Ahead of the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event in London, BTS member J-Hope revealed the new, wider Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. Captured in soundcheck footage from a Paris tour stop, the device confirms design leaks of a broader cover display, marking another high-profile collaboration between the artist and Samsung.
J-Hope’s Paris Soundcheck Reveals New Design
Samsung’s tightly guarded plans for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 have been partially unveiled, not by a corporate press release, but by a social media post from BTS member J-Hope. During a soundcheck at a tour stop in Paris, the singer was filmed holding and using an unreleased Samsung foldable. The footage, which began circulating on X, provides one of the clearest looks yet at the device’s physical design before its formal introduction at the July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event in London.
The clips show the phone from both front and back angles, sporting a distinct purple finish. While the inner display remains unseen, the external proportions confirm a shift toward a wider cover display, a design change that industry analysts expect will help the device compete directly with the rumored iPhone Ultra Fold later this year.
Samsung and BTS: A Strategic Partnership
The appearance of the smartphone is likely no accident. Samsung has maintained a long-standing marketing partnership with the South Korean boy band, frequently utilizing members as brand ambassadors for its flagship hardware. Digital Trends reported that just one day before the Instagram Story appeared, Samsung Mobile released a teaser featuring J-Hope with the caption, Can’t give away too much, but j-hope is already hyped for what’s unfolding.
This history of collaboration makes the early reveal feel like a calculated marketing beat rather than a leak. As SamMobile noted, the company has released exclusive BTS editions of its phones in the past, and seeing group members with unreleased hardware is a familiar pattern for Galaxy fans. While it remains unclear if the specific Instagram Story was an intentional reveal or a behind-the-scenes slip, the timing fits perfectly within the promotional window for the upcoming Unpacked event.
For more on this story, see Boy band BTS’ J-Hope teases the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 ahead of launch – GSMArena.com news.
Clarifying the Fold 8 Lineup
The confusion surrounding the branding of Samsung’s new foldables has been a point of speculation for months. While early rumors suggested a device might be marketed as the “Fold 8 Wide,” recent reports from GSMArena.com suggest a more straightforward naming convention. The successor to last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 is expected to be titled the Galaxy Z Fold 8, while the premium, higher-end model will carry the “Ultra” branding.
The existence of the Ultra-branded foldable was further solidified by luxury brand Caviar, which has already begun accepting pre-orders for a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra Lionel Messi Edition.
This confirms that Samsung is preparing a tiered approach for its foldable category, separating the standard wide-format model from the more advanced Ultra version.
| Expected Device | Key Feature |
|---|---|
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Wider cover display and revised proportions |
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra | Premium branding and high-end specs |
| Galaxy Z Flip 8 | Updated folding form factor |
As the industry looks toward the July 22 event, the focus remains on whether these hardware adjustments—specifically the wider form factor—will be enough to sway users who have found previous iterations too narrow for daily use. With the devices already appearing in the wild, the element of surprise for the Unpacked presentation has been significantly diminished, leaving the technical specifications and pricing as the final details to be confirmed by Samsung.
Sources: Mashable, GSMArena.com.
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