Five generations of a new technology format have finally begun delivering near-flawless foldable phones.
Samsung reclaimed leadership of the category on Wednesday night when it launched the new Galaxy Z Fold5 and Z Flip5 at the Galaxy Unpacked event in Seoul, South Korea. It was the first Unpacked event in the home base of one of the world's largest consumer electronics manufacturers. To mark the occasion, the launch was attended by Suga, a member of BTS, the world's best-known K-pop (Korea-pop) group.
The screaming of K-pop fans outside the venue in the Gangnam-gu district set the tone for the evening. However, it did not steal the thunder from TM Roh, president and head of mobile experience business at Samsung Electronics.
He and his team took the audience through a relentless procession of innovations that showed, according to Roh, “Samsung is revolutionising the mobile industry with foldables by setting the standard and continually refining the experience”.
The refinements included a vastly improved front screen on the Flip, which had previously allowed little more than notifications before the user folded out the handset. This means that it becomes far more versatile for both creation and viewing of content. The Flip5's trendy appearance and camera uses makes it appealing to the youth, while the larger Fold5 is seen as more of a productivity device.
Much was made during the launch of the improved hinge of the Fold5. This was telling because, when the Fold4 was launched last year, its hinge design was one of its biggest selling points. In the new design, the two halves of the device fold over flush, rather than leaving a small gap. This makes it thinner, and underlines the fact that innovation in design remains part of a process for Samsung, rather than the end goal.
Kgomotso Mosiane, head of marketing for mobile experience at Samsung Electronics South Africa, told Business Times after the launch: “We regularly collect consumer feedback, which informed the Galaxy Z Fold5’s screen size getting increased more than three times to the current 3.4 inches.” The new, bigger Flex Window offers customisation options such as dynamic graphics and digital cover displays.
The Galaxy Z Fold5 is lighter and slimmer than its predecessor, but still delivers multitasking performance with multi-window, app continuity and taskbar, and has a slimmer, integrated S Pen.
The S-Pen digital stylus originated with the Samsung Galaxy Note series, which began the move towards larger smartphone screens in 2011, and compelled Apple to start producing large displays on the iPhone. Apple has yet to introduce a foldable device, but improvements in the format by Samsung and Huawei — and especially large gains in sales of foldables — are expected to spur the tech giant into a response.
Mosiane said Samsung spent eight years carefully developing the first Galaxy Fold and, with each new generation, had refined and optimised the foldable portfolio.
While she did not provide South African sales numbers, Mosiane said market demand for foldable smartphones was growing exponentially. The Flip accounted for 64% of Samsung’s foldable sales, while the Fold took up the other 36%.
“This year we are preparing for an even more significant increase in demand and have ramped up manufacturing capabilities accordingly. We are always open to exploring new technologies that can help improve our customers' experiences and move the industry forward.”
The one experience that will not improve is the pricing of the devices. The Galaxy Z Flip5's recommended retail price starts at R29,999, while the Galaxy Z Fold5 comes in at R45,999.
How will Samsung convince consumers to pay the price?
Mosiane said: “We have already seen a phenomenal success of the trade-in offer on the Galaxy S23. Now ... you can trade in an older device, even if it has a cracked screen. It just needs to switch on without being plugged in. Affordability has been factored in, which means you can now take your old device, trade it in and save up to R10,000.”
* Goldstuck was hosted in South Korea by Samsung
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