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SEOUL -- A buzz of surprise and excitement ran through South Korea's tech-related online communities after Samsung Electronics unveiled its first foldable smartphone, Galaxy Fold. Many agreed it would become a game changer in the stagnant development of new technologies in the global smartphone market.

The new phone wowed many tech-savvy users who were dead-tired for staying up all night to watch the live stream video of Samsung's new devices through an unpacking event in San Francisco, California.

"I've thought Samsung was an Apple wannabe, but Galaxy Fold is really a big thing and revolutionary," wrote TTeugong, a user from South Korea's leading online IT community Clien. Another user nicknamed BlackStar said: "I just gaped in awe when I saw the video introducing Galaxy Fold. It was something beyond my expectation."

Although Galaxy Fold did not grab the title of the world's first foldable smartphone, Samsung appeared to be content with its technological leap because its previous flagship smartphone received an unenthusiastic response from consumers.

"Today, Samsung is writing the next chapter in mobile innovation history by changing what’s possible in a smartphone," Samsung's IT and mobile communications division CEO Koh Dong-jin said proudly at the unpacking event.
"Galaxy Fold introduces a completely new category that unlocks new capabilities never seen before with our Infinity Flex Display."

The secret of Samsung's foldable smartphone lies in its active matrix organic light emitting diodes (AMOLED) display that is flexible, tough and foldable. Samsung has said the Infinity Flex display is about 50 percent thinner than typical ones. "We created Galaxy Fold for those that want to experience what a premium foldable device can do, beyond the limitations of a traditional smartphone," said Koh.

Galaxy Fold targets consumers who crave for premium smartphones with larger displays. There are small tablets with smartphone features such as making phone calls and transmitting text messages, but they are still bulky and do not fit into a pocket.

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Galaxy Fold houses a 4.6-inch exterior cover display and a 7.3-inch main display. The phone can be folded in half into the size that fits in a hand and becomes a tablet PC when it's folded out to its full size. Users can easily continue what they were doing by switching displays from the smaller one into the larger one.

"Some people doubt that there won't be many people who would use Galaxy Fold, but just think about the fact that people complained about the size of Galaxy Note 1 in 2011," wrote Jinryong, a Clien user, referring to Samsung's first 5.3-inch phone. "I think Galaxy Fold will create a new customer group for foldable phones."

The Note series is now Samsung's bestselling lineup. The cheapest version of Galaxy Fold will come with a price tag of $1,980. It will be released in the United States in April and in Europe in May.
Park Sae-jin Reporter swatchsjp@ajunews.com

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com

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