Samsung finally announced it is shipping its Galaxy Fold, coming to AT&T and T-Mobile on April 26. Who will this device appeal to and will it be successful?
With a starting list price of $1,980, the Samsung Galaxy Fold is no mass-market device in the sense of its more pocketbook-friendly (and larger volume) Galaxy S10 cousins. Some have said there is no market for this device given the price point. In my opinion, given the “status” this device brings to the owner as she pulls it from a bag or pocket, there will be plenty of buyers. (Remember when many said no one would buy a $1,000 smartphone?)
But what kind of buyers will find this device attractive? Certainly the “I have to be first” consumers will, as the bragging rights are very appealing. But I expect that a large portion of the devices will be sold to executives and business professionals (e.g., financial, consulting, legal, and healthcare), where the specific features of the phone (a truly compelling experience with the unfolded Infinity Flex Display screen size of 7.3 inches) make it dramatically easier to get the job done. And if it’s a business tool that’s increasing my productivity, I am going to be much less price-sensitive. But that’s not the only reason business users will find the Galaxy Fold attractive.
Inside the Galaxy Fold are some features that a business user (and IT department) would love.
First, is the Samsung Knox security tools that protect this device, and the data on it, from getting hacked. (OK, nothing is perfect, but Knox goes a long way toward securing the device over traditional consumer-grade alternatives.) Indeed, Samsung Knox is probably the most secure phone technology you can get in a mass-market Android device. (Samsung is even extending Knox beyond its smartphones to other connected devices.
