Samsung says these 3 breakthroughs changed foldable phones forever

In anticipation of the next foldable-centric Unpacked launch event, Samsung is looking back at its seven years of foldable phone innovation.

Behind the curtain in Samsung's development labs, this journey began long before seven years ago, but 2019 was the year that the first Galaxy Z Fold became a commercial product.

Innovation relentlessly pushed Samsung's groundbreaking foldable phone concepts into established products. A better model has arrived every year since 2019, but in a recent blog post, Samsung highlighted three key innovations in particular.

Although countless improvements have made Samsung's foldable phones better every year, the company seemingly believes these three innovations secured the foldable phone's place on the market:

NOTE: The Galaxy Z Flip, released in 2020, was Samsung's first phone with UTG.

NOTE: The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, released in 2021, were the first models with an IPX8 rating.

NOTE: In 2023, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 were the first to adopt the Flex Hinge design.

After seven years of gradual improvements, both small and large, Samsung is ready to enter a new chapter for foldable phones.

At this summer's Unpacked event, the company is expected to announce a new foldable model with a wider aspect ratio. Teasers are already out.

Whether this upcoming Galaxy foldable will reshape the segment forever and go down in the history books as one of Samsung's greatest foldable phone innovations remains to be seen. It's a new form factor, and there's no guarantee people will respond well to it. Samsung is taking a commendable risk here.

So regardless of whether or not you are a foldable phone fan, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting years yet for the segment. Hopefully, Samsung's next-generation devices won't disappoint.