Honor appears to be preparing its next big move in the foldable smartphone market. A new leak from tipster Digital Chat Station suggests the company is fast-tracking development of a new book-style foldable with a wider design, readying it to compete with Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 (which is said to be the “wide” foldable) and Apple’s rumoured foldable iPhone, also one expected to come in a wide, book-style format.
Honor wide foldable expected features
According to the tipster, the current engineering prototype is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chipset, set to launch in September. He adds the device will feature a 7.6-inch inner display, a 5.5-inch cover screen, a 200MP primary camera, and a periscope telephoto camera housed inside a horizontal camera module. It’s also tipped to pack a battery exceeding 7,000mAh (making it the largest on a foldable), with a starting price of CNY 9,999 (around Rs 1.4 lakh).
If the claim is accurate, Honor could once again set a benchmark in the foldable segment. The company has previously built a reputation for pushing limits when it comes to foldables. The Chinese variant of the Honor Magic V6 currently offers the largest battery in a foldable smartphone, featuring a 7,150mAh silicon-carbon battery on its 1TB variant. Honor also holds the distinction of making one of the world’s thinnest book-style foldables with the Magic V6, which measures just 4 mm when unfolded and 8.75 mm when folded while weighing around 219 gms.
This has helped Honor stand out in a category where many brands have focused primarily on slimmer designs. The company has shown it is willing to combine thin form factors with larger batteries, addressing one of the biggest compromises associated with foldable phones.
Upcoming wide foldables
The foldable market could see a turning point this year as several brands move towards wider book-style designs that feel closer to a conventional smartphone when folded. Samsung has already confirmed its July 22nd Galaxy Unpacked event, where it’s expected to unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a new wider foldable expected to sit alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Apple is also rumoured to enter the category in September with its first foldable iPhone, while Huawei already offers a wide-format foldable through the Huawei Pura X Max.
For buyers, the growing competition between Honor, Samsung, Huawei and Apple is likely to translate into more choice and faster innovation. However, with all specifications still based on leaks, it may be worth waiting for the official announcements before making a purchase decision. Final pricing, software experience and regional hardware differences will determine which foldable offers the strongest overall value.
