Updated
Updated · WIRED · Sep 8
Samsung Urges Apple to Keep Folding iPhone Under 241 Grams as Fold8 Preorders Jump 30%
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Sep 8

Samsung Urges Apple to Keep Folding iPhone Under 241 Grams as Fold8 Preorders Jump 30%

3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Sep 8

Summary

  • 201 grams is Samsung’s benchmark for foldable usability: the company said weight is the key factor for Apple’s upcoming folding iPhone, which is rumored at 230 to 241 grams.
  • 75 grams have been cut from Samsung’s Fold line since the original Galaxy Fold, with the latest Z Fold8 slimmed by redesigning roughly 270 components, removing 15 auxiliary parts and dropping the telephoto camera.
  • 30% higher global preorders for Samsung’s latest foldables suggest lighter designs are resonating, and the smaller passport-style Fold8 accounted for nearly half of those orders.
  • IP48 water-and-dust protection and a 4/10 iFixit repairability score still show the tradeoff: thinner foldables remain vulnerable on durability, hinge repair and dust resistance even as Samsung says serviceability has improved.
  • 13% year-over-year growth is expected for foldables once Apple enters, according to IDC, potentially reviving a category that had been sliding in double digits despite improving hardware.

Insights

Are tech giants sacrificing essential durability and dust resistance just to create folding phones as thin as a passport?
Will Apple's long-awaited foldable phone finally solve the hinge flaws that Samsung's latest Galaxy Z Fold8 still struggles with?
Could Apple's entry into the folding smartphone market instantly erase Samsung's seven-year head start and dominance in the category?