How new Galaxy Z Fold 7 reduced thickness, weight

Kang Min-seok, head of smartphone planning at Samsung Electronics, speaks during a press briefing at a pop-up store for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 in New York, Thursday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

NEW YORK — The new Galaxy Z Fold 7 smartphone managed to reduce its thickness and weight enough to make users feel the difference while keeping its performance on par with Samsung’s powerful Galaxy S25.

Kang Min-seok, head of smartphone planning at Samsung Electronics, said the reduced weight and thickness was enabled through redesigning nearly every element inside the device, which he called a breakthrough in innovation for a better consumer experience.

“Consumers ultimately wanted the thinnest and lightest phone,” Kang said during a press briefing at a Galaxy pop-up store in New York on Thursday. “This model is even lighter than our own Galaxy S25 Ultra and any other premium product currently on the market.”

Measuring 8.9 millimeters when folded and 4.2 millimeters when unfolded, Kang said the Fold 7 is 48 percent thinner compared to the world’s first foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold 1, and emphasized that making a slimmer foldable phone is far more complex than a bar-type phone, due to its internal structure and components.

To reduce the height and thickness, the company made breakthrough improvements in four main components — the hinge, display, camera and exterior.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 / Korea Times photo by Nam Hyun-woo

First, the company developed the enhanced Armor FlexHinge, which reduced thickness by 27 percent and weight by 43 percent compared to its predecessor, while maintaining durability and maximizing internal space efficiency.

To enable this, Samsung used a new alloy material with 14 percent higher yield stress and redesigned the hinge's internal structure. By separating the rotating and supporting ground components, the company was able to fit the structure into a much smaller space, Kang said.

For the display, Kang said Samsung optimized the panel structure and applied new premium materials to reduce the overall thickness by 39 percent. The display is layered with glass on top, followed by the panel and the lattice. The bottom lattice material was changed from carbon fiber to a titanium alloy, which improved durability by 64 percent while making it 23 percent thinner. To maintain rigidity, the top glass layer was made 50 percent thicker.

A comparison between the Galaxy Z Fold 7, top, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra / Yonhap

For the camera module, Samsung used a newly designed actuator and restructured the entire module, reducing its size by 18 percent. After running tens of thousands of simulations, the company managed to maintain image quality while achieving 200 megapixels.

The cover screen is now protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which offers about 30 percent improved strength compared to the previous generation. The frame and hinge cover are also made of reinforced advanced armor aluminum, further enhancing the device’s durability.

The Fold 7 is not the thinnest foldable smartphone in the market, as Chinese smartphone maker Honor’s Magic V5 measures 8.8 millimeters when folded. Kang said that simply making a device thinner could compromise durability, battery life or other key features, adding that Samsung’s goal was not to pursue thinness and lightness alone but to find a balance across all aspects of user experience.

“Our goal was not ‘thin and light’ but was ‘make it right,’” he said. “That is why, in terms of overall completeness, we believe the Fold 7 is far superior to our competitors.” he said.

The Galaxy Experience Space pop-up store in New York / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics