Samsung says the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4 will give it a leg up over rivals

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 Bora Purple in flex mode on a table next to a shiny geode
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Samsung is betting its future on the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip lines in a stagnating smartphone war with rivals.
  • The company's mobile chief says its foldable phones are attracting more customers from other brands than its traditional flagship devices.

The smartphone market appears stagnating, but Samsung is confident that its latest range of foldable devices will give it a competitive edge over rivals in the future.

Roh Tae-moon, Samsung's chief of mobile business, has revealed that the company's foldable lines are luring customers away from other brands three times more than its Galaxy S flagship phones, according to The Wall Street Journal. This means double-digit percentage of foldable shipments in 2021 thanks to brand switchers.

"We consider this to be a quite meaningful percentage and a positive sign," Roh was quoted as saying. "This is about switchers from other brands, not Samsung Galaxy device users switching to another Galaxy device."

Samsung's latest contenders for the best foldable phones were unveiled a few days ago to much fanfare. To woo even more switchers, the company offered great trade-in deals and cheap repair costs for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4. 

While the handsets heavily borrowed from their predecessors' design, Samsung introduced a few nifty improvements. For example, the Z Fold 4 has a slimmer hinge, wider screen, and better cameras. The Z Flip 4 promises battery life improvements over the Galaxy Z Flip 3, among other enhancements.

Roh also revealed that Samsung's clamshell foldable line has done a better job of drawing in customers from other brands, while the Z Fold line has fared well in retaining customer loyalty.  According to Roh, foldable phones have retention rates that are up to 10% higher than Galaxy S devices.

In a separate report, Roh was quoted as saying that Samsung's foldables will eclipse Galaxy S shipments by 2025, adding that "foldables will become the new standard of smartphones."


Jay Bonggolto
News Writer & Reviewer

Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.