Samsung Galaxy Fold Phone – Is This The Future?

Samsung used its Unpacked event to reveal its upcoming devices ahead of MWC19 in Barcelona.

While the standout product was the Samsung S10, which marked the 10^th anniversary of the Galaxy series, the more unusual reveal was the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Samsung presented it as the world’s first folding smartphone, after what it described as up to a decade of development.

What Is the Samsung Galaxy Fold?

The Samsung Galaxy Fold uses a flexible display that allows it to switch between phone and tablet form. When folded, it has a 4.6-inch display. When opened out like a book, it expands to a 7.3-inch display.

Samsung also showed how users could move between the smaller and larger screens without interruption. The software shifts from one display to the other through what Samsung calls app continuity. From the demonstration, the transition looked smooth and responsive.

Will Foldable Phones Refresh the Smartphone Market?

It is possible that, in ten years’ time, people will look back on Samsung Unpacked 2019 as the moment foldable smartphones entered the mainstream conversation. It is also possible that flexible screens will become far more common in the years ahead.

However, for now, it seems unlikely that the Samsung Galaxy Fold will appeal to the mass market.

Why the Galaxy Fold May Struggle at First

• It comes with a $2000 price tag, which makes it far more expensive than even the priciest smartphones already on the market.
• Its design goes against current trends. When folded, it looks thick and bulky, which makes it feel closer to older mobile phones than today’s slim flagship devices. It also has noticeably large bezels at a time when many manufacturers, including Samsung, are reducing them.
• It can seem a little gimmicky. At this stage, the most obvious feature it adds is app multitasking, with up to three apps open on screen at once.

Could Foldable Phones Still Matter in the Future?

Even so, the Samsung Galaxy Fold is still an impressive piece of design. It may take several years for flexible devices to become genuinely popular, but that does not mean the idea will disappear.

It may be too early to say the Galaxy Fold will begin the next wave of smartphones. However, it does seem likely that flexible devices will play some role in the future of the market. You may not buy a foldable phone today, but launches like this could help explain why you might own one later.

What Comes Next?

Other manufacturers were also expected to show folding devices at MWC19 the following week. So, it would be interesting to see how those devices compared with Samsung’s Galaxy Fold.