Samsung says people prefer flip phone-style foldable smartphones – sure naira

More and more smartphones from Samsung do not shake, but wobble. They fold. At least, that’s the claim shared by Dr. TM Roh, who serves as president and head of the company’s Mobile Experience Business. In a heartfelt blog post about smartphones and their folding, the executive states that the technology’s somewhat lackluster past is behind us and that folding is the future. He also shares some interesting stats about customer preferences in this space. Spoiler alert: 70% of buyers strongly prefer foldable flip phones.

Foldable smartphone technology finds a middle ground between the massive screens customers want and the limitations they have in their pocket, Samsung claims. This glorious spinning GIF is the Galaxy Flip 5G, which launched a few years ago. Image Credits: Samsung (Opens in a new window)

Folding screens make a lot of sense for a number of reasons; the large glass surfaces we desire have to go somewhere, and as someone who has carried XL smartphones with them for a while, I can confirm one thing: there are only so many large phones that can get them before they no longer fit in pockets. The next frontier could very well fold, and Samsung is eager to show that the company wants to lead the way.

“Last year we saw nearly 10 million foldable smartphones shipped worldwide. That’s an increase of more than 300% in the industry from 2020, and I predict this rapid growth will continue,” writes Roh, sharing some interesting numbers on overall rollout and user adoption patterns.

Last year, 70% of users who chose Samsung Galaxy’s foldable options chose the Flip – the phone that folds in half along its shortest axis, much like the Razr flip phones of the past. About 30% opted for the Fold, where the mechanism helps you origam the phone in half lengthwise, creating a phone in the shape of a candy bar. Samsung describes its Fold as the “ultimate productivity device that” [empowers users] to do more through hyper-connected, individual computers.”

Some innovations take a while to take hold in the smartphone market, but the Samsung team is optimistic about phones getting smaller in the blink of an eye and seems a little surprised by how quickly the market has embraced the new technology.

“Three years ago, Galaxy foldables could be summed up in one word: radical. However, it soon became clear that this groundbreaking, flexible design fits perfectly into the modern lifestyle.” argues Roh. “As a result, what was a novelty three years ago is now preferred by millions of people.”

The company plans to unveil its next-generation foldable devices next month.