Samsung Head of Mobile TM Roh shares how foldables are changing the smartphone market
There’s not denying the fact that foldable smartphones are fast becoming an accepted form factor and not a new fangled trend. The idea of foldable displays have been bandied about in prototype form at trade shows but it needed the likes of a company like Samsung to actually bring it to the masses with the first mass production foldable smartphone in the form of the Galaxy Z Fold in 2019.
Samsung Head of Mobile TM Roh on a recent visit to Indonesia
How are foldables changing the smartphone market?
They’ve further refined the performance and design of foldables with each generation and fast forward to 2021 and the Galaxy Z Flip3 and Galaxy Z Fold3 are among their best selling smartphones ever with sales of both phones in a single month exceeding the cumulative sales of foldable phones in 2020 and also selling a whopping fourfold in global sales volume compared to 2020. It’s safe to say that foldables are here to stay and that Samsung will be the brand that’ll take the form factor to new heights.
“Foldables are transforming and reshaping the mobile market. As the pioneer and leader of the foldable smartphone category, we are focused on delivering incredible foldable experiences that enhance our consumers’ everyday lives,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Samsung Electronics’ MX (Mobile eXperience) Business in a recent visit to Indonesia.
It’s about time for the debut for Samsung’s next generation of foldables and while there’s no official word yet, it’s likely going to be the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Flip4 as successors to last year’s models.
They’re not resting on their laurels though and are continuing to further refine the use case and performance of their foldables. “We will continue to develop the unique advantages of the Galaxy foldables, such as viewing on a large screen using a compact and durable device, taking photos and videos in Flex mode, multitasking on split screens with an S Pen and enjoying a unique user experience with the new foldable form factor. We will also enhance the foldables experience through partnerships with industry leaders, such as Google, to support more applications and services for foldable devices.” he added.
It’s not just enhancing foldables though, Samsung is thinking of the big picture as well by ensuring that future devices, come what may, will have 5G connectivity and, above all, be able to smoothly integrate and be a part of Samsung’s rich Galaxy ecosystem of accessories, devices and more including their Galaxy Watch and Buds hearables, tablets and more.
While their flagship phones typically take the limelight, TM Roh also mentions that their midrange offerings remain an important driver for Samsung. “By having a keen understanding of our target consumers’ needs, we are able to maintain the affordability of our mid-tier smartphones while providing a great mobile experience as we focus on strengthening specifications of priority product features, such as the battery, memory, performance, and 5G capabilities. In addition, various features from the flagship smartphones, such as the enhanced cameras, and dustproof and water resistant, are extended to the Galaxy A series,” said TM Roh. Their current generation Galaxy A 2022 series are a testament to that, with the Galaxy A33, Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A73 offering features typically offered only on flagship phones like OIS-enabled cameras, high refresh rate displays and more.
There are tantalisingly few hints as to what Samsung’s next generation foldables have to offer and how they will change the smartphone market but odds are good that they’ll be appearing in the near future with the most powerful hardware that they have to offer. If you can’t wait and are keen to hop onto the foldable bandwagon, you can check out Samsung’s official page for the Galaxy Z Fold3 here and the Flip3 here.