Samsung targets 'pivot to Asia' with new foldables

With Samsung Electronics set to showcase its newest foldable phones Wednesday, the question is whether the latest Galaxy Z series would give Samsung an early start ahead of the iPhone 15 in the flagship smartphone race during the second half...

The Galaxy Unpacked event will be streamed live on Wednesday at 8 p.m. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

With Samsung Electronics set to showcase its newest foldable phones Wednesday, the question is whether the latest Galaxy Z series would give Samsung an early start ahead of the iPhone 15 in the flagship smartphone race during the second half of the year.

Wednesday’s event at Coex, southern Seoul, will be the first offline Galaxy Unpacked event held in Seoul and the first-ever July event. Samsung’s previous Unpacked presentations for its Z Flip and Z Fold phones were mostly held in New York during the second week of August.

Samsung is expected to reveal its newest lineup of foldable smartphones, tablet PCs and wearable gadgets, including Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Tab S9 and Galaxy Watch 6.

According to IT journals and tipsters, the so-called “droplet hinge,” or “dumbbell hinge,” will be the most notable change in the new Z series. The benefit of this new hinge technology is less-obvious hinge creases and gapless designs compared to the preceding “U” shaped hinges, which could mean lighter and thinner foldables.

Leaked images of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 suggest a near-double upgrade in the size of the cover display from 1.9 inches to 3.4 inches when measured diagonally, although it is rumored to have limited app functionality.

The Flip 5 and Fold 5 will both be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processors, while packing 3,700 milli ampere hour (mAh) and 4,400 mAh batteries respectively.

Aside from the specs, all eyes are on how much ground the pair will give Samsung in the premium smartphone competition going into the second half of this year, considering the fact that it brought the Unpacked forward by a couple of weeks.

The first offline Unpacked event in Korea hints at “Samsung’s plan to target Asia as a strategic market for the upcoming foldables,” an industry source said. “Moving the date up may also be an attempt to widen its lead.”

A facade ad for Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Unpacked is displayed on Namsan Seoul Tower in central Seoul Saturday. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

Samsung’s Galaxy phones typically have the biggest global smartphone market share for the first three quarters of each year but are dwarfed in the fourth quarter by Apple’s iPhones, which are normally unveiled in September. Between April to June this year, Samsung kept its lead from the previous three months and had a 22 percent slice of the global pie, according to tech market tracker Counterpoint Research. Apple was on its heels with 17 percent, Xiaomi with 12 percent, Oppo with 10 percent and Vivo with 8 percent.

Apple is rumored to disclose the iPhone 15 models slightly later than usual this year, between late September and early October. iPhone 15 handsets will be the first iPhone with a USB-C port — a long-awaited move for many — following the EU Parliament’s push to unify charging ports for mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in Europe by the end of 2024.

Higher battery capacity and better camera performance are expected as well.

China’s state-owned Honor, formerly a sub-brand of Huawei, launched its Magic V2 foldable on July 12, and London-based startup Nothing revealed the transparent Phone 2 the previous day. Xiaomi’s Mix Fold 3 is also set to arrive next month.

A Counterpoint Research report said the number of smartphones sold globally dipped by 8 percent on year in the second quarter, falling for an eighth consecutive quarter, and another tech analyst firm, Canalys, said smartphone sales have dropped by 11 percent.

But both firms forecast a slow recovery in the coming quarters as new releases entice consumers to upgrade their phones, accelerating the replacement cycle.

BY KO SUK-HYUN, SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]