Two years after launching its first foldable phone, Samsung discontinued its beloved Galaxy Note series. Galaxy Note fans were bewildered about the company’s decision to kill the Galaxy Note series, but it looks like the South Korean firm was on the correct path for its growth in the future. Samsung’s foldable phones are now selling almost as well as the Galaxy Note series did.
Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 sales will surpass the beloved Galaxy Note series
After the Galaxy Unpacked event last week, Samsung MX President TM Roh revealed in an interview with CNET that Galaxy Z series phones are already selling similar to the Galaxy Note series. In fact, the company says that it expects the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to sell more than the Galaxy Note series did (12 million units for Galaxy Note 20 series) a few years ago. Surpassing the Galaxy Note series would be an important milestone for the Galaxy Z lineup as that would indicate foldable phones are finally mainstream.
Market research firm IDC expects the sales of foldable phones worldwide to reach 21.3 million units in 2023. While the sales figures are still nowhere close to regular phones, we also need to remember that Galaxy Z series phones are much more profitable. During its Q2 2022 earnings call, the company said that its goal with the Galaxy Z series is to surpass the Galaxy Note series, and it looks like the company has reached its goal.
Moreover, Samsung was the only brand that was selling foldable phones globally over the past four years, and that is still true. While many more brands have jumped onto the foldable bandwagon, none of them are selling their foldable phones globally. Google launched its first foldable phone a few weeks ago, while OnePlus will launch its first foldable phone later this month. OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi have launched their second or third-generation foldable phones, but they only sell those devices in China and some European countries.
TM Roh indicated that more competition is good for the company as it will push all the brands to put their best foot forward. Samsung improved the basic structure of its foldable phones this year with the new Flex Hinge. As you can see in our video below, the new hinge allows the phones to fold without any gap between the two halves and improves the aesthetics and durability of the screen.
Samsung is working to bring thinner, lighter, and more affordable foldable phones in the future
Samsung wants to launch more affordable foldable phones, but it is a challenging task, according to TM Roh. During the interview with CNET, he said, “And given the materials cost today … it is probably not going to be easy for us to offer a less than $1,000 foldable in the very near future. But we will keep trying.”
Samsung showcased various foldable phone concepts during the Galaxy Unpacked event in Seoul, South Korea, last week. These concepts had different screen aspect ratios and sizes. It also said that it wanted to bring the S Pen slot to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 but ended up prioritizing a thinner design over the stylus this year.
The company is also working on various other foldable phone designs. During a separate interview with ZDNet, TM Roh said, “There are two big needs when it comes to foldables we are gauging from customers. First is the demand for a more complete product — thinner, lighter, better resolution, and better performance. Second is the demand to make foldables more affordable and accessible.”