New Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide dummy unit shows off its 'insane thinness', and tells us just how worried Samsung is about the iPhone Fold

• We've got a newly leaked look at the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide
• It could be the thinnest Samsung foldable to date
• A 'wide' foldable iPhone from Apple is also expected this year

This could be the year when the foldable phone market really gets interesting, and a new leak has given us what could be our best hint yet at the design of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide — and it looks to be an impressively thin phone.

Well-known tipster Sonny Dickson described the thinness as "insane" when showing off a short clip of a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide dummy unit. These physical mock-ups are made from information sourced from the supply chain, and give accessory makers a chance to get their wares ready ahead of time.

The leaker compares the thinness of the foldable to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge — when unfolded, at least — but the replies to the original post are less positive, with adjectives like "weird" and "chunky" used to describe the handset.

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Based on information recently sourced by SamMobile, this 'wide' foldable will actually be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8, while the true successor to last year's Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is going to be named the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Here comes Apple

If you're wondering where this 'wide' nomenclature has come from, it describes the shorter, wider aspect ratio for the phone display — both when opened and closed. It's a move away from the tall and narrow screens of current book-style foldables.

While the currently popular form factor — used on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, for example — means foldables are more like standard phones when closed, when they're opened out they're rather square-ish. With wider displays, foldables will be more like conventional tablets when opened (and better for use cases like watching movies).

This change hasn't come out of nowhere: the long-rumored iPhone Fold is expected to use a wide form factor, with something like a 4:3 aspect ratio when open. Samsung clearly wants to get ahead of Apple on this, as Huawei has already done.

All the indications are that the foldable iPhone is launching in September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, perhaps with new hinge technology that makes the crease almost invisible. For foldable phone fans, there's a lot to look forward to.

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