Galaxy Note 10 to be launched in August
Samsung Electronics has announced that it’s planning to release a wide range of foldable smartphones in the near future.
“We expect to release various different types of foldable phones,” said Lee Jong-min, a senior vice president of Samsung Electronics’ mobile business. “In addition to the tablet-type first-generation Galaxy Fold, there’s going to be other types available soon.”
The executive, who identified himself as a "beta tester" for the Galaxy Fold, said in many ways, the Galaxy Fold will offer a completely different user experience from existing smartphones. "I’m using the Galaxy Fold in order to check e-mails and watch videos, and it’s beyond useful," he said.
Lee also expressed confidence in the “in-folding” screen, saying that the phones are working beautifully.
The remarks come as Samsung is working to promote its mobile business strategy this year by reinforcing its smartphone lineup, commercializing 5G and foldable smartphones, and pioneering new businesses.
Touching on upcoming trends, the Samsung executive predicted that 5G networks and foldable smartphones will present breakthroughs in the industry. "5G will trigger the demand to replace people’s phones, and will serve as a driving force for the smartphone market,” Lee said.
The number of users for the Galaxy S10 5G that was released in April have already surpassed 1 million. "The 5G smartphone got off to a good start," he said, predicting the 5G phone market to grow rapidly to 835 million units in 2025.
In 2022, while the average sales price of regular smartphones such as 4G LTE will remain at $252, 5G smartphones are expected to be priced at around $534. The higher retail prices are likely to push up the bottom lines.
Meanwhile, the Samsung exec also officially announced the August launch of the Galaxy Note 10. “The S-pen in the upcoming Galaxy Note 10 scheduled to be launched in August will show a much improved performance,” said Lee.
In the budget phone market, Samsung’s strategy will be swiftly address market trends and improve profitability. “Our decision to apply innovative functions to low-end products first proved to be right,” he said. "We will continue to release products based on the market response.”
The Galaxy A9 that was released last year was the first Galaxy series to have a quad-camera on the back, while the Galaxy A8s had a punch-hole display. The Galaxy M series, launched to target the Indian online market, was successfully sold by local e-commerce platforms FlipCart and Amazon.
Lee also highlighted Samsung’s determination to spearhead new mobile experiences. "It was the mobile environment that made it possible for ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft to take off in the US, and Samsung sees huge opportunities in the 5G era.”
He added that Samsung will be providing end-to-end 5G in chips and devices, connections, cores and software tools.
