Latest news with #BenWood
Kuwait Times
12-07-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Samsung unveils slimmed-down foldable smartphone
NEW YORK: Samsung unveiled on Wednesday the new generation of its foldable smartphone, the Z Fold7, dramatically slimmed down in an attempt to jumpstart this still-niche market. More than seven years after the launch of the first flexible-screen phone, the FlexPai from Chinese company Royole, which filed for bankruptcy in late 2024, these devices account for only about two percent of smartphone sales, according to Ben Wood from CCS Insight. Their low penetration in the mobile phone world is largely due to their thickness, inferior camera quality, and high price. Samsung, the leader since introducing its Galaxy Z Fold in 2019, has recently lost market share to Chinese competitors, particularly Honor and OnePlus, as well as American company Motorola. 'Samsung, who had become a little bit conservative, has found their mojo again, and they have delivered a product which really is a best-in-class folding device,' said Wood. The new offerings - the $2,000 Galaxy Z Fold7 and $1,100 Galaxy Z Flip7 - are the thinnest and lightest in the series to date, about as slim as standard smartphones when folded and nearly half as thin as Samsung's earliest designs. 'This is a reset of Samsung's foldable design to a different era where you really do get a super-premium phone that folds out into a tablet with software experiences designed for that,' said Avi Greengart from Techsponential. 'Especially in the United States, no one has seen anything like this,' he added. The analyst also highlighted improvements in material composition, making it a more solid and potentially more durable device. Foldable smartphones open in two like a book and rely on OLED technology, which has allowed traditional screen glass to be replaced with a polymer plastic layer that is flexible. Samsung has also improved the performance of the integrated camera, which now offers 200-megapixel resolution in wide-angle (four times that of the Z Fold6), putting it on par with the best equipment on the market across all phones. The South Korean tech group has also taken advantage of this new product line to integrate more generative artificial intelligence (AI) features. These are mainly powered through Google's Android operating system and the search engine giant's Gemini suite of AI products and models. Users can now query Google's Gemini about elements captured with the smartphone's camera, for example asking for advice when shopping for clothes or how to repair a bike. 'This is not a radical change with a new multimodal interface that drastically reinvents the consumer experience,' cautioned Thomas Husson, an analyst at Forrester. The jury is still out on whether the AI tools will spark growth in sales, which has been slowing in recent years as users delay ever more expensive upgrades to their smartphones. — AFP
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Samsung unveils thin $2000 Galaxy Z Fold 7 foldable phone as it aims to catch up with Chinese rivals
Samsung has announced the $2000 Galaxy Z Fold 7, its slimmest foldable smartphone yet, as it aims to carve out a market for ultra-high-end devices in a rapidly changing mobile phone landscape. The company chose Brooklyn, New York, to unveil its latest and most premium smartphone, which features hardware refinements and advanced AI features that contribute to its higher cost. The $2000 Galaxy Z Fold 7, launching worldwide on July 25, opens like a book, and is noticeably thinner and lighter than its predecessor. The device measures 8.9 mm when folded shut, and weighs 215 gram, although the title of the world's thinnest foldable still belongs to the Honor Magic V5, which is just 8.8 mm thick. 'Foldables were a bold move by Samsung to leverage its expertise in flexible display technology and offer a highly differentiated product to compete with Apple,' Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, told on Wednesday. Wood admits that the foldable phone category hasn't lived up to expectations. Consumers have questioned whether they actually need a foldable device and have expressed concerns about the durability of these phones. However, Wood remains hopeful that the new products Samsung launched at its Unpacked summer showcase in New York will help reignite interest in foldables. 'With a slimmer, more competitive design, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could play an important role in driving renewed interest,' he said. The Galaxy Z Fold 7, announced alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, flip-style foldables priced at $1,099.99 and $899.99, respectively, is part of Samsung's long-term vision to be a category leader in foldables. However, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 remains the company's boldest bet at pushing the smartphone form factor with an extremely thin foldable phone. Folding phones, which either open like a book or have a screen that folds in half, gained recognition when Samsung launched its first foldable device in 2019. In recent years, Honor, Oppo, and other Chinese smartphone makers have used slim foldable designs as a key differentiating factor from Samsung. The competition is only increasing, putting pressure on Samsung, one of the world's largest smartphone manufacturers. Samsung's new foldables feature improved designs, better durability, and a host of AI capabilities that could help the company reclaim its position as the leading foldable smartphone maker and boost sales. The entry-level Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, in particular, could open up a new market for foldables, as some analysts believe it may expand the consumer base in key markets, reaching those who had considered buying a foldable phone in the past but were deterred by the high price. 'Having a device that is the size and weight of a traditional smartphone, but with the added benefit of opening to reveal a large display the size of a mini-tablet, is very compelling,' Wood said, when asked how a phone like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 offers a differentiated experience to users. 