Samsung wants to break the record for the thinnest foldable smartphone

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 are solid foldables, but when you look at the competition, it’s easy to see that Samsung is lagging behind. But according to a new report, Samsung is pushing for an “ultra-thin” foldable that’s as thin as a regular smartphone.

The Galaxy Z Fold series has never been particularly impressive in terms of thickness. The Fold 6 is the pinnacle of the lineup at 12.1mm thick, compared to 16.8mm for 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 Galaxy Z Fold super-thing device that is “similar to the 7.7mm thickness of the bar-type Galaxy S24” while being lighter than the current Fold 6 which weighs 239g. Hank Yung The report reflects this idea well. Needless to say, it would be an impressive feat if it were ever to come to fruition.

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

To put that 7.7mm lens into context, Samsung’s flagship phone is the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is 8.6mm thick. TM Roh wants to shave nearly a millimeter off that thickness.

Samsung will likely face a number of major challenges to achieve this ambitious goal, but it will be interesting to see how it tackles the problem. It is not yet clear when, or even when, such a foldable device will hit the market.

The news comes after Samsung was criticized for the limited changes it made to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6. As we reported last week, a perceived lack of ambition has left the company, 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, while called “Slim,” will measure 10mm when folded. That would be much closer to Samsung’s competition and much thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. That device, whatever it’s called, is expected to launch 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, free double storage, and other perks. You can also get an additional offer of up to $150 with our Galaxy Z Fold 6 link on Samsung.com.

Samsung will begin shipping its new foldables along with the Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Buds 3 (and Buds 3 Pro), Galaxy Watch 7, and Galaxy Watch Ultra on July 24.

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