While everyone is busy talking about theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 5and Galaxy Z Flip 5, which were just announced recently, T.M. Roh, the head Samsung’s mobile division, is already thinking about what’s next. He sat down for an interview withThe Independentto reflect on the company’srecent announcements, and he dropped a surprising tidbit: “Foldables will expand to other categories like the tablet and PC and continue to develop after,” Roh said.
When pressed more about the idea of a foldableAndroid tablet, Roh continued, “The tablet is a very good product category, one where we can apply the foldable format. Why are Samsung Mobile and I so convinced about the foldable? The reason is very simple. Because it has been part of human history and human nature for so long to read books, or use notebooks.” It sounds like Samsung is applying the same principles it used to when making folding smartphones to larger form factors like laptops and tablets.
And even though the main line of questioning was regarding the tablet, it sounds like Samsung is also looking at foldable laptops at some point. That sounds even more complicated because of the physical keyboard, so the company has some work ahead. When these, and possibly other foldable screen-based devices, come along, it could be exciting for consumers.
Unfortunately, Roh didn’t elaborate on when we could see a foldable tablet or laptop from the company, but he did say they’re investing heavily. “What has been applied to the smartphone will then spread to the tablet and laptops as well. To that end, we at Samsung are investing a lot of resources. And once that foundational technology is developed and we believe that the product is ready to provide meaningful innovation to consumers, then, of course, we want to introduce them,” he said.
He also didn’t mention whether we could see a price drop for foldable screens by the time these new devices come along because if phones are already in the $1800 range, I shudder to think of what devices with even large displays might cost.
It sounds like these foldable tablets and laptops might still be in their infancy since Roh discussed developing that foundational technology before introducing the products. Size could be one of the biggest issues: “It still needs to be thin and light so that it’s highly portable. But it has to be strong so that it can be used without worry,” he said.
One thing’s for sure: Samsung sees foldable devices as a major part of its portfolio, and the company isn’t backing away from them anytime soon. Whether the devices have detractors or not, they’re here to stay. Either by continuing to launch foldable smartphones or launching tablets and laptops in the future, Roh says, “Where we find the motivation to keep working hard, it’s simple: consumers. Consumers’ needs and demands. And the need to keep developing key technologies.” He continued, “So, we created the foldable, but before that we created the category of the large-screen phone, with the Galaxy Note, and when this arrived there was criticism that the screen was too big.”
