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Samsung thinks you’re ready for more foldable phones in the coming year. But are foldable phones finally ready for you?
We’re about to find out. At the end of 2020, Samsung Electronics chairman TM Roh released an overview of the mobile electronics giant’s plans for 2021, and one of the highlights seems to be that the Galaxy z fold 2 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5G can be expected in a business very soon.
“True to our heritage of staying one step ahead with cutting edge mobile technology, we will expand our portfolio of foldable products, so that this revolutionary category is more accessible to everyone,” Roh wrote.
That’s quite a change, considering the rough start Samsung faced on the foldable front. The first one Galaxy fold, first introduced in 2019, encountered design flaws, forcing Samsung to delay the launch. When it debuted, the original Fold showed promise, but not enough to justify its asking price of $ 1980.
Samsung’s foldable phones are still quite expensive, but otherwise things have improved dramatically over the past year or so. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 solved many of the problems of the original Fold, introducing a more durable design. the Galaxy z flip gave Samsung a foldable flip phone that was much more polished than its rival Motorola Razr. And the Fold and Flip supported a new Flex Mode that took advantage of foldable designs to let you use apps in new ways.
“Samsung recognizes that its early bet on foldables can be fully profitable if Samsung thrives in affordable price segments while it has minimal competition,” said Avi Greengart, founder and senior analyst at Techsponential, in an article on Samsung’s 2021 phone plans.
There’s another reason Samsung might want to strike while the iron is hot, said Ramon Llamas, IDC’s research director for devices and displays. “Samsung seems to have had more success than its competitors like Motorola in the United States or Royole in Asia,” he declared. “Unless other vendors gain traction with their own foldable smartphones, this could be a product category that Samsung can lock into.”
But how is Samsung going to do this? The answer seems to lie in building some of its early successes with this year’s batch of foldable phones. Here are a few reasons why Samsung is optimistic about the prospects for future foldable devices as a new year approaches.
Foldable phone screens have become more durable
Early foldable phones featured plastic screens – a necessary compromise since glass isn’t really good at bending, but one that left devices fragile and cheap. That’s not what you mean when you ask people to pay up to $ 2,000 for a phone.
Starting with the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung inserted an ultra-thin layer of glass into its foldable lineup. (The Galaxy Z Fold 2 also features the same layer.) The difference was night and day. Now the devices had the kind of polish you’d expect from an expensive phone while still managing to withstand the kind of regular wear and tear that comes from folding and unfolding the screen.
Samsung figured out how to optimize the foldable form factor
A phone that simply closes is nothing more than a party trick. To be a more compelling option, a foldable phone must take advantage of its unique ability to expand and contract – and that’s precisely what Samsung has managed to do this year.
We mentioned Flex Mode, which takes advantage of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Flip’s hinge to hold part of the screen at a 90-degree angle. This allows some apps to use the top of the screen as a viewing area and the bottom for controls – think YouTube videos played on one half of the device, while you can control playback and comment on the device. video on the other part of the device. screen.
The Fold, in particular, continues to be a multitasking dream, with the ability to run three apps at once on its 7.6-inch main display. You can even link these apps together so that they launch at the same time. And App Continuity lets you jump to an app on the Fold’s now larger cover screen and pick up where you left off when you open the phone to use the larger screen.
If anything, Samsung needs to do more to popularize foldable phones, including working with app makers to ensure their software is optimized for foldable screens. “Make all the applications [potential foldable phone owners] do you want to use it work perfectly on a foldable device? “, asked Llamas.” Otherwise, buying a device like this becomes a non-starter. “
Foldable phone prices are on the verge of going down
By promising to expand Samsung’s foldable lineup, Roh promised more “accessible” devices. Take that to mean that they will be more affordable because, frankly, that’s the only direction Samsung can go.
Despite all of its improvements, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 still costs $ 1,999 – on the budget of most smartphone buyers. The Galaxy Z Flip is cheaper, but relatively inexpensive, with the 5G version available for $ 1,449. Samsung’s prices don’t clash with other foldable devices either – the Motorola Razr 5G costs $ 1399. the LG Wing is cheaper at $ 999, but it’s not a real foldable phone – instead, it has a second screen hidden under the first that swings out when you need it.
Even at $ 1,500, [foldable phones] are still more expensive than most other flagship devices.
– Ramon Llamas, IDC
“Even at $ 1,500, [foldable phones] are still more expensive than most other flagship devices, including Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max or even Samsung’s most popular Galaxy S devices, ”Llamas said.
Joining LG Wings below the $ 1,000 mark would be the target if Samsung takes its quest for more accessible foldables seriously. “To increase its market share – and steal some iOS users along the way – Samsung needs to offer sleek and attractive foldable products below the $ 1,000 price point where most phone sales live,” Greengart of Techsponential wrote. .
Foldable phone outlook
Even with more foldable phones coming in 2021, don’t expect the iPhone 13 or Galaxy S21 to be sidelined by the latest Galaxy Z Fold – or any other design Samsung has in the pipeline. Despite all the progress foldables have made in a short period of time, they remain a niche product, even if the price drops a bit.
“The larger viewing area is definitely a toss, as is opening multiple apps on the same screen,” said IDC’s Llamas. “But when you go at it, most users would probably prefer to save money while still getting a great experience on a slab-style smartphone. Expect foldables to cater to tech-savvy and early adopters. users. “
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