Samsung is rethinking what a foldable phone should look like, and the evidence is sitting in leaked One UI 9 code.
System animations discovered in early test builds reveal a device that trades the Galaxy Z Fold’s trademark slimness for something wider. Much wider. The outlines are unmistakable: a foldable that doesn’t force you to squint at a pencil-thin outer display when closed.
This isn’t based on fan-made mockups or supply chain gossip. The animations come straight from Samsung’s own software, tagged with model number SM-F971U and internal codename H8. They show a phone with proportions that look closer to a regular smartphone on the outside and a proper tablet when opened, not the awkward in-between shape current Z Folds offer.
The images themselves are minimal. No camera bumps, no material textures, just clean silhouettes in light and dark themes meant for device setup screens. But the shape alone tells you Samsung is moving away from the narrow format it’s stuck with for years.
The timing makes sense. Competitors like Honor, Xiaomi, and Google have already sold foldables with more practical aspect ratios. Samsung’s current design feels rigid by comparison, especially when competitors are offering screens that don’t feel compromised in either mode.
Whether this model replaces the standard Z Fold or sits alongside it isn’t clear yet. What’s certain is that Samsung knows its foldable formula needed adjusting. The company that defined the category is now catching up to the variety others have already introduced. Foldables are still new enough that basic decisions like screen width aren’t settled. Samsung’s experimenting publicly now, even if accidentally.
