Samsung is reportedly making a last-minute adjustment to its foldable strategy, and it suggests the company is increasingly confident about where the market is headed.
According to a report from South Korea’s ETNews, Samsung has raised production targets for its upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8, a new foldable expected to feature a 4:3 aspect ratio. The company is now reportedly planning to produce 2.8 million units of the device, up from an earlier target of 2 million.
By comparison, Samsung is expected to manufacture around 2 million Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra units and 1.5 million Galaxy Z Flip 8 units, making the standard Fold 8 the company’s highest-volume foldable this year. Notebookcheck independently reported the revised production figures, citing the ETNews report.
The reported change comes just days before Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, where the company is expected to unveil three new foldable smartphones.
Samsung believes the future of foldables is getting wider
The biggest shift this year isn’t the number of devices Samsung plans to launch. It’s the design philosophy behind them. According to ETNews, Samsung is introducing a new “Wide Fold” model with a 4:3 display ratio, replacing the narrower form factor that has defined the Galaxy Z Fold lineup for years.
The wider design is expected to offer a more tablet-like experience, making web browsing, reading documents, and viewing photos feel more natural while reducing the need for aggressive cropping. The publication reports that the Fold 8 will feature a 7.6-inch internal display and a 5.4-inch external display, while positioning it below the Fold 8 Ultra in Samsung’s lineup.
What’s particularly notable is Samsung’s apparent confidence in the model. The company had reportedly planned to split production more evenly between the Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra before gauging early demand. Instead, it has now shifted more manufacturing capacity toward the standard Fold 8, suggesting it expects the wider form factor to resonate more strongly with consumers.
Apple’s foldable ambitions may already be influencing the market
The timing of the production shift has sparked speculation across the industry. Apple is widely rumored to unveil its first foldable iPhone later this year, and multiple reports have suggested the device could also adopt a 4:3 aspect ratio. ETNews claims Apple’s entry is already encouraging smartphone makers to rethink display proportions, with industry insiders expecting the wider format to become the next benchmark for premium foldables.
Whether Apple’s unreleased device is directly responsible for Samsung’s production changes remains impossible to verify. Samsung has been refining foldable displays for years and may simply believe wider screens offer a better user experience. But the fact that supply chain reports are already linking Samsung’s strategy to Apple’s expected arrival highlights how influential the iPhone maker remains, even before announcing a product.
Samsung still leads the foldable smartphone market, but the competition is about to become much more intense. If Apple’s long-rumored foldable finally arrives this year, the battle may no longer be about who makes the thinnest hinge or the brightest display. Instead, it could come down to something as fundamental as the shape of the screen itself.
