Samsung’s foldable phone opens new frontier
SANFRANCISCO: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd has wowed the smartphone industry with the first foldable screen, burnishing its innovation credentials, banishing “fast follower” criticism and, at nearly $2,000, setting a new standard in premium pricing.
The South Korean tech giant’s Galaxy Fold resembles a conventional smartphone but opens like a book to reveal a second display the size of a small tablet at 7.3 inches (18.5 cm). It will go on sale from April 26. At its launch event in San Francisco on Wednesday, Samsung upped the surprise factor by briefing analysts and journalists on widely anticipated aspects ahead of time, such as 5G versions of its existing top-end Galaxy S phones. The subsequent unveiling of the foldable device came as a shock to many in the auditorium. “I am blown away,” said Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy, adding the phone could help Samsung rejuvenate its mobile business, whose lead is under attack from China’s Huawei.
“I believe you can innovate your way out of a mature market,” he said, noting that when Apple Inc launched the iphone in 2007, most industry watchers believed the market had matured for $100 “candy bar” phones without touch screens.
Bob O’donnell of TECHNALysis Research said the work Samsung had done with Facebook, Alphabet’s Google and Microsoft to adapt applications to the new screen was important. He said though Samsung had teased the folding phone before, “to see it in action, to see the software—i was like, Wow. It’s hugely important that the software experience be good.”
The phone, which boasts six cameras, also challenges the notion of what a phone can cost, debuting at nearly twice the price of current top-of-theline models from Apple and Samsung itself.
“Due to price, it’s likely to be sold mainly to early adopters. Prices are key to expanding sales,” said former Samsung mobile executive Kim Yong-serk.