On the eve of Apple's highly anticipated folding iPhone, Samsung isn't feeling threatened. Instead, the folding smartphone pioneer says the competition is “absolutely welcome.”
That's according to Hee-Cheul Moon, head of Samsung's Advanced Mechanical R&D Group, who sat with WIRED on a virtual Zoom call with Seungki Choi, head of Samsung's Smartphone R&D Group. Before the talk veered toward Apple, the pair spoke about how the company managed to shave 75 grams off the weight of its latest Galaxy Z Fold8 in the 7 years since it debuted the original.
Weight is integral to a folding phone's success. If the device is too chunky and heavy, you're less likely to want to use it. Over the past two years, folding devices from Honor, Google, and Samsung have rapidly gotten lighter, which each iteration featuring thinner designs. It may be why Samsung saw preorders for its latest folding handsets increase 30 percent globally versus last year's models, with the Fold8—the device with a new smaller shape that’s easier to hold—accounting for nearly half.
“Seeing these other brands entering the market, we feel very proud of ourselves that the value that we pioneered with this new category of foldables is being acknowledged and recognized,” Moon says through a translator.
When I asked what advice the company had for Apple ahead of its folding debut, Moon says, “The key to providing the highest customer value in this market is all about the weight of the device. As you know, it's not easy." Apple's folding iPhone, rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra, is expected to weigh between 230 and 241 grams (the iPhone 17 Pro Max weighs 233 grams), heftier than Samsung's latest.
Samsung has made notable strides this year in making its main Galaxy Z Fold8 smartphone lighter than top-end candybar-shaped smartphones. The single-screen Galaxy S26 Ultra weighs 214 grams, but the Fold8 is merely 201 grams, thanks to its smaller, passport-style shape. The company says its own customer data and YouGov survey data from 2024 show that bulky designs were a chief concern for people uninterested in folding phones.
The company says it analyzed every single component in the latest Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra—approximately 270 components and more than 180 auxiliary parts—from circuit boards and antennas to tapes and fastening components.
The team looked everywhere to cut weight. For example, it redesigned the printed circuit board to remove unnecessary circuits and improve component layout, reducing the space requirement. Samsung says it even eliminated 15 auxiliary parts and machined the internal display support plate down to roughly 0.2 millimeters. To keep that thinner panel durable, Samsung developed its “Flex Titanium” screen—a titanium alloy film roughly one-third the width of a human hair designed to maintain surface flatness and keep the crease from worsening over years of folding.
You'll also notice Samsung's primary folding phone no longer has three cameras on the back. Instead, it's powered by a dual-camera system, a main camera and an ultrawide—there's no more telephoto. For those who still demand high-end zoom and a 200-megapixel primary shooter, Samsung points to the larger Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, framing the Fold8's camera cutback as an intentional concession to deliver that lightweight, passport-style design.
Apple's folding iPhone is also expected to have a wider and shorter passport-style shape, and it's likely to have a similar camera setup. Both Apple and Samsung made similar concessions last year chasing ultra-thin-and-light smartphones.
Choi says this came down to user feedback as Samsung's customers wanted a folding device that was “effortlessly portable” yet could be unfolded for an immersive multimedia experience. “We continue to always monitor the voice from the market, and we are open to any possibilities,” he says. We spend most of our time consuming multimedia with our smartphones, and the Fold8's new shape is specifically tailored for media, with less obvious letterboxing than previous Folds.
Yet chasing that slim, lightweight profile leaves foldables exposed where traditional flagships excel: durability and ingress protection. Most candybar smartphones sport an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning they'll be fine even after spending some time at the bottom of a pool, but the Galaxy Z Fold8 series is still stuck at IP48—it can get wet, but dust will cause problems. Dust notoriously forced Samsung to delay the launch of the first Galaxy Fold in 2019, as little specks could get through the hinge and damage the screen.
Google's folding Pixels are the only models with an IP68 rating. Still, even with the higher rating, dust can pose a problem, according to Elizabeth Chamberlain, iFixit's director of Sustainability. The repair company's teardowns show that dust can get inside the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, making the hinge sound “crunchy” and causing what could be a serious liability over time.
“We still haven't seen a solution for that,” Chamberlain tells WIRED. “Repair is still a problem for foldables.” iFixit's recent teardown of the Galaxy Z Fold8 gave it a 4/10 for repairability. “The hinge is buried under all the other components, and the hinge is the thing most likely to get damaged,” Chamberlain says. She did give Samsung props for its new adhesive system that makes battery removal easier.
Moon reiterated that Samsung's Folds have the “best-in-class” dustproof and waterproof performance in the industry, and that the company isn't just “chasing the numbers for the sake of it.” He also emphasized that despite the Fold8's slim profile, internal components are far easier to detach and service than earlier iterations.
That tension between engineering finesse and long-term durability is what Apple is stepping into. While Samsung enjoys a boost in Fold8 preorders, the broader foldable category was staring down a double-digit decline after five consecutive quarters of losing steam.
Nabila Popal, senior research director at the International Data Corporation, says this niche market is stabilizing, and the upcoming iPhone is expected to help the category grow nearly 13 percent year over year—the only bit of growth in the smartphone market right now. Drew Blackard, Samsung's senior vice president of Mobile Product Management, previously told WIRED that more competition will help bring visibility to the category.
Popal says foldables are more durable and dependable now, arguing Apple is entering just as hardware anxieties have eased.
Chamberlain isn't convinced the category is truly mature. “I want a phone that is durable and repairable, and I think it's highly unlikely that Apple will have solved the hinge problem,” she says.
Even with the durability question unanswered, Samsung's engineers believe they've finally landed on the right formula. When I asked what device everyone in the room was using, a sea of Galaxy Z Fold8 models appeared in the air. Moon held up both the Z Fold8 and the Fold8 Ultra, smiling and saying, “We use the Fold8 Ultra also.”
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