Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger: that's not just a catchy Daft Punk song from (more than) twenty years ago. That's also the slogan of virtually every phone manufacturer out there, be it Apple, Samsung, Huawei, or Xiaomi. Whether they succeed at it – or fail spectacularly – is a discussion for another time.
There's more to the Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger motto, however: let's not forget about Thinner.
Everyone seems to be obsessed with delivering a super-thin handset these days. You may not be a tech-savvy person, but I'd say there's a reasonable chance that you've heard about Apple's future aspirations. They want to make a super slim phone, too. It's allegedly coming in the iPhone 17 series and it's going to arrive under one of the following monikers:
iPhone 17 Slim
iPhone 17 Ultra
iPhone 17 Air
The Cupertino giant has fresh experience with thin mobile devices. Let's not forget that it was just several months ago that Apple released their thinnest-ever iPad Pro M4 (2024) duo at just 5.1 mm thick. Pretty respectable numbers for a tablet (and even more so for a tablet that's extremely powerful).
So the iPhone 17 Slim/Ultra/Air is gathering lots of attention, naturally. Besides, we're waiting for 2025 to get a real iPhone update. To each his own, but I think the 2024 "It's Glowtime" event didn't deliver any substantial, real upgrades apart from the Camera Control Button, but this new button will appeal only to a few people out there.
Until the rumored thin iPhone materializes in the Fall of 2025, we're going to get lots and lots of slim phones.
In fact, we're really close to the next one. It's coming straight out of South Korea's Samsung and it's (so far) called Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.
What a poor choice of words and epithets, Samsung.
What's it all about?
The original Galaxy Z Fold 6 by Samsung. | Image credit – PhoneArena
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 Special Edition is anticipated to feature a larger 8-inch inner display and a 6.5-inch cover screen (impressive!) on the outside. When folded, the device is expected to measure 10.6 mm thick, and just 4.9 mm when unfolded. These are very different from the 5.6 mm and 12.1 mm thickness numbers of the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
That's what it's all about: thickness.
If the rumors so far are true, the Z Fold Special Edition would be slightly thicker (by 0.1 mm) when closed than the Google Pixel 9 Fold Pro and its 10.5 mm waist.
The Pixel 9 Fold Pro is not the thinnest out there, despite what Google says. | Image credit – PhoneArena
Google said in fine print that the "largest display" claim comes with the note: "among foldable phones in markets where Pixel Fold is sold, excluding India". Meanwhile, the "thinnest display" claim has a more detailed disclaimer: "among foldable phones in markets where Pixel Fold is sold, excluding Singapore, the UK, Germany, Ireland, and France".
If we're talking about thin foldables, it's the Magic V3 that we're talking about. This bijou is 9.2 mm when folded (heck, that's thinner than my non-folding flagship!) and just 4.35 mm when unfolded.
The Magic V3 is thin as a pancake. | Image credit – PhoneArena
The Honor Magic V3 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a 5,150 mAh battery, a triple camera system on its back (wide angle, ultrawide, periscope) and some 66W fast wired charging speeds.
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Ah, also: it can be found for less than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. If the Special Edition is even pricier than the Z Fold 6 – and, respectively, pricier than the Magic V3 – things will get even funnier.
If you've got $3,000 (or more), you could go even thinner
The Mate XT by Huawei. | Image credit – Huawei
If you're fanatic about your thin foldable, you could always get the $3,000 Huawei Mate XT tri-fold.
When unfolded, this 10-inch beast is only 3.6 mm when unfolded.
Here, take a look:
Image credit – PhoneArena
The Huawei Mate XT is a flagship tri-foldable device equipped with a high-end quad camera featuring a periscope zoom lens, a large 5,600 mAh battery, and ultrafast charging. It is powered by the Kirin 9010 5G chipset, also found in the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra. The Mate XT also supports Huawei's two-way satellite calling, allowing users to make calls in areas without cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.
In short, it's a mind-blowing toy.
Did I say you could get one for $3,000?
Yeah, I almost forgot that the interest for the Mate XT is so high that things are getting out of hand and some resellers ask $21,190 for it.
The Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is special alright. Just not in a good way...
Once upon a time, it was more or less valid that the biggest, the most popular brands out there could get you the best device for everyday use. I mean, everybody was after a Sony Trinitron TV set (Google it if you're under 30) back in the day, for example. Everybody wanted a piece of tech that had the Samsung, LG, HP, logo on top of it.
Sometimes, you paid a premium price for these, but you got quality stuff in return (or so we thought).
It was absolutely out of the question to get the same positive experience by buying a cheaper alternative made by some obscure company from the other side of the globe.
Things, however, have changed dramatically over the last 20 or so years. Many "obscure companies from the other side of the globe" make such sophisticated, quality products – and often for a far better price – that the legends of the recent past seem to have a hard time catching up in many regards.
That's why calling the upcoming Galaxy foldable "Special" is not very clever. Certainly not when there are competitors that are getting the best of you in your own game.
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Sebastian, a veteran of a tech writer with over 15 years of experience in media and marketing, blends his lifelong fascination with writing and technology to provide valuable insights into the realm of mobile devices. Embracing the evolution from PCs to smartphones, he harbors a special appreciation for the Google Pixel line due to their superior camera capabilities. Known for his engaging storytelling style, sprinkled with rich literary and film references, Sebastian critically explores the impact of technology on society, while also perpetually seeking out the next great tech deal, making him a distinct and relatable voice in the tech world.
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