Here’s Samsung’s Advice for Apple and Its Upcoming Folding iPhone
Here’s Samsung’s Advice for Apple and Its Upcoming Folding iPhone
三星给苹果及其即将推出的折叠屏 iPhone 的建议
On the eve of Apple’s highly anticipated folding iPhone, Samsung isn’t feeling threatened. Instead, the folding smartphone pioneer says the competition is “absolutely welcome.” 在苹果备受期待的折叠屏 iPhone 即将问世之际，三星并未感到威胁。相反，这位折叠屏手机的先驱表示，他们“绝对欢迎”竞争。
That’s according to Hee-Cheul Moon, head of Samsung’s Advanced Mechanical R&D Group, who sat with WIRED on a virtual Zoom call with Seungki Choi, head of Samsung’s Smartphone R&D Group. Before the talk veered toward Apple, the pair spoke about how the company managed to shave 75 grams off the weight of its latest Galaxy Z Fold8 in the seven years since it debuted the original. 以上言论来自三星高级机械研发部门负责人 Hee-Cheul Moon，他与三星智能手机研发部门负责人 Seungki Choi 一同接受了《连线》（WIRED）杂志的 Zoom 视频采访。在谈话转向苹果之前，两人分享了三星如何在其首款折叠屏手机发布七年后，成功将最新的 Galaxy Z Fold8 的重量减轻了 75 克。
Weight is integral to a folding phone’s success. If the device is too chunky and heavy, you’re less likely to want to use it. Over the past two years, folding devices from Honor, Google, and Samsung have rapidly gotten lighter, with each iteration featuring thinner designs. It may be why Samsung saw preorders for its latest folding handsets increase 30 percent globally versus last year’s models, with the Fold8—the device with a new smaller shape that’s easier to hold—accounting for nearly half. 重量是折叠屏手机成功的关键。如果设备过于笨重，用户的使用意愿就会降低。过去两年里，荣耀、谷歌和三星的折叠屏设备迅速变轻，每一代产品都采用了更薄的设计。这或许就是三星最新折叠屏手机的全球预订量较去年增长了 30% 的原因，其中采用更小巧、更易握持外形的 Fold8 占据了近一半的份额。
“Seeing these other brands entering the market, we feel very proud of ourselves that the value that we pioneered with this new category of foldables is being acknowledged and recognized,” Moon says through a translator. “看到其他品牌进入这个市场，我们感到非常自豪，因为我们开创的这一折叠屏新品类的价值正在得到认可和肯定，”Moon 通过翻译说道。
When I asked what advice the company had for Apple ahead of its folding debut, Moon said, “The key to providing the highest customer value in this market is all about the weight of the device. As you know, it’s not easy.” Apple’s folding iPhone, rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra, is expected to weigh between 230 and 241 grams (the iPhone 17 Pro Max weighs 233 grams), heftier than Samsung’s latest. 当我问及三星对即将推出折叠屏产品的苹果有何建议时，Moon 表示：“在这个市场中，提供最高客户价值的关键在于设备的重量。如你所知，这并不容易。”传闻中名为 iPhone Ultra 的苹果折叠屏手机预计重量在 230 到 241 克之间（iPhone 17 Pro Max 重 233 克），比三星最新的机型更重。
Samsung has made notable strides this year in making its main Galaxy Z Fold8 smartphone lighter than top-end candybar-shaped smartphones. The single-screen Galaxy S26 Ultra weighs 214 grams, but the Fold8 is merely 201 grams, thanks to its smaller, passport-style shape. The company says its own customer data and YouGov survey data from 2024 show that bulky designs were a chief concern for people uninterested in folding phones. 三星今年在减轻其主力机型 Galaxy Z Fold8 的重量方面取得了显著进展，使其比高端直板手机更轻。单屏的 Galaxy S26 Ultra 重 214 克，而 Fold8 得益于其更小巧的“护照式”外形，重量仅为 201 克。三星表示，其内部客户数据和 2024 年 YouGov 的调查数据均显示，笨重的设计是导致人们对折叠屏手机不感兴趣的主要原因。
The company says it analyzed every single component in the latest Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra—approximately 270 components and more than 180 auxiliary parts—from circuit boards and antennas to tapes and fastening components. 三星表示，他们分析了最新 Fold8 和 Fold8 Ultra 中的每一个组件——大约 270 个核心组件和 180 多个辅助零件——从电路板和天线到胶带和紧固件，无所不包。
The team looked everywhere to cut weight. For example, it redesigned the printed circuit board to remove unnecessary circuits and improve component layout, reducing the space requirement. Samsung says it even eliminated 15 auxiliary parts and machined the internal display support plate down to roughly 0.2 millimeters. To keep that thinner panel durable, Samsung developed its “Flex Titanium” screen—a titanium alloy film roughly one-third the width of a human hair designed to maintain surface flatness and keep the crease from worsening over years of folding. 团队在各个环节寻求减重。例如，他们重新设计了印刷电路板，去除了不必要的电路并优化了组件布局，从而减少了空间需求。三星表示，他们甚至精简了 15 个辅助零件，并将内部显示屏支撑板加工至约 0.2 毫米。为了保持这块更薄面板的耐用性，三星开发了“Flex Titanium”屏幕——这是一种厚度约为人类头发三分之一的钛合金薄膜，旨在保持表面平整，并防止折叠多年后折痕加深。
