Samsung is reportedly preparing a broader, more compact-style foldable designed to jump ahead of Apple’s first foldable iPhone. Industry chatter from ET News and prolific leakers suggests a “Wide Fold” concept with a shorter, wider footprint and a near‑square inner display. An image circulating via Ice Universe on Weibo hints at a smaller cover screen than Samsung’s tall-and-slim Fold lineage, signaling a strategic break in form factor to counter Apple’s expected approach.
What a ‘Wide Fold’ likely means
A wide-first foldable typically prioritizes a compact outer display that feels like a normal phone in the hand, then opens to a squarer canvas inside—think roughly 1:1 to 8:7 aspect ratios. We’ve seen this philosophy before: Google’s first Pixel Fold and OPPO’s Find N series embraced a stubbier exterior and a landscape-friendly inner panel. The payoff is immediate utility when closed and excellent split‑screen multitasking when open, with two near‑phone‑sized panes side by side.
If Samsung follows that template, expect a cover screen that’s easier to type on than ultra‑narrow predecessors and an inner display tailored to productivity. A squarer panel can make email, spreadsheets, and note‑taking feel more tablet‑like, while camera viewfinders and media timelines gain space. It’s a different proposition from the tall Fold formula, which maximizes vertical real estate but can feel cramped on the cover display.
Why Samsung wants to move first
When Apple enters a category, it usually expands the market. Getting a rival “Wide Fold” into consumers’ hands before the first iPhone Fold would let Samsung set expectations, capture early adopters, and shape developer priorities around a squarer aspect ratio. Research firms such as IDC and Counterpoint have forecast foldable shipments topping the 20‑million‑unit mark on an annual basis, and competition has intensified as Honor, Huawei, OPPO/OnePlus, and Motorola sharpen their offerings. Samsung can protect share by broadening its portfolio—keeping a classic tall Fold for loyalists while adding a wide variant for those who prefer a compact exterior and a workstation‑class interior.
Design trade‑offs of going wider
A squarer inner display is great for split‑screen apps, but it’s less ideal for video. Most streaming content is framed for 16:9 or cinematic ratios, so a near‑square panel yields heavy letterboxing. Games tuned for tall 20:9 phones may also need UI adjustments. This isn’t a deal‑breaker—Google and OPPO users have managed fine—but it’s a compromise buyers should anticipate.
Hardware engineering gets trickier, too. Wider chassis dimensions can shift weight distribution, potentially affecting one‑handed comfort. Battery capacity, thermal spread, and speaker placement need fresh tuning. Expect Samsung to lean on its latest teardrop‑style hinge to reduce the crease and allow a tighter fold, plus ultra‑thin glass that balances flexibility and scratch resistance. Recent Samsung foldables have been rated for hundreds of thousands of folds; maintaining or surpassing that durability target will be essential if the form factor changes.
Another open question is the S Pen story. A shorter, wider panel is fantastic for sketching and markup, but pen latency, tip feel, and palm rejection must be dialed for the new aspect ratio. If Samsung wants the Wide Fold to double as a pocket notebook, first‑party accessories and software need to reflect that.
Software is the swing factor
Wide foldables live or die by app behavior. Google’s work on large‑screen Android—features introduced through Android 12L and refined since—has made split‑screen, taskbars, and continuity smoother, but many apps still assume a tall phone or a 16:9 tablet. Early Pixel Fold owners praised the ergonomics yet ran into letterboxing and odd layouts from apps that hadn’t been optimized for 6:5‑ish canvases.
Samsung can mitigate this with One UI’s desktop‑like taskbar, drag‑and‑drop, pop‑over windows, and Flex Mode controls. The bigger lift is developer outreach. If Samsung seeds guidance and partnerships with top platforms—social, productivity, video, creative—the Wide Fold could debut with a healthier roster of layouts. That’s especially important if Apple’s foldable lands with strong app support from day one; mindshare will follow the device that runs people’s daily apps best.
What to watch in the supply chain
Look for signs from Samsung Display around near‑square foldable OLED panels in the 7–8‑inch class, as well as shifts in cover glass stacks—ultra‑thin glass versus colorless polyimide—and hinge components rated for tight bending radii. Camera placement is another tell: a wide design could favor a horizontal rear array to reduce wobble and improve landscape capture. Pricing strategy will also reveal intent; a Wide Fold could sit alongside the classic Fold as a co‑flagship rather than a replacement, carving the lineup into “productivity wide” and “media tall.”
The rumored image showing a compact cover display and squarer interior suggests Samsung is serious about meeting Apple on Apple’s likely turf. If it can land the ergonomics, tame letterboxing, and ship with thoughtful software, Samsung’s Wide Fold has a chance to define the conversation before the iPhone Fold even arrives.