Samsung is reportedly preparing for a “passport-style” showdown. As of today, December 24, 2025, the rumor mill in South Korea is buzzing about a secret fourth foldable in Samsung’s 2026 lineup—internally dubbed the “Wide Fold.”
The thing is, Samsung spent years making the Z Fold tall and skinny, but with the iPhone Fold rumored for a September 2026 launch with a much wider, iPad-like aspect ratio, Samsung is pivoting.1 Fast. Or nothing. Let’s be real, the current Z Fold 7 is great for scrolling, but it’s a bit of a nightmare for reading e-books or editing docs compared to a wider screen. Those too.
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The “Wide Fold” vs. The iPhone Fold (The 2026 Battle)
[Image comparison: A tall, narrow Z Fold vs. a wider, “passport” style foldable]
Samsung’s plan isn’t just to match Apple’s dimensions; it’s to bring back the one feature power users have been begging for since they were stripped from the Fold 7: the S Pen.
| Feature | Samsung “Wide Fold” (Rumored) | iPhone Fold (Rumored) |
| Inner Display | 7.6-inch (4:3 ratio) | 7.58 – 7.76 inch (4:3 ratio) |
| Cover Display | 5.4-inch (Wider) | ~5.3 – 5.5 inch |
| Stylus Support | Yes (S Pen reintroduced) | No (Rumored to skip Apple Pencil) |
| Launch Window | Fall 2026 | September 2026 |
| Special Tech | Digitizer-less S Pen sensing? | 4.5mm ultra-slim profile |
The S Pen Mystery: Why the 3-Door—Wait, why the Fold 8 won’t have it?
And here’s the kicker: rumors suggest the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (the standard one coming in July) will still focus on being “razor thin” and might skip the S Pen again. To get the stylus back, Samsung reportedly has two paths for this new “Wide” model:
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The Classic Route: Reintroducing the EMR digitizer layer, which makes the phone slightly thicker but gives that 4,096-level pressure sensitivity artists love.2
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The New Tech: Samsung is reportedly testing a digitizer-less display—inspired by how the Apple Pencil works—where the screen itself recognizes the pen without an extra layer of film. This would keep the “Wide Fold” relatively slim.
The “Kicker”: A Crowded Family
It’s an ongoing situation where Samsung’s foldable family is getting massive. In 2026, you might have to choose between the Z Flip 8, the Z Fold 8 (slim), the Z TriFold (the triple-screener), and this new Wide Fold (the Apple-killer).
If you’re a note-taker, the “Wide” version is the one to save up for. It’s expected to borrow the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 and could be the first to feature 25W wireless charging to match the iPhone’s Qi2 speeds.3
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