Samsung unfolds the new foldables
Samsung last week unwrapped its latest Galaxy foldables, the new Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4. The phones are almost indistinguishable from their predecessors (the Fold 3 and Flip 3) from a design perspective, though Samsung has made notable improvements in weight, battery size, bezels, durability, and software. The company claims that the main 7.6-inch flexible display on the new Fold 4 is brighter and 45% more durable than the display of the predecessor Fold 3 model. The new Galaxy Z Flip 4, on the other hand, boasts a larger 3700 mAh battery and faster charging. Software is another evident area of improvement with an upgraded Flex Mode interface offering alternative use modes in split-screen views of supported apps as well as a PC-like task bar placed at the bottom of the screen of the Z Fold 4. The new Z Fold 4 comes in three storage capacity variants (256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB) starting at $1800. The clamshell Z Flip 4 will carry a $1000 price tag. Both phones can be pre-ordered as of August 10 with deliveries beginning August 26. Customers pre-ordering the new foldables will receive a free carry case as well as free storage upgrade.
The NPD Take:
- Samsung’s decision to maintain the prices of the new Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 during an inflationary environment, coupled by the attractive upgrade/trade-in offers, should help the new foldables sell in volume. AT&T is currently offering customers a credit of $1000 (to be used towards the Z Fold 4) with the trade-in off any Galaxy phone in working condition. Samsung.com has a similar $1000 trade-in discount, which is only applicable to the trade-ins of the Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G and the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Z Fold 3 models.
- The improvement of the display’s durability and Samsung’s effective marketing by quantifying the improvement (“45% more durable”) are important highlights as the display’s resilience is an important decision-making factor when purchasing a foldable smartphone. According to the NPD Connected Intelligence Mobility survey, 28% of smartphone owners who showed no interest in purchasing a foldable smartphone claimed that they were concerned about the display’s durability.
The week of the foldables
Samsung was not the only smartphone maker to showcase its latest generation of foldables last week; both Motorola and Xiaomi released their latest foldable models. Motorola took the stage (again!) after postponing the unveiling of its new razr foldable phone only an hour before the scheduled debut last week for unknown reasons. The third-generation moto razr (2022) has little change design, though the flip-like foldable gets all the necessary upgrades under the hood such as Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, improved imaging specs and a more durable flexible display, which contains steel mash as one of the display layers. The new razr (2022) will initially be launching in China and Motorola did not provide any details on future global expansion for distribution. Similarly, Xiaomi’s new Mix Fold 2, which has a similar but slightly thinner design as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, will only be available for the Chinese market. Xiaomi introduced the new foldable only a day after the Samsung’s debut of its latest generation of foldables and put a much more attractive price tag (a little under $1400).
The NPD Take:
- While Motorola and Xiaomi’s new foldables will have zero impact on Samsung’s foldable business potential outside the Chinese market, it is refreshing to see alternatives emerging at more attractive price points because Samsung’s high price point (especially on the Fold 4) continues to be the primary limitation in transforming the foldables into mainstream products.