Samsung remains the world's largest smartphone maker with nearly a fifth of global unit sales but underperformed a slumping market last year. Chinese rival Huawei Technologies Co Ltd – whose Mate series of phones also command premium prices – gained market share.
Other Chinese makers like Xiaomi Corp have also been increasing prices, leaving Samsung to defend its turf against upstart rivals in addition to its longtime foe Apple.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Wednesday unveiled a nearly $2,000 folding smartphone in a bid to top the technology of Apple Inc and Chinese rivals and reignite consumer interest amid slumping sales.
The Galaxy Fold will go on sale on April 26 and take advantage of new and faster 5G mobile networks. The device looks similar to a conventional smartphone but then opens like a book to reveal a display the size of a small tablet at 7.3 inches (18.5 cm).
The Galaxy Fold will be offered in four color options: black, green, silver and blue. The device packs six cameras – three on the back, two on the inside and one on the front, as well as 512 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM. The nearly $2,000 price is for the 4G LTE model, though Samsung says a 5G version will also be available.
AT&T and T-Mobile will sell the foldable in the U.S.
A fingerprint sensor is on the side of the phone for unlocking the device, similar to the new Galaxy S10e which places its fingerprint sensor on its side power button. Two batteries, split across each side of the phone, powers the foldable.
When plugged into a charger the device can take advantage of Samsung's new "Wireless PowerShares" feature to wirelessly charge other devices, such as the company's new Galaxy Buds earbuds, directly from the Fold while it simultaneously recharges itself.
With the foldable phone, Samsung is going on the offense on two fronts in the smartphone race: It is offering an eye-catching new feature with the big, bending screen and the first 5G connection in a premium phone, feature analysts do not expect Apple to match until 2020.
Samsung is also making improvements to its flagship Galaxy S devices and plans to offer a 4G version of its folding phone.
All of the Galaxy series of rigid phones except the 5G will be available from March 8, with the S10+ priced from $1,000, the S10 priced from $900 and the smaller S10e from $750.
Samsung demonstrated a variety of apps running in this mode, and the switching from phone to tablet and vice versa. It looks rather smooth in the software right now, but it's fair to say that the Galaxy Fold looks far better when it's folded out than being used as a traditional phone.
