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Samsung introduces long-awaited Galaxy Fold
Market appeal: Justin Denison, Samsung’s senior vice president of mobile product marketing, addresses an audience at Galaxy Unpacked, where the new Galaxy Fold was announced, in San Francisco, United States, on Thursday
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arket appeal: Justin Denison, Samsung’s senior vice president of mobile product marketing, addresses an audience at Galaxy Unpacked, where the new Galaxy Fold was announced, in San Francisco, United States, on Thursday.(JP/ R. Berto Wedhatama)
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. unveiled on Wednesday a much-awaited foldable mobile phone — the Galaxy Fold — which will come to the market on April 26. The South Korean company will be the first major manufacturer to offer the folding feature but the model comes with a hefty price tag of US$1,980.
The phone will have a 4.6-inch screen but can be folded out as a mini tablet with a 7.3-inch screen.
“Since its launch 10 years ago, the Galaxy S series has stood for premium innovation — offering consumers an incredible experience and the ability to find the device that’s right for them,” said DJ Koh, president and CEO of the IT and mobile communications division, Samsung Electronics. “Get ready for the dawn of a new era.”
“We are giving you a device that doesn’t just define a new category, it defies category,” said Justin Denison, Samsung’s senior vice president of product marketing, during the launch at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, in the United States.
He added that the Fold would allow users to operate three apps simultaneously on its large screen.
“You can watch a YouTube video of Hawaii; text your friend about it, and browse travel options all at the same time,” Denison said while showing off the device.
The Galaxy Fold, as well as three other models in the Galaxy S10 series, which will operate on 5G, will challenge Apple’s iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, which were launched last September, also in California.
Denison claimed the Fold was “a one of a kind luxury device with impressive visuals”, and offered “a truly next generation experience” that enables multitasking on its large screen.
Samsung remains the world’s largest smartphone maker with nearly a fifth of global unit sales but it underperformed a slumping market last year, Reuters reported.
Chinese rival Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. — whose Mate series of phones also commands premium prices — gained market share. Other Chinese makers like Xiaomi Corp. have also been raising prices, leaving Samsung to defend its turf against upstart rivals in addition to its longtime foe Apple.
To commemorate a decade of the Galaxy series, Samsung launched the Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10e.
The Galaxy S10’s unique infinity-o display packs an array of sensors and camera technology into a hole-in display — so users can maximize screen real estate without any distractions, according to a company press statement.
The company adds that the Galaxy S10’s display also includes the first-ever embedded Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner that reads the 3D contours of a physical thumbprint — not a 2D image of it — for improved security.
The smartphone introduces new camera technology that makes it easy to take epic shots and videos as well as premium hardware and machine learning-based software.
“Galaxy S10 builds on that incredible legacy and delivers breakthrough display, camera and performance innovations. With four premium devices, each built for a unique consumer in mind, Samsung is leveraging a decade of industry leadership to usher in a new era of smartphone technology,” said Koh.
Analyst Bob O’Donnell of Technalysis Research said on Twitter: “As expected, it’s not cheap, but the #GalaxyFold will still be THE device for gadget lovers.”
No price or release date was announced for the S10 5G version. Other options include the S10e starting at $749, and the largest version, the S10 Plus, at $999 — which will be available on March 8.
“Samsung launched a halo product, the Fold, along with multiple still expensive but more affordable and more traditional Galaxy S smartphones,” said Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart, as quoted by AFP.
“They are trying to ensure that they have something exciting for early adopters, and at the same time have a refreshed line-up of phones people actually buy.”
Greengart and other analysts did not expect foldable or 5G smartphones to be mass-market successes this year, reasoning that apps, software, and networks were not yet in place to support wide adoption capabilities to provide more users with the best possible AI [artificial intelligence] experience,” said Eui-Suk Chung, Samsung’s head of software and AI, as quoted by AFP.
Patrick Moorhead, founder of Moor Insights & Strategy, said the new folding device could help Samsung stay at the top and lure consumers to upgrade devices that have looked largely the same over the past five years.
“Samsung and Apple go back and forth” in leading the premium smartphone market, Moorhead said, as quoted by Reuters. “I think this is Samsung’s chance to take back the innovation crown.”
