The history of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: how foldable phones became futuristic

When Samsung unveiled the first Galaxy Z Flip in February 2020, it felt familiar and futuristic at the same time. The concept of a phone folding in half was hardly new. Flip phones had been around for decades. What Samsung brought to the table was a modern smartphone that could fold like those classic handsets while still offering a large touchscreen.

The Galaxy Z Flip was first teased during an advert shown at the 2020 Academy Awards before being officially launched alongside the Samsung Galaxy S20 on 11 February 2020. Just three days later, it reached customers, marking the beginning of what would become one of Samsung's most successful premium smartphone ranges.

What inspired the Galaxy Z Flip?

Long before foldable smartphones existed, devices such as Samsung's own clamshell handsets and the iconic Motorola Razr became popular because they were compact, pocket-friendly and satisfying to open and close.

As smartphone screens grew larger throughout the 2010s, manufacturers faced a challenge. People wanted bigger displays for watching videos, browsing the internet and gaming, but they also wanted devices that were easy to carry. Foldable technology offered a potential solution.

Samsung had already experimented with foldable displays through the Galaxy Fold, but the Z Flip took a different approach. Rather than opening like a book, it folded horizontally, allowing a full-sized smartphone to become significantly more compact when closed.

The technology that made it possible

The biggest challenge facing any foldable phone is the display itself. Traditional smartphone glass is strong but cannot be bent. Earlier foldable devices relied on plastic screens, which could flex but often felt different from the glass people were used to.

The Galaxy Z Flip introduced something new, the Infinity Flex Display, which combined ultra-thin glass with a protective layer above it. This made the Z Flip the first foldable smartphone to use a glass display rather than a purely plastic one. The ultra-thin glass technology was developed using materials supplied by Schott AG and underwent a specialised manufacturing process designed to increase flexibility while maintaining durability. The result was a display that felt closer to a conventional smartphone screen while reducing the visibility of the crease where the phone folded.

Modern Galaxy Z Flip devices continue to build on this idea through highly engineered ultra-thin glass technology and durable protective materials, including advanced versions of Corning Gorilla Glass for external protection.

The *hinge*

Samsung developed a sophisticated hinge mechanism that allows the phone to open and close smoothly while supporting different viewing angles. The original Galaxy Z Flip featured nylon fibres inside the hinge system that helped prevent dust and debris from entering the mechanism. The brand rated the first-generation hinge for up to 200,000 folds, representing years of regular use for most people.

As the series evolved, Samsung introduced the Armour FlexHinge, a more advanced system designed to improve durability, create a slimmer fold and help clear debris away from moving components. This hinge technology is a major reason why the Z Flip feels different from traditional smartphones.

More than a folding screen

The original Galaxy Z Flip featured a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with HDR10+ support. When closed, a small 1.1-inch external screen displayed notifications, battery information, the time and incoming calls.

Inside, the phone offered flagship-level hardware for its time, including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Samsung also included a dual-camera system with wide and ultra-wide lenses, along with wireless charging and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

What helped the phone stand out was not simply its hardware but the way Samsung adapted the software to work with the folding design.

Flex Mode

A folding phone creates opportunities that standard smartphones cannot easily replicate. Samsung developed Flex Mode to take advantage of the Z Flip's ability to remain partially open. Supported apps could split their interface across both halves of the screen, allowing users to watch videos on the top section while controlling playback on the bottom.

Apps such as YouTube and Google Duo were among the first to support this feature. It transformed the phone into a miniature laptop-style device, creating hands-free experiences without needing a stand or accessory. This fold-aware software became one of the defining characteristics of the Z Flip series and remains a key part of Samsung's foldable ecosystem today.

The evolution of the Z Flip Series

The first Galaxy Z Flip received a 5G version later in 2020, introducing faster connectivity and new colour options including Mystic Bronze, Mystic Gray and a limited-edition Mystic White finish. Each new generation brought improvements to battery life, camera systems, durability, processing power and cover screen functionality.

The cover display, which began as a small notification panel, gradually evolved into a far more useful secondary screen capable of handling widgets, messages and quick interactions without opening the phone. Samsung also committed to long-term software support, helping customers keep their devices secure and up to date for years after purchase.

Why the Galaxy Z Flip still stands out

The Galaxy Z Flip combines several advanced technologies that were once considered impossible to achieve in a mainstream smartphone. Its ultra-thin flexible glass allows a large display to fold without shattering. Its sophisticated hinge system provides smooth movement while helping protect the internal components. Its software is specifically designed to adapt when the phone is partially folded, creating entirely new ways to interact with apps.

Perhaps most importantly, the Z Flip showed that foldable smartphones could move beyond being experimental concepts and become practical devices for everyday use.

Samsung created a smartphone category that feels distinct from both traditional handsets and larger foldable devices. More than five years after its debut, the Galaxy Z Flip remains one of the most recognisable examples of how smartphone design continues to evolve.

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