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.
Reliable leaker Evan Blass shared a pair of images of what he says is the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition. The device supposedly has a 10.6mm profile when folded shut — potentially making it thinner than the 12.1mm Galaxy Z Fold 6.
9to5Google and Android Central point out that after Google announced its new Pixel 9 lineup with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, its store listing for the original foldable Pixel phone went away.
However, Android Central has heard from Google that it will return after the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s launch, which is scheduled for September 4th.
8
Verge Score
It’s not the most fun, but reliability goes a long way.
This teardown of the new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 has a similar feel to Allison’s Z Fold 6 review — things inside are mostly the same as the previous generation. There are bigger batteries and other tweaks, but the similar layouts show how Samsung is iterating on the existing design, so hopefully, you think it’s already good enough.
7
Verge Score
Samsung’s flagship foldable is as good as ever, but it feels anything but fresh.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Ring, and Galaxy Buds 3 revealed at Samsung’s Unpacked event went on sale globally today, though some regions / carriers may vary.
The exception is the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which are delayed (until August 28th in the US) due to quality issues with the removable ear tips.
Samsung gave 17,000 of its Galaxy Z Flip 6 phones to athletes and others around the Olympic and Paralympic games, and here’s one more unboxing.
The phone itself isn’t more impressive than anyone else’s, but British rower Imogen Grant chose a tough upgrade path — the phone she’s replacing was another freebie from Samsung that she picked up at the Tokyo Olympics.
Gemini is available on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, and Google is touting a bunch of new AI features it previewed earlier this year, like homework help in Circle to Search and contextual suggestions. But they’re still coming “soon,” so it doesn’t look like we’ll get to try them out right away on the new foldables. Bummer.
7
Verge Score
The bigger, better cover screen is a delight to use — but familiar problems persist.
Images of what looks like a damaged Pixel 6-style Fold showed up on the XDA forums, in a May thread that quietly petered out.
The phone, which forum members assumed was fake, appears to be a legitimate prototype of a foldable that was once rumored for a 2021 reveal, according to Android Authority, citing an unnamed source within Google.
A new teaser for Motorola’s next-gen Razr gives us a brief glimpse at the foldable and confirms a June 25th launch date. So far, leaks suggest that the Razr 50 Ultra and its cheaper counterpart will come with larger cover screens.
Specifications for the upcoming foldable have leaked ahead of its expected launch next month, with Smartprix reporting incremental improvements over its predecessor.
The device will supposedly feature a 7.6-inch 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2x internal screen with a 2160 x 1856 resolution and a 4:3.4 aspect ratio. It’s also 14 grams lighter and powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.
Honor launched its first clamshell style foldable today, the Honor V Flip, with a Haute Couture Edition designed by the fashion legend himself. Apparently he’s taking advantage of the big 4.0-inch cover screen and embracing the whole phone-on-your-shirt concept I’ve been experimenting with. I think he wore it better.
The V Flip is up for pre-order today — but only in China. It starts at 4,999 yuan.
Samsung, unsurprisingly, but:
Samsung, a trailblazer in the foldable phone market, commanded over 80 percent of the market share in 2022. However, with increasing competition from various brands in 2023–2024, Samsung’s share dropped from 60 percent and it now struggles to maintain 50 percent.
The tech analysts at TrendForce say foldable phones will only represent about 1.5 percent of the global smartphone market by the end of 2024, but grow to 5 percent by 2028 after Apple enters the race.
Seems those renders from February were spot on according to the latest Ice Universe drop. We’ll know for sure on July 10th if that Samsung Unpacked rumor is true.
