The Galaxy Z Flip was a bet for Samsung, it became a success! Return to this folding saga

For the giant Samsung, the time has come to take an initial assessment of the insertion of its Galaxy Z Flip into the mobile telephony landscape.

During the summer period, Samsung unveiled its new folding smartphones: the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Flip5. You are probably aware that two types of smartphones with folding screens currently make up the Korean manufacturer’s catalog. If the main feature of the Galaxy Z Fold is that it folds from right to left, like a book, the Galaxy Z Flip folds from top to bottom. And today, it is this range that will interest us…

A look back at the evolution of a series of smartphones full of promise, whose initial ambition was to reinvent consumer uses. So, a successful bet for Samsung?

Samsung’s first steps in the folding world

Just a few years ago, it was impossible for us to bank on the success of folding smartphones. However, in 2019, Samsung is already convinced: devices with folding screens have vast potential and can offer new perspectives in terms of interactions. The Korean firm then decided to market its first folding device, the Galaxy Z Fold, before returning the following year with the very first iteration of its Galaxy Z Flip.

In 2020, Samsung is taking the bull by the horns and adopting a new design announced as “revolutionary”: a smartphone capable of folding in half and bringing new uses when half open. If its design is reminiscent of that of our good old flip phones, the Galaxy Z Flip stands out, beyond its form factorwith cutting-edge technology and advanced features.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip: specifications and Flex mode

Featuring an ultra-thin 6.7-inch folding glass screen (with a 21:9:9 aspect ratio) and a free-position hinge, the first Z Flip quickly managed to spin a few heads. Allowing users to open and close their smartphone from any angle has greatly expanded the possibilities, both in terms of photography and navigation.

Introduced in the first generation of Galaxy Z Flip, Flex mode is one of the small revolutions offered by Samsung over the last five years. For information, this allows the interface to be optimized when the device is folded. For example, when users want to use the camera, the upper part of the screen displays a viewfinder preview. The lower part of the screen allows you to adjust the parameters that users want to apply to their photos.

Introduction of the external screen and photo optimization

In 2021, Samsung is skipping the second generation model and directly marketing the Galaxy Z Flip3. If this decision may, at first, seem surprising, it was born from Samsung’s desire not to fall behind the Z Fold range, launched a year earlier.

The Galaxy Z Flip3 offers enhanced performance while improving the design of its predecessor with the notable integration of an interactive external screen. In addition to being customizable as desired and being able to display the date and time, it can display your messages, your notifications, or even transform into a wallet for your payments using Samsung Pay.

When it was released, the Galaxy Z Flip3 also offered users better reliability. More robust, in addition to being water resistant, it had a main screen that significantly improved durability compared to the first generation model. Furthermore, the device placed particular emphasis on improving the photo experience with the addition of many very practical features, including automatic framing, double preview, and even quick shooting.

Galaxy Z Flip4 and Z Flip5: after the effort, the comfort?

Following the marketing of its Galaxy Z Fold3, Samsung has somewhat started to step on the brake pedal when it comes to hardware improvements to its folding smartphones. If the Korean firm obviously took advantage of the release of its Galaxy Z Flip4 to correct some faults specific to the previous model, which suffered in particular from a fairly low autonomy, it mainly contented itself with adding various software features linked to the photo.

Last August, the Korean giant launched its Galaxy Z Flip5 on the market. Without much surprise, and with the exception of an external screen 3.78 larger than that of its predecessor, as well as a fold, between the two screens, which has become almost imperceptible to the naked eye, the device is is once again presented in line with the manufacturer’s previous folding smartphones. Enough to open the door to more aggressive competition? Probably.

Folding smartphones: competition that wants its piece of the pie

If Samsung was the first player to inaugurate and believe in the potential of the folding smartphone market, its main competitors did not wait long before joining the party. Very quickly, many players followed in the footsteps of the Korean, thus giving birth to a flourishing market. Currently, brands such as Huawei, Motorola, OPPO and Xiaomi also offer serious alternatives to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip/Fold.

A few months ago, Google in turn entered the race for smartphones with folding screens by marketing its Pixel Fold. For its part, OnePlus has just formalized its entry into this field with the release of its OnePlus Open. Furthermore, for several years now, various indications have suggested that Apple could in turn launch its very first folding iPhone.

For now, Samsung can sleep soundly. The company still remains the undisputed and undeniable leader in this growing market. Moreover, if we are to believe the manufacturer’s statements during IFA 2023, the Galaxy Z Flip5 and Galaxy Z Fold5 have already exceeded total Galaxy Note sales in Europe. This range, discontinued in 2020, was gradually replaced by folding smartphones.

Faced with increasingly aggressive competitors, there is no doubt that the flexible smartphone market still has many good years ahead of it. However, if Samsung hopes to retain its throne, it will have to be more inventive for generations to come. And to achieve this, the brand will have to take more risks than in the last two years that have just passed…

Source : Samsung