Samsung is getting ready to launch two new foldable phones in July, and if a recent leak is accurate, the company is about to flip its naming convention completely, and it’s going to confuse a lot of people.
Tipster Ice Universe has claimed on Weibo that the phone we have been calling the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide will actually launch simply as the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The device we expected to be the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 will instead become the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.
While I can see why Samsung is considering the new naming scheme, there’s no denying it’s going to cause a whole lot of confusion.
Does the name change actually make sense?
I don’t think so. Yes, the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide is supposedly packing only dual rear cameras and a 4,800mAh battery, and the regular Fold 8 (which will be renamed to Ultra) will pack a triple rear camera system and a bigger battery. So on paper, the better-specced device getting the Ultra name is logical enough.
But the problem is that anyone who has followed the Galaxy Z Fold lineup will walk into a store expecting the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to be a direct successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Instead, they are getting a wider, passport-style device that is a completely different form factor. That is not an upgrade; that is a different product wearing a familiar name.
Samsung is essentially asking buyers to unlearn years of brand familiarity, and that rarely goes smoothly. Many people will be confused at the point of purchase, and that confusion could easily cost Samsung sales.
Is the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra worth the name?
The Ultra name carries serious expectations, and Samsung better deliver. Rumors only suggest a small spec bump with better cameras and a bigger battery. In fact, leaks suggest that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will miss out on a number of new features, so Samsung will have to surprise us with something extraordinary to earn the Ultra moniker.