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Galaxy Z Fold 8's Black Hole: 4:3 Screen Means Black Bars Every Time You Watch Video, Samsung Reportedly Bringing Wider Foldable in 2027 to Fix It

South Korean outlet ETNews reports that Samsung is planning a foldable with a wider screen than the Galaxy Z Fold 8, possibly ditching the 4:3 aspect ratio in favor of one better suited for video viewing, with a launch expected in 2027.

Galaxy Z Fold 8's Black Hole: 4:3 Screen Means Black Bars Every Time You Watch Video, Samsung Reportedly Bringing Wider Foldable in 2027 to Fix It

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has earned near-universal praise, save for one sticking point: that 4:3 main display. Unfold the phone to watch a video and you're stuck with black bars on both sides — it's the single most-cited flaw across reviews. According to South Korean tech outlet ETNews, Samsung is now considering a foldable wider than the Z Fold 8, specifically to solve this exact problem.

ETNews reports that Samsung's goal for this new device is to "create a screen ratio suited for video viewing," meaning the current 4:3 design is unlikely to carry over. The report also speculates the ratio could land somewhere between 16:9 and 16:10, though that's purely speculation at this point — no official figures have been confirmed. If accurate, the device likely won't arrive before 2027 at the earliest.

Engadget's coverage cited a post from the social media account The Daily Tech Feed, noting that while the Z Fold 8 markets itself as offering a full-screen viewing experience, its 4:3 main display still produces black bars for most video content. The 10:16 cover screen fares somewhat better, but isn't perfect either — echoing widespread observations about the current model.

Bigger than the aspect ratio news itself, ETNews also indicated Samsung may be gearing up to launch as many as five foldable devices in 2027, including successors to the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, a follow-up to the Z Flip 8, and a reworked Galaxy Z TriFold. The TriFold was previously discontinued after launching at a starting price as high as $2,900, and with memory prices later spiking due to AI-driven shortages, whether it makes a comeback remains a hot topic.

All of this remains in report-and-speculation territory for now, with official confirmation likely not coming until Samsung's 2027 Unpacked event. Going by past patterns, that event will probably land next July.

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