Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 looks to be the lightest Fold model yet

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 will weigh 269g – or 9.48oz – according to a new leak, making it lighter than the Fold 2. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 weighed 282g (9.9oz), which was actually 7g heavier than the original Galaxy Fold, at 275g (9.7oz).

The information came in the form of a short tweet from regular leaker Ice Universe (via Tom’s Guide) that simply said “Fold3 269g.” Compared to other foldables, the Fold is extremely lightweight – both the Huawei Mate Xs foldable and the Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold weigh in at over 300g (10.6oz). However, single-screen phones are much lighter – even the 6.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G weighs 229g (8.07oz).

Given that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is essentially two phones – or at least two screens – it’s no surprise that it is still considerably heavier. The question is, are we prepared to accept the weight in a tradeoff for the giant screen potential?

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As with all increasingly large-screened smartphones, it seems that size and weight rarely affect the appeal. In fact, when phones have tried to go the other way – as with the iPhone 12 mini – with a smaller and lighter design, there has been less interest.

I’m sure that if the folding screen design really takes off, the weights of these phones will come down further. In a few years, they could weigh less than single-screen models thanks to improved battery design and screen technology.  Perhaps a better question is one posed by our UK deputy editor Rob Jones: once you’ve used a dual-screen phone, why would you ever want to go back to a single screen?