The Samsung Galaxy Fold was Samsung’s first attempt at the next major smartphone form-factor but it was riddled with issues. This foldable device was launched early this year but even before pre-orders could be fulfilled, the devices started breaking in the hands of testers.
This issues went to the extent of the company retracting their initial launch, and after acing durability tests, we finally saw a relaunch in September, this time with better protection and foolproofing.
Even though Samsung made several enhancements to make the Galaxy Fold more durable since it delayed the device’s launch back in April, the company strongly suggests that you use a light touch when pressing on the display.
The futuristic smartphone spots two displays, a 4.6-inch front display which can transform into a 7.3-inch tablet and back again.
Recently on Twitter, Samsung Kenya teased an ‘engineering marvel’ that we should all expect in a few days.
From the video, the unfolding the future tag is a dead giveaway and it’s obvious that the expected device is the Galaxy Fold. The interesting bit is that this launch is set on the 14th of November, that is Thursday this week.
The Galaxy Fold doesn’t come cheap though, Samsung quoted a $1,980 (Kshs 202,890) price tag when it launched. Considering the price tag, many of us didn’t expect it to launch in the Kenyan market, but I guess we were all wrong.
This foldable device is clearly an enthusiast phone and with its high price tag, it is clearly targeted for a small group of people who want to sample the bleeding edge of tech. But to be honest, the basis of having a phone and a tablet in one formfactor could be alluring to some.
Samsung has a rather strong presence in Kenya and its flagship phones have been competing with big dogs like Apple and Huawei here. At the same time, they are also able to go head to head with Infinix and TECNO in many market segments.
And it is this sort of brand recognition that is encouraging Samsung to launch its most expensive smartphone yet, in the country.
However, you can also argue that Samsung is bringing in the Fold to make a name for itself in this market. They will be the only manufacturer to launch a folding phone of its calibre in this market, which will make it stand out from the crowd.
Despite its price, Samsung seems to be doing quite well with this device as it is already available in a couple of markets. However, its latest market is the largest in the smartphone world – China.
A few days ago, Samsung’s official Weibo account, reported that all units of the CNY15,999-priced phone (over $2,000) sold out in five minutes. Now, a fresh report claims that the Chinese 11.11 sale Galaxy Fold units also sold out swiftly.
Sadly, the company didn’t disclose how many devices have been sold during both sales, meaning we can’t say much without the official numbers. This is because if there were only 1,000 units available, then, selling all of them in five minutes wouldn’t be so impressive. Especially for the Chinese market. Nevertheless, some people actually paid the equivalent of $2,288/€2,000 to get the Huawei Mate X’s major rival. Will it be the same here in Kenya? We’ll just have to wait and see.
