Samsung Offers Apple Some Advice Regarding Its Upcoming Folding iPhone – Samsung doesn’t feel threatened on the eve of Apple’s eagerly awaited foldable iPhone. Rather, the pioneer of foldable smartphones thinks the rivalry is “absolutely welcome.”
Hee-Cheul Moon, head of Samsung’s Advanced Mechanical R&D Group, told WIRED during a virtual Zoom call with Seungki Choi, head of Samsung’s Smartphone R&D Group. Before the conversation turned to Apple, the two discussed how the business was able to reduce the weight of its most recent Galaxy Z Fold8 by 75 grams in the seven years since the initial model was released.
The success of a folding phone is largely dependent on its weight. You are less likely to desire to use a device if it is overly bulky and heavy. Honor, Google, and Samsung’s folding devices have gradually become lighter over the last two years, with each generation showcasing slimmer designs. This could be the reason why preorders for Samsung’s most recent folding phones increased by 30% worldwide compared to models from the previous year, with the Fold8—the gadget with a new, smaller, easier-to-hold shape—accounting for over half of these orders.
Through a translator, Moon states, “Seeing these other brands approaching the market, we feel very proud of ourselves which the value that we pioneered with this novel category of foldables is being acknowledged and recognized.”
Moon responded, “The key to providing the highest consumer value in this market depends solely about the weight of the device,” when I asked what guidance the company had for Apple prior to its folding debut. It’s difficult, as you are aware. Rumored to be named the iPhone Ultra, Apple’s folding iPhone is anticipated to be heavier than Samsung’s most recent model, weighing between 230 and 241 grams (the iPhone 17 Pro Max weighs 233 grams).
This year, Samsung has made significant progress in making its flagship Galaxy Z Fold8 smartphone lighter than high-end candybar-shaped smartphones. Because of its smaller, passport-style design, the Fold8 weighs only 201 grams compared to the 214 grams of the single-screen Galaxy S26 Ultra. According to YouGov survey data from 2024 and the company’s own customer data, individuals who are not interested in folding phones are mostly concerned with bulky designs.
From circuit boards and antennae to tapes and fastening components, the company claims to have examined every single component in the most recent Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra—roughly 270 components and more than 180 auxiliary parts.
To reduce weight, the team searched everyplace. For instance, it improved component layout and eliminated superfluous circuits from the printed circuit board, which decreased the amount of space needed. According to Samsung, the internal display support plate was cut down to about 0.2 millimeters and 15 auxiliary parts were deleted. Samsung created its “Flex Titanium” screen, a titanium alloy film about one-third the width of a human hair that is intended to preserve surface flatness and prevent creases from getting worse after years of folding, in order to keep that thinner panel sturdy.
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