The Samsung Galaxy Fold was first revealed almost a year ago, on February 21, 2019 to be precise. The company has experienced many problems related to the breakdown of the phone from a number of journalists who got the gadget before the start of sales, because of which it was forced to cancel the start of sales. It was only in September that they managed to release the Fold, first in Korea, and then sales started in other countries, including Russia.
TCL foldable smartphone
Currently, according to the head of IT and mobile division of Samsung, the company has managed to sell 400 thousand foldable smartphones Galaxy Fold. This result is almost in line with the estimated sales of 500 thousand units by the end of 2019.
Interest in the Galaxy Fold is not so great due to the news of the problems and the delayed release. In simple words, the hype passed, and the phone after 8 months ceased to be something revolutionary.
In addition, Samsung has a lot of competitors Huawei and even TCL. Speaking of the latter, the company at CES 2020 presented a prototype of a foldable smartphone that completely repeats the Galaxy Fold. It looks like this:
So far, the company has not decided on its name, start of sales and cost, simply because we are talking about a prototype. However, the presence of a prototype could mean an early release of the device within a year. In addition, it will cost, according to our colleagues from cnet, cheaper than Moto Razr, which was previously estimated at $ 1,500.
TCL foldable smartphone
It can be assumed that a folding device from TCL could cost $ 1200-1300. In this case, it will be a good cheap alternative to the Galaxy Fold and Mate X. The former is priced at $ 1,980, while the latter costs an impressive $ 2,400. The reason for such a high cost lies in the complex process of studying technology and designing devices.
In the case of TCL, we are talking about full copying. If you look closely, you will notice that the mechanism in the center is identical to that of Samsung. In simple words, TCL did not spend resources on design, hence the low cost of the gadget – this tactic is typical of Chinese companies.
Of the minuses, it is worth noting the software, which does not work very well so far, and even at the moment of folding, the mechanism in the center of the device makes strange sounds, which suggests that the guys from TCL were in a hurry to show a working prototype by CES 2020.
Samsung has an answer
You might think Samsung was unaware that many companies would be preparing cheap alternatives to the Fold, but this is not the case. According to rumors, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Fold 2 next month, starting immediately after the presentation on February 11th. The smartphone will cost an attractive $ 857.
A video showing the appearance of the phone was recently published on the Web:
The Fold 2 is rumored to be powered by the Snapdragon 855 processor, despite the fact that the Motorola Razr on the weaker Snapdragon 710 processor is priced at $ 1,500 and is very popular. It is worth noting that a device Xiaomi with a AMOLED – screen on a similar processor can be purchased for $ 200-250.
It prepares its flexible smartphone and Xiaomi. It will cost $ 1000 and will receive a Snapdragon 855 processor. In any case, compared to the Chinese, the Samsung smartphone seems more attractive, which is surprising. I propose to discuss this in Telegram.
Does TCL stand a chance?
Of course, it should be borne in mind that the Fold 2 will have a much smaller display, but this may be its superiority, because not everyone needs a gadget as large as the Fold. It is more of a tablet, while users are more interested in a compact phone. This is why TLC has little chance of winning the hearts of foldable machine fans. Clamshells like the Razr and Fold 2 will be the next more popular trend, and the Chinese shouldn't be outdone.
What do our readers think? Will Chinese companies beat Samsung this year in the battle to be named the best folding phone company? How soon do you think foldable devices will be able to replace the usual phones? Share your opinion in the comments below.