Samsung revs up its foldable and VR display units to fight off competitors and prep for Apple
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Samsung Display is reportedly in the midst of a big reorganization of its A business team, aiming to spearhead the development of foldable screens for phones and beyond, as well as extended reality microdisplays. Faced with stiff competition on the foldable phone side by the likes of Oppo and OnePlus which managed to beat it at its own game this year with foldables like the OnePlus Open, it is aiming to rejiggle the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 design, for instance.
Furthermore, it wants to better prepare for the upcoming onslaught of tablets and laptops with foldable displays and make entry from the competition very hard like it is right now thanks to Samsung's advanced technology. Samsung has particularly Apple on its mind, as it is hard at work developing Macs and iPads with foldable displays, including a 20.25-inch device that goes to a 13-inch gear when folded. If Samsung plays its cards right, it will have the chance to become Apple's main foldable OLED display supplier for IT products as well, just as it does for phones, even though LG is also working to be an Apple supplier for its future foldables.
Last but not least, Samsung is eyeing the explosion in demand for high-res microdisplays for AR/VR devices that is expected to land with the release of Apple's Vision Pro headset. It has reportedly taken the microdisplay development team from its research department, and has folded it into the product development and commercialization team.
As for foldable phones, the reorganized display business division will reportedly "focus on making foldables mainstream and securing differentiated technologies," and the efforts may start bearing fruit as soon as the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Samsung preps Galaxy S25 Ultra design changes... starting with the Z Fold 6
Samsung often does big phone line design and hardware changes every third year of their existence and both the Galaxy S and Galaxy Z lines are due for a design upgrade, according to Korean Naver forum user Lanzuk, who has a pretty good track record with projections based on insider tips.
Samsung will start its third edition design changes with none other than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 in the summer. These will reportedly foretell the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra design changes, too, so we can't wait to see what Samsung has in store with its 2024 foldable crop.
Apparently, a new Galaxy Z Fold 6 development codename of Q6 has been concocted for development purposes and starts with a very different screen ratio from the get-go. Sources close to Samsung's supply chain of hinges and covers for its foldable phones have reportedly also confirmed the drastic Galaxy Z Fold 6 design and display changes, saying that Samsung is moving from a developmental concept to the prototyping stage with them now.
What's even more interesting is that Samsung the new display aspect ratio has changed because Samsung is allegedly enlarging both the main internal display and the cover screen sizes of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. In addition, the design changes will be carried over to the Z Flip 6, too, whose display enlargement will be accompanied by slimmer bezels for a more elegant look. Speaking of elegance, Samsung has apparently managed to reduce the weight of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, despite their potentially larger main and cover displays.
In short, Samsung's 2024 foldables could be a sight to behold and a feel to be had in the hand, as Samsung is evidently feeling the pressure from brands like Oppo Find N3/OnePlus Open whose 2023 foldables are thinner, lighter, with shallower display crease, and much more advanced camera systems than its own creations. It has reorganized its Samsung Display subsidiary, too, in order to spearhead foldable display development for phones, tablets, or laptops and fight off new entrants.
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