'D-1' Ahead of Release 'Galaxy Unpacked'... Will It Secure the Smartphone Throne with Foldables?

Online Launch of Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 on the 11th
Significantly Improved Durability, a Former Weakness
Price Reduced by About 20% Compared to Previous Models

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Eun-mo] Samsung Electronics' second half new product launch event, 'Galaxy Unpacked,' is just one day away. With next-generation foldable smartphones featuring enhanced functions such as a camera hidden under the display and the S Pen, along with competitive pricing, the company aims to firmly secure its leading position in the global smartphone market.

However, concerns have arisen that the event might lose some excitement due to leaks of key specifications of the new products continuing up until just before the event. The competition from China's Xiaomi, which plans to unveil its new foldable phone a day earlier, is also a point of concern.

Unpacked One Day Away, Next-Generation Foldables to be Revealed

According to Samsung Electronics on the 10th, the company will hold the 'Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021: Get ready to unfold' event online starting at 11 PM Korean time on the 11th, unveiling the next-generation foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3.

Galaxy Unpacked is a highly anticipated event as it reveals Samsung Electronics' new strategic smartphones, maintaining its position as the global number one smartphone maker. The official trailer video released by Samsung at the end of last month confirmed high interest by surpassing 100 million views in just over a week.

Based on the information released so far, both the Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 feature Corning's 'Gorilla Glass Victus,' significantly improving durability, which has been a drawback of foldable phones. These products have reportedly undergone testing to withstand 200,000 folds, which equates to folding and unfolding 100 times daily for five years.

They also come with an 'IPX8' water resistance rating, capable of withstanding immersion in water up to 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes. Previously, Samsung Electronics' Wireless Business Division President (CEO) Tae-moon Roh stated in an article, "The foldable products we are announcing this time focus on providing essential functions for today's life more faithfully," adding, "We are confident that the third-generation foldable phones will offer enhanced durability to more people," emphasizing the focus on durability improvements.

For the Z Fold3, usability is enhanced by supporting the S Pen. The S Pen has been a consistent consumer request since Samsung launched the Galaxy Fold in 2019 and is a signature feature of the Galaxy Note series. Notably, foreign media speculate that the 'S Pen Pro' might be introduced at this Unpacked event. The S Pen Pro (model number EJ-P5450), approved by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), was announced alongside the S Pen for the Galaxy S21 Ultra earlier this year but has not yet been released.

The S Pen Pro is slightly larger than the existing S Pen, supports low-power Bluetooth (BLE) enabling specialized features like Air Actions, and supports USB-C charging. According to images released by foreign media, the S Pen Pro comes in black only and features a button with an LED on the grip area.

Another notable feature is the first-ever application of 'Under Display Camera (UDC)' technology in a foldable phone. UDC is a technology that hides the camera hole on the smartphone screen, replacing the 'notch' or 'punch hole' that creates a screen indentation. With UDC, the device can have a cleaner appearance and offer a larger screen for enjoying videos and other content, enhancing immersion.

This Unpacked event will also unveil the smartwatch 'Galaxy Watch4' series and wireless earbuds 'Galaxy Buds2.' The most significant feature of the Watch4 is its new operating system (OS). Instead of Samsung's proprietary Tizen OS, it will adopt the newly co-developed 'Wear OS 3' with Google. This expands compatibility and app interoperability with Android-based smartphones, allowing apps downloaded from the Google Play Store to also be installed on the Watch4. The app launch speed is reportedly increased by up to 30%, and battery performance has been significantly improved.

The Buds2 is expected to emphasize cost-effectiveness compared to the premium 'Galaxy Buds Pro.' Samsung plans to price the Buds2 between 160,000 and 190,000 KRW, lowering the price from the previous model while offering improved active noise cancelling (ANC) features.

Samsung in Crisis, Reshaping the Foldable Phone Market

For Samsung Electronics, this Unpacked event is essentially a decisive move to maintain its number one position in the global smartphone market. However, concerns have been raised that the event might lose some excitement due to leaks of not only key product specifications but also official marketing images.

Currently, Samsung is struggling in the premium market against Apple and in the mid-to-low-end market against Chinese manufacturers. As a countermeasure, Samsung has pulled out the foldable card. Rather than stopping at the already saturated bar-type smartphones, the company aims to regain market leadership through form factor innovations such as foldables. The foldable smartphone market, which reached about 2.8 million units last year, is expected to grow tenfold by 2023.

Samsung is particularly determined to achieve not just popularization but mainstream adoption of foldable phones through this Unpacked event. To this end, it plans to price the new foldable phones about 20% lower than their predecessors to enhance price competitiveness. The Z Fold3 is expected to launch at around 1.99 million KRW, and the Z Flip3 at around 1.28 million KRW. Samsung stated during its Q2 earnings conference call, "In the second half, we will focus on expanding sales to popularize foldable phones above all else," adding, "We will increase economies of scale and secure profitability through optimized product design."

Xiaomi, which is rapidly catching up with Samsung in the global smartphone market, is also set to unveil its new smartphone 'Mi Mix 4' on the 10th, a day before Galaxy Unpacked. Xiaomi showed a threatening growth trajectory, having surpassed Samsung for the first time in history in June to become the number one monthly seller in the global smartphone market.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.