You’ll also notice Samsung’s primary folding phone no longer has three cameras on the back. Instead, it’s powered by a dual-camera system, a main camera and an ultrawide—there’s no more telephoto. For those who still demand high-end zoom and a 200-megapixel primary shooter, Samsung points to the larger Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, framing the Fold8’s camera cutback as an intentional concession to deliver that lightweight, passport-style design. 你还会注意到，三星的主力折叠屏手机背部不再配备三颗摄像头。取而代之的是双摄系统，包含一颗主摄和一颗超广角镜头——不再有长焦镜头。对于那些仍有高端变焦和 2 亿像素主摄需求的用户，三星建议选择更大的 Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra，并将 Fold8 的摄像头精简解释为为了实现轻便的“护照式”设计而做出的有意妥协。
Apple’s folding iPhone is also expected to have a wider and shorter passport-style shape, and it’s likely to have a similar camera setup. Both Apple and Samsung made similar concessions last year chasing ultrathin and light smartphones. 苹果的折叠屏 iPhone 预计也将采用更宽、更短的“护照式”外形，并且很可能采用类似的摄像头配置。去年，苹果和三星在追求超薄轻便智能手机的过程中，都做出了类似的妥协。
Choi says this came down to user feedback as Samsung’s customers wanted a folding device that was “effortlessly portable” yet could be unfolded for an immersive multimedia experience. “We continue to always monitor the voice from the market, and we are open to any possibilities,” he says. We spend most of our time consuming multimedia with our smartphones, and the Fold8’s new shape is specifically tailored for media, with less obvious letterboxing than previous Folds. Choi 表示，这归结于用户反馈，因为三星的客户希望拥有一款“携带轻松”且能展开以获得沉浸式多媒体体验的折叠设备。“我们始终在关注市场声音，并对任何可能性持开放态度，”他说。我们大部分时间都在用智能手机消费多媒体内容，而 Fold8 的新外形正是专为媒体体验量身定制的，其黑边现象比之前的 Fold 机型更不明显。
Yet chasing that slim, lightweight profile leaves foldables exposed where traditional flagships excel: durability and ingress protection. Most candybar smartphones sport an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning they’ll be fine even after spending some time at the bottom of a pool, but the Galaxy Z Fold8 series is still stuck at IP48—it can get wet, but dust will cause problems. Dust notoriously forced Samsung to delay the launch of the first Galaxy Fold in 2019, as little specks could get through the hinge and damage the screen. 然而，追求纤薄轻巧的设计让折叠屏手机在传统旗舰手机的强项上显得脆弱：耐用性和防护等级。大多数直板手机都具备 IP68 级防尘防水能力，意味着即使掉进泳池也能安然无恙，但 Galaxy Z Fold8 系列仍停留在 IP48——它可以防溅水，但灰尘会造成问题。众所周知，灰尘曾迫使三星推迟了 2019 年首款 Galaxy Fold 的发布，因为微小的颗粒会穿过铰链并损坏屏幕。
Google’s folding Pixels are the only models with an IP68 rating. Still, even with the higher rating, dust can pose a problem, according to Elizabeth Chamberlain, iFixit’s director of Sustainability. The repair company’s teardowns show that dust can get inside the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, making the hinge sound “crunchy” and causing what could be a serious liability over time. 谷歌的折叠屏 Pixel 是目前唯一具备 IP68 防护等级的机型。然而，iFixit 可持续发展总监 Elizabeth Chamberlain 指出，即使有更高的防护等级，灰尘仍可能构成问题。这家维修公司的拆解显示，灰尘仍能进入 Pixel 11 Pro Fold 内部，导致铰链发出“嘎吱”声，并可能在长期使用中引发严重隐患。
“We still haven’t seen a solution for that,” Chamberlain tells WIRED. “Repair is still a problem for foldables.” iFixit’s recent teardown of the Galaxy Z Fold8 gave it a 4/10 for repairability. “The hinge is buried under all the other components, and the hinge is the thing most likely to get damaged,” Chamberlain says. She did give Samsung props for its new adhesive system that makes battery removal easier. “我们目前还没有看到解决方案，”Chamberlain 告诉《连线》杂志。“维修仍然是折叠屏手机的一大难题。”iFixit 最近对 Galaxy Z Fold8 的拆解给出了 4/10 的可维修性评分。“铰链被埋在所有其他组件之下，而铰链恰恰是最容易损坏的部分，”Chamberlain 说。不过，她确实称赞了三星新的粘合剂系统，该系统使电池拆卸变得更加容易。
Moon reiterated that Samsung’s Folds have the “best-in-class” dustproof and waterproof performance in the industry and that the company isn’t just “chasing the numbers for the sake of it.” He also emphasized that, despite the Fold8’s slim profile, internal components are far easier to detach and service than in earlier iterations. Moon 重申，三星折叠屏手机拥有业内“同类最佳”的防尘防水性能，公司并非仅仅为了“追求数据而追求数据”。他还强调，尽管 Fold8 外形纤薄，但其内部组件比早期版本更容易拆卸和维修。
That tension between engineering finesse and long-term durability is what Apple is stepping into. While Samsung enjoys a boost in Fold8 preorders, the broader foldable category was staring down a double-digit decline. 工程精巧度与长期耐用性之间的这种张力，正是苹果即将面临的挑战。尽管三星正享受着 Fold8 预订量增长的红利，但整个折叠屏手机市场正面临着两位数的下滑。