According to SamMobile, new rumors are hinting at the focus for Samsung’s next flip phone. The Galaxy Z Flip 8, expected in the second half of next year, is tipped to get a considerably thinner build. Specific measurements aren’t available yet, but a slimmer profile is a plausible major upgrade. The leaks also claim improvements to the display and overall performance are coming. Samsung will likely power the device with its own Exynos 2600 chipset, following the shift it made with this year’s Galaxy Z Flip 7. This would align the Flip 8 with the expected Galaxy S26 series for 2026.
Flip gets its turn
Here’s the thing: Samsung just made a huge deal about thinness with the Galaxy Z Fold 7. And it worked. That phone got all the headlines. So it makes perfect sense that the Flip line, which has always been a bit chunkier in the folded state, would be next in line for a diet. The real question is, how do they do it? Making a clamshell foldable thinner isn’t just about shaving millimeters off the case. It’s an engineering puzzle involving the hinge mechanism, the battery, and the internal structural frame. They’ve got to make it slimmer without making it feel fragile or killing the battery life. That’s the trade-off.
The display and chip question
Now, the other big rumor is display upgrades. “Upgrades” is pretty vague, right? But we can guess. The eternal battle is against the crease. Every generation it gets a little better, but it’s still there. Maybe Samsung has a new ultra-thin glass or hinge design that minimizes it further. Durability is the other big one. Can they make a screen that survives even more folds? As for the Exynos 2600 chip, that’s almost a given. Samsung committed to its own silicon for the Flip 7, so backtracking now would be a bad look. The hope is that next year’s Exynos chip continues the performance and efficiency gains we’ve started to see. Basically, they need it to be good enough that people stop complaining about it not being a Snapdragon.
The Samsung upgrade cycle
Look at Samsung’s history. They often have a “tick-tock” rhythm, where one model gets a massive redesign and the next one refines it. The Fold 7 was the big “tick.” So the Fold 8 might be a quieter “tock.” That leaves room for the Flip 8 to be the star of the 2026 foldable show. A thinner, sleeker Flip with a better screen? That’s a compelling package. It feels like Samsung is finally giving the Flip line the flagship-level design attention it deserves, moving it beyond just being the cute, colorful option. And in a market where hardware differentiation is getting harder, nailing the form factor is everything.
