How the third time could be the charm for Samsungs folding phones

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 was the most important smartphone released last year, cementing foldables as a viable form factor after the disastrous launch of the original Z Fold had all but eroded consumer confidence.

As someone who personally owns a Galaxy Z Fold 2 and has been using it as their daily driver for the past eight months, it’s easy to see why foldables are the future of smartphones. But the current device isn’t perfect, and since Samsung is hoping to take the Fold mainstream with the debut of a third version on August 12, here are the areas it will be focusing on.

What the Galaxy Fold 3 may look like, based on the information we have. Render by @OnLeaks via digit.in

More accessible price point

A big reason many consumers steered well clear of the Z Fold 2 was its eye watering price tag of $2999. Thankfully, according to reports, Samsung is looking to reduce the price of its Z line by up to 20 per cent this year, which would bring it much closer to other flagship smartphone prices.

While this still isn’t cheap, the more aggressive price point means it has a better chance of attracting premium smartphone buyers that wouldn’t have otherwise considered a foldable.

A hardier glass for the inner display

Fragile displays have been another big challenge for foldable smartphone manufacturers. The panels need to be rigid enough to endure daily use, yet flexible enough to fold easily without cracking. Samsung uses ultra thin glass to protect the inner display on the Z Fold 2, which has held up quite well.

The faint crease in the middle hasn’t worsened over time and the display is well protected when closed, so I can easily throw it in a bag without worrying about damaging it. However, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve accidentally scratched the screen with something as banal as a stray fingernail, and I can see why the screen would be too fragile for most people.

Rumour has it Samsung’s 2021 foldables will will have the strongest displays yet, with glass twice as thick as the Z Fold 2’s. This would be an important upgrade, especially as the Z Fold 3 is also expected to bring support for the S Pen stylus, which could lead to people tapping the screen more forcefully.

Water and dust resistance

An IP rating for water and dust resistance such as those found on other premium flagship smartphones would go a long way in attracting customers that would otherwise be scared off by the thought that their costly investment could be ruined by a splash of water.

Make it thinner and lighter

The fact that you can fit a tablet in a pocket is impressive, but it didn’t take long after the initial honeymoon period to realise that this thing sticks out as much as George Costanza’s wallet. The Z Fold 2 is almost 16.8 mm thick when closed which â€" to put that in context â€" is the equivalent of two flat screen smartphones sandwiched together. Making it thinner by even a couple of millimetres would make it much more pocketable.

Widen the front display slightly

One of the things that throws people off about the Z Fold 2 is the narrow 6.2-inch outer display, which makes the onscreen keyboard too cramped for text messaging and emails. Making the outer display a little wider would make it more practical to use as a phone, especially in those instances where you don’t have two hands free to unfold the device and use the larger inner display.

Camera that’s on par with other flagships

The Z Fold 2 was a bit of a letdown in the camera department, as it effectively used the same triple camera array as the Galaxy S20+. It was by no means bad but it felt like a noticeable downgrade after using the company’s other flagship smartphones such as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which delivers much better low light performance, a more capable optical zoom and natural looking background blur.

While I don’t expect Samsung to transplant the enormous camera hump from the S21 Ultra to the Z Fold 3, as that would only make the device thicker and potentially drive up costs, I do hope they can at least get the camera quality closer to their Ultra premium flagships.

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Krishan Sharma is a multi-award-winning Australian technology journalist.

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