I’m disappointed in Samsung
Since the launch of the Galaxy Fold all the way back in 2019, I’ve known that folding phones are the future of the cellular telephone. But the OG Fold had problems, and because of that, myself (and the rest of the population) realized that there would have to be a lot of innovation in this space for the concept to make it to mass market. Fast forward nearly 3 years since the original Fold — and all of the iterations that came after it — Samsung just announced version 4 of their 2 folding phone lines: the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4. I know that I can’t make a useful recap of the (very weird and bad) event thanks to Samsung’s early review units, but this isn’t a lazy recap. I’m… disappointed; every single year, folding phones have taken these massive leaps in durability, design, and performance, as any technology in its infancy would (see Apple M1). But now that we’ve made it to iteration 4 of Samsung’s early entry to the space, it’s slowed down hard. This feels like any other boring smartphone launch, when in reality, we, tech enthusiasts, have just gotten used to the fast-paced nature of folding phone upgrades.
Take the Flip 4, for example. It has marginally better cameras, a weird new software feature they call ‘Flex Mode’ which doesn’t have anything to do with the hardware, a slightly faster, more power efficient chip, and… that’s it. That’s boring! But that’s also why this device is a success. Once (or if) a company can nail down their manufacturing processes and marketing and establish their device in the market, they won’t really be interested in doing something revolutionary ever again (see: iPhone). This launch is a sign that Samsung has officially nailed down every aspect of these phones down to a science. These extremely-hard-to-produce advanced devices are mainstream now — they’re mass market. That’s good; that’s the point, the end goal. This is a win for product development, marketing, and business in general. But you know who this isn’t good for? Consumers and the industry in general.
The problem is, folding phones are only about 75% there. There’s an ongoing discussion about how foldable phones can be used in different situations, how to make them price competitive compared to other classes of flagship phones, and how to design them to be more durable, or as durable as candy bar phones. Samsung has failed on all 3 major pain-points this year on both models. The market is not ready for iteration in 2022. We need action, price competitiveness, and a clear, defined reason to buy a folding phone over a normal phone for folding phones to actually take over the market as expected. The idea, in concept, is, well, the future of phones. The execution is meh, just barely good enough. What reasons does a average Joe have to buy the $999 Flip over the S22? The Flip has a worse camera, scratches easily*, worse screen, and has worse battery life. What does it do right? It folds — it’s smaller in the pocket, you can multitask… and that’s about it. And the previous Flip could do all of that too, and if Joe really wanted a folding phone, he could just go out and buy a refurb Flip 3 for cheaper. Are you getting it? These aren’t 3 separate problems, they’re one problem — and we’re calling it iPho- and that’s that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is a) not ready for iteration, and b) not good enough in a price to performance bracket.
The Fold suffers the same treatment — as pointed out by MKBHD’s hands-on, the Fold has the exact same upgrades that the Z Flip got. That is to say, marginally better cameras, slightly new design with slightly smaller bezels, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (by the way, slight tangent: I know I give Apple crap for their terrible marketing department, but really, Qualcomm? If the 7 Gen 1 is worse than the 8 Gen 1 and the 8+ Gen 1 is better than the 8 Gen 1, then just call the 8+ Gen 1 the 9 Gen 1, anyway — ), weird Flex Mode software feature that’s hardware locked for some reason (???), and exclusive to the Fold — the under-display camera from the Flip last year that makes your face look like an undercooked Hot Pocket. I honestly don’t see any reason to upgrade from last year’s Fold — again, iteration. Iteration is a good thing for business and it’s a bad thing for consumers, especially when the technology behind a device like this is so underbaked. The new Fold costs $1799, the same price as the previous one. Samsung’s own S22 Ultra that doesn’t Fold but has a better camera and battery? $1200. $600 more for a display that folds? I don’t really think so! I’m not a folding phone owner as I’m trapped into Apple’s ecosystem, but if I was, I wouldn’t buy the Fold over the Flip in pretty much any scenario. The Flip, even though it lacks a bunch of features, is the same price as it’s main competition, which makes it more approachable for the vast majority of people — I’d argue that many will pick the Flip over the S22 if they sat on the same shelf purely for the coolness factor.
