Foldable phones aren’t a new thing anymore, but what’s new this year is that Apple is almost certainly joining Samsung and Google in launching a phone in a foldable form factor – and the launch is big enough to prompt a change in strategy from Samsung, which is now in its eighth year of launching Galaxy Z Fold models.
If you’ve been following the rumors, you’ll know that Samsung is expected to reveal both a standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 and a “wide” version of the phone when the next Unpacked arrives on Wednesday, July 22.
This is most likely because the iPhone Ultra (or iPhone Fold if you prefer) is expected to adopt the wide form factor itself. By wide, we mean the phone is shorter and wider than previous book-style foldables, whether open or closed.
So why this design change this year? Is it likely to drive more foldable phone sales? And should you consider getting a Galaxy Z Fold 8, iPhone Ultra, or Google Pixel Fold 11 in the coming months? As a tech journalist who’s been using foldable phones for years now, I can tell you what’s going on.
The rumors so far
Rumors around a foldable iPhone are nothing new, but for months it’s been clear that this is the year that speculation finally turns into an actual device: there have been so many rumors, from so many well-placed sources, that it would now be a huge surprise if the iPhone Ultra didn’t appear around September.
As the rumors began to gain momentum, we saw a recurring theme: the iPhone Ultra’s screens will be shorter and wider than is typical for a device like this. We’re expecting a 5.5-inch cover screen and a 7.8-inch main screen, which would make it smaller overall than foldables produced by Samsung and Google.
Thanks to leaks like this 3D CAD mockup, we have a pretty good idea of what Apple’s phone will look like, and it might be the most interesting design choice on this device (although I’m also looking forward to seeing how “invisible” Apple managed to create this crease, which will go a long way in determining how attractive the phone is).
On the Samsung side, and around the same time that it appeared that Apple was taking a shorter, wider approach with its foldable, we learned that Samsung was releasing its own version – presumably to please those who would otherwise choose Apple for their next foldable phone.
Originally known as the Galaxy Z Fold Wide, it now appears that this handset will receive the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 moniker, while the ‘normal’ foldable will become the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (try to follow along on the back). You’ll have a direct choice between Samsung and Apple when it comes to this more “chubby” approach to foldable design.
Google, meanwhile, doesn’t appear to be changing its approach for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold (due Wednesday, August 12): that means this phone will instead be the size of a normal handset when closed and have a squarer screen when open, and that brings us to why these large foldables are showing up.
The foldable phone experience
For as long as foldable devices have existed, manufacturers have had to balance two experiences: what the phone looks like when closed and what it feels like when opened. A foldable phone needs to score well on both counts to entice consumers to consider spending the money, but to date there have been almost too many compromises.
As a tech journalist, I’ve had the privilege of using several foldable phones, including several months with a Pixel 9 Pro Fold that Google lent me. Here’s the problem: Most of the time I used this phone, I kept it closed. I didn’t really need to upgrade to a larger screen, although it’s an impressive feat of engineering to have both screens in one device.
Now, part of the appeal of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold – as mentioned prominently in our review – is that it feels like a “normal” phone when closed. But if that’s one of the main selling points, it begs the question of why you wouldn’t just buy a normal PIxel, which will be significantly cheaper and much thinner.
The trade-off between sticking to a standard display aspect ratio when a foldable is closed is that the larger screen is more or less square. That means a big black letterbox when watching videos and playing a lot of games, and when I’ve used foldables in the past, I’ve usually ended up watching movies and shows with the phones closed and in landscape orientation.
This brings us back to what Apple and Samsung are doing this year. A square screen is still useful for certain tasks, like browsing the web and viewing two apps side-by-side, but these new foldables will have a more tablet-like 4:3 aspect ratio when opened. This will make them much better at watching video content and gaming (and much more like an iPad, in Apple’s case).
After all, the whole point of a book-style folding book is that bigger screen – and in 2026, that’s the screen Samsung and Apple are going to focus on, even if it means the handsets will look rather odd when closed. The folding passport-style model is the future, and I think it will be a successful change.
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