00:00 Samsung is ushering in a new generation of foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and
00:06 Galaxy Z Flip 5.
00:08 I'm here in Seoul for Tom's Guide experiencing everything that Unpacked has to offer including
00:12 the pleasure of sitting down with Samsung Vice President of Mobile Product Management
00:16 Drew Blackard to talk about the new devices and what they mean for Samsung's foldable
00:20 strategy.
00:21 Thank you for joining me.
00:22 Thank you.
00:23 The redesigned hinge on the Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 seem like a big deal.
00:27 Why was that a priority for this generation of devices?
00:31 Well I think a lot of it starts with when we do a new product we always want to understand
00:35 from our current users what they love about the device, different pain points they've
00:39 had and try to resolve those.
00:40 When we think about the hinge specifically, these devices are really about portability
00:44 and pocketability and so we want to make them slimmer and thinner in each generation.
00:48 And by going to what we call a zero gap hinge we're able to narrow the device down.
00:52 I actually have one here I can show you where there's literally no gap and that helps from
00:57 a durability perspective because there's less space for any things in your pocket to
01:01 get in between the device.
01:02 And it also helps from a pocketability and just ergonomics standpoint.
01:07 It's about 2mm slimmer so it feels much better in the hand, in a purse or in a pocket.
01:12 How do you say the latest Z series generation stands compared to where it started in 2019
01:17 with the original Fold?
01:18 Well it's kind of crazy.
01:20 This is our fifth generation foldable and so we're really excited about where things
01:24 have gone in terms of innovation.
01:25 If you think back to where we started, so much has changed.
01:28 I mean we've really innovated with the cameras.
01:32 The cameras are much more what we would think of as kind of flagship experience.
01:36 The displays have gotten larger.
01:38 The use cases for foldables have become even better and better each generation.
01:44 And with our current Flip for example, we now have a cover screen which we call our
01:48 flex window that's about three times larger than the most recent generation.
01:53 If you think back to the first one, there was a very, very small panel where you could
01:56 just see the time basically.
01:58 And now you have a full interactive display on the front where you can quickly read notifications,
02:03 respond to messages and things like that.
02:05 Do you anticipate the Fold and Flip form factors ultimately persevering or is there a place
02:10 for a different kind of flexible smartphone in the near future?
02:12 I think as a starting point, Flip and Fold form factors are showing that there's a lot
02:17 of interest.
02:19 That said, I think there's continued room for innovation.
02:21 I think the way that I think about it is Fold very much is targeted towards a productivity
02:27 user.
02:28 You can open what is a 6.2 inch display into a 7.6 inch display.
02:33 So you basically have a tablet-like experience in your pocket which is a whole different
02:37 set of use cases.
02:39 For Flip users, it's kind of the opposite.
02:41 It's consumers that want a little less phone at certain points where they can put it in
02:45 the purse or pocket and more phone and they can unfold it into a 6.7 inch display which
02:50 is basically the size of our S-Series Plus model.
02:53 So you get kind of that big screen experience just when you want it.
02:57 That said, I think Samsung at its core is an innovative company and we do incredible
03:03 work with displays.
03:04 So we're always looking just form factor-wise where things go.
03:06 I think for the time being, we think we've got a really good breadth of product that
03:11 attracts just a different range of use cases and different users.
03:15 But we're really excited to see where foldable technology goes just in general.
03:19 On that topic, what has Samsung identified as the biggest obstacle to foldable adoption
03:24 and how are you going about addressing it?
03:26 Well, I think with this generation, we've identified a couple areas from previous users
03:31 of where we want to innovate on to make the foldable experience more mainstream.
03:35 So one is the form factor itself.
03:37 We talked about it a little bit with the hinge, but the devices themselves are slimmer by
03:40 about 2 millimeters and so it's easier to fit in the hand.
03:44 For fold specifically, one of the areas that we heard from our fold users is they'd like
03:47 it to be lighter weight so that it's easier to carry around.
03:50 So it's 10 grams lighter.
03:52 So that's one area in particular.
03:54 And then the second area is just in general is durability.
03:57 So we know that many consumers are now aware of foldables, but they might not have touched
04:03 and used one for the first time.
04:05 And so we want to give peace of mind that someone who is going from a solid piece of
04:10 glass to a flexible display has nothing to worry about.
04:13 And so again, this is our fifth generation of these.
04:15 So what we'll be talking about a lot more is the innovation and materials and the hinge
04:20 designs that we have.
04:22 So it has grill glass Victus 2, which is an improvement in the glass.
04:27 We're using armor aluminum, so it's super sturdy frame.
