Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide is a pre-emptive strike against Apple's foldable iPhone, experts say

Can Samsung's passport-style Galaxy Z Fold 8 save a contracting smartphone market? India Today Tech tries to find out.

In Short

• Samsung is shifting its foldables into a broader multi-tiered flagship portfolio
• The new 4:3 inner display aims to improve apps and multitasking
• Analysts say crease reduction could address a major barrier to adoption

Experts believe the wide-screen Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 launching globally today at Galaxy Unpacked is a calculated pre-emptive strike against Apple which is widely expected to debut its own foldable iPhone later this year. The Fold 8 not only gives Samsung an early head-start but more importantly, it may hold the key to jump-starting an otherwise declining smartphone market despite a higher price tag compared to last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Samsung is all but confirmed to be splitting its 2026 flagship foldables into a multi-tiered lineup, led by a shorter, wider, passport-style Galaxy Z Fold 8 alongside a premium albeit more conventional Z Fold 8 Ultra. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 should ideally tag along completing the portfolio. But it is largely the Galaxy Z Fold 8 wide which is drawing considerable interest from enthusiasts and analysts alike given its touted “new shape” coming hot on the heels of the limited release Galaxy Z TriFold. The Fold 8 is expected to be a much more mainstream affair—compared to the trifold—with relatively unlimited availability.

It is Apple versus Samsung again

With the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Samsung is shifting focus toward a new 4:3 aspect ratio when unfolded, giving the outer shell a natural “passport-style” shape that—at least in theory—should account for the look and feel of a standard smartphone when closed. Existing Z Fold models are more book-style with tall and narrow cover screens. Moving to a 4:3 inner ratio leads to a more mini-tablet-like experience matching the modern app ecosystem, reducing awkward letterboxing and maximising screen space for daily workflows.

Independent tech analyst Yogesh Brar believes this launch marks a crucial inflection point for Samsung's mobile division.

“After years of incremental updates, they (Samsung) are shifting from a simple binary lineup to a multi-tiered foldable portfolio,” Brar tells India Today Tech. “The lineup now includes a passport-style Z Fold 8 (wide) and a book-style ultra-premium Z Fold 8 Ultra. By changing the naming scheme, Samsung is using the wide fold as a mass-market product directly competing with the upcoming Apple (iPhone) Fold.”

Brar highlights that Samsung is finally tackling long-standing durability concerns head-on by introducing Flex Titanium technology to practically eliminate display creases—one of the last major design hurdles holding back mainstream adoption.

Apple's long-rumoured entry into the foldable space is projected to capture nearly 30% of the market share almost overnight. By launching a passport-style device first, Samsung aims to establish the benchmark for wide foldables before Apple can claim the narrative.

Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, points out that the foldable market in 2026 is moving away from novelty toward clear utility.

“As the foldable market continues to mature, the focus in 2026 is expected to shift away from experimentation toward clearer value definition,” Pathak says. “Most of the content we consume daily was never optimised for earlier book-style foldables; a wider design with a 4:3 aspect ratio when unfolded solves this issue and leverages the current app ecosystem optimised for tablets.”

Pathak emphasises that these refinements strengthen Samsung’s leadership ahead of Apple’s entry, building consumer confidence in the category before Cupertino enters the market. Brar somewhat agrees with the assessment, calling the redesign an ergonomic correction that doubles as a competitive wall.

“This redesign is a strategic pre-emptive strike on Apple, since Apple’s upcoming foldable will also utilise a wider form factor with a 4:3 inner display,” says Brar. “By launching the Fold 8 now, Samsung is standardizing this aspect ratio and ensuring it controls the hardware narrative when direct comparisons begin later this year.”

Beyond watching videos or browsing social media, the shift to a wider 4:3 display coincides with the rise of agentic AI features built directly into mobile operating systems. The new form factor should make way for more natural interaction whereas in the past, managing multi-app workflows might have felt—for the lack of a better word—constrained.

“Larger screens in smartphones are becoming more important as AI assistants move into multitasking, task execution, and workflows across multiple apps,” Pathak explains. “Tasks such as summarizing documents, editing content, managing schedules, and moving information across apps all benefit from more screen space and a more flexible layout. For Samsung, a wider Fold model offers a stronger canvas to show how foldables support AI-assisted productivity.”

Reality check

While hardware refinements and thinner chassis are welcome news, buyers should prepare their wallets. Driven by surging memory costs, prices are climbing across the entire category. But despite an estimated 10% to 15% price increase over previous models, analysts don't expect higher prices to cool demand among premium buyers.

“The ultra-premium price segment provides OEMs with greater room to absorb rising component costs,” Pathak points out. “At the same time, attractive financing and trade-in offers reduce the effective purchase cost, sustaining consumer demand. As a result, the impact of price hikes is expected to be minimal on the foldable smartphone segment.”

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is expected to see a noticeable price bump, pushing its starting point toward $1,200 globally, or roughly Rs 1,19,999 in the Indian market, according to Brar. Meanwhile, the wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 lineup is projected to start near Rs 1,74,999, with the top-tier Z Fold 8 Ultra scaling well past Rs 2,00,000.

The contrast between general smartphone sales and foldable growth is particularly pronounced in emerging markets like India. According to Navkendar Singh, Associate Vice President of Client Devices at IDC India, foldables are bucking broader market slowdowns.

“In India, in 2025, foldable shipment volume was around a little more than half a million (5,00,000),” Singh says. “Samsung held almost 90% share and out of that, 60% of their volume comes from the Fold, not the Flip. The Fold is a much more in-demand product.”

Singh highlights that even as the overall Indian smartphone market is projected to contract by 13–14% (dropping from 152 million units to around 131 million), foldable volume is expected to rise toward 1 million units in 2026.

“In a declining market, foldables are expected to go up,” Singh adds. “Apple's entry will be an important milestone in the foldable journey because although Samsung has been doing it for seven or eight years, Apple will really bring focus on this category. Both Samsung and Apple will benefit from the increased consumer attention.”

Clearly, the idea is that when Apple finally steps onto the foldable stage, it will be playing on a field Samsung has already had a fair bit of practice on. Whether this early-mover advantage would translate into sales, only time will tell.

- Ends