Korea JoongAng Daily - Daily News from Korea

This article is by Sarah Chea and read by an artificial voice.

HD Hyundai Electric said Sunday it has successfully completed final qualification testing of an environmentally friendly high-voltage circuit breaker slated for export to Sweden.

The sulfur hexafluoride-free breaker, the first of its kind developed domestically, eliminates the use of sulfur hexafluoride, or SF₆, a fluorinated greenhouse gas long favored in high-voltage equipment for its superior insulation and interruption performance.

Despite these advantages, sulfur hexafluoride has come under intensifying regulatory scrutiny due to its global warming potential, measured by how much heat a gas traps in the atmosphere. For SF₆, that figure is roughly 23,500 times that of carbon dioxide.

The European Union, which revised its regulations in 2024, is tightening restrictions on fluorinated gases in stages. Beginning in 2032, the use of sulfur hexafluoride in high-voltage circuit breakers above 145 kilovolt (kV) will be fully banned, a shift expected to accelerate demand for SF₆-free alternatives in power equipment markets.

HD Hyundai Electric has already completed development of sulfur hexafluoride-free models at 72.5 kV, 145 kV and 170 kV, and aims to finalize its full product lineup by 2028. The company is also targeting completion of a 420 kV model, a lineup with the strongest demand potential in Europe, within the first half of this year.

This article is by Choi Min-ji and read by an artificial voice.

BTS has set a string of major records following its comeback after a three-year and nine-month hiatus on March 20 — topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, staying No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for three consecutive weeks, earning a Triple Platinum certification from the Japan Gold Disc Awards for more than 750,000 album shipments, and, of course, selling out what is now the largest world tour ever by a Korean artist.

With each new news of the megaband, onlookers all wondered the same thing: How did the album come about?

One HYBE executive with stories to tell is Nicole Kim, the vice president at BTS's label BigHit Music, who oversaw the overall production of BTS' fifth full-length album "Arirang."

Kim began a career in album production and planning at Starship Entertainment, home to K-pop idols like IVE and Monsta X, in 2012 and later worked at Sony Music Publishing and HYBE. In 2023, Kim joined Columbia Records as the first Korean executive at a major U.S. record label.

She returned to HYBE's BigHit Music in July last year and was named in the 2025 Billboard Women in Music list. Kim also appeared in the Netflix documentary "BTS: The Return," released in March, gaining recognition among fans.

Kim sat down for an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo for a scoop behind the scenes at HYBE's headquarters in Yongsan District, central Seoul. The following are excerpts from the interview, edited for length and clarity.

Q. Why did you return from the United States?

A. I returned at the suggestion of HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk and the band's members.

At BigHit Music, I oversee a wide range of projects, from BTS' music to brand management. Since the members have clear ideas about their music and albums, I try to offer a different perspective.

What was the most challenging part of preparing the album "Arirang"?

The members felt a lot of pressure returning to face fans after such a long time.

What about the rumors that they were thinking of breaking up?

The members would find them quite absurd if they heard them. That's how close they are.

BTS went to Los Angeles for a two-month songwriting session last summer, which was also featured in its Netflix documentary "BTS: The Return." How big a scale was it?

The members participated for about two months, from July to August last year. More than 100 people were involved, including producers. Each producer stayed for as little as two days to as long as one to two weeks to work on the project. Diplo had been selected earlier in the year, before the members were discharged from their mandatory military service, as the lead producer overseeing the local process. Under the direction of the Artists & Repertoire (A&R) team and Chairman Bang, we also held two "pre-song sessions" in Los Angeles in April and May.

Do you usually hold songwriting sessions on such a large scale?

We had worked on albums in the United States before, but we had never stayed together for an extended period to write songs. Since this was a comeback after a long time, we planned a longer, larger session. It all started with Chairman Bang's idea as the album's executive producer. Not assigning a single producer and instead working with a variety of people allows us to approach the music from multiple directions. Producers came from across the United States, Britain and other regions, for which we were very grateful.

