Samsung is looking to set the next generation of smartphone trends with the upcoming release of its Galaxy F, a foldable smartphone. The handset will tout an ambitious design that the Korean tech company flexed during its recent developer’s conference, set a new bar for phone prices, and barely anyone is expected to buy it. But according to a recent smartphone industry analysis, a more gradual rollout could be exactly what Samsung wants.
“Arriving soon.”
Tech industry market intelligence firm, TrendForce, published a report ahead of its December 19 The Future of Smartphone Era Webinar asserting that Samsung doesn’t plan to sell millions of Galaxy F models, it just wants to establish its foldable phone dominance. The analysis expects the smartphone will account for 0.1 percent of the global smartphone market in 2019 and it expects that to grow to 1.5 percent in 2021.
The gist of the report is that current phablet designs are getting stale and consumers are looking for fresh handset designs, but that won’t happen overnight. However, if Samsung gets ahead of the curve the company could have a top-tier foldable phone if the concept ever eclipses traditional smartphone designs.
The Galaxy F will pack an extra screen and pack features that seem targeted to on-the-go multitaskers. Samsung said it’ll be able to run three apps side-by-side using a feature dubbed “multi-active window.” But is this ambitious smartphone design worth the price of a fully suited-up, 2018 MacBook Pro?
Here’s everything else we know about Samsung’s foldable smartphones so far.
Samsung Galaxy F Launch Date
Samsung hasn’t yet announced a clear launch date but expect updates and even a full-fletched unveiling as early as next spring. The Yonhap News Agency in South Korea recently reported that the company will launch its flagship foldable phone in March of next year, citing industry sources.
When he teased the foldable phone at its developer’s conference, Justin Denison, SVP of mobile product marketing also strongly implied that we should be ready for a March announcement.
“We hope we’ve inspired you until the next UNPACKED where you’ll see more of this technology in action,” he said.
Samsung always hosts an UNPACKED event early in the year to announce new Galaxy S phones. The S9 and S9+ were both announced late in February and released in early March. This means the upcoming S10 releases might be accompanied by a massive foldable phone reveal.
Samsung Galaxy F Price
The Galaxy F might be a tablet you can fold into a smartphone, but it might cost as much as a state-of-the-art laptop. Once it hits shelves it could run consumers anywhere from $1,900 to $2,500, according to an anonymous tipster interviewed by Gizmodo. This is new heights for its forecasted price.
That would potentially add another $130 or even $730 to its already astronomical price tag. The Yonhap report says the device could cost as much as $1,770 and that Samsung will aim to ship 1 million of them.
The Galaxy F was never expected to be cheap. An anonymous Samsung official told Reuters: “Unlike our flagship products,” the source told the wire service, “the foldable phone is a completely new concept in terms of design and user experience, which requires a different approach.” Usually when companies roll out trend-setting features, they come at a hefty cost.
Expect a slight departure in the pricing strategy. Currently, Samsung’s most expensive flagship — the Galaxy Note 9 — starts at $999. It’s possible the company could make a play for rapid growth by trying for an accessible price point, but more likely the new phone will be priced higher since there aren’t any formidable competitors.
The competitors that Samsung does have, however, are also pricing high. A lesser-known company called the Royole Corporation recently debuted its take on the foldable phone, the FlexPai, on October 31 that starts at 8,999 Chinese yuan (roughly $1,300). It was a little bit janky, and Royole isn’t a big name, so it seems reasonable to presume that Samsung’s foldable phone could cost even more.
What Carriers Will the Samsung Foldable Phone be Available On?
Not only could it be incredibly expensive, but it could be a hassle to get anywhere other than the U.K.
A recent Gizmodo report states that the Galaxy F might only be available on the British mobile network, EE. That means that everyone else would need to purchase an unlocked version of the device and slide in their own SIM card.
There’s hasn’t been word about carrier deals in the United States at the time of writing.
What Will the Samsung Foldable Phone Be Called?
Yonhap referred to the foldable phone by its “Galaxy F” moniker, a name that was given to the device by the countless rumor cycle stories. The “Galaxy X” nickname has also emerged during coverage.
It’s unclear if the news service was confirming that this is what the phone would be called or if they were just referring to it by its widely adopted nickname.
Samsung Galaxy F Design Specs
Blueprints of the device have begun making the rounds online and they look like Samsung has glued three displays together. The United States Patent and Trademark Office published blueprints the Galaxy F on November 15 revealing that it would fold up a lot like a brochure.
Instead of opening up like a booklet, the sketches display a device that can be opened twice. Once to reveal what appears to be the camera and a second time to turn it into a tablet.
Its cover display has been said to be 4.58-inches and its tablet display 7.3-inches. The bottom edge of the blueprints shows the outline of a USB Type C charging port and a headphone jack.
To give people a better, less confusing visual, the Dutch Blog LetsGoDigital translated these mockups into a few 3D renders. The results were stunning, and much sleeker than what Denison held up on stage.
Samsung Galaxy F: Will Its Screen Be Oled?
Denison explained that these new smartphone booklets needed to completely overhaul previous display designs.
Instead of a glass outer layer, the foldable phone will use an “advanced composite polymer that is both flexible and tough,” he said. This will be complemented by a “foldable adhesive” that would allow the display to be folded “hundreds of thousands of times” without warping or cracking.
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