Samsung Explains How It Cut the Galaxy Z Fold8 to 201g, 52g Lighter Than Fold5

Samsung has explained how it made the Galaxy Z Fold8 weigh 201 grams, which it describes as the world's lightest foldable phone. In an engineering briefing published on 9 September, the company described a component-by-component weight reduction. Some savings were measured in thousandths of a gram, and the result is a book-style foldable that weighs less than a conventional slab flagship.

Three years ago, the Galaxy Z Fold5 weighed 253 grams. The Fold8 is 52 grams lighter, a reduction of about a fifth, while still using a large folding display, a hinge and two screens.

The Weight Timeline

• Galaxy Z Fold5: 253g
• Galaxy Z Fold6: 239g
• Galaxy Z Fold7: 215g
• Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra: 215g
• Galaxy Z Fold8: 201g

For comparison, Samsung lists the Galaxy S25 Ultra, a non-folding phone, at 218 grams. The heaviest drawback of foldables has been their weight, and the standard Fold8 no longer has that problem compared with a large conventional flagship.

Foldables used to ask buyers to accept extra weight in exchange for a bigger screen. The Fold8 no longer asks for that trade.

How Samsung Found 52 Grams

There was no single breakthrough. Samsung describes an engineering review in which each part had to justify its weight.

• Part-by-part review: engineers examined about 270 components and more than 180 auxiliary parts. On some items, weight was reduced by as little as 0.001 grams.
• Removal: about 15 auxiliary parts were removed altogether. The remaining 170 types were reshaped and trimmed.
• Thinner metal: metal plates were machined to about 0.2mm, and the thinnest sections are just 0.15mm.
• Display layer: the folding screen uses Flex Titanium with a titanium alloy film. Samsung says the film is tens of micrometres thick, about a third of the width of a human hair.
• Frame: Advanced Armor Aluminum, to keep structural strength as other parts became lighter.

Keeping It Cool and Strong

Cutting weight from a phone usually creates problems with heat and durability. Samsung says it offset those risks with better materials rather than bulk. Graphite with improved thermal performance and clad metal spread heat inside the thinner body. On the Fold8 Ultra, the volume of heat-dissipating graphite rises by about 7% compared with the Fold7.

The Ultra model shows that the weight savings were not simply used to remove features. It weighs the same 215 grams as the Fold7 but includes:

• A 5,000mAh battery, with a rated capacity of 4,854mAh.
• A 200MP main camera.
• A 50MP ultra-wide camera, the first on a Galaxy Z Fold.

In other words, Samsung used the lighter components in two ways. The standard Fold8 became as light as possible, and the Ultra gained more battery and camera hardware without adding weight.

Why It Matters Now

Weight is one of the most noticeable differences when someone picks up a phone in a shop, and the foldable market is getting more competitive. Apple's iPhone Duo is due on 23 October. Chinese brands have also been competing hard on thin, light book-style designs. By publishing a detailed engineering account, Samsung is positioning weight as a strength of its long experience with foldables rather than a new marketing claim.

There is a practical benefit for buyers too. A lighter foldable is easier to hold open with one hand and puts less strain on the wrist during long reading or video sessions. That is when a large inner screen is most useful.

What to Watch

• Durability: thinner metal and fewer parts will be judged on long-term reliability, particularly the hinge and the folding screen.
• Repairs: highly optimised internals can make repairs harder and more expensive.
• Rivals: competitors now have a clear figure to beat, and other makers are likely to publish their own weight claims.

The Bottom Line

The Fold8 did not become lighter through one new material. It became lighter through hundreds of small reductions. At 201 grams, it is lighter than Samsung's own large slab flagship, which removes one of the main objections to foldables. The remaining questions are long-term durability, repairability and how the Fold8 compares with Apple's new foldable.

Image: Vasonesiku via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0