How did the process work?

Members and producers gathered in the studio every day. They split into three to four rooms and exchanged ideas. The members were mainly involved in melody parts, but they also contributed to shaping the concepts of the songs. For example, for "Hooligan," a B-side track on the new album, a producer known for experimental sounds created the signature knife sound, while Jungkook came up with the word used in the title.

How did you recruit so many producers?

The A&R team handled most of it, but for well-known produc...

This article is by Yoo Ji-yoen and read by an artificial voice.

Buldak Ramen instant noodles, or ramyeon, were once dismissed as too spicy to eat. Now, Samyang Foods has turned it into one of Korea's most successful global food brands.

The brand's rise has been extraordinary in both scale and structure. Cumulative sales reached 8 billion units as of the first half last year, with about 80 percent sold overseas, and the producer of the ramyeon, Samyang Foods, has built a business around a single spicy noodle brand that now resembles the global model of food giants with export-heavy revenue. The company posted record sales last year and is expected to top 3 trillion won ($2.03 billion) this year, raising a broader question: How did one Korean noodle become a global category leader?

"We must become the bible for spiciness," Kim Jung-soo, vice chair of Samyang Roundsquare, said at the opening ceremony for the company's second plant in Miryang, South Gyeongsang, in June last year. Samyang Roundsquare is the parent company of Samyang Foods.

"As Buldak Carbonara currently enjoys the most love for its gentler heat, we will keep exploring and segmenting spicy flavors and broadening the range to show what a true bible of spice can be."

The origin story behind Buldak instant noodles is now well known. Kim was inspired after seeing a long queue outside a spicy chicken restaurant in Myeongdong, central Seoul, during a visit with her daughter in 2010. After repeated trial and error involving 1,200 chickens and 2 tons of sauce, Samyang launched Buldak Ramen in 2012 to early reviews calling it too spicy for people to eat.

Buldak measures about 4,404 Scoville heat units (SHU), placing it in a similar range to a hot jalapeño (2,500 to 8,000 SHU), typical Tabasco sauce, or Korea's popular Cheongyang chili peppers, which usually fall between 4,000 and 10,000 SHU.

At first, the tongue-numbing heat led some people to dismiss it as a novelty. But the tide soon turned.

Buldak became a regular feature in YouTube eating challenges starting in 2014. Its extreme heat triggered people's competitive instincts, and the dramatic reactions after eating it became entertaining content. Later, the rise of short-form video on YouTube and TikTok gave another lift to Buldak when the instant noodle began selling overseas. Because those platforms are global by nature, the brand benefited from natural viral exposure even without heavy advertising spending.

With the rise in popularity of K-pop, Buldak naturally became one of the most well-known spicy Korean foods around the world.

With more and more people being exposed to K-pop artists, celebrities and YouTubers consuming Buldak, its spiciness came to be seen not just as a flavor but as a challenge, an experience and a source of fun.

Samyang reinforced that idea through what it calls a culture-based marketing. With Samyang Roundsquare's vice chairman calling to "make the Buldak brand a culture icon," the company has been pushing the #buldakchallenge — a viral social media trend where people film themselves attempting to the instant noodles without drinking water or other liquids — and opened Buldak timed eating contests and dance challenges.

The ramyeon company also set up an experiential booth at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival last year, trying to position Buldak sauce as an experience as intense and enjoyable as the music itself for younger consumers.

More recently, Samyang has tied Buldak to content aimed at global millennials and Generation Z. The company collaborated with an American media platform to release a dating show called "Heat Match," where contestants bond while trying the instant noodle's spicy flavor. Music video for "Hotter Than My EX," a song released by K-pop boy band BoyNextDoor in collaboration with Samyang Foods, has already surpassed 100 million views in just two months on Tuesday.

"Buldak is a brand that earned global recognition with different challenges, so we value the e...

This article is by Cho Jung-woo and read by an artificial voice.

