Samsung's iphone fold clone leaks: a squat 4:3 canvas and a name no one will remember
Samsung’s response to the long-rumoured iPhone Fold just materialised in factory CADs: a 7.6-inch slab that refuses to unfold into the familiar tall rectangle and instead spreads into a squat, almost square 4:3 canvas. The leak, courtesy of the usually airtight Android Headlines pipeline, shows a device barely thicker than a passport when open, yet carrying a camera island that looks ready to snag every pocket seam.
The proportions feel wrong until you watch video
Hold the render sideways and the inner panel resembles two iPad minis stitched together—perfect for 4:3 content, hopeless for cinematic 21:9. Samsung Display has reportedly lobbied hard for the ratio, arguing that most streaming services still pillar-box anyway, so why not own the black bars and give users more vertical space for documents and comics. Engineers inside Suwon call it Project Blackjack, a nod to the old 4:3 monitors that once ruled every desk.
The outer screen shrinks to 5.4 inches, a decision that triggered heated Slack threads between UX and hardware teams. Testers complained the keyboard felt crammed; management countered that a narrower front means less battery drain and a lower BoM. The compromise: a 60 Hz OLED instead of the 120 Hz panel reserved for the vanilla Z Fold 8.
Two cameras, one message: we are not the flagship
Camera count is the quickest way Samsung signals hierarchy. The standard Z Fold 8 keeps the triple-stack; the Wide variant settles for a 50 MP main and a 12 MP ultra-wide, both lifted from last year’s S24. The message is blunt: if you want periscope, pay up. Insiders say the omission shaves 0.3 mm off the chassis and $37 off the bill—cash Samsung needs to undercut whatever Apple asks for the first Fold.
Battery capacity stalls at 4 800 mAh, lower than the 5 500 mAh Apple is reportedly squeezing into its debut foldable. Samsung will counter with 45 W wired charging—twice Apple’s current limit—and a new stacked-cell design that keeps the temperature below 40 °C even when the charger is screaming.
Pricing is the only spec that still moves the needle
Last year’s S25 Edge proved thinness alone can’t justify a four-figure tag; Samsung moved fewer than 400 k units. The lesson: foldable buyers will stomach weird ratios, but not weird ratios at iPhone money. The target for Z Fold 8 Wide is $1 399—$200 south of the standard Fold 8 and, more importantly, $200 below the rumoured iPhone Fold entry point. Carriers have already been briefed: Samsung will subsidise aggressive trade-ins, even for cracked screens, to flood the channel before Apple announces.
The name, however, remains a tire fire. Legal rejected “Galaxy Z Fold Square” for sounding like a chocolate bar. Marketing hates “Wide” because it conjures 2008 TVs. My money on the floor is “Galaxy Z Fold Note”, a nostalgic callback that also admits the thing is basically a miniature tablet that folds in half. Whatever the final badge, the device ships in January 2026—three months before Apple’s spring event. Samsung isn’t trying to win on specs; it’s racing the clock.