BTS member J-Hope accidentally dropped the biggest teaser of the year. While doing soundchecks for a World Tour stop in Paris, he was filmed with Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide.
The footage, compiled from X posts, shows him holding the purple device. He films with it from multiple angles. It’s wide. It’s distinct. And it looks exactly like the leaks we’ve been waiting for.
Not Just a Z Fold 7 Successor
This isn’t the standard Fold 8. Samsung’s naming game is about to get messy again. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide isn’t a direct update to last year’s Z Fold 7. That slot goes to the Z Fold 8 Ultra instead.
Think of it this way. Two new phones. One ultra-powerful. One wider and perhaps more pocketable.
The device matches leaked renders perfectly, though the inner display remains a mystery.
J-Hope likely got this unit through Samsung’s long-standing marketing partnership with BTS. 9to5Google’s Ben Schoon suggests this wasn’t an intentional leak. But here we are anyway. The world now has its first look at the hardware before the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked keynote.
The Specs That Matter
Leaks point to a specific set of internal components for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide. Here is what you should expect when Samsung pulls the veil back in London.
- Display: A 5.5-inch cover screen. A massive 7.6-inch internal panel.
- Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. 12GB of RAM.
- Power: A 4,800mAh battery.
- Cameras: A shift in strategy. We are looking at a 50MP wide lens, a 50MP ultrawide, and dual 10MP front-facing sensors.
Notable drop? Yes. The main sensor shrinks from the Z Fold 7’s staggering 200MP. Samsung is prioritizing balance over pixel peeping here. Or maybe they are just tired of overheating issues. We will see.
The purple finish seen in J-Hope’s hands is likely a launch color. The inner screen remains hidden. The hinge design is unverified.
When and Where
Samsung is set to unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the Galaxy Z Flip 8, and new smartwatches on July 22. The event takes place in London.
We will be there. Live updates are coming Wednesday.
Why the rush with the “Wide” variant? Apple is rumored to release an “iPhone Ultra Fold” later this year. This new Samsung device is clearly positioned to counter that specific threat. A wider form factor might just be the answer to the clamshell fatigue that has plagued the industry.
But until we see that 7.6-inch screen actually bend, it’s just speculation backed by a purple rectangle in a video.
J-Hope holds it up. The world watches. The rest is marketing.