From K-culture to characters like Pokémon, Seoul is set to feature a sea of green starting this May, blending trends with nature at the Seoul International Garden Show. The event, the largest of its kind to date, kicks off Friday, signaling the city's latest push to evolve into a lush garden city where nature and urban life coexist.

The exhibition, which was rebranded as an international show in 2024 as part of a major urban greening initiative by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, features 167 gardens spanning 90,000 square meters (22 acres) across Seoul Forest and its neighboring areas, as well as the Han River. Running through Oct. 27, this year's event will span the longest duration in the show's history.

As this Korea JoongAng Daily reporter toured the grounds on Thursday, a day ahead of the official opening, the showgrounds at Seoul Forest in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, revealed a harmonious blend of K-culture and horticultural art.

"We've attempted to reflect contemporary urban trends within these gardens, especially since Seongsu-dong has become a global symbol of K-culture," said Kim Young-min, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Seoul and director of the show's organizing committee.

From K-culture to Pokémon

In a nod to the country's status as a cultural hub, the show features a specialized garden for K-pop fans that incorporates iconic lightsticks into the green arrangements. The show also includes dedicated fan-donated forests, such as those honoring K-pop group aespa's Winter and BTS's J-hope. For those seeking a more traditional aesthetic, Korean heritage gardens inspired by hanok (traditional Korean house) architecture provide a serene look into the nation's past.

The gardens span a wide variety of themes, ranging from high-concept designs by world-renowned architects to whimsical pop-ups featuring Pokémon and Lego.

At the Pokémon Secret Forest, fans can find numerous statues of Pikachu tucked away from the main entrance along Eevee's Secret Trail and Phantom's Hideout. While last year's show leaned heavily on the purple hues of Ditto, this year's display is dominated by Pikachu yellow, aligning with "Morning Yellow," Seoul's color of the year.

To accommodate global visitors, the show offers information in nine languages via on-site QR codes. Detailed text and audio guides are available in English, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish, while text-only support is provided in Vietnamese, Thai, Malay and Indonesian. English-language docent tours are also available twice daily via preregistration on Naver Booking.

Corporate collaborations also take center stage, with K-culture brands including beauty company Clio and fashion platform Musinsa presenting their own gardens. Nongshim has also joined the lineup with "Spicy Happiness in Noodles," a garden created to mark the 40th anniversary of Shin Ramyun.

From Supertrees to environmental reflection

The Summit Silo, a circular garden by Daewoo E&C, features a striking white rootlike structure at its center. The project involved a collaboration between Seoul-based Bonsigudo and Grant Associates — the firm famous for designing Singapore's iconic Supertrees.

"Seoul Forest used to be a horse racing track, and this spot marks where the center of the arch once stood," said Lee Hyeong-seok, head of Bonsigudo. The silo-shaped structure is designed to offer visitors a sense of natural silence as they move toward the center.

The show also addresses environmental issues. At a garden hosted by cosmetics brand Clio, a pavilion features a 150-year-old charred tree recovered from forest fires in Andong, North Gyeongsang, to raise awareness about natural disasters.

"Forest fires occur every year," the designer noted, adding that it was vital to deliver a message of preservation and recovery.

In another space nearby, a forest warning sign stands over a patch of earth where oak saplings sprout f...

This article is by Lee Jae-lim and read by an artificial voice.

[NEWS ANALYSIS]

Samsung Electronics reported an operating profit of 57.23 trillion won ($38.6 billion) for the first quarter of this year, the highest in the company's history, as a global shortage in memory chips has sent customers racing to secure supplies for their AI data center build-outs.

Samsung Electronics' first-quarter operating profit represents a 755.46 percent increase from the same period last year and beat the market consensus of 40.2 trillion won, compiled by FnGuide. Notably, the figure already surpasses the company's entire annual operating profit of 43.6 trillion won in 2025.

Its revenue rose 69.26 percent on year to 133.87 trillion won, surpassing analysts' estimates of 119 trillion won, and its net profit climbed 474.31 percent to 47.23 trillion won, above the 35.83 trillion won forecast.

