[Galaxy Z Series Tech Talk] ③ Durability: No more oops! check out why By 삼성전자 뉴스룸 [Samsung Newsroom]

In one word the world's first: we made it possible always reliable every day. My name is Huang tang run and I work at the advanced cm flab at Samsung electronics. I work on the metal materials as well as the surface processing technologies for plastic glass and for all kinds of materials used in a smartphone. When you look at the Galaxy Z fold, 3 z, flip 3 5g, they literally fold in half, which means they are typically made of three parts. Two parts that fold and a hinge in the middle. The housing of this hinge needs to be made of a robust material that will help the inside of the hinge hold up since foldable require more parts.

It was essential to make each part lighter and thinner for the phone to be portable and have a competitive edge. We focused on creating a thinner and lighter form factor for this. We needed to use a robust material that could withstand external shock, so we enhanced the physical properties of an aluminum material to make the device more durable. The new armor aluminum is the strongest aluminum material used in smartphones today developed armor aluminum to be harder and more durable, so it is less likely to be deformed or scratched due to external shock. The difference is quite clear when comparing to other aluminum materials currently used in the smartphone industry, when you bump these two together, this one gets scratched.

While this one shows no sign of damage. The armor aluminum used in the Galaxy Z fold, three z flip three: five g for the two parts of the outer frame and the housing surrounding the hinge three. In total, there are many types of aluminum. You can take the basic aluminum material and add different metal elements to change its properties, such as making it harder or changing the color, just as buildings are reinforced by placing rebar in concrete metal elements are mixed into the aluminum to enhance its durability for the Galaxy Z fold, 3 z, flip, 3, 5g durability was our main focus, so we added several metal elements that would make a more durable aluminum in order to maintain the quality of the surface while enhancing the durability of the material. You need to calibrate the content and the size of each element.

Finding this balance and creating the perfect condition was the most important but the biggest hurdle in the material development process in order to reach the target thickness and lightness of the device. The starting point is the material. A material that provides strong performance is the most important thing. What's more, material development doesn't end with creating a better material. It is implemented in the actual product when the end product is held in user's hand, and if users can feel oh, it's really better than before.

I couldn't wish for more. My name is Chen. He and I work for the advanced mechanical r d group at Samsung, electronics, hello, I'm King Jung, min of the product mechanical r d group at Samsung electronics. I worked on the water resistant technology for the Galaxy Z fold, 3 z, flip 3 5g. Yes, they are the first foldable phones that are water resistant.

Both devices feature an ipx8 rating, which means they can be submerged in 1.5 meters of deep, fresh water for 30 minutes. Bar type phones are usually composed of a front and back made out of hard glass or plastic. The phone doesn't alter its shape, so it can provide water resistance with structures that block out the water from coming into the device for the Galaxy Z fold, 3 z, flip 3 5g. There are two such parts, there's an electric wiring that goes through these two parts the wiring passes through in between the hinge located in the driver of the phone. So we had to apply water resistance to the driver, which was difficult.

What's more, the design of the hinge is structured in such a way that it is inevitable to let water in so enabling water resistant performance in this part was key to adding water resistance to the Galaxy Z fold, 3 z, flip 3 5g. We designed the structure of the phone so that the top and bottom half would be water resistant respectively. It was important to make sure the PCB allows for electric connection of the top and bottom half to do this. We punched a hole in the interior, so that water would flow into the device we blocked the hole with rubber on the side of the device and filled up the open spaces. With a liquid solution we newly developed since the hinge is inevitably exposed to water.

We applied an anti-corrosion solution and a lubricant that provides strong water protection so that the hinge wouldn't rust, even in conditions where it can get wet. If you look at the Galaxy Z fold, 3 z, flip 3 5g, you can see that there aren't that many gaps or openings. The USB port speakers and microphones are all the holes that users can see. But there are several openings and structures inside the device that need water protection. For example, fingerprint sensor modules have to fit into a limited space of a phone with a slim design, so we need to work the water resistant technology in that limited space as well as there is little space to apply the water resistant technology.

We designed a new structure that allows room for water resistant technology inside this space testing. The water resistant technology was difficult. There are several places in a foldable phone that may be prone to water damage such as the speakers, microphone, buttons, sim tray, USB port and the back glass. So it was hard to pinpoint where exactly the water was leaking. Water can leak through the gaps on the front as well.

It was hard to figure out at which point water was leaking. We always think that every step of the development process is difficult. It's easy to tell you why something can't work, but we always need to find out what it is that could make it work. So we put our heads together to come up with ideas on how we can make something work, which often leads us to a key to solve the issue, but also a whole new task of creating a solution and coming up with an improved solution. If that one doesn't work, we hope that the new water resistant technology will help you enjoy your new phones and feel safe using them in your everyday lives.

This is the beginning of a new era for foldable. We did our best to provide protection from water damage, but it can't hurt to take good care of your phone.

Source : 삼성전자 뉴스룸 [Samsung Newsroom]