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Cellphones The Almighty Buck Hardware Technology

Samsung Is Reportedly Working On a More Affordable Galaxy Fold (bleepingcomputer.com) 41

Posted by BeauHD from the cheaper-is-better dept.
According to a report from a South Korean publication, Samsung is working on Galaxy Fold Lite for as cheap as $900. Samsung will reportedly cut costs by downgrading the camera capabilities and internal specifications. Bleeping Computer reports: The Galaxy Fold Lite will reportedly launch in 2021, but remember that this is just a rumor out of South Korea and it has to be taken with a grain of salt. It appears that the foldable device was planned to be announced during the August 5 event, but Samsung has reportedly postponed its launch to 2021. Galaxy Fold Lite is certainly possible and it was recently tipped off by XDA-Developers' Max Weinbach on Twitter. Another leaker revealed that the Galaxy Fold e could be named Galaxy Gold Lite and priced below $1100.
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Samsung Is Reportedly Working On a More Affordable Galaxy Fold More

Samsung Is Reportedly Working On a More Affordable Galaxy Fold

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  • Faster than light Space Fold engines for the masses!

  • Yes, that was the problem with it; the price (Score:4, Interesting)

    by grasshoppa ( 657393 ) on Monday June 29, 2020 @10:17PM (#60245280) Homepage

    It wasn't that the gimmick is shit, and fragile and not likely to last any significant amount of time.

    No, it was the price.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by AuMatar ( 183847 )

      At $2000, it was the price. Its an interesting enough gimmick that it might have sold if it was decent quality and price point. At 2K nobody was even going to try it.

      Which doesn't mean it won't fail at this price too. But I think it has a chance. The idea of a device not much thicker than my phone becoming a tablet when I want a bigger screen is appealing, if done right.

      • And when they make it with cheaper components, it will increase the durability and reliability?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        They claim they sold half a million of them. Small by flagship phone standards but surprisingly good for an expensive device with so many early issues.

        As well as the durability issue it looked cheap because the screen surface was plastic. Motorola claimed to have glass and it did look nicer. Gorilla Glass claims to have folding glass too now.

        • Gorilla Glass claims to have folding glass too now.

          folding... glass... [head explodes]

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

            It's basically ultra-thin glass, say 500um. That allows it to bend without shattering but Corning claim that it's still as scratch resistant as their other Gorilla Glass.

            Scratch resistant glass works by heating it to open up all the microscopic imperfects, then filling them and letting it cool again putting the whole surface under constant tension as it squeezes the filling. So when the glass is bent it must get weaker. Presumably they will require the phone to be designed to protect the bent part.

            https://y [youtu.be]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Tablizer ( 95088 )

      If they keep working on it and perfect both the technology and price range, they'll have a monopoly on foldies for a good while because of all the patents they are piling up.

      • That seems optimistic.

        Maybe I'm wrong, but "foldable" ranks up there with 3d TVs in my book. A gimmick that no one wants.

        • A gimmick that no one wants.

          I would buy one, but not for $2,000 and it needs to be way more reliable than what they've shown so far.

          But the general idea of a phone/tablet hybrid does appeal.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          If the phone had a 6" display when folded and it didn't cost too much I'd be interested. The concept is good, just not the execution.

        • Even though LCD/Plasma/OLED TVs are shorter in depth than their old CRT ancestors, all TVs are 3D. Always have, always have been.

      • That's only an advantage if you have patents on a product people want to have. Care to tell me why I'd want a smartphone that takes an origami class to use?

        • One side you use for navigation and the other for display. For example, YouTube could have one side to play the video (assuming fold is oriented horizontally), and the other to control the video and browse and select other videos. The UI can be less modal in terms of display versus navigation. And you wouldn't need control gizmos on top of the damned video to save space.

    • How are they actually doing, durability-wise? I haven't heard so much about them lately.

      To me a large screen and self-protecting clamshell design make a ton of sense, if they can make it reliable. They are by far the most innovative thing happening in cellphones going on right now so I'm glad they're pursuing it, even if my own budget for a cellphone every few years is more like $350.