Semiconductors were overwhelmingly responsible for the strong performance, contributing nearly 94 percent to the total operating profit — a roughly 48-fold increase from the first quarter of 2025 — driven by surging demand for high bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI infrastructure.

The report highlights a broader change in the semiconductor industry. Major technology companies have been signing multiyear supply agreements with Samsung and SK hynix — a marked departure from the short-term, trust-based arrangements that historically characterized the sector.

"Unlike prior supply arrangements based on mutual trust, these long-term supply contracts carry a [...] higher degree of binding commitment," said Kim Jae-june, the executive vice president of memory business at Samsung. "In an environment where investment and capacity management risks have risen sharply across every dimension — including capital outlay, contract duration and technological complexity — these agreements are expected to enhance business stability and visibility for both customers and companies."

The company confirmed that contracts with select customers have already been finalized, with additional discussions ongoing.

Regarding capital expenditure for the quarter, Samsung allocated 91 percent of its 11.2 trillion won to semiconductors, focusing on expanding wafer production capacity. Construction of additional manufacturing space at the P4 and P5 facilities within its Pyeongtaek campus in Gyeonggi is being accelerated to secure incremental memory output.

HBM outlook and foundry progress

Samsung projects its HBM revenue to more than triple this year compared to last year. Its latest-generation HBM4 is entirely sold out and is expected to account for over half of its total HBM revenue beginning in the third quarter. First samples of the next-generation HBM4E are also scheduled for shipment in the second quarter.

On the foundry side, Samsung's second-generation 2-nanometer process is on track for mass production in the second half of the year, with the company targeting double-digit improvements in both revenue and earnings from the node.

"The company is actively engaged in advanced collaboration discussions with multiple major AI and high-performance computing customers and expects to announce tangible outcomes with select customers in the near term," said Kang Suk-chae, the executive vice president of Samsung Foundry.

Samsung's first factory at its Texas campus remains on schedule to begin operations this year and enter mass production in 2027. A second factory at the same site is in the preliminary planning stage.

Samsung reported no supply chain disruptions linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict, despite Korea's dependence on the region for key chip processing materials, including helium and bromine. According to the company, it has secured alternative logistics routes and diversified its supplier base, though it warned that rising oil prices could add to production costs through higher shipping rates.

Meanwhile, Samsung's union has announced that it will go on a general strike from...

This article is by Sarah Chea and read by an artificial voice.

Two decades after the original, "The Devil Wears Prada 2" premiered in Korea on Wednesday, featuring Mercedes-Benz's flagship one-of-a-kind customized Maybach S-Class.

The bespoke Maybach S-Class appears alongside the film's central character, Runway magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly, portrayed by Meryl Streep.

Mercedes-Benz Korea said the car features a distinctive high-heeled pitchfork emblem, an enlarged illuminated grille and a meticulously tailored interior crafted under its Manufaktur program, the brand's in-house customization division.

Beyond the Maybach S-Class, a broad spectrum of the Mercedes-Benz lineup is woven throughout the film, including the S-Class, the GLE, the all-electric G-Class, the V-Class and the Sprinter.

The 2006 film also featured the S-Class from Mercedes, establishing an early connection between the brand.

"In this sequel, we continue that relationship with the Maybach S-Class at its center, an emblematic collaboration that revisits the shared values and heritage cultivated by two icons," Mercedes-Benz Korea said.

Mercedes-Benz plans to roll out a series of campaigns built around scenes from the film, including video content, premium key visuals for print and digital platforms, behind-the-scenes footage, social media campaigns and market-specific events, which will be released in phases through June.

Mercedes-Benz Korea provided Meryl Streep with a Maybach S-Class during her promotional visit to Korea on April 8 and 9.

This article is by Sarah Chea and read by an artificial voice.

Hyundai Motor has finally unveiled its new Pleos operating system — and in a move many drivers will welcome, physical buttons aren't going anywhere.

