The foldable smartphone market may be entering its next major phase — and this time, the battle is shifting from thinner hinges and invisible creases to something much bigger: wider displays.

Recent leaks suggest that vivo, Oppo, and Honor are all developing wide-format foldable smartphones, joining Samsung, Huawei, and Apple in what could become the industry’s next defining design trend. The move signals a broader rethink of how foldables should function in everyday use, especially as manufacturers try to bridge the gap between smartphones and tablets.

For years, foldable phones have promised tablet-sized productivity in a pocket-sized device. But many users have criticized existing book-style foldables for their narrow inner displays, awkward aspect ratios, and visible screen creases. Now, several manufacturers appear determined to solve those problems with a wider approach.

The Industry’s Attention Turns to Wide Foldables

The conversation around wide foldables accelerated after Huawei unveiled the Pura X Max, a device featuring one of the widest foldable displays seen so far. While Huawei’s design took a more unconventional route, it demonstrated that consumers may be interested in a broader, more tablet-like experience.

That experiment appears to have caught the attention of nearly every major smartphone brand.

Samsung is already rumored to be preparing a “Galaxy Z Fold8 Wide” for launch later this year, while Apple is reportedly developing its first foldable iPhone, widely expected to debut as the “iPhone Ultra.” Now, fresh leaks indicate that Chinese smartphone makers are rapidly moving in the same direction.

According to tipster Smart Pikachu, vivo’s upcoming foldable roadmap includes wider book-style devices, while Oppo is reportedly testing a similar concept internally. Another leak claims Honor has been quietly working on its own wide foldable design for a long time and could eventually unveil the device in the near future.

vivo’s Foldable Strategy Appears to Be Evolving

Among the brands mentioned in the leaks, vivo may be taking the most gradual approach.

Reports indicate that the upcoming vivo X Fold6 will focus first on refining the current foldable experience rather than radically redesigning it. One of the most notable rumored upgrades is a significantly less noticeable display crease — a long-standing criticism of foldable devices across the industry.

Tipster Smart Pikachu claims the X Fold6 will bring “major refinements” to crease performance, potentially making the device feel more polished and premium than previous generations.

However, the more important revelation may be what comes after the X Fold6.

Leaks suggest vivo plans to gradually shift its foldable lineup toward wider book-style designs in future generations. Rather than immediately jumping into an entirely new form factor, vivo appears to be treating the transition as a long-term strategic direction.

That approach could allow the company to improve durability, optimize software, and study market demand before fully committing to the wider format.

Oppo Quietly Testing a New Foldable Direction

Oppo’s involvement remains more mysterious, but reports suggest the company is actively evaluating a wide foldable prototype.

According to leaks, the device is still in testing and evaluation stages, meaning it may not be finalized for commercial release anytime soon. Still, Oppo’s participation is significant because the company has already established itself as one of the more innovative players in the foldable market through its Find N series.

The Find N lineup earned praise for addressing usability concerns that plagued early foldables, particularly by offering a more compact and practical outer display. A wider foldable could represent Oppo’s next attempt to improve usability further.

At this stage, technical details remain scarce, but the mere existence of testing suggests Oppo believes the category has strong potential.

Honor May Be Preparing the Most Ambitious Design

Honor’s rumored foldable may end up being the boldest of the group.

Another tipster, Guan Tongxue GiM, claims Honor has been developing a wide foldable for a considerable amount of time. Unlike the vague descriptions surrounding some competing devices, leaks about Honor’s model include hints at its possible appearance and hardware direction.

The leaked concept reportedly features:

• A triple-camera setup
• A secondary rear display
• A significantly wider form factor
• A tablet-like horizontal viewing experience when unfolded

The inclusion of a secondary rear screen is particularly interesting because Huawei’s Pura X Max omitted that feature entirely. Honor may be attempting to differentiate itself by combining wider dimensions with added multitasking functionality.

Reports currently suggest the device may not launch until Q1 2027, giving Honor time to refine the design and observe how consumers react to similar devices from Huawei, Samsung, and Apple.

Why Wider Foldables Matter

The growing interest in wide foldables highlights a fundamental issue with many existing foldable smartphones: their internal displays often feel too narrow.

Traditional book-style foldables usually unfold into tall, almost square screens. While that design works reasonably well for reading and multitasking, it creates compromises for video playback, gaming, and desktop-style productivity.

Wide foldables aim to fix that.

A broader aspect ratio could provide:

• Better split-screen multitasking
• Improved video viewing with fewer black bars
• More natural tablet-like usability
• Enhanced gaming experiences
• Larger app workspaces

Industry observers believe this shift could make foldables feel less like experimental devices and more like genuine replacements for both smartphones and compact tablets.

The wider format also aligns with evolving consumer behavior. As users increasingly rely on phones for entertainment, productivity, and content creation, manufacturers are searching for ways to maximize usable screen space without making devices excessively large.

Huawei May Have Started the Trend

Although Samsung and Apple are expected to bring mainstream attention to wide foldables, Huawei deserves credit for pushing the concept first.

The Huawei Pura X Max introduced a notably wider display design that stood apart from traditional foldables currently on the market. Reports suggest the device sold out quickly after launch, reinforcing the idea that consumers may be open to alternative foldable form factors.

Huawei’s success appears to have validated the category commercially.

That may explain why multiple manufacturers are suddenly racing toward similar designs at nearly the same time.

Apple and Samsung Could Determine the Market’s Future

Despite the growing number of companies exploring wide foldables, much of the category’s future may depend on Samsung and Apple.

Samsung has spent years dominating the foldable market and is rumored to unveil the Galaxy Z Fold8 Wide later this year. Apple, meanwhile, is reportedly preparing its long-awaited foldable iPhone, which some leaks describe as the “iPhone Ultra.”

If either device succeeds commercially, the wider foldable format could quickly become an industry standard rather than a niche experiment.

If they fail, however, companies like vivo, Oppo, and Honor may reconsider how aggressively they pursue the category.

Some analysts already compare the situation to the ultra-thin smartphone trend, which generated enormous excitement but struggled to achieve long-term mass-market appeal.

The Foldable Market Is Entering a New Design War

Foldables were once defined primarily by the novelty of a bending screen. Today, the competition is becoming more sophisticated.

Manufacturers are now competing across multiple fronts:

• Hinge durability
• Crease visibility
• Weight reduction
• Battery efficiency
• Software optimization
• Display aspect ratios

The emerging race toward wider foldables suggests the industry believes form factor innovation is still far from complete.

Rather than simply refining existing designs, smartphone makers are experimenting with entirely new approaches to mobile computing.

Whether wide foldables become the next mainstream smartphone category or remain a premium niche will depend on execution, pricing, software support, and consumer demand. But one thing is increasingly clear: the foldable market of 2027 may look dramatically different from the foldable market of today.