Leaks have pointed to a wider Samsung foldable for months, almost as long as we\u2019ve been told that Apple\u2019s first foldable will be similarly squat<\/a>. Samsung itself has all but admitted the new design is on the way, teasing<\/a> \u201ca new shape\u201d for foldable phones, while its Unpacked invites show the top part of a ticket stub torn off to leave a shorter part behind.<\/p>\n A wider foldable isn\u2019t entirely new. Huawei was first to the punch this year with its passport-shaped Pura X Max<\/a>, but this design goes back even further. Google\u2019s initial Pixel Fold<\/a> was wider than most, as was Oppo\u2019s Find N<\/a>, and Microsoft\u2019s unusual dual-screen Surface Duo<\/a> was even wider. Perhaps ironically, the main reason these wider foldables died out is because Samsung itself rejected the design, quickly optimizing its Fold phones toward slim outer screens and square inner ones.<\/p>\n The first Pixel Fold was wide, but the design never caught on. Photo by Chris Welch \/ The Verge<\/p>\n Samsung had the influence to shift the market because until now it\u2019s been the major player in foldables. It combined a first-mover advantage with its sheer size and clout to dominate sales<\/a> and largely dictate the direction of the market. It\u2019s only in recent years that competitors\u2019 hardware innovations, including nearly creaseless displays and reliable dustproofing, have pushed Samsung into playing catchup, but last year the company reasserted itself with the impressively thin design of the Z Fold 7<\/a> and the edge-to-edge cover screen of the Z Flip 7<\/a>, its two most complete foldables yet.<\/p>\n The dynamic is about to change. There\u2019s always a bigger fish, and in this case that\u2019s Apple. Industry experts have long predicted that Apple\u2019s entry into the market was the only thing that could bring foldables from a niche interest to a mainstream hardware category, and all evidence suggests that in September we\u2019ll find out if that\u2019s true. \u201cThe launch of Apple\u2019s first foldable iPhone will mark a turning point for the foldable segment,\u201d says IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo in a report predicting<\/a> the company will claim an enormous 34 percent of the foldable market by value in its first year.<\/p>\n To carry on with the aquatic metaphors, Samsung will hope that a rising tide lifts all boats, increasing the size of the foldable market for everyone. But there\u2019s just as big a risk that Apple\u2019s arrival leaves Samsung floundering, eating into its sales and disrupting the market dominance it\u2019s spent seven years building.<\/p>\n Getting ahead of Apple with a similar form factor seems like smart insurance. The worst case for Samsung might be unanimous agreement that the foldable iPhone is excellent, with nothing in its stable that compares. Introducing a wider foldable now eliminates at least that risk, while keeping its regular Flip and Fold designs around would provide cover in case those remain more popular.<\/p>\n Samsung\u2019s last foldable experiment, the triple-layered TriFold, was short-lived. Photo: Allison Johnson \/ The Verge<\/p>\n Still, aping Apple carries risks, as Samsung knows all too well. Just look at how the Galaxy S25 Edge<\/a> worked out. Samsung\u2019s slim phone arrived just months before Apple introduced the iPhone Air<\/a> and must have felt like a fairly safe bet. Sales never materialized though, and even the Air has been a disappointment for Apple<\/a>. Then there\u2019s Samsung\u2019s previous foldable experiment, the Galaxy Z TriFold, which lasted less than three months<\/a> in the US market. It remains to be seen if we\u2019ll ever see a sequel.<\/p>\n We won\u2019t know until tomorrow exactly what Samsung has in store, and how novel its wider foldable will prove to be. It could be another two months before we see Apple\u2019s response, and months beyond that before we know if it transforms the foldable phone market the way analysts expect. Either way, Samsung can\u2019t afford to wait to find out. 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