The new infotainment platform will debut on the Europe-bound Ioniq 3, which is slated to launch in the second half of the year. U.S. customers will likely see the system in the upcoming launch of other Hyundai models, including the Avante, the Tucson and the Genesis GV90.

Built on Android Automotive OS, Pleos centers on a large display featuring a fixed car information panel on the left and a toolbar on the bottom, reminiscent of the displays in Teslas and Rivians.

But unlike its screen-only rivals, Hyundai has kept a row of physical buttons beneath the display that allow drivers to adjust climate settings and seat heating or ventilation quickly while driving — and most importantly, safely.

While the design leans futuristic, many consumers find the all-touchscreen approach cumbersome, fueling a growing backlash against abandoning physical controls altogether.

The system also introduces three-finger gestures, letting drivers rearrange apps or close them instantly, even while on the move.

"Your first impression will likely be that it looks like Tesla," said Kim Chang-seob of Hyundai's User Experience team at a media event on Wednesday. "We saw that as the industry benchmark and built on it to maximize safety and flexibility."

The central display is split into two main zones: the information panel on the left that functions like a traditional instrument cluster, showing speed, warnings and efficiency data at all times. It also renders nearby vehicles, objects, and pedestrians in 3-D to enhance situational awareness while driving or parking.

On the right, the remaining two-thirds of the panel handles navigation, media and other vehicle settings. Drivers can run two apps side by side or expand one to fill the screen.

Hyundai has also added a slim display directly in front of the driver, which can be customized with widget-style features.

"A driver's natural field of view without turning the head is about 15 to 30 degrees," Kim said. "We designed the slim display and head-up display around that."

Navigation now features a modular interface, enabling it to run alongside other apps without sacrificing usability.

Gleo AI, a voice assistant co-developed with Hyundai's mobility software arm, 42dot, can interpret context from prior conversations, understanding vague phrases like "there" or "near here" and even respond to incomplete sentences or regional dialects.

"If the driver makes multiple orders at a time, such as 'Turn off the air conditioner, set ambient lighting to forest mode and play the radio,' the AI understands it perfectly and handles multiple commands in sequence," said Lee Jong-ho, an engineer who developed the Gleo AI.

It can also identify where a command is coming from; If a rear passenger says, "Turn on the heated seat," the system detects the speaker's position and activates the correct seat automatically.

Hyundai is also launching its own in-car app marketplace, allowing direct access to services such as YouTube, Spotify, and local streaming apps.

Korean customers will be able to see it with the upcoming facelift of the Grandeur, its first new look in over three years.

This article is by Sarah Chea and read by an artificial voice.

Hyundai Motor has finally unveiled its new Pleos operating system — and in a move many drivers will welcome, physical buttons aren't going anywhere.

The new infotainment platform will debut on the Europe-bound Ioniq 3, which is slated to launch in the second half of the year. U.S. customers will likely see the system in the upcoming launch of other Hyundai models, including the Avante, the Tucson and the Genesis GV90.

Built on Android Automotive OS, Pleos centers on a large display featuring a fixed car information panel on the left and a toolbar on the bottom, reminiscent of the displays in Teslas and Rivians.

But unlike its screen-only rivals, Hyundai has kept a row of physical buttons beneath the display that allow drivers to adjust climate settings and seat heating or ventilation quickly while driving — and most importantly, safely.

While the design leans futuristic, many consumers find the all-touchscreen approach cumbersome, fueling a growing backlash against abandoning physical controls altogether.

The system also introduces three-finger gestures, letting drivers rearrange apps or close them instantly, even while on the move.

"Your first impression will likely be that it looks like Tesla," said Kim Chang-seob of Hyundai's User Experience team at a media event on Wednesday. "We saw that as the industry benchmark and built on it to maximize safety and flexibility."

The central display is split into two main zones: the information panel on the left that functions like a traditional instrument cluster, showing speed, warnings and efficiency data at all times. It also renders nearby vehicles, objects, and pedestrians in 3-D to enhance situational awareness while driving or parking.

