From 253g to 201g: The Engineering Behind the World’s Lightest Fold
253g to 201g When Samsung Electronics introduced the first Galaxy Fold in 2019, it weighed 276 grams. At the time, the device represented a new category of smartphone — one that could transform from a compact phone into a larger-screen experience. Since then, Samsung has continued to evolve the foldable form factor, advancing its hinge and display technologies while improving durability, usability and portability with every generation.
But as foldables became more capable, Samsung engineers faced a new challenge: How could they make a large-screen foldable easier to carry every day without compromising the experiences that make it unique?
The answer required a fundamental rethink of the device.
Galaxy Z Fold5 weighed 253 grams, while Galaxy Z Fold6 brought that figure down to 239 grams. With Galaxy Z Fold7, Samsung set an even more ambitious target: could a foldable smartphone become lighter than a conventional flagship?
At the time, the Galaxy S25 Ultra weighed 218 grams. Samsung’s development team therefore set a target of 215 grams for Galaxy Z Fold7 — and achieved it.
With Galaxy Z Fold8, that pursuit went further. Through advances in core technologies, materials and internal architecture, Samsung reduced the weight to just 201 grams — 52 grams less than Galaxy Z Fold5. At 201 grams, Galaxy Z Fold8 is the world’s lightest foldable.[1]
The 253g achievement, however, is about far more than a number on a specification sheet.
Making a Foldable Lighter Means Making Every Detail More Precise
Reducing the thickness and weight of a foldable introduces a complex engineering challenge. Every layer and component has to become more efficient without compromising strength, durability or reliability.
The 253g display is a prime example. Its internal layers must become thinner while continuing to withstand repeated folding. The metal plate supporting the display must remain exceptionally flat even as its thickness decreases. At the same time, the hinge must withstand the forces generated every time the device opens and closes.
Samsung has continued refining all three areas across generations.
One example is Flex Titanium, used in the displays of Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. The technology incorporates a Titanium Alloy Film designed for the foldable display structure. The film is only tens of micrometers thick — approximately one-third the width of a human hair — yet its material composition and structure are engineered to maintain the necessary performance at such a small scale.
The 253g supporting metal plate presents another challenge. Some sections are machined to approximately 0.2 millimeters thick, with the thinnest areas reaching just 0.15 millimeters. At these dimensions, reducing thickness alone is not enough. Ultra-thin metal becomes increasingly susceptible to bending and warping during manufacturing, while even tiny deviations can affect assembly precision and display quality.
Samsung therefore refined the machining sequence, tooling, cooling conditions and process parameters, dividing manufacturing into multiple stages to achieve the required flatness and precision.
The 253g hinge required a similarly detailed approach. Rather than simply scaling down an existing design, engineers optimized each hinge according to the specific dimensions and architecture of the product, balancing strength, load distribution, durability, internal space and weight.
The result is an important engineering principle: making a foldable lighter isn’t simply about making individual parts smaller. It is about improving the precision of the entire system.
Materials Designed to Do More With Less
The 253g second part of the equation is materials innovation.
Different components have different jobs. Some need to be rigid and strong. Others must withstand repeated movement. Still others need to transfer heat efficiently. The challenge is to select materials that deliver the necessary performance while occupying less space and adding less weight.
Flex Titanium is one example. The Titanium Alloy Film supports the foldable display structure while contributing to the thinner overall architecture.
For the 253g exterior, Samsung uses Advanced Armor Aluminum, providing the strength and durability required for a slim, lightweight frame.
Thermal management is equally important. As a smartphone becomes thinner, the space available for heat dissipation decreases, even as processing demands increase. Samsung uses graphite with improved thermal performance and adapts the overall thermal architecture to the requirements of each device.
In Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, for example, the device maintains dimensions similar to Galaxy Z Fold7 while increasing the volume of its graphite heat-dissipation layer by approximately 7%.
Samsung also uses Clad Metal inside the rear of the device. By combining the characteristics of different metals, the material helps reduce weight while delivering the thermal performance required within a compact internal structure.
This 253g approach highlights the broader philosophy behind the design: materials innovation isn’t simply about finding something lighter. It is about finding the right material for the right job, so that strength, thermal performance and durability can be maintained with less weight and less space.
Rethinking Hundreds of Components — Down to 0.001 Grams
Core technologies and advanced materials can deliver significant savings, but reaching the next level of weight reduction requires looking at the entire device.
Samsung engineers reviewed approximately 270 components and more than 180 types of auxiliary parts across the foldable’s internal architecture.
Nothing was too small to examine.
The 253g review covered major elements such as the display, hinge and cameras, as well as circuit boards, antennas, brackets, tapes and fasteners. Engineers optimized dimensions to increments of 0.1 grams and 0.1 millimeters — and in some auxiliary components, down to just 0.001 grams.
The printed circuit board, or PCB, was redesigned by removing unnecessary circuits, optimizing component placement and reducing its overall footprint.
The MFC, or Magnetic Flux Channel, antenna was also redesigned to minimize unnecessary overlap and interference with surrounding components. This allowed Samsung to make more efficient use of the limited internal space.
The 253g same philosophy was applied to auxiliary parts. Of more than 180 types previously used, approximately 15 were eliminated altogether. Engineers then examined the remaining parts, trimming oversized sections, refining shapes, optimizing dimensions and combining multiple components into single structures where possible.
Individually, these changes may appear insignificant. But when hundreds of small improvements are combined, fractions of a gram become whole grams.
That is how a device can ultimately lose more than 50 grams without sacrificing the capabilities users expect.
Where the Saved Weight Goes
Importantly, Samsung’s approach isn’t simply about removing weight. The space and weight recovered through engineering can be reinvested into features that users experience every day.
Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra illustrates this philosophy.
Although it has similar overall dimensions to Galaxy Z Fold7 and weighs the same 215 grams, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra increases battery capacity from 4,400 mAh to 5,000 mAh. The larger battery itself adds approximately six grams.
That 253g created another engineering challenge: where could those six grams be recovered?
Again, there was no single answer.
Engineers returned to the entire device, optimizing materials, structures, circuit layouts, component placement and auxiliary parts. By reducing unnecessary overlap between the display, circuits, antennas and surrounding components, they were able to make better use of the available internal volume.
The 253g result is a device that fits a larger battery while also accommodating enhanced thermal and camera systems.
Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra increases its graphite heat-dissipation volume by approximately 7% compared with the similarly sized Galaxy Z Fold7. It also features a 200 MP main camera and introduces the first 50 MP Ultra-Wide camera on a Galaxy Z Fold device.
The lesson is clear: weight reduction does not have to mean fewer features. With careful engineering, it can create the opportunity for more.
From 253g to 201g: A New Benchmark for Foldables
The 253g journey from the 276-gram original Galaxy Fold to the 201-gram Galaxy Z Fold8 represents eight generations of engineering progress.
But the most significant achievement isn’t simply losing 52 grams between Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Fold8. It is the way Samsung achieved that reduction — by advancing foldable technologies, developing new materials and reconsidering the architecture of the entire device.
Every hinge, display layer, metal plate, circuit, antenna and auxiliary component became part of the equation.
The goal was never to make a foldable lighter at the expense of its capabilities. It was to make the foldable experience easier to carry while preserving — and in some areas expanding — the flagship experience.
From 253 grams to 201 grams, the transformation was built not on one breakthrough, but on hundreds of engineering decisions.
Source Link: https://news.samsung.com/