04:31 And then our new Zero Gap hinge, which has an all new design with fewer moving parts
04:35 to make an overall durable product.
04:38 On top of that, we'll also offer some additional benefits to foldable users.
04:43 So our foldables come with a factory installed screen protector out of the box.
04:49 We'll also offer a free one-time screen protector replacement with that, and then also discounted
04:54 screen repair.
04:55 So for anyone that would potentially have any issues, we'll have discounted screen repairs
04:59 for a one-time repair for users.
05:02 So we're really trying to focus in on the durability is no longer a barrier for wanting
05:08 to try a foldable.
05:10 What is Samsung's predominant strategy for commanding the global market share of foldable
05:14 smartphones with competitions from the like of the Google Pixel Fold and Motorola Razr
05:19 Plus?
05:20 In terms of competition, we really welcome it.
05:22 I think Samsung created the foldable category, and as new competitors enter, it really just
05:27 validates that this is a form factor that there's a lot of interest in.
05:30 I think we announced last year we've sold over 10 million foldables globally.
05:34 That was a year ago, so we've surpassed that since then.
05:37 And we think that the more awareness comes to the category, it really puts us in a great
05:43 position to continue leadership of that category.
05:45 And I think the other area that's so important is foldables because they have unique use
05:50 cases because of the form factor, whether that be on fold, having a multi-window experience
05:55 where you can have multiple apps open at the same time, or on flip, where we have what
06:00 we call flex screen experience, where you're using the device where it's literally kind
06:05 of flexed in half.
06:07 These are all unique use cases that an ecosystem of app developers need to be thinking about.
06:12 So the more devices there are out there, the more unique use cases there'll be on foldables,
06:16 and the better the products will be ultimately.
06:18 Do you think that we'll ever see a Galaxy Z Fold FE or Flip FE to target shoppers on
06:25 a tighter budget?
06:26 How can we make foldables more affordable?
06:28 I think that's in terms of just price points, foldables eventually will come down to price.
06:33 This year we really focused on resolving the pain points that we saw for our current foldable
06:37 user base.
06:38 So with fold, a lot of that had to do with the form factor, making it slimmer, making
06:43 it lighter weight, powerful processing, our brand new latest processor.
06:48 And on flip, a lot of that was driven through the flex window and some of that cover screen
06:53 experience.
06:54 And so we were really focused on continuing to refine the experience.
06:57 Of course, over time, as the technology evolves, we'll continue to see innovation and hopefully
07:03 bring it down in price point at a future time.
07:06 So the priority first is to refine the product and then from there we can talk about bringing
07:10 the price down.
07:11 Absolutely, because first things first, we need to make sure that it's an incredible
07:14 experience and we want to continue to refine it so that it becomes really mainstream in
07:19 terms of all the use cases that you're doing and really the premium aspects of the product.
07:24 And as those get perfected, then we can kind of start thinking about how we broaden out
07:29 the portfolio.
07:30 So Samsung's S-series is obviously still very popular and still a priority, but how do you
07:35 see the market share splitting between the Z-series foldables and S-series going forward?
07:40 Well, we've got big goals for foldables.
07:43 Our goal is by 2025 that that's 50% of our global flagship mix.
07:49 And at the moment I would say we're kind of well on our way towards that trajectory.
07:53 So as we see foldable adoption grow, what do you think that looks like in the future
07:57 for the foldable market?
07:59 Well, the way I like to think about it is I have twins at home that are four and a half
08:03 years old.
08:04 And if you just think about your own evolution of the phones you've had over the years, you
08:09 know, it evolved from maybe not having a phone to, you know, flip type phones to bar type
08:15 phones.
08:16 They're going to go through that same evolution.
08:18 And if you just think forward, whether that be whether they're, you know, in high school
08:22 or at some point in my age, they're not going to be carrying around a bar type smartphone.
08:26 It's going to be foldables, it's going to be different form factors.
08:29 It'll be, I think the innovation that we're seeing today is just the starting point and
08:32 scratching the surface of what's going to be, you know, a huge new wave of different
08:37 form factors.
08:38 And we're really excited to be on the cutting edge of that.
08:41 If that's the case, I think we have a lot to look forward to.
08:44 Thank you so much, Drew, for your time.
08:45 Thank you.
08:46 Be sure to check out all of our coverage of the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy
08:51 Z Flip 5 on Tom's Guide.com.
08:53 You can also see what we're doing on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at
08:57 Tom's Guide.
08:58 And as always, I'm Kate Kozich.
09:00 Thanks for watching.
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