Samsung is reportedly developing a second book-style foldable smartphone for release later this year, expanding its foldable portfolio beyond the Galaxy Z Fold range as competition intensifies around smaller, more practical designs.
The device, currently referred to as the Galaxy Z “Wide Fold” in industry reports, appears to sit alongside Samsung’s main Fold lineup rather than replacing it, reflecting a broader strategy to segment foldable form factors.
Reports indicate that Samsung still plans to release the Galaxy Z Fold 8 this summer as the successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, while simultaneously preparing this additional book-style foldable for launch.
The approach suggests Samsung sees room for multiple book-style designs in the market, rather than relying on a single premium foldable to cover both productivity-focused and more compact use cases.
According to South Korean outlet ETNews, Samsung intends to manufacture the Wide Fold in significantly higher volumes than its experimental foldables, including the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition and Galaxy Z TriFold.
Those earlier devices reportedly shipped in the tens or hundreds of thousands, while Samsung is said to be targeting production of roughly one million Wide Fold units under the internal model number SM-F971U.
That figure would still represent less than half the projected lifetime shipments of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, but it signals stronger confidence than Samsung showed in the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.
For comparison, Samsung reportedly expected to ship around 700,000 units of the Flip 7 FE, placing the Wide Fold between limited experimental devices and the company’s mainstream foldable releases.
A tempting, more compact, foldable
Leaks suggest the Wide Fold could unfold to a 7.6-inch internal display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, aligning more closely with tablet-style layouts than Samsung’s current Fold design.
When closed, the device is expected to feature a 5.4-inch cover display, which would make it noticeably smaller than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and closer in footprint to compact book-style foldables.
That size places the Wide Fold closer to devices like Oppo’s early Find N models, such as the N2, which emphasise one-handed usability when closed rather than prioritising a phone-tablet hybrid form factor.
Oppo is also rumoured to be preparing a spiritual successor to the Find N2 for release this year, suggesting renewed interest in smaller book-style foldables across Android manufacturers.
This convergence hints at broader industry preparation for Apple’s expected entry into the foldable market, which is widely anticipated to favour a more compact book-style design over larger foldable phones.
Samsung’s decision to scale production beyond niche experiments suggests the company views this form factor as commercially viable rather than purely exploratory.
The Galaxy Z Wide Fold is expected to launch later this year, with pricing, regional availability, and final specifications likely to be confirmed closer to Samsung’s summer foldable announcements.
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