C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung has shared more insights into how it made the Galaxy Z Fold 7 its thinnest book-style foldable to date.
- Redesigning the hinge, display, and camera system allowed for the phone’s ultra-slim profile.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is Samsung’s thinnest book-style foldable to date, measuring 8.9mm thick when folded and 4.2mm when unfolded. The device has ushered in an era where Samsung’s foldables compete more directly with foldables from competitors like HONOR and OPPO. But how did Samsung make its leap towards thinner foldables?
In a post on Samsung Newsroom, the company shared more insights into how it achieved the feat: a combination of a thinner hinge, a slimmer display, and a new camera actuator. The changes helped Samsung cut down the thickness of the Fold 7 by almost 50% compared to the original Galaxy Fold!
Samsung explains that the Fold 7 includes a hinge that is 27% thinner and 43% lighter than the one featured on the Fold 6. It achieved this by using thinner critical rotating and supporting elements. The smartphone also has a wingplate that opens wider, allowing for a flatter screen with a less visible crease when unfolded.
Despite its reduced size, Samsung told Android Authority that the new hinge improves durability over “thousands of folds.” For reference, the Fold 6 was rated for over 200,000 open/close cycles. You may have come across a few reports of Galaxy Z Fold 7 demo units not opening fully flat, but this doesn’t appear to be a widespread issue. None of our review units have shown this problem, and other reviewers who’ve spent time with the device haven’t encountered it either.
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
In terms of the display, Samsung says it reduced the Fold 7 screen’s thickness by reoptimizing the panel structure and using new materials. It also redesigned the panel layer to help create a thinner profile. While the company hasn’t mentioned this in its latest post, it previously revealed that the thinner profile of the Fold 7 was also achieved by removing the digitizer layer from the display, which is why the Fold 7 no longer supports the S Pen.
Another significant change in the Fold 7 is its newly designed 200MP wide-angle rear camera. Samsung says this was made possible by a new thin actuator, a component that physically moves the lens, and a complete structural redesign.
These changes allowed Samsung to create one of the thinnest foldables on the market. This also means that companies making foldable smartphones are now competing in fractions of millimeters when it comes to the thickness of their devices.
