In the latest Galaxy Unpacked, Samsung Electronics unveiled a new future of mobile possibilities with the launch of the new Z Flip4 5G * and Z Fold4 5G *, which represent a journey of over a decade to reimagine the smartphone and bring new experiences to users.
As one of the earliest smartphone makers, Samsung has recognized that true innovation doesn’t just come from advancing technology itself. True innovation introduces new benefits that transform consumers’ daily lives and democratize innovation for all.
To help users better understand foldable technology from an engineering perspective, Samsung Newsroom spoke with Dr. Won-Joon Choi, Executive Vice President, Head of Flagship Products R&D Team and Mobile eXperience Business Technology Strategy Team, Samsung Electronics .
As the leader of Samsung’s high-end product research and development team, the questions and answers below include some of the latest advances and insights exclusives on the fourth generation of the Galaxy Z line.
Learn more below about Samsung’s lenses for the Z Flip4 5G and Z Fold4 5G and the process behind the folding technology that is as dynamic as its engineering team.
What’s your approach to improving the hardware design of the Samsung folding line?
Not only do we accumulate engineering knowledge from the previous three generations of leaflets, but we also receive feedback of users which has been extremely valuable to the progress of the Z Fold4 5G and Z Flip4 5G. As we approach customer feedback, more often than not, we have to overcome technological limitations, which require new approaches than conventional smartphones. To bring foldable technology to millions of people and popularize the foldable device category, we focus on the following areas: improve durability for everyday use, provide the perfect balance of on-the-go experiences and experiences optimized for the big screen, and maintain the best performance that is the heart of Galaxy smartphones.
How does the updated hinge of the Z Flip4 5G and Z Fold4 5G make everyday use more comfortable for people?
For the Z Flip, people wanted the form factor to be even more compact. For the Z Fold, our users would like balanced usage between the external and internal display, as well as doing one-handed tasks.
So our solution was to redesign the hinge on both devices. Our previous hinge design was a piece of engineering that allows for the folding experience we see today. However, we knew internally that we would have to simplify the design to make it even larger in scale and meet the needs of traditional users.
By creating this new hinge, we were able to further reduce the design of the Z Flip4 5G to make it even more compact. It also allowed us to change the size on the Z Fold4 5G. The device now has a slightly wider and slightly shorter external screen, ensuring a more comfortable experience when typing on the go and performing other tasks on the external screen. While these changes may seem just incremental, they make a big difference to the user experience.
In addition to offering people comfortable use, the new hinge design also has benefits for both manufacturing and longevity. We have reduced the number of parts by 60%. This is a feat in itself, because it means fewer repair components may be needed and is easier to produce on a larger scale.
Z Flip and Z Fold users love to create content with high quality cameras. Do the latest devices offer users new experiences or features?
We have taken care of updating the cameras on both devices. We wanted to offer our customers the benefits of Nightography, first introduced in the Galaxy S22 line, in both the Z Flip and Z Fold. However, this required the addition of larger lenses to capture more light. By redesigning the hinge, we were able to ensure more space for the component that could fit our new camera systems without making the device thicker.
How did the fourth generation of the Galaxy Z range become lighter? How will this benefit the end user?
Image for illustrative purposes only.
For the past few generations, we have focused on reducing the weight of the Z Fold line. We know this is an extremely important factor for leaflets, because the purpose of these devices is to offer new experiences without compromising usability.
This year we focused on reducing the weight of the display and hinge, resulting in a device that weighs 263 grams, which is 8 grams lighter than the Z Fold3 5G and nearly 20 grams lighter than the Z Fold2 (282 g). This subtle but continuous refinement makes a big difference across the generations.
To achieve this, we have restructured and optimized the number of internal components, including the display and the hinge. The weight reduction of the screen contributed a lot to the overall weight. We have redesigned the structure and materials of the layers and, as a result, the display of the Z Fold4 5G is not only 15% lighter than the previous generation, but also 45% stronger. Combined with the redesigned hinge, which is 21% lighter than that used in the Z Fold3 5G, the Z Fold4 5G offers a noticeable weight difference. This results in a more comfortable, portable and convenient user experience.
Samsung has received comments in the past about the Z Flip’s battery life. How has the battery life of the Z Flip4 5G been extended?
One of the biggest comments we got from the Z Flip3 5G was about battery life. Since a foldable smartphone is divided into two parts and joined by a hinge, it naturally has limitations in terms of internal space compared to conventional smartphones. However, shrinking the hinge and reconfiguring the internal mechanical design allowed us to secure additional space for a larger battery. Along with more efficient performance, users can now enjoy longer battery life than the previous generation.
Galaxy users care about having an immersive visual experience on their devices. How and why was the Under Display Camera (UDC) on the Z Fold improved in this latest iteration?
We created UDC technology to deliver an uninterrupted viewing experience on the 7.6-inch main screen1 of the Z Fold3 5G. This was the first of its kind in a foldable and we managed to make the experience even better on the Z Fold4 5G.
We reconfigured the pixels on the top of the camera to improve the perceived resolution and thus make the camera even more discreet. We changed the subpixel layout from a cluster type to a scatter type, increasing the visibility of the grid pattern and improving the readability of the text. As a result, content viewing, gaming, and reading are smooth on the home screen.
The key element of Samsung folding is ultra-thin glass (UTG). Can you tell us more about how you created this strong material that can be folded hundreds of thousands of times?
When we developed the first generation of the Galaxy Fold, we made the screens foldable using flexible polyamide. But we knew we needed to do something more durable to popularize folded leaflets.
Thus was born the first Ultra Thin Glass. It is a highly complex material that has to go through numerous stages from the raw material. We first receive sheets of thin glass, which are thinner than a single human hair, from our partners before they are coated and cut to precise dimensions. We then go through a gentle process of grinding and polishing the glass surface. This ensures that the material is structurally sound and ready for installation. Finally, they undergo a grueling durability test before being added to a device from the Galaxy Z range.
Each step has been refined year after year to get us to where we are today, producing millions of components for our devices that are durable enough to offer peace of mind to our users on a daily basis.
