Of course, it’s also an $1,800 one – ruining any chance it might have had of being a mainstream device
isclaimer: I really liked my time with the device, but not everyone had the same experience. Ars Technical, in particular, had a rough time with the product. The issue appears to be the very narrow gap between the displays when closed. I had the case on for most of my time with the product, which should help with that a bit. But it’s also never a bad idea to wait until there are a bunch of these out in the world before pulling the trigger. Especially when that trigger is $1,800. (TechCrunch)
The true mainstreaming of foldables remains an open question. There are still a number of key roadblocks on the way to broader adoption — mostly notably price. But the last few years have seen the form factor come into its own. People were — I think — rightfully skeptical in the earliest days. After all, Android phone makers love a good concept device, practicality be damned.
This year’s Mobile World Congress was quite edifying. Walking the halls of the Barcelona Fria really drove home how many companies are taking it seriously. It’s still ultra-premium and wildly expensive for many, but it’s also very real. Products are trickling out in the wild. The other day, someone stopped me to ask about the foldable I was using. For the first time, however, the person wasn’t baffled about the product. He proudly showed me his own Galaxy Fold.
Samsung was, of course, the tip of this specific spear. The first Fold was an ambitious product — perhaps a little overly so, with some high-profile fumbles out of the gate. But the product was exciting enough to attract general interest — especially in its native South Korea. Last year, the company’s mobile head, TM Roh, asserted that 10 million foldables were shipped in 2021 alone — Samsung almost certainly making up the lion’s share.