Analysts at Counterpoint Research said that Samsung Electronics is still the leader in the field of foldable smartphones, but even judging from this year’s statistics, the release of Apple’s iPhone Duo poses a serious threat to its position, so the South Korean giant has significantly increased its efforts to promote its own foldable smartphones.
according to ReutersA Korean company has installed billboards in major cities in South Korea, the UK and Japan with the slogan “Welcome to the foldable smartphone” and “The world’s lightest foldable smartphone”obviously trying to emphasize not only its rich experience in producing such equipment, but also the outstanding mass characteristics of its own new products. On social networks, Samsung representatives expressed their attacks on the iPhone Duo with sarcastic remarks such as “Doedaya follows us” and “So far everything is the same”. Samsung has been offering devices with a proper layout since 2019 and has since released eight generations of foldable smartphones.
To some extent, it will be easier for Apple to tap into this market because Samsung has already created certain conditions for the supply of necessary parts, because even the iPhone Duo’s flexible display is produced by its own division, Samsung Display.
on page own website Samsung Electronics describes the quality and size characteristics required to manufacture a new generation of foldable smartphones. The company is particularly proud of the fact that as the foldable flagship evolved from the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, its weight dropped from 253 grams to 201 grams. At the same time, developers are trying to make their foldable smartphones lighter than traditional Samsung Galaxy models. For example, during the development of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the classic Galaxy S25 Ultra weighed 218 grams, and Samsung engineers set themselves the task of reducing the weight of the folding model to 215 grams. In the new generation, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the weight has been reduced by 201 grams, making it considered the world’s lightest folding smartphone.
From the first-generation Galaxy Fold to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the thickness of the case has been reduced from 17.1 mm to 8.9 mm. According to a 2024 sociological survey, it is the high thickness and weight that deter potential buyers from purchasing foldable smartphones. At the same time, Samsung doesn’t want to sacrifice battery capacity, reliability, or the quality of its flexible displays. It also continues to improve its foldable smartphone’s camera features and its cooling system.
Combining the task of maintaining high reliability with reducing the thickness of a foldable smartphone is quite difficult. Hinges and body parts – all of these have to improve with each new generation of foldable Samsung smartphones. With the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 series, the company had to introduce a thin titanium plate that is three times thinner than a human hair, but allows it to achieve the required rigidity of the display even with the overall thickness of the case shown in the previous paragraph.
Making such sheets from titanium alloys is also not easy, as conventional equipment is capable of processing metal sheets with a thickness of at least 0.15 mm without deforming the part. The manufacturing process for such panels requires rigorous modernization. Developing the hinge was also a difficult technical task: it had to be sufficiently durable and lightweight while dispersing the force when folding and unfolding the smartphone so as not to damage other parts of the case.
Materials science is another area where Samsung must improve its capabilities as it produces several generations of foldable smartphones. We had to learn how to make body parts out of aluminum because aluminum is lightweight and conducts heat well. The use of graphite as part of smartphone cooling systems also facilitates solving the latter problem. The radiator is made of it, and its volume has increased by 7% compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The lid of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has to be made of a special metal alloy.
In pursuit of reducing the weight of smartphones, Samsung engineers analyzed the composition and design of 270 components and more than 180 auxiliary materials. The fight is not just for every gram of mass, but sometimes also for thousandths of a gram. The design of the printed circuit board has been precisely modified with the aim of reducing its weight. The layout of the antenna assembly also takes into account many nuances. Connectors, cables and fasteners – they are all redesigned in the most rigorous way, if that obviously helps reduce the weight and size of the components. “Off the top of my head” saving a few grams makes a significant difference in the scale of the entire device.
However, in some cases, sacrifices must be made in terms of increased quality. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is equipped with a larger-capacity battery than its predecessor (5000mAh vs. 4400mAh), but the battery weighs 6 grams more. Weight had to be reduced in other areas as well, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra also has a larger battery.
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