Samsung to Launch New Passport-Like Foldable Phone: Leaked Specs Revealed [Daily IT Pick]

Samsung Electronics is preparing to launch a new foldable phone that opens horizontally like a passport, tentatively named the "Galaxy Z Wide Fold." Some of the device’s detailed specifications have already been leaked.
According to information leaked on the 17th by Chinese IT tipster "Digital Chat Station," the Galaxy Z Wide Fold will feature a 7.6‐inch main display. The screen is smaller than the 8‐inch panel on the Galaxy Z Fold7, but it reportedly adopts a 4:3 aspect ratio that offers a wider horizontal view.
The mobile application processor (AP), often called the "brain of the smartphone," is expected to be Qualcomm’s latest chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
The battery capacity is expected to be 4,660 milliampere-hours (mAh). The two screens will reportedly be powered by separate batteries rated at 2,267mAh and 2,393mAh. This is higher than the Galaxy Z Fold7’s 4,400mAh battery, but lower than the 5,600mAh capacity of the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold.
The Galaxy Z Wide Fold is expected to debut in the second half of this year alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8.
Apple Inc. is also set to launch its first foldable iPhone in the second half of the year. With Apple iPhone Fold entering the segment, the foldable smartphone market landscape is expected to change rapidly.
The Apple iPhone Fold is expected to come with a 7.8‐inch inner display with a 4:3 aspect ratio and a 5.5‐inch external screen.
Market research firm Counterpoint Research reports that global foldable smartphone shipments in the third quarter of last year rose 14% year-on-year, hitting a record high for a single quarter.
Samsung Electronics captured a 64% share of the foldable market in the third quarter of last year, up 8 percentage points from 56% a year earlier. Its shipments increased 32% year-on-year.
Chinese manufacturers are focusing on expanding their share by leveraging strong domestic demand. In fact, Huawei, Motorola, Honor and Vivo ranked second to fifth in the global foldable smartphone market in the third quarter of last year.
mkchang@fnnews.com Jang Min-kwon Reporter