Allison Johnson
We are ready to unpack!
Samsung’s summer foldable extravaganza starts soon and we are here in Brooklyn ready for the big unveil. We’re expecting to check out foldables, wearables, maybe even a trifold if we’re lucky. Stay tuned!
Foldable Phones
Foldable phones are the newest and fastest-developing type of mobile computer right now. Growing out of the desire to put the largest possible amount of screen inside the user’s pocket, they represent the cutting edge of technological innovation, with Samsung and Huawei offering the most notable early examples. A good foldable is one that combines the greater usability and potential of a large-screen tablet with the effortless portability of an everyday smartphone. We can expect foldables and their hinge designs to keep evolving at a breakneck pace, as hardware companies work to figure out exactly how to fold and market this new breed of portable computer.
Allison Johnson
Jess Weatherbed
Dominic Preston
Allison Johnson
Dominic Preston
Now it’s Honor’s turn to do the world’s thinnest foldable.
The Magic V5 will launch in China on July 2nd, and we know almost nothing about it except that Honor says it will be the slimmest around, allowing the company to reclaim the super-thin title it held with last year’s Magic V3.
That means it must be thinner than the Oppo Find N5’s 8.93mm when shut, but will it beat Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, also launching in July and tipped to be slim?
Dominic Preston
Samsung teases a much thinner Fold.
Rumors have long had it that this year’s Galaxy Z Fold phone will be substantially thinner, as Samsung tries to keep up with Oppo and Honor, and now the company itself has hinted at the same.
It says this year’s Fold is “our thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet,” with a picture that certainly looks thin, as it promises to bring the Ultra experience to foldables.
Image: Samsung
Dominic Preston
Samsung leaks its own foldable names.
And no, they’re not exactly surprising. But even so, a Galaxy Store listing for “Samsung Internet Browser for Fold7 and Flip7,” spotted by GalaxyClub, does give the game away a little, especially since we’re not expecting the new phones to launch for at least a month.
Of course, that doesn’t preclude extra versions, like the Fold Ultra Samsung teased just this week, or its rumored cheaper Flip FE.
Dominic Preston
The lightest foldable yet.
Earlier this year we oohed and ahhed over the thinnest foldable phone so far, and now it’s time for the lightest. Vivo product manager Han Boxiao released this clip that dramatically shows off how lightweight the upcoming X Fold 5 is, which leakers say will launch this month.
I was impressed by the X Fold 3, the first foldable I used that felt like its camera came without compromises, so I’m excited to see its successor.
6
Verge Score
This feels like a form factor that’s here to stay.
Dominic Preston
7
Verge Score
It’s gorgeous and fun to use, but is calling it Ultra a little much?
Allison Johnson
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
A wooden Razr.
Motorola is expected to reveal its new generation of Razr flip phones soon, and leaker Evan Blass thinks we’re going to see an unusual new finish: wood. He shared a GIF showing off the Razr Plus 2025 (a.k.a. Razr 60 Ultra outside the US) in a light brown wood version, though didn’t add any details — so we don’t know if this is real wood, like in 2014’s Moto X, or something else.
Dominic Preston
Allison Johnson
Look, a slim phone we can actually touch.
Samsung has the Galaxy S25 Edge on display here at MWC, but as was the case at Unpacked, it’s strictly hands-off. Tecno, on the other hand, its Spark Slim concept phone powered on and available to handle. It’s 5.75mm thick and includes a 5,200mAh battery. And it sure is slim! So is the company’s tri-fold concept phone, which I caught sight of outside its glass case. Pretty slick, and it even has a name: the Phantom Ultimate 2.
1/6
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
8
Verge Score
The thinnest foldable in the world might mark the start of diminishing returns.
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Samsung snuck a trifold tease into Unpacked.
Head of customer experience Jay Kim mentioned “multifold” devices during his section of the keynote, though we didn’t get any more detail than that. So far only Huawei has released commercial hardware that can fold more than once, but Samsung has demonstrated the tech in concept devices, and is rumored to have a launch planned this year.
Jacob Kastrenakes
More rumblings about a Galaxy Z Flip FE.
Smartprix believes a budget version of Samsung’s folding flip phone could arrive later this year, after showing up in an industry database in recent days. Display analyst Ross Young corroborated the report, adding that he expects the phone to use the same screen as the current Z Flip 6.
Andrew Liszewski
Sean Hollister
Remember the first foldable phone? Its maker is now bankrupt.
I’m not talking about the fragile Samsung Galaxy Fold — but rather the “charmingly awful” Royale FlexPai that kicked off the entire foldable-screen craze in 2018! (Royale released a decent sequel, but by then Samsung found its stride.)
By 2019, folding phones had captured our imagination: I showed you how they were the stuff of science fiction, and we did a wacky field guide!
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
A better Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is coming.
The Special Edition of Samsung’s flagship will be released on Monday, according to perennial know-it-all Ice Universe who shared a Samsung teaser announcing the date (but not the device). Rumors suggest it’ll be thinner and feature a host of improvements throughout.
Andrew Liszewski
Blackmagic’s free Camera app is now available on Samsung’s folding phones.
When it launched on Android in June, the app only supported the Samsung Galaxy S23, S24, and the Google Pixel 7/8 lineups. Compatibility with OnePlus and Xiaomi phones running Android 13 was added later, but Blackmagic has released another update adding features like recording timecode, plus support for the Samsung Galaxy Flip 5/6 and Fold 5/6 phones.
