Samsung Unveils New Foldable Smartphones With Lower Prices To Expand Market (reuters.com) 14
Samsung Electronics unveiled its latest high-end foldable smartphones on Wednesday with lower prices than last year's offerings in a push to expand foldable demand beyond niche devices. From a report: The tech giant priced its 5G-enabled Galaxy Z Fold3 with 7.6-inch main screen to start at $1,799.99 in the United States, and clamshell Galaxy Z Flip3 at $999.99 - down from the launch prices of last year's models at $1,999 and $1,380, respectively. The Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 will launch on August 27 starting in markets such as the United States and Europe.
"There's definitely demand for bigger screens as people consume more media content, and foldables are the only form that makes big screens very portable... the price hurdle is the issue," said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at Cape Investment & Securities. Foldable phones, with about 8.6 million units expected to be shipped this year, are expected to account for just 0.6% of estimated 1.447 billion smartphones to be shipped. However, that is more than double the 3 million foldables shipped in 2020, and Samsung will lead the market with over 88% market share, according to Counterpoint Research. Besides price drops that analysts said could help capture more demand in the United States and perhaps China, Samsung's foldable unveiled on Wednesday touted lighter, thinner and improved design, durability, and compatibility with a stylus, which could absorb users of Samsung's Galaxy Note phablets whose key feature is the "S Pen".
"There's definitely demand for bigger screens as people consume more media content, and foldables are the only form that makes big screens very portable... the price hurdle is the issue," said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at Cape Investment & Securities. Foldable phones, with about 8.6 million units expected to be shipped this year, are expected to account for just 0.6% of estimated 1.447 billion smartphones to be shipped. However, that is more than double the 3 million foldables shipped in 2020, and Samsung will lead the market with over 88% market share, according to Counterpoint Research. Besides price drops that analysts said could help capture more demand in the United States and perhaps China, Samsung's foldable unveiled on Wednesday touted lighter, thinner and improved design, durability, and compatibility with a stylus, which could absorb users of Samsung's Galaxy Note phablets whose key feature is the "S Pen".
What an unfolding market! (Score:3, Funny)
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Wow the lower prices model is "only" $999 (Score:3)
Re:Wow the lower prices model is "only" $999 (Score:4, Interesting)
Shut up and take my money!
It's a pretty cool phone though. You have to admit that it's a foldable done how we all imagined it, and represents a genuine innovation in the smartphone market. Everything else is just variations on the glass slab.
Of course nobody needs this, and most people could get by with a budget phone, but then you can say that about almost all computer technology these days. Personally, I'm really impressed, but being pretty invested into the apple ecosystem to the point where it would be painful for me to change over, I do find it sad that Apple has really lost it's shine with this sort of breakthrough stuff. Once upon a time Steve Jobs would have used an innovation like this to make everyone forget there was a pandemic on. Sadly now it's mostly about guessing how many generations they stick with the square edges before the rounded ones make a come back.
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You have to admit that it's a foldable done how we all imagined it
Not sure who was imagining a much more fragile screen that looks and feels worse with a big visible crease in the center. But hey it gets slightly smaller! Innovation!
Lower prices still aren't low ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Still a bit pricey for a phone. I'd rather have a laptop that can work as a cellphone -- phone screens are almost that big anyway. :-)
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I would love to have a phone that folded open, so I could read a PDF full-sized when I desired, and have a regular sized phone the rest of the time.
Yes $1799 is too expensive for me. But in a few years this will be much cheaper. When that happens, I'm looking forward to getting one.
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Na, I would love a phone, that I could just attach to my ear and have a display in front of my eye, like a HUD, so it looks like massive screen space 60-150 cm away to my eye.
The input should be something that senses my finger movements. Like a wristband.
The only question would be, where to put the battery. maybe a counterweight behind the ear?
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The Fold could be a lot cheaper. Ditch the outside screen or make it smaller and don't bother with 120Hz etc. I'll settle with opening it. Forget the under-screen camera or the front selfie camera, just the ones on the back are fine. For selfies that small outside screen is good enough.
I like the Z Flip3 design (Score:1)
"Cheaper". is kinda implied. (Score:1)
It's not like it was possible to go up in price even more and sell anything at all. ;)
They're not "$500 monitor stand" Apple.
lol and also lol (Score:2)
If I want to start a fire I'll just rub two sticks together, I don't need to bend a Samsung phone.