Summary
- Buyers may not be extremely excited about slimmer slab phones, but foldables could seriously benefit from more convenient form factors.
- Samsung is upgrading hinge technology on its top two foldables with lightweight titanium for rigidity and compact designs.
- The upcoming Z Flip 7 will still use steel inside the hinge, and high-end Armor Aluminum will continue to cover the outside of Galaxy foldables.
Consumers aren’t outwardly clamoring for ultra-slim slab phones like the Galaxy S25 Edge (although it is an impressive engineering feat). When it comes to thinness, cutting-edge folding phones are where demanding users want to see progress. And while the rise of increasingly low-profile handsets could well correspond to more capable, affordable foldables, Samsung is still working hard to directly improve its top-of-the-line folders’ form factors.
Or, two of them, at least. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 and upcoming tri-fold model — rumored as the Galaxy G Fold — are in line to receive re-engineered hinges built around strong, lightweight titanium (Source: TheElec via 9to5Google). The leaked news comes from a Korean outlet known for insider tips on the hottest Galaxy devices. TheElec also indicates that this year’s Z Flip 7 will retain the stainless-steel hinge backplate from previous Z Flip models.
Related
If Samsung’s next-gen foldables are any cheaper, you’ll have the Galaxy S25 Edge to thank
Slim phone, big impact
Thinner, lighter, and slimmer
Ideally, without sacrificing durability
The Galaxy Z Fold and Z Fold 2 used a stainless-steel backplate (denoted “SUS” or “Steel Use Stainless” in the Japanese steel grading system). After discovering the material interfered with stylus recognition, it switched to a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic formulation for the next four generations of Galaxy tablet-style foldables.
Now, it’s moving to improve hinge durability while ensuring its top-of-the-line foldables stay as slim as possible. Instead of the CFRP material that provided structural integrity to the Z Fold 6’s hinge, the leading Android manufacturer is tapping lightweight titanium to deliver comparable strength to the previous, steel backplate. Both the Z Fold 7 and much-talked-about (but not officially announced) tri-fold phone will get the advanced material. Meanwhile, Samsung is working on stylus technology that operates without a digitizer, although that won’t make it to this year’s round of foldables.
The Z Flip series has never supported stylus use, and won’t start doing so in its seventh generation. The Z Flip 7 and Z Flip FE hinges will continue to use steel internally. All Galaxy foldables, however, appear set to retain the premium Armor Aluminum hinge cover and frame material.
