Do you care if Samsung’s Crafted Black colorway isn’t real carbon fiber

Samsung officially revealed the new Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6, but not much has changed, especially on the clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 6, aside from the usual spec bump. However, one thing we can always count on from a Samsung launch is a set of exclusive colors available from its online store. This is where Samsung gets creative, and this year’s hottest option looks to be Crafted Black.

Crafted Black is what Samsung is calling a design finish that clearly emulates the appearance of real carbon and aramid fiber. It’s likely not real carbon fiber, and it’s not the first tech product or accessory to try to copy the look, but the fact that Samsung is creating a carbon fiber-like finish goes to show how hot this tech trend is right now.

Crafted Black mimics carbon fiber

It’s all about the looks

The special edition colorways of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6.

If you’re wondering why the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6’s new Crafted Black colorway likely doesn’t sport real carbon fiber, there’s a simple reason for that: carbon fiber blocks radio waves, and that’s obviously a problem on smartphones.

It’s a problem that has been solved, for what it’s worth, by mixing carbon fibers with composite materials to create something that has the characteristics of carbon fiber, plus radio wave transmission. But it’s expensive, and I don’t think it’s a realistic material for Samsung to use in a mass-market foldable.

Personally, I think the Crafted Black colorway looks sharp and matches the aesthetic of carbon and aramid fibers. However, material purists won’t like that it’s probably not real carbon fiber, and thus, it won’t feature its most appealing properties. For example, carbon fiber is stiff yet light, and aramid fiber is strong and flame-resistant. Samsung’s new foldables won’t likely benefit from these if they aren’t made out of real fiber.

Do we really need a carbon-fiber phone? Does it matter if the Crafted Black is little more than a flashy finish? It would be cool to see more phones made out of real carbon fiber, and not just parts of them. A phone that heavily featured carbon fiber would feel so much lighter than a phone with an aluminum, steel, or titanium body and frame.

As for the second question, I don’t think it’s much of an issue if Crafted Black isn’t real carbon. In fact, I have a lot of respect for Samsung choosing an original name like “Crafted Black” instead of trying to use the name to get people to think it’s using legit carbon fiber.

It’s the latest tech trend

Products, accessories, and EDC essentials are all starting to use fiber

This colorway is Samsung jumping on the carbon and aramid fiber hype trains, and nothing more. We’ve seen fiber materials invade the tech scene over the years, and they’ve taken over the premium case market.

OnePlus, for example, made an official carbon fiber case for the OnePlus 11, and casemaker Mous has an aramid fiber version of its Limitless cases. Motorola even made a ThinkPhone with carbon fiber last year, and that’s all before we even get into the everyday carry (EDC) market — it’s chock-full of fiber EDC essentials.

So, if you were wondering if the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 come in real fiber materials, they likely don’t. There are countless tech products and accessories that mimic the appearance of carbon fiber without actually using the real material. But as long as companies don’t pretend a faux look is real carbon fiber using confusing names — such as what Samsung did here — it’s perfectly fine.