On the right, the remaining two-thirds of the panel handles navigation, media and other vehicle settings. Drivers can run two apps side by side or expand one to fill the screen.

Hyundai has also added a slim display directly in front of the driver, which can be customized with widget-style features.

"A driver's natural field of view without turning the head is about 15 to 30 degrees," Kim said. "We designed the slim display and head-up display around that."

Navigation now features a modular interface, enabling it to run alongside other apps without sacrificing usability.

Gleo AI, a voice assistant co-developed with Hyundai's mobility software arm, 42dot, can interpret context from prior conversations, understanding vague phrases like "there" or "near here" and even respond to incomplete sentences or regional dialects.

"If the driver makes multiple orders at a time, such as 'Turn off the air conditioner, set ambient lighting to forest mode and play the radio,' the AI understands it perfectly and handles multiple commands in sequence," said Lee Jong-ho, an engineer who developed the Gleo AI.

It can also identify where a command is coming from; If a rear passenger says, "Turn on the heated seat," the system detects the speaker's position and activates the correct seat automatically.

Hyundai is also launching its own in-car app marketplace, allowing direct access to services such as YouTube, Spotify, and local streaming apps.

Korean customers will be able to see it with the upcoming facelift of the Grandeur, its first new look in over three years.

This article is by Woo Ji-won and read by an artificial voice.

Balancing on a rubber-domed BOSU ball, Mary, a Pekingese, stands as if it were just another patch of solid ground. There is a slight wobble when she steps onto a donut-shaped balance ball, but she regains control at the Cadillac machine, placing her paws on its swinging straps to stretch the front of her pink-skinned thighs.

She even squats with her paws placed on a reformer, before dropping into a set of the tiniest push-ups — all while her wide eyes and squished nose are fixated on a Pilates instructor's hand, where a treat is dangling just out of reach.

She is rolling and balancing from one piece of equipment to the next to strengthen her weak joints.

For the next 20 minutes, the two-year-old Pekingese moves across balance tools commonly used for canine exercise to human Pilates machines like the CoreAlign system. The routine is shorter than a human workout, but no less physically engaging.

"If a certain part of the body is weak, that area becomes painful, and without enough muscle, joints can easily be damaged," said Pilates instructor Jeon Hyun-min, who runs the dog Pilates program at his Pilates studio in Gangnam District. "It's the same for dogs, especially small breeds, which are often born with weaker skeletal structures. Building muscle is essential."

"They want to try Pilates as an additional option, and once they see improvements, they tend to keep coming," Jeon said. "The goal of pilates is similar to rehabilitation for building healthy muscles, but the intensity, difficulty and movements differ."

Jeon's interest in dog Pilates began in a similar way, when his furry companion was diagnosed with stage-two patellar dislocation. "Rather than surgery, I thought exercise might be a better option," he said. "So I started studying it on my own."

Each session runs about 30 minutes, assuming the dogs can stay focused that long. It was originally set at 50 minutes, but quickly trimmed to match their shorter attention spans. Beyond the studio, some pet owners are also trying simple exercises at home, often using gym balls, a trend visible on social media.

The price for Jeon's Pilates session is around 80,000 won ($54), similar to that of human Pilates.

Prof. Lee Shin-ho of the Department of Companion Animal Health at Tongmyong University said Pilates can be "highly effective" in building muscle and supporting overall physical management, as well as in managing orthopedic conditions.

"Patellar dislocation is largely a genetic condition, so Pilates is more effective when used as part of postsurgical rehabilitation," Lee said. "In contrast, conditions like hip dysplasia can be better managed and even prevented from worsening through targeted rehabilitation exercises."

With the number of pet owners in Korea exceeding 15 million — nearly one in three households has a pet — wellness services for dogs are becoming increasingly specialized and premium. This trend also aligns with the rapid rise of "pet humanization," the idea of treating pets as family members.

"People who come [to Pilates class] truly love their dogs," Jeon said. "They treat them like their own children. In the past, not many people saw pets that way, [...] but now many do and so do I."

