The Apple iPhone Fold is due this year – but Samsung is rumored to have a rival device that we just got an early look at

• A wider Samsung foldable is rumored to be in development
• Early One UI 9 builds may have given us our first look at it
• Both this phone and the iPhone Fold are due to arrive in 2026

There have been repeated rumors that Samsung is going to release a wider version of the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 to take on the iPhone Fold directly, and we may now have our first proper glimpse of its design – courtesy of One UI 9.

Builds for the major 2026 Samsung software update have recently leaked, and the team at Android Authority has found an interesting animation hidden in the code. It shows what seems to be a book-style foldable with wider displays than the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

The animation also matches up with codenames associated with this folding handset, so it’s likely that these are the dimensions and aspect ratios we can expect. We also get a brief look at the software layout and screen unlocking process.

At the moment it’s not clear when this ‘wide fold’ might see the light of day. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is due sometime in July, if Samsung sticks to its normal schedule, so any variations on that model may show up a couple of months later.

Battle of the foldables

So why isn’t the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 the direct competitor to the iPhone Fold? Why is this ‘wide fold’ also needed? Well, the thinking is that Apple’s foldable will have wider screens than the conventional book-style foldables on the market today.

In other words, the phone will be a squarer shape when closed, and wider when opened up. That means we could be in line for a significant Apple vs Samsung battle later in the year, with both devices set to arrive sometime during 2026.

Of course we also now have the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold to factor in as well, which means there’s even more choice for those who want their foldable screens even bigger – though that phone is very expensive, and very hard to get hold of right now.

This is all unconfirmed and unofficial for now, though the evidence is growing that Samsung is going to release more foldables than normal this year – with Apple also thinking about introducing a flip-style foldable too, apparently.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.