By Ramsey Mukisa
Samsung’s foldable-phone journey has reshaped the mobile industry, turning what started as a bold experiment into one of its flagship product lines.
The story kicked off in 2019 with the original Galaxy Fold, built to merge phone portability with the screen real estate of a tablet. Unfolded, it featured a 7.3-inch display, while its inward-folding design shielded the delicate screen when shut. Samsung pitched it not just as a handset, but as an entirely new class of mobile device.
From early hiccups to refinement
The initial Galaxy Fold grabbed global headlines, but its launch laid bare the technical hurdles of building a durable flexible phone. Samsung answered back in 2020 with the Galaxy Z Fold2, bringing a larger cover screen, a revamped Hideaway Hinge, and Flex Mode, which let the device prop itself open at various angles for video calls and photos.
The Z Fold2 also introduced the official “Z Fold” branding. Its new hinge delivered smoother movement while shrinking the gap around the fold, aided by internal sweepers that brushed away incoming dust and grit.
In 2021, Samsung turned its attention to durability with the Galaxy Z Fold3. It became the first foldable to earn a water-resistance rating, tackling a major source of anxiety for phones with moving parts. It also introduced a sturdier Armor Aluminum frame and added S Pen support to boost productivity.
Sleeker, lighter, and easier to live with The Galaxy Z Fold4 in 2022 trimmed the bulk further. Weight dropped to 263 grams from the Z Fold2’s 282 grams, thanks largely to a redesigned hinge that swapped out bulky gears for a compact linear mechanism.
Another key structural leap arrived with 2023’s Galaxy Z Fold5. Its new Flex Hinge finally allowed both halves to fold flat against each other, eliminating the visible gap when shut. At 13.4 millimetres thick and 253 grams, it was noticeably lighter and slimmer than earlier models.
By the time the Galaxy Z Fold6 launched in 2024, the focus had shifted. The hardware was refined and slimmed down, allowing Samsung to pivot from simply proving folding glass to polishing cameras, multitasking, and software features.
Expanding the foldable family Samsung’s strategy wasn’t limited to book-style devices. In 2020, it launched the Galaxy Z Flip, a compact clamshell that folded vertically. Where the Fold aimed to turn a phone into a tablet, the Flip was designed to make a standard smartphone pocketable.
Together, the two lines split the market: the Z Fold targeted power users and readers, while the Z Flip catered to users who valued style and portability. Core breakthroughs like Ultra thin glass and water resistance made both lines practical enough for everyday use.
A tougher field
By 2025 and 2026, Samsung’s foldables were fighting in a far busier market, facing fierce competition from Chinese rivals alongside rising demand from buyers looking to move beyond traditional slab phones.
Yet recent momentum shows foldables are going mainstream. South Korean pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold8 series hit 1.44 million units, eclipsing the Fold7 and setting a fresh record for a Galaxy launch on home turf.
More than a gimmick
Samsung’s Fold lineup has steadily matured: from the risky 2019 prototype to the rugged Z Fold3, the lighter Z Fold4 and Fold5, and today’s software-driven models.
Its biggest success might simply be resetting expectations of what a phone should do. Today’s foldable isn’t just a gimmick that bends; it transforms from phone to tablet, camera, or workstation depending on how you open it.