According to a recent survey by data consulting firm PMI, 23.3 percent of 2,733 survey respondents described pets as "beings that require responsible care," while 22.6 percent said they were "precious like family," and 16.8 percent viewed them as "friends or companions."

Here, dogs receive tailored massage care combined with aromatherapy using pet-safe oils. Therapist Lee Da-som first examines each dog's body, then works to loosen tense muscles, gently massaging weaker areas. After the session, dogs are treated with near-infrared therapy or time in an oxygen chamber.

Many dogs visit for musculoskeletal conditions, rehabilitation, senior care or simply when pet owners sense discomfort in their pup despite no clea...

This article is by Lee Jae-lim and read by an artificial voice.

[NEWS ANALYSIS]

Samsung Electronics is set to release a wide foldable phone this July, positioning it between Huawei's recent launch and Apple's anticipated September debut of a similar form factor. The question is whether Samsung can maintain its grip on the market for a version of smartphones it first pioneered.

The upcoming launch comes as Samsung is projected to lose a sizable share of the foldable market to Apple, despite overall growth in shipments.

"Apple's entry will be a key inflection point, with the company projected to capture a 28 percent share in 2026, approaching Samsung's leading position," stated Counterpoint Research. The market tracker's forecast for this year still positions Samsung at the top of the global foldable smartphone market with a 31 percent share, though that represents a 9 percentage point decline from 2025. Apple is expected to emerge as the second-largest player with 28 percent, driven by its anticipated foldable debut this September.

What has now been confirmed is that Galaxy Unpacked in July will feature three devices: the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Flip 8, and one additional model widely expected to be the new wide foldable. Leaks emerged around the same time Huawei released the Pura X Max in April, its own take on the wider foldable format. If the specs shared by tipster Ice Universe are accurate, the new device would be Samsung's thinnest foldable to date, and more lightweight than the experimental Galaxy Z TriFold, which folds twice.

The two Samsung devices serve fundamentally different purposes. The TriFold is a pocketable tablet pushing the boundaries of hardware design, while the Fold 8 Wide, seemingly closer in size to a passport when closed, is shaping up to be a more practical everyday smartphone — one that just happens to open into something much more spacious.

Display difference

A display comparison between Samsung and Huawei's foldable lineups has been drawing significant attention online. The specs are particularly consequential for foldables, where the screen itself defines the user experience — the central question being whether the device feels natural both when folded and unfolded, a judgment that comes down largely to display proportions.

The Fold 8 Wide is rumored to feature an inner screen between 7.6 and 8 inches — smaller than the TriFold's 10-inch display, but still firmly in tablet territory. Against Huawei's Pura X Max, Samsung holds a clear edge in thinness: 4.3 millimeters (0.17 inches) unfolded and 9.8 millimeters folded, compared to Huawei's 5.2 millimeters and 11.2 millimeters, respectively. The Samsung device is also slightly narrower when closed at 82.2 millimeters, which should make one-handed use slightly more comfortable compared to Huawei's 85 millimeters.

Huawei wins on raw canvas size when opened, at 166.5 millimeters wide versus Samsung's 161.4 millimeters. The two also differ in display ratio: Huawei leans wider with a 4.24:3 inner and 4.4:3 outer ratio, while Samsung goes with a 4.3:3 inner and 4.7:3 outer — a configuration that may feel more balanced across apps and productivity tasks. The wider outer ratio in particular means typing feels less cramped and apps appear closer to their standard proportions, preserving a normal phone feel when folded. Huawei's inner display skews slightly more rectangular, while Samsung's is squarer and more tablet-like when open.

The pitch, in short, is a phone that behaves like a phone when closed and a real tablet when opened, a more accessible proposition than the TriFold's dual-fold ambitions, and one aimed squarely at a broader audience. If the leaks hold true, it would also mark the first commercial implementation of Samsung's creaseless display technology, first unveiled at CES 2026.

What consumers want

Pricing could prove to be either a key selling point or a significant barrier. An expensive price tag appears unavoidable, however, given its ...