The Galaxy Tab Fold unlikely to adopt the Ultra-Thin Glass screen of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 are by far some of the most refined foldable devices to date. Samsung, by extension, is the leading force in the foldables market, thanks to its unparalleled experience in manufacturing the novel technology, its enormous market share in the segment, and its sophisticated supply chain. Nevertheless, as foldable smartphones continue to evolve, the Korean tech giant has even greater ambitions in mind. A foldable tablet (preliminarily dubbed the Galaxy Tab Fold) is reportedly on the horizon and could make its debut as soon as next year. Furthermore, rumors point to Samsung

While many expect that the Galaxy Tab Fold will follow the design philosophy of the Galaxy Fold and will simply be a larger version of the latter, it seems this might not be exactly the case. According to the Elec, Samsung might take a step back with its foldable screen technology when it comes to its larger foldables.

Currently, the Fold 4 and the Flip 4 employ Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) technology. The material, although flexible, still behaves somewhat like glass. Hence, durability concerns are bound to arise with the expansion of screen size in a possible foldable tablet.

The solution is rather straightforward (albeit less than elegant). Samsung will revert to transparent polyimide (PI) films in order to address the issue. PI films were first used in the original Galaxy Fold released back in 2019.

Some might still recall the fiasco that ensued after the initial release of the first Fold, with many reviewers accidentally breaking their units. Using a technology so problematic could spell trouble for the first generation of Samsung foldable tablets.

The Elec claims that Samsung considered utilizing a blend between UTG and PI films, but ultimately decided to stick solely to the latter. Unfortunately, this means that the odds of the Galaxy Tab Fold ending up as a flawed experimental product at launch are rather high.