Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip smartphones might be pushing the boundaries of smartphone design, but the company isn’t done yet.
Speaking to Korean reporters following the firm’s unpacked event on Tuesday, the company’s new president said Samsung is already capable of building phones with two or more folding hinges.
However, that doesn’t mean we should expect any origami-style handsets in the near future. Samsung said it doesn’t hasn’t discovered a valuable use case for multiple folds yet.
In an interview with the Korea Herald, Roh Tae-moon, who also runs the company’s mobile division, didn’t rule out variants in the future but said they’ll only arrive when they provide value to phone buyers.
He said: “Technologically, we are capable of designing phones that fold even more times, but what’s more important than the folding technology itself is the kind of value to be offered for consumers.
“It’s also important to have an ecosystem for sufficient content and services before releasing more foldable variants. We can release new foldable phones at an opportune time when there are enough services available on those phones and provide needed values for consumers.”
The Galaxy Z Flip’s launch was deemed a success yesterday with positive hands-on reviews from journalists who enjoyed some time with the device during the Unpacked event on February 11.
Related: Folding phones
Our own Max Parker was among those who got to grips with the new clamshell phone. He praised Samsung for quickly innovating following the Galaxy Fold, focusing on the unique design and not lumbering the device with Galaxy S20-style bleeding edge specs.
As for the possibility of devices with more than one fold? Well, Samsung should probably get one fold absolutely right before embarking on more.
Roh added: “I envision a future of foldable devices in which people will easily carry around large-size screens in accordance with their needs and the screens are folded (no matter how many times) in any sizes that they want.”
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
