TechPhonesAndroid PhonesWhy Samsung’s zealous focus on foldable phones is an epochal shift for AndroidA new report says Samsung is doubling down its focus on foldable phones, and I think that’s a great ideaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

TechPhonesAndroid PhonesWhy Samsung’s zealous focus on foldable phones is an epochal shift for AndroidA new report says Samsung is doubling down its focus on foldable phones, and I think that’s a great ideaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

A new report says Samsung is doubling down its focus on foldable phones, and I think that’s a great idea

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G foldable phone

(Image credit: Samsung)

I’ve been following the emergence and development ofSamsungfoldable phones since the originalSamsung Galaxy Foldfailed to launch back in 2019, culminating recentlyin me writingabout how impressed I was with theSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G, which I considered thebest foldable phoneyou can buy today in 2022.

So I read with interest new reportscoming out of South Koreathis week that Samsung has apparently decided to decrease focus on its non-folding Galaxy S and A phone line-ups going forward, and re-double its focus on its folding phones, which this year are rumored to include theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 4andGalaxy Z Flip 4.

And, to me, this has all the signs of a genuine epochal shift in theAndroid phonemarket. If this report is accurate, and The Korean Times source is usually well informed, then for first time in modern smartphone history we’re going to see Samsung directly look to combatAppleand other rivals in the premium phone segment with handsets that don’t share the same form factor.

Indeed, the report states that:

“Samsung Electronics will clash with Apple in the premium smartphone market in the second half of this year as the Galaxy maker is set to unveil new foldable phones ― the Z Fold 4 and the Z Flip 4 ― in August to challenge the newiPhone, according to industry officials and analysts.”

Now Samsung’s technical leaders each year and, arguably, overall flagship phones, will be foldables not non-folding phones. And this seems now even more possible considering the news that Samsung is looking to downgrade its focus on its Galaxy S and A ranges.

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Rumors of the flagship S-series phone’s party piece, its in-built S Pen digital stylus functionality (as inherited from Samsung’s old technical leader, the Galaxy Note series),coming tofuture Galaxy Fold foldables also adds weight to this shift. It soon looks like if you want the best smartphone experience Samsung has to offer, then you’re going to be buying one of its foldables.

And these foldable phones are going to be marketed in direct opposition to rival non-folding flagships from Apple and otherAndroidphone makers. That feels like abigshift in the industry to me – as now a key buying point is always going to be, to fold or not to fold?

Seriously, I’m looking at the rumored specs for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 5G and they’re absolutely elite-tier and more than a match for any single-screened phone on the market. And if that’s the case, and italsodelivers a party piece which they don’t, the ability to fold in half for extremely great portability and style, why wouldn’t I opt for one over a non-foldable?

That’s the bet Samsung seems to be making right now, that going forward foldable phones are going to be the increasingly bought premium phone of choice. And, if that is the case, Android phone makers and even Apple may very well soon have to play serious catch-up, as Samsung is in my mind orders of magnitude in advance of anyone else when it comes round to folding phone tech.

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