This week, Samsung unveiled its highly anticipated foldable smartphone. The world’s top seller of smartphones is attempting to break the innovation lull that is troubling the market. But will consumers embrace a device that retails for almost $2,000?
Samsung announced the Galaxy Fold on Wednesday. When the phone is released on April 26, it will retail for $1,980. Consumers willing to pay that hefty price will get a device that can unfold like a wallet. It can work like a traditional smartphone with a 4.6-inch screen or morph into something more like a mini-tablet with a 7.3-inch screen.
When fully unfolded, the device will be able to run three different apps on the screen at the same time. The Galaxy Fold will also boast six cameras: three in the back, two on the inside and one on the front.
In “2019 Tech Show Begins,” WORLDteen pointed out consumer frustration that Samsung hadn’t yet delivered the foldable phone it has been promising. Now, after spending nearly five years developing the technology underlying its foldable-screen phone, Samsung is hoping for a big payoff.
“Get ready for the dawn of a new era,” declares DJ Koh, who oversees Samsung’s smartphone division. He says the new phone “answers skeptics who said everything has already been done.”
Most analysts see a limited market for foldable-screen phones, at least early on. But Samsung hopes the Galaxy Fold will spur people to upgrade their phones.
Although he believes the Galaxy Fold is more “status symbol” than mainstream product, analyst Patrick Moorhead says the device is symbolically important for Samsung. He says, “The Fold was icing on the cake showing that Samsung is the company driving new innovations and excitement to the market.”
What advantages do you imagine a foldable phone has? Do you think it is worth its big price tag?
(Justin Denison, SVP of Mobile Product Development, talks about the new Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone. AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
