8 ways Samsung claims to have shaped foldable phones

Some Apple fans may have never paid much attention to foldable phones before the iPhone Duo came along, but they've been around. Samsung has been the top foldable brand since 2019 and is certainly one reason why foldable phones exist in the first place.

Samsung knows it's been the center of that evolution and called it as such in a recent press release. In fact, Samsung enumerated eight areas where its contribution pushed foldables forward.

Honestly, the list could've probably been shorter without losing the core ideas. It feels a little padded, but that's not too relevant to Samsung's real contribution to the foldable space.

In any case, here's what Samsung had to say. These are the areas where Samsung claims foldable innovation.

Every year, Samsung's foldable display technology evolved to be more durable and less of an eyesore around the crease.

For 2026, the company highlights Flex Titanium as the greatest advancement in durability this generation. The Galaxy Z8 series uses a titanium-based display structure that improves durability and reduces the visibility of the crease.

You could be folding a Galaxy Z foldable phone several times a day, and every time you do, it has to feel seamless and effortless. It falls to the hinge and its mechanical components to make this happen.

Samsung continued refining the Galaxy Z hinge every year — its mechanism, the display tension, and the folding magnets — to create foldables that are not only thinner and lighter but feel great folded and unfolded.

These advancements made the Galaxy Z Fold 8 the lightest and the Fold 8 Ultra the thinnest Folds ever made.

Samsung was the first to experiment with foldable display technology and break new ground. It had to test the market to see what works. It had to first walk so it and others could run.

This year, Samsung introduced a new form factor — first time since 2020. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 expands the possibilities of foldable phones with its new passport-style shape.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the first Samsung foldable with a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is better suited for reading, watching certain video content, and playing mobile games.

The fourth area of improvement Samsung mentioned could probably have been combined with the above. But Samsung feels its efforts in foldable diversity deserve recognition.

Samsung didn't release just one foldable model and stick with it for years. It has had two main models since 2020, including the Fold and Flip, and even experimented with the Fold SE and even a tri-folding model.

The company believes that some form factors work better for some people, and foldable display technology allows devices to be designed around those needs.

Foldable phones represented not only a challenge but an opportunity to create new software experiences that take full advantage of the hardware and unusual folding design.

For one, the software has to be able to flow naturally between screens and orientations. While the system isn't perfect, as it also relies on the participation of third-party app developers, Galaxy Z Folds certainly offer a unique experience.

Most notable is FlexWindow. Samsung created it years ago to enable different UI experiences depending on whether the Fold/Flip is fully or partially open.

One iconic use case for FlexWindow is folding the Galaxy Z Flip in an L shape and holding it as a camcorder.

Unfortunately, we also have to point out that, for reasons difficult to fully grasp, the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 doesn't support FlexWindow.

Considering how strongly Samsung leans into AI nowadays, it's only natural for AI to be a part of the foldable phone experience.

The latest Galaxy Z8 models introduce new and improved AI features and enable better productivity through features like Gemini Notebook.

Although AI is now a part of virtually every smartphone, Samsung feels like AI on foldables opens up new possibilities.

So far, every area of innovation we mentioned had to do with the user experience after the initial setup. But one of the things Samsung improved for the latest foldables is a better Smart Switch app.

The upgraded Smart Switch now lets potential buyers switch phone brands a lot more easily and seamlessly. And with One UI 9, iPhone users can transfer to the Galaxy Z8 by simply scanning a QR code.

Lastly, Samsung believes that its rich experience with foldables and the journey to finding answers to new riddles every new generation is part of what makes its foldables great.

Everything the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Fold 8 are capable of and every new feature, from FlexWindow to better AI, is a culmination of all of Samsung's past experiences and consumer insights.

Samsung's been selling foldables since 2019, and it's been working on the technology itself even longer. The company believes that its experience with foldables year after year has become an advantage in and of itself. Samsung is the expert that makes expertly crafted foldables thanks to the Galaxy Z fanbase.

If you want to join said fanbase, the Galaxy Z8 series is available for purchase, and you might even be able to find your favorite model at a discount this time of year.