Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. will expand its lineup by launching one more 'Wide Fold' model next year, which is currently gaining popularity.
The Wide Fold is a foldable form factor whose width is longer than its height when unfolded. This is interpreted as Samsung having confirmed demand for wide models with the 4:3 screen ratio 'Galaxy Z Fold 8' introduced this year.
As a result, the number of foldable phones Samsung is preparing aiming at next year's market will increase to a total of five, adding a tri-fold and another Wide Fold to the three models that appeared this year.
According to the industry on Aug. 17, Samsung started development projects for two wide foldable phones as the Galaxy Z 9 series lineup for next year and shared this content with suppliers.
Multiple industry officials said, “Another Wide Fold development project has been pursued recently,” adding, “As the project is currently in its initial stage, specific specifications have not been released yet.” They added, “It will be a plan to make a screen ratio more optimized for viewing videos than the 4:3 screen ratio launched this year.”
Samsung is developing the 'Tri-Fold', a twice-folding foldable phone, for launch next year in addition to the Flip, Fold, and Fold Ultra launched this year. The foldable phones being prepared for debut next year, including the new Wide Fold, are identified as five models in total.
Until last year, Samsung had released foldable phones with longer heights in the form of 'Fold 8 Ultra', but this year, it brought the wide-type Fold 8 whose width is longer than its height to the market.
The Fold 8 is leading success by accounting for a 70% share in domestic pre-orders for the Galaxy Z 8 series. Powered by the popularity of the Fold 8, the Galaxy Z 8 series recorded 1.44 million units in pre-orders, the highest among all Samsung smartphones in history. This is a 39% increase compared to the previous model (1.09 million units).
Samsung is interpreted to be developing another wide model encouraged by this response. The intention is to target diverse tastes of consumers by choosing the form factor diversification of the Wide Fold as a card to raise the growth rate of foldable phones, which had been growing slowly.
Attention is focused on whether Samsung will overcome concerns over cannibalization among wide models and ultimately release the new Wide Fold. The new Wide Fold can achieve the goal of market expansion only when it draws new demand that increases foldable phone penetration rather than substituting existing model demand.
