When you pick up the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, it looks and feels thinner, besides lighter… lighter than most premium bar phones in the market. In many ways, this is the folding phone we have been waiting for. Samsung has spent more than half a decade trying to convince consumers to adopt phones that can fold in half, either doubling as a tablet or fitting more easily into a pocket. The gambit has paid off. Just looking at the phone, one may even end up ordering it.
When we met Won-Joon Choi, president and COO of mobile experience business and head of R&D office, Samsung Electronics, in New York, he had a lot on his mind. While unspooling, he indirectly touched upon the importance of nunchi or the art of sensing what people are thinking and feeling, without which it is difficult to deliver a successful phone like Fold7 or Flip7.
After going through several iterations of the Fold and Flip, both devices have reached a certain degree of maturity. More and more people want to use these devices over traditional smartphone bars that have not changed in years.
“Obviously, with the large screen, there are diverse ways of experience that users can gain. We have also done some surveys on the usage of the Fold, and mostly it comes from two categories of productivity and media consumption. Even those who used the S and the Note… use it more on the Fold rather than on a bar-type phone. They also review documents, for example, PowerPoint slides or other types of documents which is also done a lot more on the Fold than the bar-type and likewise for media consumption — Netflix or YouTube watching is done more on the Fold. We see that rather than a specific profession, there is increasing adoption of foldables among various professions and various age groups as well. In many cases, to get more work done on the phone, for productivity and also for those who prefer to watch videos, we see that they tend to look for the Fold more. Also, we see a lot of university students. Of course, they use the tablet, but they also use the Fold both (as) a phone and a tablet, for example, to take notes of lectures,” said Choi.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 on display in New York on July 9. Picture: Mathures Paul
Continuing to develop Fold and Flip
To reach a high degree of polish, Samsung had to tackle a lot of engineering challenges. Take the hinge of the Fold, for example, the latest version is drastically different from what we got with the first generation.
“For the foldable form factor to keep developing, I would say that we have had to grapple with largely two challenges. One is about the completeness of the form factor itself because there have been calls to make it lighter, make it sleeker, thinner and at the same time without compromising the premium performance with durability, so that has been the biggest challenge and another is about the differentiated experience because when you think of why people would actually buy the foldable form factor, then it is for the different experience. In other words, the large screen of the Fold and the cover display of the Flip… we have been continuing to develop them and now it is coinciding with the AI era and in this mobile AI era, we believe, of course, that there are so many different use cases, many of them, which are actually more effectively rendered on the foldable form factor. We see the foldable form factor as optimum for mobile AI. So both Z Fold7 and Z Flip7, the challenge has always been to complete the form factor in the best way possible,” he said.
Bar-shaped to foldable phones
Choi has been responsible for the success of Samsung Galaxy phones. Prior to his current position, he served as the head of R&D office, where he played a pivotal role in securing Samsung’s leadership in a competitive mobile landscape. Under his guidance, the Galaxy brand emerged at the forefront of mobile innovation, particularly in mobile AI, setting new industry benchmarks through opening the era of AI smartphones.
His accomplishments include the development of the world’s first 5G smartphone and the global rollout of cutting-edge mobile technologies in collaboration with major carriers, and the creation and successful commercialisation of the foldable device category. Before joining Samsung, he held senior leadership roles at Qualcomm, Amicus Wireless, and Atheros Communications.
Now that foldable phones have been around for several years, one wonders if users of Samsung Galaxy S series phones, like the Ultra, are jumping to the Galaxy Z Fold.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 seen with Galaxy Watch 8 series. Picture: Mathures Paul
“The switch-over rate or the conversion rate from non-Galaxy users to the Fold would be much higher. So, there is a higher percentage of non-Galaxy users who come from the bar type (phone). There is also some share of existing Galaxy users who move up to the Fold and among the Galaxy users, there is more who switch over from the Ultra.”
The launch of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 FE is also a good move as it may introduce people to the foldable selection at a lower price. “We are launching the first FE (fan edition) for the Flip and this is also based on consumer feedback because many people wanted a more affordable option to gain the foldable experience. So, we have accommodated consumer expectations to be more inclusive in our foldable experience and that’s why we are launching the FE model,” said Choi.
One of the key aspects of having a foldable phone is the AI aspect. New features are getting introduced every few months, and these go towards lending a premium quality to the user experience.
“We launched Galaxy AI with the S24 series last year, and of course, there are many different application use cases and many of the related features that are highly loved by consumers. For consumers who buy the Galaxy smartphones, of course, they will be able to enjoy the basic AI features. So for us to ask them to shell out more to get these basic AI features… consumers might not be entirely comfortable with that. Our policy is that the basic AI features will remain free or come at no additional cost to the consumer. We are still in discussions about our policy on the premium AI experience that we are developing both on our own and in partnership with other companies,” he added.
Tech enthusiasts discuss the new Samsung products at an event in New York. Picture: Mathures Paul
At just 215 grams, Galaxy Z Fold7 is lighter than Galaxy S25 Ultra and most other premium phones, making this the device you can work on for hours. It is just 8.9 mm thick when folded and 4.2 mm thick when unfolded. It is not just about presenting a light and thin Fold, long-term usage is Samsung’s priority.
“For the Z Fold7 and Z Flip7, you would see that although the design itself has become sleeker and lighter, the durability has improved even with the lighter design, and this effort will not stop, this will continue. The technological innovation will continue, and technological innovation will come largely in three ways in terms of materials, components and the inner design or the structure. So again, the technological innovation for better durability will continue,” he said.
The reporter is in New York on an invitation from Samsung