Report: Samsung wants to make an ‘extra-slim’ foldable that nears ‘7.7mm’ when folded

Ben Schoon | Jul 18 2024 - 8:25 am PT

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 are solid foldables, but when you look at the competition, it quickly becomes clear that Samsung is lagging behind. According to a new report, though, Samsung is pushing for an “extra-slim” foldable that’s just as thin as a regular smartphone.

The Galaxy Z Fold series has never been particularly impressive when it comes to thickness. The Fold 6 is the pinnacle of the lineup at 12.1mm thick, down from 16.8mm on the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the thickest device in the series.

KED Global reports that Samsung’s TM Roh is tasking the company’s engineers with developing a super-thing Galaxy Z Fold device that’s “similar to the bar-type Galaxy S24’s thickness of 7.7mm” while also being lighter than the current Fold 6 which weighs in at 239g. HankYung mirrors the report. Needless to say, that would be an impressive feat if it were ever brought to life.

The current record for the thinnest foldable is Honor’s brand-new Magic V3, which measures just 9.2mm when folded.

To put that 7.7mm goal into further context, Samsung’s flagship “slab” phone is the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which measures 8.6mm thick. TM Roh wants to shave almost an entire millimeter off of that.

Samsung will likely face countless major challenges with this ambitious goal, but it should be interesting to see how it tackles the problem. It’s unclear when, if ever, such a foldable would come to market.

This news comes after Samsung has been under fire for the limited changes on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6. As were said last week, a seeming lack of ambition has left the company, which was once a pioneer in the foldable category, effectively “dead in the water” compared to a rapidly advancing group of competitors.

This report also mentions that Samsung’s upgraded Galaxy Z Fold 6, though to be called “Slim,” will measure 10mm when folded. That would be far closer to Samsung’s competition, and much thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. That device, whatever it may end up being called, is reportedly launching in October, but only in Korea and China.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 are available for pre-order now with up to $1,200 in trade-in value, doubled storage for free, and other perks. You can also get up to $150 more offer with our link to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 at Samsung.com.

Samsung starts shipping its new foldables as well as Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Buds 3 (and Buds 3 Pro), Galaxy Watch 7, and Galaxy Watch Ultra on July 24.