With the new Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4, Samsung asserts its supremacy in the folding smartphone market. But how are these jewels of technology made? The Korean publishes a video revealing some secrets.
For a few years now, Samsung has given us an appointment in August to discover its vision of the future of smartphones. The Koreans are sure, that the future lies in the folding format.
For the moment, two concepts have been retained by the brand. The Galaxy Z Flip4 takes up the clamshell format which allows you to use a smartphone equipped with a large screen but which does not take up space in your pocket. The Galaxy Z Fold4 is a tablet that folds up to become a smartphone. A 2-in-1 designed for lovers of productivity and multimedia.
Who would have thought that such smartphones would be available on the consumer market in the 2020s? Yet Samsung (and others) did. But how? After years of R&D, manufacturers have found a way to mass-produce these futuristic smartphones. Samsung reveals part of the manufacturing process in a video.
Galaxy Z Fold4 and Z Flip4: behind the scenes
In his video, Samsung passes the stage of assembling the components. The Korean focuses on the last steps, the most important since they ensure the solidity, resistance, and proper functioning of the devices.
Once the parts are assembled, the Z Fold4 and Z Flip4 are closed. Samsung, therefore, affixes the back cover and the compress. Immediately after, the first test phases take place. Robots check that the proximity sensors are working, that the screen has a good tactile response (both with fingers and with the S-Pen), and that NFC (Samsung Pay), Bluetooth, 5G, and the signal WiFi have no faults.
Then comes the fateful stage of the photo tests. On smartphones over 1000 euros (even almost 2000 euros for the Z Fold4), photo quality is an important criterion for users. If the engineers worked on the rendering in pre-production, the factory test phase consists of checking that the sensors are working correctly (resolution, autofocus, zoom, etc.). Then comes the wireless charging test.
After this step, Samsung performs the most important test for this smartphone format: checking the openings/closings of the screens. This test ensures that the screen withstands thousands of opening/closing cycles but also that the hinge withstands the shock. Machines, therefore, chain the movements to simulate real use for several years.
Finally, the Galaxy Z Flip4 and Z Fold4 must pass a new stage: the waterproofness check since they are IPX8 certified. They must therefore withstand multiple splashes of water as well as prolonged immersion.
And since a picture is worth a thousand words, here is the manufacturing process of the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4 in the video.
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