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iPhone Fold Rumored Display Size Has Samsung Preparing a Direct Rival

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Samsung aims to produce around 1 million units of its upcoming "Wide Fold" device, in an attempt to directly rival Apple's rumored foldable iPhone expected later this year.

samsung-wide-fold-universeice@2x.jpg
Samsung Wide Fold mockup (Image credit: UniverseIce)​

According to Korea's ETNews, the Wide Fold will see Samsung's largest initial production run for a special model in the past three years. The device is said to feature a 7.6-inch foldable OLED display with a 4:3 aspect ratio when unfolded, and a 5.4-inch cover screen.

Apple is expected to introduce a foldable iPhone this fall with a similar 4:3 inner display ratio. When folded, users will interact with a 5.3-inch outer display that is shorter and wider than a typical iPhone screen, while unfolding it will reveal a larger 7.7-inch iPad-style screen, according to The Information.

Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to sell somewhere between 8 and 10 million units by the end of the year, assuming it launches in 2026 and isn't pushed back into early next year. Either way, it appears that by matching the device's aspect ratio, Samsung is wasting no time going after Apple in a space that the Korean tech giant has so far dominated.

A source quoted in the report says the Wide Fold "is not considered dramatically harder to build than [the] TriFold," and Samsung may increase output depending on the market response. The upcoming Galaxy Z TriFold is expected to have only a limited run of around 200,000 units, compared to the Wide Fold's projected 1 million units. Samsung is expected to launch the TriFold device on January 30, starting at $2,899.

samsung-wide-fold-universeice-2@2x.jpg
Samsung Wide Fold mockup (Image credit: UniverseIce)​

ETNews reports that the Wide Fold will debut alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Flip 8 at Samsung's Q3 Unpacked event in July. If so, that's a change from previous years, when Samsung staggered its special models to avoid cannibalizing sales from its main lineup.
Samsung's overall foldable shipments reportedly exceeded 6 million last year, and the company expects that figure to climb with the Wide Fold joining its portfolio. Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in September.

Article Link: iPhone Fold Rumored Display Size Has Samsung Preparing a Direct Rival
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/01/27/foldable-iphone-samsung-prepares-rival-device/
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Wait a second-- I thought the rumors said the iPhone Fold inner display aspect ratio was meant to be widescreen, more like 16:9. Did I misread the prior rumors? If the inner display is 4:3 square like existing Samsung devices I've seen, that makes me significantly less interested. Thought the whole point of the fat outer screen was to have a wider inner display.
 
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" the report says the Wide Fold "is not considered dramatically harder to build than [the] TriFold,"

Well why TF would it be? What a weirdly inapt comparison. And in fact it should be far easier to build than the TriFold since they've been making Folds for 7 years now.
 
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transpo1 said:
Wait a second-- I thought the rumors said the iPhone Fold inner display aspect ratio was meant to be widescreen, more like 16:9. Did I misread the prior rumors? If the inner display is 4:3 square like existing Samsung devices I've seen, that makes me significantly less interested. Thought the whole point of the fat outer screen was to have a wider inner display.
Click to expand...
Samsung foldables are far from being 4:3, they are much squarer, 4:3 is the iPad aspect ratio (the original iPad and still the 13")
 
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satchmo said:
The advantages of being the supplier of parts for the folding iPhone.

Is there any way Apple could or would disguise the specs from Samsung?
Click to expand...
I'm sure Samsung has to sign an NDA as well as some sort of non-compete to be their supplier. But, since Apple wants the part that samsung supplies, Apple probably has to be reasonable in what the non-compete restricts samsung from doing, otherwise they won't get their display.

The typical formula for this agreement is:
  1. Apple comes out with product.
  2. Samsung mocks it in a new ad.
  3. 6 months later, Samsung comes out with the same product.
This is the way.
 
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This is a repeat of the Samsung Edge copying the iPhone air before it comes out. Seems like Samsung's policy is dictated by Apple to some extent.
Having said that, it's a good thing. Personally, I like this format, so maybe if the iPhone fold is too expensive we may get a samsung wide fold for half the price after 6 months.
 
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MacRumors said:

ETNews reports that the Wide Fold will debut alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Flip 8 at Samsung's Q3 Unpacked event in July. If so, that's a change from previous years, when Samsung staggered its special models to avoid cannibalizing sales from its main lineup.https://www.macrumors.com/2025/12/18/iphone-fold-foldable-launch-pricing-what-to-expect/
Click to expand...

How is that a change from previous years? Samsung usually debuts their Fold devices around that time of the year. S series in Q1 and Folds around Q3.
 
segfaultdotorg said:
Apple missed the boat on this since Android is going to have a trifold phone before Apple even has a bifold. They should scrap the bifold altogether and make it a quadfold!
Click to expand...

I know this was meant to be sarcastic, but all I could think to myself was, "If I wanted to buy a newspaper, I'd just buy a newspaper..."
 
transpo1 said:
Wait a second-- I thought the rumors said the iPhone Fold inner display aspect ratio was meant to be widescreen, more like 16:9. Did I misread the prior rumors? If the inner display is 4:3 square like existing Samsung devices I've seen, that makes me significantly less interested. Thought the whole point of the fat outer screen was to have a wider inner display.
Click to expand...
Never seen such rumors, if the inner screen should be 16:9, the outer screen have to be essentially 8:9, so more or less square.
 
satchmo said:
The advantages of being the supplier of parts for the folding iPhone.

Is there any way Apple could or would disguise the specs from Samsung?
Click to expand...
Well Apple 🍎 couldn’t patent foldable phones or super thin phones and Samsung knows that so they can copy Apple 🍎 all day in those segments.
 
TVreporter said:
$2,899 …

A MacBook Pro can fold for that price with a far bigger screen!
Click to expand...
This simile reminds me of how I used the gyro in the Macbook 2007 and swinged it around using a lightsaber app. I looked like a doofus, but it was a lot of fun. It made more sense to do with my iPhone 4S some years later.
 
Digitalguy said:
This is a repeat of the Samsung Edge copying the iPhone air before it comes out. Seems like Samsung's policy is dictated by Apple to some extent.
Having said that, it's a good thing. Personally, I like this format, so maybe if the iPhone fold is too expensive we may get a samsung wide fold for half the price after 6 months.
Click to expand...
Yeah Apple 🍎 can’t patent foldable phones or moto razor 🪒 thin phones as they’ve already been out. Apple 🍎 can differentiate though by having a industry 1st creaseless foldable phone.
 
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