Samsung just launched the Galaxy Z Fold 6 foldable phone, but the rumor mill stops for no phone. We're already seeing rumors about the Z Fold 7 trickle out.
Apparently, Samsung's head of mobile, TM Roh, wants the Z Fold 7 to be even thinner than the just released phone, as reported by KED Global (h/t Digital Trends). The following Samsung foldable is supposed to fold down to the thickness of the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The Z Fold 6 comes in at 5.6mm thick when unfolded and 12.1mm thick when folded. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is 8.6mm. This means that Samsung is trying to shave off an incredible 3.5mm from the following year's model. It would be an impressive move if Samsung could pull it off. Since the original Galaxy Fold launched, Samsung has managed to slim down from 17.1mm.
The Korean company shaved off 1.3mm between the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Fold 6.
Samsung's main rival in the foldable phone space is Google, even though Apple has neglected that market altogether. However, Chinese manufacturers Xiaomi and Honor have foldables that are already thinner than Samsung's current handset.
Last week, Honor teased Samsung as it promoted the Magic V2, which is 9.9mm thick when folded. The upcoming Magic V3 is supposed to be even slimmer at 9.2mm. In our review, we found that the device was good but that its older chipset and slow software might make it feel dated pretty quickly, especially combined with the high price and limited regional availability.
Xiaomi's recently leaked MIX Fold 4 is supposed to come in at 9.47mm in thickness. The company is expected to unveil the phone later this week.
That all said, Samsung has been rumored to potentially launch a slimmer Z Fold 6 variant later this year. It could be called the Galaxy Z Fold 6 or the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim. It's unknown how much thinner this potential foldable could get, but it has been tipped to feature an even larger 8-inch interior display. The Z Fold 6 currently has a 7.6-inch unfolded screen.
Samsung and rival Apple have been in an arms race to create thinner devices. Next year's iPhone 17 is rumored to be the "thinnest Apple device to date." The new iPad Pro M4 is the thinnest iPad yet, further showing how important thin is.
It'll be interesting to see if Samsung can cut 3.5mm off the Z Fold 6 when it's taken five generations to shave off 5.1mm off the phone since the original launched.
