Samsung to launch Galaxy Fold in S.Korea on Sept. 6 priced $2,000 (updated)

SK Telecom Co

05/09/2019 16:35

(Adds colour from hands-on event in Berlin)
    By Ju-min Park and Douglas Busvine
    SEOUL/BERLIN, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
 005930.KS  on Thursday said its first foldable smartphone, the
Galaxy Fold, will be available in South Korea from Sept. 6 with
fifth-generation (5G) mobile connectivity.
    The world's largest smartphone vendor said the device would
be priced at 2.398 million won ($1,977). It will go on sale in
Britain, France and Germany in less than two weeks, with a U.S.
release also planned.
    The highly anticipated handset was originally due to hit the
U.S. market in April but the launch was delayed by screen
defects detected in samples.
    The remodeled version of the Galaxy Fold, which opens like a
book to reveal a 7.3-inch infinity display, now has the screen's
protective layer tucked under the bezel at its edge.
    There are protective caps at the end of the hinges and, when
the device is closed, there is a smaller gap between the hinge
and the body of the phone to keep out dust, Samsung's European
sales chief Mark Notton said at the IFA tech fair in Berlin.
    Samsung has promised to usher in a new age of foldables as
part of its effort to showcase innovation in a saturated
smartphone market.
    The device's main screen can show up to three apps
simultaneously, allowing a user to multitask. When it is closed
the display is replicated on an external screen - a feature
known as app continuity.
    
    5G OPTION
    Samsung is launching 5G versions of the Galaxy Fold in
Britain and Germany, where operators are starting to roll out
the super-fast networks in some cities. An LTE version will be
offered in France.
    The company announced in July it would be ready to sell the
Galaxy Fold in September after making changes including
strengthening the hinges, which early reviewers had found to be
problematic.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N24Q0F7
    Samsung will provide a program for Fold users in which the
company covers 70% of cost of a display screen repair once
within a year, according to its statement.
    "Consumers have responded positively to larger screens, and
the Galaxy Fold's revolutionary form factor offers a bigger,
more immersive screen without sacrificing portability," said DJ
Koh, chief executive of IT & Mobile Communications Division at
Samsung Electronics.
    Last month, Chinese rival Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
 HWT.UL  delayed the planned September launch of its Mate X
foldable phone, its second postponement this year, as it battles
a U.S. trade blacklist that threatens the tech giant's access to
crucial U.S. technologies from Alphabet Inc's  GOOGL.O  Google
that run on the Android operating system.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2552P8
    SK Telecom Co Ltd  017670.KS , South Korea's biggest mobile
carrier by subscribers, also on Thursday said it expected Galaxy
Fold sales to boost its number of 5G subscribers, offering
discounts and insurance plans for the high-priced folding phone.
($1 = 1,212.6600 won)

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Samsung Elec's delayed Galaxy Fold now ready for Sept launch   
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N24Q0F7
BRIEF-Huawei Says No Update From U.S. Yet On Android   
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2552P8
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 (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Christopher Cushing and
Alexandra Hudson)
 ((ju-min.park@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 3704 5650; Reuters
Messaging: ju-min.park.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))