Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim could be Samsung's first titanium foldable

Titanium phones seem to be all the rage these days, at least for Samsung and Apple. Samsung has made a big deal about the Galaxy S24 Ultra being made with the material, and now reports claim the company may also use the metal for the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 6 “Slim.”

According to The Elec, Samsung’s parts suppliers say the firm is making the final decision on whether to use stainless steel or titanium for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim’s backplate. This would be the first time the tech giant has used titanium for the backplate on any of its foldables.

Up until now, the company has used either stainless steel or carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) for its backplates. Specifically, it used stainless steel up to the Fold 2, then switched to CFRP with the Fold 3 and onward. The reason why this switch was made has to do with the addition of S Pen recognition, which first appeared on the Fold 3. A digitizer is used in these devices to recognize the stylus and a metal backplate can interfere with that recognition.

It’s reported that this slim variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 does not have S Pen recognition support. As such, Samsung is free to use metal again for the backplate. Using titanium as the backplate material over stainless steel is not as straightforward as it would seem. Titanium is stronger and lighter than stainless steel, but it’s also harder to process.

Whatever Samsung decides, the outlet says that decision will be made soon. It also claims that the phone will be released in the fourth quarter of this year.

Don’t get your hopes up if you live in the US, however. This foldable is expected to only release in China and possibly South Korea.