Quantcast
Jump to content


Samsung boss teases Galaxy Fold and Flip innovations rivals already offer


BGR

Recommended Posts

A person using the Galaxy Fold 4's cover screen and wearing a Galaxy Watch 5 device.

Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 foldables next week during an event that’s scheduled to take place earlier than usual. A week before the Galaxy Z Fold 5 event, Samsung boss TM Roh teases upcoming innovations for the two foldables that sound impressive. Too bad Samsung is coming in second in a race it invented. It feels like Samsung is just reacting to the market rather than leading it.

There’s more competition in the space than in previous years, with Google having just launched its first-gen Pixel Fold handset. Separately, Android vendors from China are selling foldables in international markets. And Honor has just unveiled an incredible Magic V2 device that’s about as thick as the iPhone 14 Pro when folded.

TM Roh penned a blog post where he teased some of the innovations Samsung will bring to the foldable market with the 2023 models. The new handsets will be thinner and lighter than before, Roh said:

Take, for instance, the act of folding and unfolding a smartphone. It seems simple. However, that simplicity users feel is only achieved through a rigorous focus on what is most essential and intuitive. The minimal, sleek appearance housing specialized hinge functionality emphasizes our commitment and the inherent beauty of essential design.

We’ve raised the standards for foldable smartphone ergonomics. A difference of a millimeter in a device’s thickness may not sound like a big change, but every gram and millimeter in a foldable device requires an engineering breakthrough. It demands craftsmanship with passion. When done well, the benefit to users is huge. That’s why we’ve innovated to make our latest foldables slimmer and lighter than our previous generations.

“Essential” design, by the way, “prioritizes clarity of purpose and ease of daily use.”

Google Pixel Fold MainImage source: Christian de Looper for BGR

We wouldn’t have a foldable market without Samsung pushing the limits of technology. There’s no question about it. The failed launch of the original Galaxy Fold is a testament to that. The tech and design were almost ready, but not quite. Samsung had to fix several glaring design and durability issues and postponed the launch. Samsung never gave up on that first-gen device.

Since then, Samsung has iterated on the previous Galaxy Z Fold model, delivering improvements with each generation.

But Samsung never dared to be the first to offer buyers a better aspect ratio for the external display that makes the handset more usable. It also stuck with the bulky Fold design and its hinge gap. And it made minimal progress with the Flip’s external display size rather than utilizing the available space.

Foldables from Oppo, Honor, and Google offered these innovations before Samsung could. These companies took the risks that Samsung was too afraid or lazy to pursue in previous years.

Or it might just be that Roh prioritized cost efficiencies over any sort of “essential” designs while it could. After all, Samsung had nothing to worry about until this year. There were no real alternatives to Fold and Flip phones outside of China.

Then again, following competitors while pretending you’re leading is what Samsung has been doing in the mobile space since the first iPhone arrived. To this day, Samsung is happier following Apple’s lead than setting standards with its Galaxy devices. If only Apple made foldable iPhones…

The post Samsung boss teases Galaxy Fold and Flip innovations rivals already offer appeared first on BGR.

View the full article

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 0
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Similar Topics

    • By BGR
      The Galaxy S22 has been a big success for Samsung so far, but the new flagship series isn’t without problems or controversies. The latest issue concerns the Galaxy S22 Ultra, as Samsung’s new Note model seems unable to hold a GPS connection.
      That’s the kind of problem that would impact any app that relies on location data. You’ll need GPS for Google Maps and other navigation apps. And you’ll also be using it whenever you want to share your location with someone else.
      Don't Miss: Wednesday’s deals: $50 Echo Buds, secret Fire TV deal, Oral-B sale, Samsung monitors, more The current controversies
      Before we get to the GPS issues, let’s look at the Galaxy S22’s other problems.
      I’ve recently highlighted four reasons not to buy the Galaxy S22, even when better price deals arrive. One of those concerns the Galaxy S22’s ability to survive drops, but it’s immediately fixable. The Galaxy S22 Ultra seems especially fragile in such accidents. You can reduce the risk by getting protective accessories from the first day.
      We then have Samsung misleading buyers regarding the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus display efficiency. Similarly, the 45W fast charging support available on the Plus and the Galaxy S22 Ultra seems to be a marketing gimmick.
      The most important issue concerns the phone’s performance. The throttling issue that was widely covered in the past few weeks might be hiding a more significant problem with Samsung’s flagships. It might be a chip a cooling issue. Samsung said in an explanation to shareholders that it hasn’t been cutting costs, however.
      That’s to say that the Galaxy S22 series is already drawing attention for the kind of faults you wouldn’t expect from a flagship. The GPS signal loss problem falls in the same category.
      Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in white, with stylus. Image source: Samsung The Galaxy S22 Ultra GPS problems
      Addressing camera quality issues, leaker Ice Universe also observed on Twitter that the Galaxy S22 is the best-selling Samsung flagship in years. But also the one suffering from the most problems. The leaker previously criticized Samsung for the throttling issue.
      The GPS connectivity complaints come from elsewhere, however. Android World detailed the problem, explaining that Galaxy S22 Ultra users would encounter GPS issues from the first boot. The problem can persist even after updates, and the GPS won’t work.
      A post on a Samsung Community forum in Europe has some 202 replies showing that some Galaxy S22 Ultra buyers have experienced the GPS problem. But the issue doesn’t appear to be widespread at the moment.
      There’s no fix for it either. The blog notes that resetting the APN settings might work. You can also consider resetting network settings. Whatever it is, it might be a problem with the phone rather than apps that need location data to work.
      If you’ve experienced any Galaxy S22 Ultra GPS issues, you can consider reaching out to Samsung for help.
      The post Some Galaxy S22 Ultra units might have a GPS connectivity issue appeared first on BGR.
      View the full article





×
×
  • Create New...