Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra leaks, but it's not the phone we thought it was
Samsung could be about to confuse its folding phone naming
Quick Summary
Samsung could be planning to mix up the naming of its new folding phone models.
That will see the Z Fold 7 replacement called the Z Fold 8 Ultra and the new wider model called the Z Fold 8.
The naming of Samsung's forthcoming folding phones have been leaked from a reliable source, with the claim that we'll be getting the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. That leads to some irregular naming for Samsung's wide folding phone.
Samsung has long been rumoured to be working on a wider format of folding phone, thought to counter the arrival of Apple into the segment. Apple's folding phone could be called the iPhone Ultra – and Samsung might have an "ultra" foldable of its own.
However, rather than calling the new wider model Ultra, Samsung is said to be renaming its existing format device to be the Ultra model.
The details come from UniverseIce on Weibo and we'd normally dismiss them as nonsense. But given this source's long history of accurate leaks, we have to seriously consider that this is Samsung's next move.
What's more confusing though is that while the Galaxy Z Fold 7's successor could be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the new wider model will reportedly just be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
You'll have to be paying attention to what you're ordering, as the shift in naming will mean that many assumptions will go out of the window – while many existing stories about the forthcoming phones will potentially point to the other device.
Why would Samsung change its folding phone names?
Currently, it's thought that the wider folding model will be lower spec than the traditional format of device, which comes with a triple camera and should have a higher capacity battery. It would seem strange to give the Ultra name to the new device, given what Samsung already offers.
However, giving the existing name to a new device will just lead to confusion, especially for those who don't keep up with the latest tech news.
The Ultra name might also be controversial, because of the existing Galaxy S Ultra series. The flagship candybar phone is a higher performer than the Galaxy Z, with a better overall hardware loadout, so the two aren't comparable.
It might just be that Samsung wants an Ultra folding phone to compete directly with Apple's naming, so picking the top folding phone makes sense.
Again, there will be some confusion, because Apple's Ultra and Samsung's Ultra will be totally different formats, with Apple's device more like a folding iPad mini.
It's unlikely that we'll hear anything about Apple's folding phone plans until launch (unless they tease it at WWDC in June), while Samsung is expected to launch its new phones on 22 July.
