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Samsung Announces the Galaxy Fold, a Phone That Opens Into a Tablet (venturebeat.com)
At an event today, Samsung unveiled its foldable smartphone. It's called the Galaxy Fold, and it sports dual screens: one that folds in half like a notebook, and another that works just like any other. From a report: The roughly 200-gram Galaxy Fold flips open in portrait orientation, and the inside is coated with a film that gives it a photopaper-like appearance. It's got a protective polymer consisting of a cover window, a shock-absorbent film, and a polarizer that's 45 percent slimmer than the company's previous thinnest, along with a flexible layer and backplane. Samsung says the tech -- dubbed Infinity Flex Display -- took seven years to develop. Thanks to a highly durable adhesive, the Fold's 7.3-inch primary screen and "sophisticated" hinge system with interlocking gears can undergo "hundreds of thousands" of flexes without sustaining damage, Samsung says. The 4.6-inch secondary screen doesn't bend, and that's by design -- it puts apps at your fingertips when the Fold's folded in half. [...] It's available in both an LTE and 5G version, starting at an eye-popping $1,980. April 26 is the launch date.
I don't care how razor-thin the hinge is, that's two screens there, mate. + the other one.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
It's like someone said "Please list everything you would never want in a phone" and then priced it at "Please tell me what you would never pay for it".
The world does not need you.
Think of it as a foldable tablet that will replace your phone instead of a phone that becomes a tablet. I can see use in that. I never use my tablet because there are things a PC does better, and other things a phone is adequate for, and the phone is always charged and handy.
If my tablet folded and I could carry it around in my pocket instead of my phone... that's a good thing.
Not worth $2000 or even half that much to me- but it's still a good development. Give it a few years, apple will come out with one and be praised in the media for innovating and developing a new tech category and for keeping the price reasonable at $3000.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Exactly what I'm waiting for. That's a real tablet. Until it's a decent size when unfolded, it's just another gimmick. Sadly, it seems they've missed their real market on this: nobody that will shell out $2k is looking for a small 4.6" phone. Big when folded, giant when unfolded is what will sell. They blew it.
Hopefully this is just an effort for them to stay on top as far as innovative phones. I just hope they don't scrap the idea if it doesn't sell well. Get it out there, get some QA help from the few early adopters, and then the Samsung Fold 3+ is an amazing phone. [crosses fingers]
-- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke