Samsung is preparing a new Fold-family phone with a very different screen strategy: thicker ultra-thin glass, a wider body, and a push to make the crease less obvious. The device is expected to join Samsung’s 2026 foldable lineup, which also includes the Galaxy Z Flip8 and the Galaxy Z Fold8, and it looks like the company is now betting that durability matters more than shaving every possible micron.
According to Korean sources, the new model will use ultra-thin glass, or UTG, of about 60 microns. That is more than 30% thicker than the 45-micron glass said to be used in the Galaxy Z Fold8. In foldables, that kind of change is not cosmetic fluff; thicker cover glass can help soften the visible crease and improve resistance to everyday abuse, even if it sounds a little less glamorous than ”thinner than a credit card.”
A wider Fold is coming
The new phone is described as having a 7.6-inch screen and a broader design than a standard Fold. Instead of stretching taller, Samsung appears to be making the device shorter in height but noticeably wider, which should give it a different feel in the hand and on the display when unfolded.
That shape shift also fits a broader industry pattern. Foldables have been chasing two goals at once for years: fewer visible creases and better long-term toughness. Samsung itself previously pushed UTG down to around 30 microns, but the new move suggests the company now sees a thicker panel as the better compromise. Thin is nice until the screen starts looking tired.
What thicker UTG changes
- UTG thickness: about 60 microns
- Galaxy Z Fold8 UTG: 45 microns
- Earlier Samsung UTG target: around 30 microns
- New model screen size: 7.6 inches
The logic is straightforward: very thin panels bend more easily, but they also tend to show wear, folds, and impact damage faster. Samsung seems to be choosing the sturdier path for this model, even if that means accepting a little less elegance in the spec sheet.
Samsung’s foldable lineup for 2026
The company is expected to launch three foldables in 2026. The Galaxy Z Flip8 is said to have a 6.9-inch display, the Galaxy Z Fold8 an 8.0-inch screen, and this new wider Fold variant will sit in between them with its 7.6-inch panel. If Samsung gets the balance right, the new model could become the one buyers choose for a better crease and a less fragile feel rather than the biggest number on a spec card.
The bigger question is whether this wider, thicker-glass approach becomes Samsung’s new default or stays a niche experiment. Either way, it hints that the foldable race is moving past pure thinness and into the less glamorous but more useful business of making screens survive real life.