Samsung’s all alone at the foldable party

There will be a couple of guests of honor at the party, including the foldable phones. It is a birthday party for the Z Fold and the Z Flip and we will likely see some updated watches and earbuds. Last August was when they hit their stride with the most mainstream models.

We are probably not going to see any dramatic upgrades or price drops this year because the company doesn't need any of those. The foldable phone category is owned by it. There is a foldable party with a guest list.

The early versions of the Fold and Flip were not as durable as they could have been. They improved. The Z flip 3 and Z fold 3 were almost normal last year.

Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge

The rest of the competitors seem to be stuck on early designs. Shortly before it stopped making mobile devices, the company threatened to make a rollable phone. It's time for an update on the 2020 Moto Razu. The foldable that anyone can buy is yet to be delivered by the company.

If you live in China, you won't find foldable devices from Oppo and HUAWEI. Almost everyone else has the Surface Duo. 10 million foldable devices were shipped by the company, with an 87 percent market share. It is still a small part of the overall market, but it is something to celebrate if you are a fan of the brand.

Anyway, why is it that the company is called SAMSUNG? The company has taken the foldable experiment as far as it can. It could be able to fail. The first Fold was a disaster and the product that was finally shipped was better. Launching and then unlaunching is not cheap. A smaller company like TCL might not be able to take the same kinds of risks as a larger one.

SAMSUNG has the right ethos to lead the way in foldables Apple won't launch a phone with a new form factor and shaky long-term prospects. It would prefer to join when there is a certain certainty. A flagship phone that doesn't fold and seems to be in no hurry to launch one that does seem to be the result of a recent discovery by the search giant. SAMSUNG is willing to bet on something new and stick with it through the early growth pains The early foldables were not prone to catch fire.

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

The Z fold and Z flip 4 are not exciting updates over their predecessors. That is to be anticipated. The company has begun to work on a foldable phone. Why do you want to change it now?

It can afford to coast a bit now that it is early in the game. When competitors start to emerge over the next couple of years on a global scale, they'll have to suffer through those awkward first couple of iteration. The category is a new one. The classic slab-style phone is a good example of how to build a good folding phone. It isn't the only way to go about it, but it is the best way to get ahead in the long run.

It's not always lonely. Maybe Apple will invent its own folding phones in a few years. Whenever it shows up, or whichever company can figure out how to make a foldable that costs less than a thousand dollars, there is room for Google. For now, go ahead and have a good time.