In an effort to beset the innovation jinx that it has been facing, South Korean tech giant Samsung provided the first glimpse of its latest smartphone with a foldable screen.
However doubts have already been cast over the new products as questions are being raised whether it would attract customers because of the price tag of almost $2,000 or whether this new model would add on to any of the creative demands of the smartphone market.
Samsung said that the new Galaxy Fold would be available for $1,980 after its official launch later in April this year.
The hefty price that the consumers would pay for the model would give them a smartphone whose screen can be folded up and unfolded like a wallet. In the folded form, the model would be used like a conventional smartphone with a 4.6 inch screen as well as unfolded into a tablet type that would have a screen size of 7.3 inch screen.
One of the characteristics of this new phone is that three different apps on the screen can be run at the same time after it has been completely unfolded. There are six cameras on the Galaxy Fold - three of them in the back, two on the inside and one on the front.
Samsung is hopeful that the new device would generate interest and sale since the company has expended huge amounts of money and time – almost 5 years, in the development of the phone.
“Get ready for the dawn of a new era,” said DJ Koh, who oversees Samsung’s smartphone division. He said that the new phone “answers sceptics who said everything has already been done.”
The company is hoping that a large number of people would be induced into upgrading their devices if their calculations about market reaction are correct. The market of global smartphone peaked in 2017. However, there was a fall of 8 per cent in the smartphone sale of Samung. On the overall for the entire global smartphone market, there was a drop of 4 per cent in smartphone sale according to the estimates of the research firm International Data Corp. Worldwide.
However, the market for foldable screen phones is limited according to most analysts at least during the initial period of them being introduced in the market. According to IDC analyst Ramon Llamas, devices such as the Galaxy Fold “are likely to sell to a very limited market of technology aficionados who like big screens and have big wallets.”
According to Moor Insights & Strategy analyst Patrick Moorhead said, the Galaxy Fold is symbolically important for Samsung – the largest smartphone seller of the world, even though he is of the opinion that the device would be viewed more as a “status symbol” rather than a mainstream product. “The Fold was icing on the cake showing that Samsung is the company driving new innovations and excitement to the market,” Moorhead said.
Justin Denison, a Samsung senior vice president said during a television interview that the fact that the Galaxy Fold is “luxury technology” is beyond doubt. However, new uses for mobile devices would be created by the advent of foldable screen smartphones, he predicted. “It’s a technological marvel,” Denison said. “The first time you see a flexible screen, it sort of bends your mind.”
(Source:www.apnews.com)
However doubts have already been cast over the new products as questions are being raised whether it would attract customers because of the price tag of almost $2,000 or whether this new model would add on to any of the creative demands of the smartphone market.
Samsung said that the new Galaxy Fold would be available for $1,980 after its official launch later in April this year.
The hefty price that the consumers would pay for the model would give them a smartphone whose screen can be folded up and unfolded like a wallet. In the folded form, the model would be used like a conventional smartphone with a 4.6 inch screen as well as unfolded into a tablet type that would have a screen size of 7.3 inch screen.
One of the characteristics of this new phone is that three different apps on the screen can be run at the same time after it has been completely unfolded. There are six cameras on the Galaxy Fold - three of them in the back, two on the inside and one on the front.
Samsung is hopeful that the new device would generate interest and sale since the company has expended huge amounts of money and time – almost 5 years, in the development of the phone.
“Get ready for the dawn of a new era,” said DJ Koh, who oversees Samsung’s smartphone division. He said that the new phone “answers sceptics who said everything has already been done.”
The company is hoping that a large number of people would be induced into upgrading their devices if their calculations about market reaction are correct. The market of global smartphone peaked in 2017. However, there was a fall of 8 per cent in the smartphone sale of Samung. On the overall for the entire global smartphone market, there was a drop of 4 per cent in smartphone sale according to the estimates of the research firm International Data Corp. Worldwide.
However, the market for foldable screen phones is limited according to most analysts at least during the initial period of them being introduced in the market. According to IDC analyst Ramon Llamas, devices such as the Galaxy Fold “are likely to sell to a very limited market of technology aficionados who like big screens and have big wallets.”
According to Moor Insights & Strategy analyst Patrick Moorhead said, the Galaxy Fold is symbolically important for Samsung – the largest smartphone seller of the world, even though he is of the opinion that the device would be viewed more as a “status symbol” rather than a mainstream product. “The Fold was icing on the cake showing that Samsung is the company driving new innovations and excitement to the market,” Moorhead said.
Justin Denison, a Samsung senior vice president said during a television interview that the fact that the Galaxy Fold is “luxury technology” is beyond doubt. However, new uses for mobile devices would be created by the advent of foldable screen smartphones, he predicted. “It’s a technological marvel,” Denison said. “The first time you see a flexible screen, it sort of bends your mind.”
(Source:www.apnews.com)
Homepage
Send to a friend
Printable version
Share
