Samsung has spent the past seven years being king of the foldable phones. Competitors have come along but no one has threatened its dominance, so it got comfortable.
In many ways, the Motorola Razr Ultra is a better device the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, with superior screens, better battery life, and a more powerful processor. The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is not necessarily more exceptional than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, but it does have a better rating for dust and water resistance and a smoother hinge. And the Oppo Find N6 has a flatter screen and less detectable crease than any Samsung, at least so far.
Apple getting Samsung in fighting shape
None of that has quite lit a fire under Samsung like the existential threat posed by Apple preparing to enter the foldable market in September. The threat of what is presumed to be called the iPhone Ultra might be behind Samsung’s latest innovations.
Today Samsung announced its Flex Titanium technology which sits below the OLED panel and supports the display from within, allowing for a much less visible crease.
Samsung said Flex Titanium will make its debut in “next-generation Galaxy foldable devices,” by which we can assume that means the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra that will be shown at Galaxy Unpacked next week.
This new technology could mean a Samsung screen that is on par with or better than Oppo’s, but the real target here is Apple. One of the primary rumors about the iPhone Ultra is that it has a nearly creaseless screen owing to a liquid metal hinge.
Samsung also seems to be extending its years of hardware experience to making sure it has the lighter phone.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is rumored to weigh 201 grams and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is expected to be 215 grams to the iPhone Ultra’s expected 255 grams.
Samsung has been slimming down the model since the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which comes in at 215 grams compared to 239 grams for its predecessor.
An alternative within a popular ecosystem
Samsung has spent years not having to worry about winning anyone over to its software. If someone wanted a foldable, there was no alternative but to get wrapped up in the world of Android.
A foldable in the Apple ecosystem can have a nuclear effect on Samsung. Samsung just pulled ahead of Apple to become the top smartphone brand globally.
The iPhone Ultra could pull away a significant share of business from Samsung in fairly short order.
While Samsung is unpacking its latest foldable this month, there is going to be an elephant in the room. For as big an impact as the latest Galaxy Z Fold lineup will have, the true verdict on it will not come until Apple shows off its foldable in September.
