Samsung to launch the Samsung Galaxy Folder phone in Q4 of 2013

Samsung has made a lot of interesting and strange products that I thought would’ve flopped but surprisingly turned out to be a success:

1.      The 5” Samsung Galaxy Note in 2011 and it’s update in 2013 the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 as stated in “Samsung Galaxy Note 2 review: The ultimate anti-iPhone”, published April 2013, CNET News

2.      The 6.3” Samsung Galaxy Mega in April 2013 as described in “Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3-inch phablet, hands-on”, published April 18, 2013 12:55 GMT (05:55 PDT) By Ben Woods, ZDNet.

In the process they created a new category of phone: the Phablet.

Samsung it seems, is bucking the trend towards smaller feature phone sizes as predicted in my blog article entitled “Tech Predictions of 2013 - 3D Printing and smaller smartphones” by making bigger phones…….and succeeding.  

But for how long?

Samsung, my frenemy as I’m a loyal Apple fan, possibly with this question in the back of their mind, has decided to tick the weird-meter completely off the scale.  Reports have recently surfaced that Samsung is bringing back the flip phone, but this time running Android as stated in the article “Samsung going old school? Report says it's making a flip phone”, published July 19, 2013, 1:18 p.m. By Salvador Rodriguez, The Los Angeles Times.

In essence, Samsung, as with the Galaxy Note and Samsung Galaxy Mega series which gave birth to the Phablet, has now created yet another category of smartphone: the Feature Smartphone. Compact size of a feature phone with all the power of a smartphone!

#Woot

The name of this new Flip Phone as reported originally by the South Korean Website Daily Digital? The Samsung Galaxy Folder as stated in “Samsung is trying everything else, why not a flip phone?”, published July 17, 2013 6:34 AM PDT by Joan E. Solsman, CNET News. The specs are as described in the article “Samsung Galaxy Folder leaks, puzzles everyone”, published 16 July, 2013, GSMArena:

1.      Operating System: Google Android 4.2.2 aka Jelly Bean

2.      Screen: 800 x 480 pixels resolution touch screen

3.      Processor: Dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 

4.      Wireless: LTE radio

5.      Alphanumeric keyboard

6.      Sapphire Screen (??)

So why you may ask, is Samsung committing what appears to be cultural suicide as opined by DigitalTrends writer Andy Boxall in his article “Looking for a state-of-the-art Android flip phone? Of course you aren’t!”, published July 17, 2013 by Andy Boxall, DigitalTrends?

Clearly Samsung sees a market for reviving this Clamshell classic with some modern stylings and a new OS yet packing the power of a smartphone in an easier to use form factor complete with buttons. It’s a very strategic push as it allows persons who may find smartphones a bit daunting and overpriced a means to experience Google Android, especially Baby Boomers (ages 45 to 90).

It fits with their overall strategy of making different types of handsets for different markets instead of Apple’s one-size-fits-all strategy. Android on a feature phone is what Feature phones should have been in the first place.

Most importantly, it sets up the stage for the sale of larger smartphones.  Very much the same manner cheaper smartphones set the stage to introduce smartphones to Millennials (ages 18 to 28) via Samsung’s other new OS, Tizen in Developing World countries as explained in my blog article entitled “MWC 2013 reveals Firefox OS & Tizen OS launching Second & Third Quarter 2013 respectively - Samsung's Despicable Me 2 & Mozilla practices The ABC's of Death”.

Such budget smartphones (as this would technically qualify as such) are geared towards those who may not be able to afford the hefty prices of smartphones. Here in Jamaica, Telecom Provider Digicel is making headway with the very brisk sales of its DL600 smartphone as described in my blog article entitled “Digicel has launched DL600 and Blackberry Q10 in Jamaica on Thursday 30th 2013 - The Purge of Features phones in a gradual ramp-up towards Data Services and smartphone in Jamaica”.

Hopefully they’ll also include the following features as well:

1.      Wi-Fi Tethering

2.      Micro-HDMI and USB 3.0 port

3.      Bluetooth 3.0

4.      Android Apps

5.      Sapphire Screen as described in my blog article entitled “Sapphire Screens for smartphones by Q1 2014 - Unscratchable Sign of Virgo is the Man of Steel to revive Jamaican Alumina Industry”

6.      Rear Facing Camera

7.      US$99 price sans a contract but conditional on a 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) Data Plan

So Samsung’s bringing the Flip Phone Back in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Folder. In much the same way the larger smartphones including its successful Samsung Galaxy S4 is making waves for its largess, Samsung hopes to do the same by creating yet another pint-sized category of phone: the feature smartphone. Android improvement of the Feature phone is the R.I.P.D. (2013) resurrected Feature Smartphone.