'The challenge is that these devices remain extremely expensive, and consumers are still nervous about their durability over long-term use. There needs to be more education to convince consumers that these devices are indeed robust. Over time, they will undoubtedly move further down the price curve, which could make them more attractive to a wider audience.' With the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung is placing its bet on a form factor that has achieved the thinness of traditional smartphones, while offering a tablet-sized inner display for enhanced multitasking and more immersive video consumption. That may be the biggest differentiating factor between regular smartphones and foldable devices. Samsung Electronics Co is trying to woo a new set of consumers with its foldable phones. Unlike a laptop or tablet, which can perform similar tasks, a foldable slips easily into any pocket that fits a smartphone. The new foldables test Samsung's marketing muscle and design prowess in a challenging smartphone market, amid economic uncertainty and tariff headwinds. Samsung is charging an upfront premium for these devices, yielding higher profit margins, but there is still a long road ahead to prove that foldables are the devices people never knew they needed. Foldables remain a small slice of the overall worldwide smartphone market, with some analysts predicting just a 2 per cent share this year. However, experts say the opportunity for Samsung is significant, particularly in expanding its market share in the premium smartphone segment in key markets like India. Samsung is manufacturing its new foldables domestically in India. Apple, Samsung's biggest rival in the high-end smartphone market, has been notably absent from the foldables space but is rumoured to launch its first folding iPhone sometime next year. (The writer is attending the Galaxy Unpacked in New York on the behalf of Samsung India) Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin. Email: ... Read More
UPI
19-06-2025
- UPI
Samsung might launch its next foldable smartphone next month
Samsung likely will unveil the next thinner version of its foldable smartphone next month. Its previous version Galaxy Z Fold 6 (pictured) was introduced in Tokyo in 2024. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo June 19 (UPI) -- Samsung likely will unveil the next thinner version of its foldable smartphone next month. Over the weekend, leaks showcased a look at the Galaxy Z Fold 7 -- it has a thinner hinge, larger camera bump and a 200 MP sensor. It will run on Android 16 and has an 8-inch inner display and 6- to 5-inch cover display. "The newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet -- meticulously crafted and built to last," Samsung said in a blog post earlier this month. The phone is reported to be slimmer at 4.5mm unfolded. It has titanium hinge components, refined crease control and a Snapdragon 8 Chipset. The camera is expected to be upgraded from a 50MP to a 200MP sensor and uses AI-enhanced image processing. "With foldables, thinness has become more critical than ever because people aren't prepared to accept the compromise for a thicker and heavier phone to get the real estate that a folding phone can deliver," Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said on Thursday. According to a Laptopmag leaker, the phone will be revealed on July 11 and will go on sale July 25. Analysts are expecting models to be priced at about $2,000 and a little higher depending on U.S. tariffs. CCS insight said that foldables will account for just 2% of the overall smartphone market this year. In previous years, over 50% of foldable phone owners have all switched back to traditional phones in the next upgrade cycle, according to data.
CNBC
19-06-2025
- CNBC
Samsung aims to catch up to Chinese rivals for thin foldable phones as Apple said to enter the fray
Samsung will unveil a thinner version of its flagship foldable smartphone at a launch likely set to take place next month, as it battles Chinese rivals to deliver the slimmest devices to the market. Folding phones, which have a single screen that can fold in half, came in focus when Samsung first launched such a device in 2019. But Chinese players, in particular Honor and Oppo, have since aggressively released foldables that are thinner and lighter than Samsung's offerings. Why are slim foldables important? "With foldables, thinness has become more critical than ever because people aren't prepared to accept the compromise for a thicker and heavier phone to get the real estate that a folding phone can deliver," Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, told CNBC on Thursday. Honor, Oppo and other Chinese players have used their slim designs to differentiate themselves from Samsung. Let's look at a comparison: Samsung's last foldable from 2024, the Galaxy Z Fold6, is 12.1 millimeter ~(0.48 inches) thick when folded and weighs 239 grams (8.43 oz). Oppo's Find N5, which was released earlier this year, is 8.93 millimeters thick when closed and weighs 229 grams. The Honor Magic V3, which was launched last year, is 9.2 millimeters when folded and weighs 226 grams. "Samsung needs to step up" in foldables, Wood said. And that's what the South Korean tech giant is planning to do at its upcoming launch, which is likely to take place next month. "The newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet – meticulously crafted and built to last," Samsung said in a preview blog post about the phone earlier this month. But the competition is not letting up. Honor is planning a launch on July 2 in China for its latest folding phone, the Magic V5. "The interesting thing for Samsung, if they can approach the thinness that Honor has achieved it is will be a significant step up from predecessor, it will be a tangible step up in design," Wood said. Despite these advances by way of foldables, the market for the devices has not been as exciting as many had hoped. CCS Insight said that foldables will account for just 2% of the overall smartphone market this year. Thinner phones may be one way to address the sluggish market, but consumer preferences would also need to change. "There is a chance that by delivering much thinner foldables that are more akin to the traditional monoblock phone, it will provide an opportunity to turn consumer heads and get them to revisit the idea of having a folding device," Wood said. "However, I would caution foldables do remain problematic because in many cases consumers struggle to see why they need a folding device." Although the market remains small for foldables compared to traditional smartphones, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities on Wednesday said Apple — which has been notably absent from this product line-up — plans to make a folding iPhone starting next year.
Irish Independent
11-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
The Big Tech Show: What Apple announced for iPhones, Macs, iPads and Watches at WWDC, and its minimalist position on AI
Adrian is currently in Cupertino at Apple Park, California, where Apple just showcased their latest product upgrades. There were three main areas of focus; iOS 26, Liquid Glass and AI features. CCS Insight analysts, Ben Wood and Leo Gebbie, joined Adrian to discuss the new suite of Apple updates. The conversation began on the topic of AI. Both analysts pointed out that Apple's platform based approach to AI which centers on privacy is behind the other main players in the artificial intelligence space but that the typical Apple customer may not be buying hardware based on its AI capabilities. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.
