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The first half of the year will bring a few new Android handsets that some buyers may be waiting for, including the Google Pixel 10a, the Galaxy S25 series, and new Nothing phones. But buyers who want new foldable handsets will likely wait until the second half of 2026 when several devices are expected to hit stores, including Apple’s iPhone Fold, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8, and a surprise third Samsung foldable. The so-called Wide Fold would be unlike anything Samsung has manufactured so far. We don’t have to wait until July or August to see Samsung unveil the Wide Fold, as Android Authority discovered the phone’s purported design in a One UI 9 build from Samsung. Also, the image Samsung uses in its unreleased software may be a good preview of Apple’s iPhone Fold.
Here is your first look at the Samsung’s Wide Galaxy Z Fold
Key details:
• Referenced inside early One UI 9 system animations
• Codename H8 tied to model SM-F971U
• Wider chassis hinted through official assets
• Light and dark variants included in firmware
• Points to a… pic.twitter.com/8TYd3TrCsy— Techolum (@techolum) February 15, 2026
Samsung never attempted to deliver this foldable design, although at least one similar device has appeared before, the Oppo Find N. As you’ll see below, Samsung has increased the width of the Galaxy Z Fold’s cover screen over the years to make it more usable with one hand, which, in turn, increased the width of the unfolded screen. But Galaxy Z Fold models still look like square tablets when unfolded. Apple’s iPhone Fold is rumored to be shorter than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 when folded. The result may be a tablet mode more similar to the iPad mini.
Other rumors claimed that Samsung may release a Fold version similar to Apple’s foldable iPhone, aka the Wide Fold. Android Authority’s finding gives further credence to that. The animation in the software shows the transition between using the handset’s cover screen and the foldable display.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold sizes over the years
Last year, Samsung released the ultra-thin Galaxy S25 Edge several months before Apple unveiled the iPhone Air. The Wide Fold may be part of the same strategy. Samsung may be positioning itself again to better counter a new iPhone design with a similar Galaxy-branded device of its own. That’s not a surprise from the Korean giant, which has preferred to follow in Apple’s footsteps since the original iPhone design.
A look at the Galaxy Z Fold history is enough to prove that Samsung had little motivation to change the Galaxy Z Fold design significantly over the years. What Samsung did with some of its models was to address criticism about the usability of the cover screen by enlarging that display. The Galaxy Z Fold’s height dropped from almost 161 mm in 2019 to 158.4 mm in 2025. The width increased from 62.8 mm in 2019 to 72.8 mm (when folded). When looking at the measurements for the unfolded state, the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s width (143.2 mm) is significantly larger than the 117.9 mm width of the original Galaxy Z Fold.
How big will the iPhone Fold be?
We don’t have measurements for the purported Wide Fold device that leaked in the One UI 9 software, but the leaked design indicates the handset will be even wider than all the Galaxy Z Fold models. The Oppo Find N (above), released in 2021, measures 132.6 by 73.0 by 15.9 mm (folded and 132.6 by 140.2 by 8.0 mm (unfolded). The phone was shorter and wider than its direct competitor from Samsung, the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
The iPhone Fold’s measurements leaked in December, according to iPhone Ticker, coming in at 120.6 by 83.8 by 9.6 mm when folded and 120.6 by 167.6 by 4.8 mm unfolded. For comparison, the iPad mini 7 measures 134.8 by 195.4 mm by 6.3 mm. Separately, rumors also say that Samsung Display will manufacture the creaseless screen Apple needs for the foldable iPhone. At CES 2026, Samsung demoed a foldable display without a crease that may be used in the Galaxy Z Fold 8. All this circumstantial evidence, combined with the One UI 9 animation leak, suggests that the Wide Fold could feature a very similar design to Apple’s iPhone Fold. That’s all speculation, however. Samsung usually holds its second Unpacked event of the year in July or August. That’s where the Wide Fold could be unveiled, assuming Samsung is indeed going forward with this foldable model.
