We’ve had foldable phones for years, but 2026 is likely to be remembered as the year of the foldable smartphone. Like it or not, that won’t be the achievement of Samsung, which pioneered the form factor, but of Apple.The first foldable iPhone is coming sometime this fall, and it will introduce this type of phone to the mainstream audience. Its impact is so big that it has already forced Samsung to do something very disappointing.
Instead of focusing on major improvements to its already great Galaxy Z Fold 7the Korean company decided to once again copy Apple. That’s evident from the latest renders of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide (or whatever that phone will be called), which look just like the renders of the iPhone Fold.I think copying Apple’s first foldable is bad for Samsung because of two main reasons.
That strategy already failed once
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The Galaxy S25 Edge and the iPhone Air both didn’t sell too well. | Image by PhoneArena
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide won’t be the first time Samsung copies its main competitor preemptively. Last year, the company launched the Galaxy S25 Edge in response to the rumors about the first iPhone Air. Like everyone else in the industry, Samsung trusted Apple’s ingenuity so confidently that it reportedly rearranged the whole Galaxy S26 family and replaced the Galaxy S26 Plus with a Galaxy S26 Edge.
However, the Galaxy S25 Edge didn’t sell very well. When Apple eventually launched the iPhone Airit didn’t sell very well either. That forced Samsung to scramble and rethink its 2026 strategy once again, which led to the delay of its most important smartphones, including the Galaxy S26 Ultra.Funnily enough, the iPhone Air appears to be more popular than the initial reports may have suggested. Still, Samsung was burned by the strategic decision to copy Apple, and we may never see another super-slim flagship from the company.
Samsung is more than a cheap copycat
iPhone Fold’s likely design. | Image by Talks Tech Newz
Even if we accept that this time Apple’s design ideas will find more success, Samsung is still on the losing side of the equation. There’s no objective reason for the Z Fold 8 Wide to exist beyond answering to the iPhone Fold’s rumored design, turning Samsung from a pioneer into a copycat.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 was already a great device, which had the specs and design to replace any non-foldable flagship. Samsung also has the Galaxy Z Flip 7which is a cheaper and more compact alternative. The short-lived Galaxy Z TriFold felt like the pinnacle of the Korean company’s tech prowess.
Considering the strength of that lineup, Samsung could simply focus on making those devices even better, faster, thinner, and cheaper and win the race. Taking the stance of the foldable pioneer that has various offerings against Apple’s one device in a weird format sounds much better than regressing to a follower once again.
There’s one saving grace for Samsung
Samsung has only one chance to make the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide work well against Apple. If the device truly copies the iPhone Fold’s features but offers them at a much lower price, we may have a winner. Of course, Apple fans won’t switch to Samsung because of the price, but the company will have something to brag about. If that doesn’t happen, the Z Fold 8 Wide is destined to be a stain on Samsung’s reputation that won’t be cleared anytime soon.
