thickness, or price, but it would leave the device with fewer zoom options than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and other premium phones. Charging speed, water and dust resistance, crease visibility, and S Pen compatibility also remain unconfirmed.
Two Fold models would divide the lineup
The wider phone may sit beside Samsung's traditional Fold rather than replace it.
Under the reported naming structure, the wider device would launch as the Galaxy Z Fold 8, while a taller successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 would become the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. The Ultra model is expected to retain proportions closer to Samsung's current Fold and may include a more extensive camera system.
That distinction would allow Samsung to aim the wider model at buyers who prioritize cover-screen usability and portability while reserving its largest displays and strongest hardware for the Ultra.
Samsung has already experimented with tiered foldable releases. At its July 9, 2025, Unpacked event, it introduced the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7, and lower-priced Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. Launching two Fold models would bring a similar structure to its book-style phones.
The final names remain uncertain. Leaks have referred to the wider device as both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide, while the conventional successor has appeared under the Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra names. Samsung may not resolve the naming until the July 22 event.
Price will define the new Fold's role
Samsung will need to explain more than the new phone's dimensions. The company must establish how the wider Fold differs from a possible Ultra model and which compromises come with each design.
Price will provide the clearest answer.
A lower starting price could position the wider Fold as a more approachable alternative to Samsung's flagship book-style phone. A price close to the existing Fold would instead make it another premium option distinguished mainly by its shape.
The new format appears designed to address familiar Fold complaints, particularly the narrow cover screen and the bulk of carrying a phone that opens into a tablet. Whether it succeeds will depend on the finished cameras, battery life, durability, software support, and price—not simply its ability to fold into a different shape.
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