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Why Apple Isn’t Making a Foldable Phone Screen
Samsung wants to make foldable phone screens fashion. Apple, at least for now, doesn’t need to make a statement.
Rebecca Hirst, Samsung’s U.K. product marketing head, said something curious at the company’s annual Unpacked event in early February. While showing off the company’s new foldable Galaxy Z Flip, Hirst called it “a statement smartphone,” implying that the device is meant to be not only useful but also a fashion statement. In its short, six and a half minute presentation, Samsung executives also said the phone was “for trendsetters and trailblazers” and described it as “an icon” and “a standout smartphone for people who want to stand out.”
These comments say a lot about how Samsung expects to convince an increasingly frugal customer to buy a nearly $1,400 phone.
They also say something about why Apple has still not released a phone with a foldable screen despite some speculation that it would.
A foldable screen doesn’t have many obvious benefits. It might fit into some pockets easier. And the new Galaxy Z Flip can be propped up at an angle so the user can, for example, set the phone on a table while pointing the selfie camera at their face. But these features are hardly worth the hundreds of dollars price…
