If Apple's Foldable iPhone Looks Like The Galaxy Z Fold 8, It's Dead On Arrival

Samsung held its traditional Unpacked event to reveal not only updates to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, but it also introduced an all-new foldable model that looks a lot like what Apple might introduce this September. Samsung upgraded what used to be the Fold 7 to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which takes even more features from the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Meanwhile, the new entry-level foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, now has an outer 5.5-inch display in a 10:16 aspect ratio, and when unfolded, it features a 7.6-inch screen with a 4:3 ratio, like old tube TVs used to have — this format is what Apple is expected to unveil as its first foldable.

Samsung says that this product has been "reimagined" for users who want a foldable that feels "natural in the moments when curiosity turns into deeper discovery," as the display ratios have been designed around "the way people naturally consume content throughout the day." The company also says this format offers "a more immersive experience whether users are browsing, watching, reading, or gaming."

From what I've seen from media and influencers' hands-on and first experiences, the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 doesn't solve current issues, and it only creates solutions for problems most people don't have. Even with premium specs, this is not a productivity device–however, it could be your favorite, expensive new Kindle.

Technology evolves with time. While foldable devices are no longer just an experiment, they also don't represent a big market even after eight years of existence. In Europe, for example, it only represents 1.5% of the smartphone market, and while Counterpoint Research says the U.S. market might grow by 68% with Apple, it doesn't mean suddenly 20% of all phones sold in a future quarter will be foldables.

Market aside, what would make someone spend over $1,800 for a passport-like foldable device? When consuming social media like Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat, the 10:16 aspect ratio is far from ideal. Even when you have software compatible with the 4:3 aspect ratio, as Instagram now offers an iPad app, whenever you're consuming Reels or Stories, you just have huge black bars. The solution? Maybe you want to have TikTok and Instagram side by side to watch double the videos; it wouldn't be weird at all.

Another important point that media and tech companies mention is that these foldable devices, when opened, can boost productivity. With MKBHD's hands-on video on YouTube, for example, you can see how he has a web browser open while scrolling through the Weather app. Big multitasking, I know. Whenever you need to start typing, the keyboard takes half of the full display, and productivity is gone. Of course, you can drag and drop files from one side to the other, but is it worth the premium price?

The market has a consensus that once Apple joins the foldable race, it will solve the biggest issues with the segment. Still, year after year, fans keep asking the company to make the iPad a proper productivity machine, and it continues to deliver a beautiful device with several limitations that a Mac doesn't have. In a scenario where the memory crisis makes the company raise prices, the truth is that the first foldable will cost over $2,000. It's a lot of money for a phone that, allegedly, won't even have a telephoto lens.

Obviously, Apple will give its foldable beautiful round corners, the best of iPadOS like Window Tiling or at least Split View and Slide Over, and the product will likely be gorgeous. Still, the company will deliver a weird aspect ratio that might not be useful for everyday tasks. On my iPhone, I chat with friends, I watch TikTok-like videos, take photos, and whenever I'm on YouTube, I already have the ideal aspect ratio in landscape mode. I'd say you probably do the same.

I'm all in for innovation, but when innovation offers me fewer features and overcharges the experience, I feel like Apple will truly offer two iPhone Airs stacked on top of each other. It will be beautiful, thin, "something only Apple could do," but just like its ultra-thin phone, it might suffer from not serving a purpose, no matter what tech reviewers and influencers might try to tell you. The iPhone Fold might be doomed before its release, and Samsung already showed that.