    • "It wasn't that the gimmick is shit, and fragile and not likely to last any significant amount of time.

      No, it was the price."

      For that price I don't want a Galaxy Fold, I want a Ford Galaxy.

    • I can see a convertible phone/tablet a little more than a gimmick. It is actually useful technology. However its price at 2k is a bit too much justify the convince. Especially as you can get a premium phone and a premium tablet at the same costs.

      I would like a phone like that, I would find the feature of a phone mode to a tablet mode useful. However I am not getting one because it isn't justifiable.

  • That thing is too long. That's what she said. The aspect ratio of it in the leak photos, when folded, is too rectangular. Nobody wants to carry around a long ruler in their pocket. I'm already carrying one long thing in my pants I don't need two. Not unless my GF finally agrees to what I've been just kidding about.

    • Nobody wants to carry around a long ruler in their pocket.

      "Is that a long ruler in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

  • They just aren't that useful and tablets are far better at gaming, surfing and watching videos. The software on smartphone needs to improve so they have continue to have values that high, otherwise your just paying 1000 bucks every couple years for a camera phone with tiny video and novelty talking assistants. A 150 dollar phone can do 80-90% of everything the 1000 dollars phones do that's actually useful.. like giving the phone driving directions. Adding in all the camera and eye candy features is making
    • Yeah for $2 grand I can get a powerhouse PC or laptop that will easily last 5 years, even for gaming.

    • I'd be more impressed if they were working on a way to disable Chrome and Bixby, permanently.

    • News for you, the average paid in USA is $500+ and for two thirds of people in USA phone is primary internet device. $900 isn't too much for a lot of people.

      $900 is too much for a phone with screen that creases and/or breaks and/or has weird spots on it. But fix that and people will happily pay.

  • cheap crap... (Score:3)

    by sdinfoserv ( 1793266 ) on Monday June 29, 2020 @10:54PM (#60245356)
    Because the expensive one was soooo durable, I'm sure a cheaper model will outlast the data contract!!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      New technology is usually expensive at first, then gets rapidly cheaper even as it improves.

    • You know a Ford Model T cost about half as much as competing cars of the time and was far more reliable right? You know it's $25000 in todays terms and far FAR less reliable than a $15000 Hyundai. You know Ferraris are absolutely horribly unreliable cars right?

      In other words shame on you thinking price has anything to do with durability. Now please let engineers do their jobs.

  • Another leaker revealed that the Galaxy Fold e could be named Galaxy Gold Lite and priced below $1100.

    If that's what Samsung classifies as "affordable" they must have multiple groups for devices who don't talk to each other. The Galaxy A40 [gsmarena.com] is truly meeting that definition. A phone with a four digit price tag... wtf, "more affordable".

    • If that's what Samsung classifies as "affordable" they must have multiple groups for devices who don't talk to each other.

      It would make it the cheapest computer in my house.

    • At half the price of the last one, it is actually "more affordable".

  • Samsung Is Reportedly Working On a More Affordable Galaxy Fold

    ... it doesn't fold. Much more affordable.

  • If you think a USD 900.- smartphone is cheap then you are dumb.
    Maybe 150 or 200 can be considered cheap.

    A foldable [gsmarena.com] 7.3" screen isn't, to my opinion, a big win, as it still folds on a single dimension alone with the othen making it unsuitable to a shirt pocket.
    And this is all the plus of a Galaxy Fold: anything else is either just software or marketing.

    A Galaxy S20 [gsmarena.com] is 6.2" and much cheaper with a similarly big screen.

    • Except you're forgetting the aspect ratio.
      The S20 is a long and narrow 15.5 cm diagonal (20:9): 93.8 cm^2
      The unfolded Galaxy fold is a much shorter/wider 19 cm diagonal (4.2:3): 156.9 cm^2

      So it's a lot bigger, and the short/wide format makes it much more useable if you're a two handed browser like me.

  • What income level does it take to believe "Samsung is working on Galaxy Fold Lite for as CHEAP as $900." That price may be lower than its other exaggerated prices but by no means cheap. $14.95 is cheap.

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