Pandemic Prevented Samsung From Becoming Apple’s Worst Nightmare

Apple and Samsung have been at the top of their game for years. Samsung is still the world’s leading smartphone supplier. No one sells as many devices as the Korean giant. That’s an impressive feat considering there are so many Android manufacturers out there.

Apple has its own unique advantage, which is their operating system and ecosystem. No other company can manufacture iOS devices. The iPhone has little competition because those who want to stick with Apple’s ecosystem have to buy Apple devices.

However, Samsung and Apple have competed with each other with their own flagship smartphones. Some of the best Samsung phones have humiliated great iPhones when it comes to specs. But the iPhone is more than just specs.

Samsung has had to change the way it competes with Apple in the high-end smartphone market. Just launching phones equipped with new technology is not enough. It takes a unique value proposition to entice many iPhone owners out of Apple’s ‘walled garden’.

The high-end smartphone market is also stagnating. Rising prices and lack of revolutionary changes have led people to keep their expensive phones for longer. That has prompted manufacturers like Samsung to seek profits up the value chain. What to do to improve the company’s fortunes in this lucrative segment.

Therefore, Samsung has gambled all hands on folding smartphones. This is definitely the first major smartphone brand to launch folding phones on a large scale. Of course, the company still faces some minor competition. While other companies have teased their own models, Samsung’s folding devices are already in their third generation. Apple is not registered in this market.

The value proposition of a folding smartphone is quite astounding. Anyone who is bored with the looks of phones, even the latest ones, will immediately be attracted to folding smartphones. Clamshell folding devices like the Galaxy Z Flip are incredibly versatile and portable. The Galaxy Z Fold product line again offers a large screen, which effectively puts a tablet in the user’s pocket.

Samsung’s folding smartphones have such unique advantages. They also feature flagship specs for the most part. This is important to ensure that these smartphones are not seen as gimmicks. They can handle pretty much anything any other high-end smartphone can do, but are also foldable.

The Korean tech giant pushed things to the next level last year with the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3. Both are the world’s first folding smartphones with water resistance. The Galaxy Z Fold3 also supports the S Pen stylus, which elevates the device for users who need pen capabilities.

In contrast, Apple diversified its revenue streams enough that the company could still generate record profits without having to push hardware development.

Without a pandemic in the midst of Samsung’s most important product launch, the company’s folding design could cause Apple a lot of headaches. The resulting economic turmoil has prompted countless people to cut back on spending. When everything ended with questions about job security, suddenly buying a phone for more than $1,000 didn’t seem like a good idea.

Despite those difficult circumstances, Samsung’s folding device sales have reached a record high. Newer phone models are selling out quickly, especially the $999 Galaxy Z Flip3. People have realized the value of these devices. They were excited to try something that broke the monotonous cycle that the smartphone industry had been stuck in for a decade.

Samsung’s folding devices could resonate even more if global economic conditions are a bit more favorable. However, this trend is promising. As the world reopens, conditions improve, and pent-up consumer demand is released, that could be where Apple’s fortunes run out. We could see more people switching to folding devices.

That’s one of the reasons why Samsung should look to expand its folding smartphone lineup even further. There have been a few rumors regarding the Galaxy Z Fold LIte model. A more competitively priced Galaxy Z Flip model could also make a profit.