I’m not one to complain without providing solutions, which begs the question: what could any tech company, or particularly Samsung, do to propel folding phones’ sales and make space in the crowded market? Well, first, it’s important not to undermine the fact that folding devices are the future. 84% of people own smartphones in the United States. Only 78% of Americans own computers. That’s a difference — a large one. Folding phones can and will lessen in price and become an end-all be-all computing device for the vast majority of people. Picture this: a $999 Galaxy X Fold that’s essentially the Z Fold but can be folded out into a mini laptop with Taptic feedback for the on-screen keyboard, be folded out into a full-blown tablet, then can be closed to make a traditional phone but can be plugged in into a display setup to make a full-blown desktop? It’s one device for everything, it’s cheap, and it’s powerful. That’s the future of mobile computing, in my opinion — and it’s not impossible. Let’s get back to the 3 glaring issues I pointed out earlier: a) folding phones need a price reduction, b) folding phones need to be up to snuff with all of the features of their candy bar competitors (including durability), and c) they need an obvious use in society. The price reduction task is simple — simply the manufacturing process and reuse parts from previous generations to make the device cheaper. The Flip should cost $849 tops and the Fold should cost $1499 tops. Anything more than that, and they’re essentially worthless. Those who just want the best phone for their dollar will go out and buy an S22, and those who want the best phone regardless will buy an S22 Ultra. The prices need to go down. It is 2022 — folding phones aren’t what they were. B: the next generation Z Series must have an identical camera system and battery to the mainstream counterparts. I realize it’s more difficult to pack all of the flagship components PLUS the foldy bits into one super small phone, but you know what, it’s possible. Every year, Samsung has slowly been putting in larger, better sensors into these folding “pieces of magic.” I don’t see how it’s that impossible to put an amazing sensor into this giant slab. As for the Flip, it needs a telephoto lens. I don’t understand how a $999 phone is missing a telephoto lens. Regardless, Samsung can and should use their engineers to put all of the flagship stuff into a flagship priced phone — and if they can’t do it, they better drop the prices significantly. Folding should not be an excuse to mark up the price of the phone. They have to nail that process down to a science and focus on making the phones flagship worthy. C: Android 12L needs work. Right now, the main reason you would ever consider buying a folding phone is for multi-tasking, or what Samsung calls “Flex Mode.” Splitting apps should not be the end of Samsung’s efforts here. The S Pen should be built into the phone — and with that, the Fold should transform into a full-blown notepad on the go. It should have a laptop mode to type with. It needs more functionality and practicality. Right now, it’s really only good for watching YouTube videos larger. Other than that, I don’t see any benefits to using the inner screen over the outer screen. And don’t get me started on the Flip — as NothingButTech pointed out last year, the Flip doesn’t have any utility other than being small. Sure, I love the compact form factor and personally think it’s the superior of the 2 foldy phones (though, to be honest, that’s a testament to how bad the Fold is rather than how bad the Flip is). But that’s not enough — it needs more than turning into a camcorder for Gen Z to have fun with. It needs to turn into a 3DS with the bottom being controls and the top being the game itself. It could turn into an E-Reader in a pinch. The software needs to be worked on; there needs to be utility for folding phones. And until that changes, customers will not buy them.
If you want my recommendations, honestly, don’t. Go watch MKBHD, The Verge, or Dave2D’s excellent videos about the new devices. They go way beyond analysis and actually go hands-on with the phones, which is crucial to making a buying decision. I couldn’t make any decisions about the phones without having them in my hand — that would be reckless. But, I’d make 2 guidelines: if you have a Gen 3 Z Series phone, I would not upgrade. These are far too iterative to be useful. I’d recommend waiting until the Gen 5 if you really want to upgrade. 2), if you are see-sawing between the Flip and Fold, I’d go for the Flip. From everything I’ve seen, the Flip is and will always be the real winner. It’s cheaper, has the same chip, is smaller and more compact, and is overall just a better phone. It unfolds into a real phone, but lets you enjoy the benefits of owning a folding phone. Either way, I’m too tired to think this through anymore — the time is 3:00 AM, and I’m still confused why Samsung neglected their folding lineup this year. I’m not by any means a folding phone hater, by the way; I see the utility in folding phones. I think they’re the future. They will sell well. They’re worth it. I just think they need work, and a lot of it. That’s all for me folks, if you enjoyed this analysis, please let me know! I work hard on these and some appreciation would make my day. If you didn’t, share it with your enemy. They’ll hate it, I’m sure. Thanks for reading, stay safe out there, and wear those masks.
Disclaimer: This is not a review. I do not have my hands on these devices. This is pure speculation, analysis, and is not meant to be used as advice in any way. Samsung did not pay me for this, they have no editorial impact on my work, and they’re seeing this at the same time you are. This commentary was made on August 12th, 2022 after the 2022 Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event, and facts are from Samsung itself as well as videos from MKBHD, Dave2D, NothingButTech, and MrMobile, and Unbox Therapy. Props to them for their work.
Cover Image provided by Samsung.
*1: Not really. Snazzy Labs slammed the phone into his steering wheel and it worked fine. It’s hilarious.
