Samsung used last night’s Academy Awards to reveal the Galaxy Z Flip that it’s launching tomorrow at its Unpacked event alongside the new, thoroughly-leaked, Galaxy S20 range. The TV ad showed off the similarly comprehensively leaked foldable’s video-calling skills when folded open to 90 degrees, purple or black color options, and a small exterior display for notifications.
We’ll find out the rest of the specs for the Z Flip, along with pricing and availability tomorrow, but Samsung’s got to be feeling pretty confident about it in the wake of the disastrous launch of Motorola’s Razr. The Razr’s squandered its first-to-market advantage by messing up pre-orders and, as per our full review, delivering middling specifications while demanding a premium price and short-lived novelty.
Samsung could rain on Motorola’s parade —
If the Z Flip addresses the criticisms leveled against the Razr’s hinge and display longevity, doesn’t come with the same supply chain woes, and matches or betters the price, Samsung could win over aspirant Razr owners. It could also introduce the world to ultra-thin, flexible glass if the rumors Samsung’s managed to get that right prove true.
There’s still a crease —
Samsung’s ad included the following caveat in fineprint: “You may notice a crease at the center of the main screen, which is a natural characteristic of the screen." If the Z Flip can avoid the fragility of the original Galaxy Fold, we may be able to forgive it this infraction. Will we be convinced to use Google Duo as shown in the ad, though? That’s probably asking too much.
What’s left to find out tomorrow? Whether the Galaxy Home speaker has been canned, whether we’ll get its Mini brethren in the U.S., how the new Galaxy Buds sound, and whether Samsung’s answer to AirDrop is any good.
