Samsung has created their own magnesium alloy called Metal 12, this new alloy will be used to make durable and lightweight electronics like smartphones, laptops and wearables. Metal 12 comprises of a combination of magnesium and aluminium to form the alloy which is currently being used in new Samsung laptops.
To give you an understanding of how Metal 12 will make devices lighter, the 13.3-inch Samsung Notebook 9 weighs just 995g while the 15.6-inch model comes in at 1.2kg. Based on these weights, it could significantly reduce the weight of future phones and other devices that the company produces. Recently, reports indicate that they have filed for a trademark on Metal 12 which could indicate that they will start using this alloy in future Galaxy S and Note phones. It is still unsure if the upcoming Galaxy S9 phone will be built using this alloy but we do know that Samsung will be maintaining the glass back design as it can support wireless charging.
Back when the Galaxy S7 was about to be released, rumours said that the phone will come with a magnesium alloy chassis, but it was not present on the phone. The trademark that they filed for Metal 12 could be a strong indicator that they intend to start using it more widespread in their devices.
