If you’re a foldable fan, this summer’s set to be a memorable one.
Not only is Samsung said to be releasing an entirely new foldable form factor, but Google’s Pixel foldable is rumoured to slim down and get serious about camera hardware – and we’ll even see Apple’s long-awaited foldable if the stars align.
Could this be the summer that foldables finally jump from niche prospect to mainstream option? It’s quite possible – as long as we ignore the insane price tags that are likely to come alongside them, anyway.
A very exciting Samsung foldable release
Things are set to kick off in a few weeks’ time at Samsung’s annual summer edition of Galaxy Unpacked where it’s all but confirmed to be releasing its next-gen foldables. Teasers suggest as much, even if Samsung hasn’t explicitly confirmed it just yet.
What’s more, Samsung is actively teasing a new foldable form factor for this year’s lineup. Now if you’ve been following rumours, this won’t be much of a surprise – the rumoured ‘wide’ foldable has been consistently leaking over the past few months – but it’s great to see some kind of confirmation from Samsung that we’ll actually be seeing it this month.
As for what to expect, all the leaks point towards a shorter, squatter foldable more akin to the original Pixel Fold than last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7. The specifics are yet to be confirmed, but it’s alleged to sport a 7.5-inch screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio on its inner panel that’d arguably be better suited to big-screen gaming and movie watching than the Fold 7’s near 1:1 alternative.
It won’t be quite as capable as the Fold 8 Ultra – essentially the successor to the Fold 7 from last year with the same design – with a rumoured dual-camera setup compared to the Ultra’s trio of lenses, but it’s said to sport the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset.
Though not as exciting as the wider Fold 8, the 8 Ultra is also tipped to get a few key upgrades. Recent rumblings suggest a slightly slimmer (4.1mm) phone with a massively reduced crease alongside a bigger 5000mAh battery, faster 45W charging and that same 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset. With such a big redesign last year, it’s more about refinement this year.
Last, but by no means least, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is said to offer a slimmed-down profile, down 0.5mm to 13.2mm when folded, along with an official dust rating to go alongside its water resistance, allegedly IP48. And, like the other foldables, the crease on the inner screen is said to be massively reduced compared to last year’s Z Flip 7.
But that’s only the start of the summer of foldables.
Google’s foldable is getting a much-needed glow-up
Google has confirmed that we’ll be seeing the Pixel 11 collection on 12 August, and unless something has gone horribly wrong behind closed doors, that should include the successor to last year’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
The 10 Pro Fold was an excellent foldable in some ways – it had a big 5015mAh battery and it was the first foldable to offer full IP68 dust and water resistance – but let’s be honest, compared to the 4.2mm Z Fold 7, it was a bit chunky.
That’s all said to change this year, however. Recent CAD leaks reveal a drastically slimmer body, down to just 4.8mm unfolded and 10.1mm folded, and while that’s still slightly off the slimmest foldables around, it’s a big improvement on the 10 Pro Fold’s 5.2mm and 10.8mm.
It’s also said to get a complete camera overhaul to better match the high-end price tag, with the most recent whispers pointing towards an all-new 50MP main camera, a massively boosted 48MP ultrawide and a matching 48MP periscope lens. Google has always had a great reputation for its camera performance, so it’s great to hear that could finally be making its way to its foldable.
Pair all that with Android 17’s genuinely helpful-looking Gemini upgrades and Google’s first 2nm chipset in the Tensor G6, and the next Pixel foldable could finally be easy to recommend. We’ll see.
The fabled foldable iPhone is almost here
Things are set to culminate in early September with the long-awaited reveal of Apple’s first foldable iPhone. Yep, it’s finally happening – well, as sure as we can be right now anyway.
The iPhone Ultra is said to sport a similar passport-style design to Samsung’s upcoming Z Fold 8, with a squarer 5.5-inch cover screen that opens up to something similar to an iPad mini. It’s not quite as large as Apple’s smallest tablet, with a 7.8-inch screen, but it’s not far off either.
According to rumours, Apple is working hard to make the crease as minimal as possible – though it’ll be interesting to see how it compares to Samsung’s efforts, as well as those of Oppo and its Find N6. The N6 currently holds the title for the least-visible crease, in my eyes at least.
It’s also said to be a relatively slim foldable, measuring somewhere between 4.5mm and 4.8mm when unfolded, though that puts it closer to the Pixel 11 Pro Fold than the Z Fold 8 Ultra if rumours are to be believed.
That’s said to be paired with A20 power, a dual 48MP camera setup, a relatively large battery in the 5400-5800mAh range, and, of course, an iOS experience tailored to foldables.
It’s the latter that I’m arguably most excited about; sure, Android foldable makers might have the edge on hardware, but seeing iOS on a foldable is something I’ve been waiting for, for years. And we’ve only got a couple of months left to wait.
It’s just a shame that with a rumoured price tag of up to $2500, I’ll probably have to sell a kidney to buy one.
Regardless of whether you’re a long-time foldable fan or a curious consumer waiting for the right time to invest, this summer’s foldable launches are set to be massive.
