Apple iPhone Duo draws surprisingly specific criticism from Samsung

Just hours before Apple officially unveils the iPhone Duo, Samsung released the commercial embedded below, titled "Welcome to Foldable." Given the timing, it’s hard to deny that this commercial is specifically aimed at Apple. In this ad, Samsung emphasizes above all how thin and light the Galaxy Z Fold8 ($1,649 on Amazon) really is, calling the smartphone the lightest foldable in the world.

Speaking to Wired, Hee-Cheul Moon, a manager in Samsung’s research and development department, also stated that weight is a critical factor – building a lightweight foldable isn’t easy, but it’s the most important metric for increasing the value of a foldable smartphone for customers, at least according to Samsung. With a thickness of 4.5 millimeters when unfolded and a weight of 201 grams, the Galaxy Z Fold8 is relatively thin and light. By comparison, the first-generation Galaxy Fold from 2019 was 6.9 millimeters thick and weighed 276 grams.

In fact, even the compact Apple iPhone 17 Pro, with its 6.3-inch display and significantly smaller 3,998 mAh battery, weighs 5 grams more than the Galaxy Z Fold8. It remains to be seen just how heavy the iPhone Duo or iPhone Ultra will actually be. In any case, Samsung is convinced that the first foldable from Cupertino will be significantly heavier than the Galaxy Z Fold8, even though both smartphones are expected to have displays of similar size. Whether this is actually the case should become clear no later than at the launch event, which begins at 10 a.m. PT.