When Samsung announced its new $2,000 smartphone, analysts were skeptical: the folding technology was criticized as being both unnecessary and unwanted. Now that Samsung’s finally begun to release the Galaxy Fold, the results are even worse than initially anticipated — and that may not help the company’s already slow sales.
Smartphone sales have been slowing, in large part because smartphones just can’t do much to get “better.” Battery technology has stalled out, making it difficult to make phones any smaller or thinner. Consumers have become exhausted: they no longer want to buy progressively more expensive phones for iterative improvements. With cutting-edge cameras now in virtually every device, smartphone manufacturers are exploring different technologies.
The Galaxy Fold was meant to create more screen real estate. When folded, it was a regular smartphone. When opened, it was a tablet. It was the only way to get more screen real estate in a compact format, without forcing people to carry around progressively bulkier, tablet-sized phones. Unfortunately, with a $2,000 price tag, it was more costly than most were interested in… and then came the technical issues.
Once the Galaxy Fold was in the hands of the consumer, it almost immediately broke. Many of the breakages were due to a flaw in its design rather than its technology: it came with a screen that appeared to be a screen protector, prompting nearly a dozen people to try to peel it off. Most consumers aren’t used to flexible displays, and didn’t think that the visible sheet covering the phone was meant to stay on it.
But that wasn’t all. Another four individuals reported that the screen simply stopped working or started to break after a few days of use, something that’s perplexing given the rapidity. Samsung had previously claimed that the screen would stand up to years of wear, but it didn’t even stand up to a full week of usage.
The Galaxy Fold issues have raised some concerning questions about Samsung’s product development processes and quality assurance. Both issues with the Galaxy fold would have been revealed in thorough product testing, which leads many to believe that Samsung may be rushing products out. That’s concerning, especially when smartphones in the past have essentially blown up due to poor quality control.
It’s hard for anyone in the tech industry to imagine how something so glaringly obvious could have become an issue, unless Samsung’s launched phones were substantially different from the phones that were tested (an issue with cheaper manufacturing) or the phones were not thoroughly tested with consumers (an issue with quality control).
Neither possibility really speaks highly of Samsung as a company and may make investors wary moving forward. Not only are Samsung’s phone sales slowing, but shaken consumer faith could lead to the company having a long road ahead if they want to sell their more innovative products. Meanwhile, many other smartphone companies are champing at the bit to get more market share, and everyone is racing towards trying to find the next big thing.
In the wake of the above issues, Samsung has pulled back on its release of the Galaxy Fold until it’s able to provide a longer lasting, more durable product. But will this be enough? With people already shying away from the price tag, redemption may be difficult — although not impossible. Further, Samsung has also asked that a breakdown of the Galaxy Fold be taken off of IFixIt, prompting many to wonder if it’s hiding its technology.
Some have even rumored that it’s a publicity stunt, to bring to light consumer skepticism and then resolve it through company actions. Though that would be a rather Machevellian and roundabout way of gathering consumer faith, it would answer a few critical questions: like how such an obvious flaw went unaddressed throughout production.
Regardless, the future of Samsung may not be entirely tied up in the Galaxy Fold, but it is going to be a strong indicator of the company’s future and its strategies to come. Huawei is also going to be releasing a folding screen shortly, and that may further cut into Samsung’s profits.
Regards,
Ethan Warrick
Editor
Wealth Authority
