Samsung Promotes Open Collaboration in New Foldable Smartphones

Samsung championed openness, innovation and partnerships on its Wednesday virtual Unpacked 2021 event introducing the latest generation of foldable Galaxy smartphones, smartwatches and earbuds.

The company began taking preorders on Wednesday for the products due to ship over the next few weeks. It used pre-event screen time on its YouTube channel and Samsung.com to advertise e-commerce deals, including a free JBL Quantum One headset with the Odyssey Neo G9 49-inch curved gaming monitor, currently on preorder.

Viewers who hit the “reserve now” button were offered a chance “to be among the first to learn about the newest Galaxy” on Tuesday and get access to Samsung.com to “exclusive offers” in exchange for name and email address. Offers included what Samsung said were the highest online trade-in values, plus an extra $100 trade-in and 12 months free of protection under Samsung Care+. The 12-month Samsung Care+ perk includes a one-time replacement screen.

Samsung Mobile Communications President TM Roh referenced a “new era of openness” with “open collaboration” that’s free from the constraints of an ecosystem, in a dig at rival Apple. The new devices integrate Microsoft and Google apps. Samsung is working with third-party apps including Spotify, YouTube and TikTok to create “diverse” and optimized experiences for the foldables, said Conor Pierce, corporate vice president-U.K. and Ireland.

Presenters focused on durability in the latest foldables, which include a standard smartphone that opens to 7.6 inches and a flip phone, with a 1.9-inch cover AMOLED screen, that opens into a 6.7-inch display. Flex mode allows the phones to be used at different angles, automatically reorienting the apps to fit the screen. Both the Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 are IPX8-rated for water resistance and are encased in strong, lightweight aluminum. Screens are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus to protect against scratches and drops, said the company.

Creating a water-resistant foldable phone was a challenge due to the three-part design with two bodies and a hinge, said a company video. The display and bodies can be protected using the same methods as a standard smartphone, but the hinge required special engineering because water can seep in every time the phone is opened or closed, it said. The Fold3’s hinges use corrosion-resistant material “finished with long-lasting grease” to protect the hinge from rusting. To protect the main circuit board from “shorting-out,” Samsung used rubber and cured-in-place gaskets to seal the gap between connecting ends of the flexible printed circuit board and shield sensitive parts from moisture, it said.

The phones' screens have a stretchable polyester film and display panel layers optimized for the foldable design, resulting in a main screen that’s 80% more durable than previous devices, said Samsung. Testing and certification organization Bureau Veritas verified the phones can withstand folding 200,000 times, Samsung said.

New in this generation is the Z Fold3’s Multi-Active Window, which enables users to create shortcuts and switch between apps without returning to the home screen. Additional features are Wi-Fi 6E support, Dolby Atmos and stereo speakers, a 6.2-inch cover screen and four cameras.

The company also engineered an S Pen for the Z Fold3 phones, its first designed for a foldable display. A retractable tip has force limit technology to protect the main screen, said the company, saying the latest S Pen has lower latency for more “true-to-life” notation.

Samsung's Smart Switch feature allows existing Samsung users and switchers to bring over data from their favorite apps. “If you’re upgrading to a foldable, Smart Switch makes it easy to keep the apps and memories you’re used to,” said a company video. For the first time on an Android smartphone, users can securely transfer their WhatsApp experience, it said, “including conversations and photos from your old iPhone.”

The Z Flip3 has a quick photo feature, allowing users to take a photo or video by double-clicking the power key, without having to open the phone. The flip phone comes in cream, green, lavender and black through general distribution. Pink, gray and white phones are exclusive to Samsung.com.

The foldable form factor carries a steep premium. The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G starts at a $1,799 list price; the Flip3 starts at $999, but the Samsung website showed starting prices of $1,199 and $699 for preorders Wednesday. Availability is slated for Aug. 27. Second-generation noise-canceling Galaxy Buds2, also announced Wednesday, are $149.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch4 ($249) and Watch4 Classic ($349) are the first smartwatches with Wear OS Powered by Samsung, an operating system co-developed with Google. Samsung touted health features of the watch, including a "bioactive" sensor combining optical and electrical heart rate sensing and bioelectrical impedance analysis, enabling users to monitor blood pressure, detect an irregular heartbeat, measure blood oxygen level and calculate body composition.