Revealing the technical technologies behind the latest generation of Galaxy Z

(Dan Tri) - At Galaxy Unpacked July taking place on July 22, Samsung Electronics launched Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8, marking the 8th generation of Galaxy Z.

Over seven generations, Samsung has helped shape the folding phone segment through breakthroughs in display technology, hinge engineering and material innovations, all developed based on a deep understanding of how users use their devices.

Mr. Sunghoon Moon, Executive Vice President and Senior Leader of Mobile Device R&D - Hardware, Mobile Experience (MX) Department, Samsung Electronics shared about the research and technical development process behind Samsung's latest folding phone products.

Mr. Sunghoon Moon (Photo: Samsung).

How have seven generations of user insights shaped Samsung's approach to the latest Galaxy Z series?

- From the beginning, we saw foldable phones as an opportunity to redefine the way people interact with phones, not simply as a new device design. Across seven generations, we've learned how people open, carry, extend their screens, and use their devices in everyday life. Those insights have shaped the engineering priorities and direction for each new generation of Galaxy Z.

Over time, three priorities became increasingly clear: larger screens, providing a more immersive experience; The device is thinner and lighter without compromising on durability; and outstanding performance, while maintaining the unique advantages of folding phone design. Satisfying all three factors simultaneously has become the core technical problem behind the latest Galaxy Z series.

Samsung describes folding phone innovation as the process of developing a unified connectivity system. How is this manifested in practice?

- With folding phones, all components are interconnected. For example, to make the device thinner, we had to simultaneously redesign the screen, hinge, battery, cooling system and internal architecture. Instead of optimizing each individual component, we develop the entire device as a unified connection system. This end-to-end engineering philosophy is applied from materials and component design to manufacturing, testing and final product experience, helping technical advances become improvements that users can feel in their everyday lives.

Samsung has developed each of the latest folding phone products as a unified connection system, to bring important improvements to users (Photo: Samsung).

The new Galaxy Z series introduces Flex Titanium technology. What technical challenges does this technology solve?

- Our goal is to create thinner and lighter foldable phones without compromising durability or display experience. This required us to redesign the display support structure, protecting the ultra-thin OLED panel, while maintaining the flexibility necessary for the device to fold and open multiple times.

Used in demanding industries such as aerospace, titanium has high strength and resistance to permanent deformation - essential properties for folding phone screens. However, material selection is only the beginning. The real challenge lies in developing the machining process, structural design and manufacturing capacity necessary for titanium to meet the demands of repeated folding and unfolding.

Flex Titanium technology makes the screen thinner and more durable, while reducing the visibility of folds (Photo: Samsung).

Flex Titanium combines two titanium-based components. The titanium plate located below the display serves as the main support structure, helping to absorb pressure and impacts from both the front and back of the device.

The precision-engineered mesh structure, created through a hybrid manufacturing process, allows the titanium plate to maintain flexibility while ensuring structural strength.

Beneath the display panel, a titanium alloy film (titanium-alloy film) provides the strength, flexibility and elastic recovery needed to support the repeated folding and unfolding of everyday use, even at a thickness of just a few dozen micrometers, equivalent to about one-third the thickness of a human hair.

Flex Titanium technology possesses a specially thin titanium alloy film and a titanium plate designed with high precision (Photo: Samsung).

These improvements combine to strengthen the display support structure, while reducing the thickness of the display module by 10%, creating more space for the battery, cooling system and camera. For users, this results in a device that is thinner and lighter, with a flatter display and less visible crease.

How did Samsung redesign the battery system for the latest Galaxy Z series?

- Users expect longer battery life, faster charging speeds and a thinner foldable device, without compromising long-term safety, stability or reliability. To meet these expectations, we needed to redesign the entire battery system, rather than simply increase battery capacity.

We use silicon-carbon anodes (silicon-carbon anodes) to improve energy density, but innovation doesn't stop at the anode. Because silicon-carbon materials are more reactive, maintaining long-term stability under high voltage conditions requires us to optimize the entire battery system.

Improvements to the display structure also create more space inside, allowing us to redesign the battery system while maintaining a thinner form factor. Thanks to that, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery.

The same philosophy applies to charging technology. Instead of applying one solution to the entire product line, we develop charging architectures tailored to each foldable phone form factor. Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold8 use dual-path charging architecture, which helps distribute power more efficiently within the battery system, providing faster, more stable and reliable charging, while also improving thermal management.

This technology supports 45W fast charging, allowing Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra to reach 67% battery in just 30 minutes. For Galaxy Z Flip8, the charging architecture is specifically optimized to meet the specific space and thermal requirements of the compact design.

To ensure that folding phones can withstand years of daily use, how does Samsung test durability before bringing the product to market?

- For us, durability does not just lie in design but must be proven through the testing process. We test the entire foldable phone system in conditions that simulate how users use the device in real life.

The latest Galaxy Z series has undergone more than 100 reliability tests, including real-life usage conditions such as drops, repeated folding, pressure, humidity and dust.

Our goal is to understand the performance of the entire device during daily use, identify potential issues before the product reaches users, and create foldable devices that users can trust.

Over the years, Samsung has transformed user insights into advancements for the Galaxy Z series (Photo: Samsung).

Looking back at the entire development process, how would you describe Samsung's approach behind the Galaxy Z series?

- Everything starts from the user. Across seven generations, we've transformed user insights into innovations in materials, components and the overall device experience. That philosophy continues to guide the Galaxy Z series, delivering foldable devices that are thinner, more durable, more powerful and more intuitive year after year.