Ice Universe pointed out that Samsung's concept for a wide foldable smartphone predates the Galaxy Z Fold series. He traces its origins to a concept video shown at CES 2013. At the time, foldable phones seemed like science fiction; the industry was still debating the feasibility of folding screens, and real consumer devices were years away.
Thirteen years later, that old concept appears to be turning into a real mass-market product. Ice Universe claims the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 weighs just 201 grams and measures 4.5 mm thick when unfolded. If the numbers are accurate, it would be the lightest large foldable phone from any brand.
These specs matter beyond just setting records. Weight and thickness have long been major drawbacks for foldable devices: users got a larger screen but sacrificed comfort. According to the leak, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 could significantly reduce that trade-off, making a folding phone feel more like a conventional flagship.
There's a symbolic aspect too. Samsung may be returning to an idea it demoed back in 2013. Back then, a wide folding screen was a technological dream. Now, Ice Universe says, the company is preparing a device that increasingly resembles that futuristic vision — except this time it's a real phone, not a show reel.
If the Galaxy Z Fold 8 truly ends up that thin and light, Samsung can use it as a powerful selling point in the foldable market. With a foldable iPhone expected soon, the company needs to prove it hasn't just been a pioneer but is still refining the format toward the ideal it imagined more than a decade ago.