The rumored Galaxy Z Flip matters for foldable phones: Screen durability, price and more - CNET

The Galaxy Z Flip could be announced on Feb. 11.

Giuseppe Spinelli/LetsGoDigital

I couldn't be more excited to see Samsung's next foldable phone. At its Unpacked event on Feb. 11, the world's largest phone maker is expected to show a design that flips up like the Motorola Razr instead of opening into a small tablet like the previous Galaxy Fold. Rumor says it'll be commercially called the Galaxy Z Flip. Internal code-name, Galaxy Bloom.

There's something about foldable phones that still feels magical to me, a sensation that's hard to come by after nearly 14 years working with phones. I thought I'd seen it all: phones that flip up, kick out, flex, even phones shaped like a circle. But a screen that's both thin and strong enough to bend in half without breaking feels like the future come to life. 

For Samsung, the Z Flip will give the company a dramatic lead in the foldable space, with a large premium device (the Galaxy Fold) followed by a simpler phone with a smaller screen. That's two pathways for Samsung to secure interest from early adopters.

For the rest of us, there are several practical reasons to train our eyes on the Galaxy Z Flip (or whatever it winds up being called) that go way beyond the novelty of a foldable phone.

An artistic render of how the Galaxy Z Flip could look.

Giuseppe Spinelli/LetsGoDigital

The first foldable phone with a glass screen?

One rumor suggests that the Galaxy Z Flip will be the first foldable design to use an ultrathin glass screen. That's momentous if true. The first generation of foldables use plastic displays, which are much more susceptible to damage. 

It'd be interesting to see how completely a glass screen would bend. Could the two sides really fold flat? I'd also love to test firsthand the screen's ability to keep the electronic display underneath safe from pressure, scratches, drops, dust and water damage.

Now playing: Watch this: The bendable glass that’s shaping up to cover foldable...

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Foldable phones are still a proof of concept

Right now, foldable phones inhabit a zone of uncertainty. They're expensive, fragile and few. At this point it's hard to believe that they could replace the large-screen rectangles we carry today, but there are hints it just might work.

The more foldable phones exist -- both in design and in total number of units made --  the more we can see if they'll actually take off. Or if they're just fun, expensive toys. The Z Flip will be one more effort that helps determine the fate of the category.

The variety we see already in early foldable designs is crucial. We've seen commercial devices and prototypes for small foldables like the Razr, which can slip into a pocket, all the way up to a 10-inch tablet that folds into three parts. 

It will be through real-time trial and error that the industry determines which designs work best, how to fix common weaknesses and what it is that people actually want in a foldable phone. Only then can companies collectively begin to perfect them. 

This is Samsung's chance to prove it can make a sturdy foldable

An embarrassment for Samsung, the Galaxy Fold's early screen flaws overshadowed its historic debut. Samsung delayed the initial sale date for months, redesigned the phone, scaled back production and dropped two colors. Now with the rumored Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung gets a second chance.

Choosing a radically different design -- the Galaxy Z Flip should be a vertical flip phone with a smaller screen than the 7.3-inch Galaxy Fold -- gives Samsung an opportunity to apply the lessons it learned from the Fold's early mistakes. 

Tight seals between the display and the folding mechanism, tamper-proof cover material and a reinforced OLED display will go a long way toward reestablishing its reputation in the foldable space. It should also have fewer cameras and a cheaper price tag than the Fold's $1,980 starting price.

Finding the limits of a small outer screen

Like the Galaxy Fold and the Motorola Razr, the Galaxy Z Flip should have an external display, and I'm interested to see how Samsung will design it. On both the Fold and the Razr, the screen was relatively small, making it fine for viewing alerts and initiating quick tasks, but less ideal to actually use.

If the Galaxy Z Flip goes even smaller than the Galaxy Fold's 4.6-inch exterior screen, I'll have a few questions. Will you still be able to use every app on the outer display and open it to reveal the app inside, or will your actions and activities be more limited?  

I'll have to wait for its debut to find out.

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Lower prices will make foldable phones more accessible

With the Galaxy Fold priced at $1,980, the foldable Z Flip is expected to cost significantly less. 

Samsung was clear about calling the Galaxy Fold a luxury handset, which somewhat cushioned the news that it would cost nearly $2,000. The messaging was this: It's worth it for a futuristic device that's big enough to replace a tablet. 

The Galaxy Z Flip is sure to be another case entirely. One rumor suggested it could cost around $850, which is half the price of the Motorola Razr and more than half the price of the Galaxy Fold. 

We'll see what happens, but one thing is clear: the more affordable they are, the more Samsung and its competitors will snag more real-world buyers (or "testers"). And the more people who use these early foldable phones, the faster we'll know where their future truly lies -- in pockets and purses all over the globe, or in a museum of futuristic tech that never panned out.

Originally published earlier today.

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2020-01-21 19:17:00Z
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