Though rumors have been circling for a while, Samsung has officially unveiled its new foldable phone. At Samsung’s San Fransisco keynote event on Feb. 19, the Galaxy Fold was a standout among the four versions of the Galaxy S10 and the new smartwatch.
If you thought the old Motorola flip phone would come back on the market, however, you’re sadly mistaken.
The allure lies in the large screen capability paired with the portability of the phone. When the phone is folded, the screen is smaller than the average size of your basic smartphone on the market at 4.7 inches. However, the phone can then unfold, unveiling two screens on the inside measuring a 7.3 inch display. This doubles the amount of screen size available.
But what’s the point of a foldable phone that costs almost $2,000?
At least, that was the primary question posited by popular news site, the Independent.
Although it sacrifices the slim design of the smartphones that we’re currently used to, Samsung is hoping that the larger screen size will compensate for the thicker fold. Consumers will no longer need to carry both a phone and a tablet with this two-in-one design.
It’s able to achieve this foldable quality thanks to flexible OLEDs. OLEDs are a type of display technology with a flexible panel design, a necessary component in the foldable aspect of Samsung’s new phone. It’s been reported that Samsung is producing around nine million flexible OLEDs each month.
Unfortunately, these flexible OLEDs are still a type of emerging technology. Just as you might need more than 11 physical prototypes for one completed printed circuit board, perfecting this new technology will take a lot of trial and error.
Despite the use of new tech, Samsung has received some pushback against the folded version of the phone. It’s still primarily a type of smartphone, but the screen size is undoubtedly smaller than the smartphones we use every day.
The most glaring fault? When closed, the phone features two large, black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, limiting the screen size even more.
All in all, you’re losing a full inch of screen size when the phone is closed.
Luckily, much can happen in the span of a couple of months. For instance, a baby’s teeth can start to appear in less than six months after they’ve been born. The Galaxy Fold isn’t scheduled to be released until April 29, giving Samsung plenty of time to make adjustments for consumers displeased by the initial reveal.
No matter the final design, the Independent still notes that you can buy both a new Galaxy S10 and a larger iPad and still have money left over.
For those who want to limit the number of electronics they carry on a daily basis, this still can be an incredibly beneficial investment. With only a debut trailer available, eager buyers will have to wait to see more product reviews for this innovative smartphone.
