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Samsung’s new $1,400 flip phone shows that foldable devices aren’t just a gimmick

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Samsung’s new foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip.

Samsung made a splash Tuesday with the unveiling of its latest experiment in the foldable phones category. And it appears to be the clearest demonstration yet of how the trend isn’t just a gimmick.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is a big improvement on the South Korean electronics giant’s predecessor, the Galaxy Fold. That phone started life crashing for floods of gadget reviewers before it even had the chance to hit the shelves.

But with the Z Flip, which CNBC got a hands-on with, we got an early sign that history is not likely to repeat itself. The device, which folds in half like a clamshell flip phone, feels sturdier and the hinge is a noticable improvement on the Fold. The gap in both halves of the phone is barely noticable, and it’s built to resist exposure to dust and sand.

Whereas the Fold showed how you can cram as much as possible into a phone that folds out into a huge tablet, the Z Flip demonstrates a much more compact version of that design which could open up the “niche” of foldables to a bigger audience.

Samsung’s new foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip.

It also obviously harks back to a time when such “flip” phones were far more commonplace, injecting both a sense of nostalgia and freshness at the same time – as the Motorola Razr did in its own way. And, given the Z Flip comes equipped with a glass display rather than a plastic one, it feels much smoother to use.

One little drawback for me was that it’s a little slower to be able to shut and open the device. A more secure hinge comes with the condition that it takes a little more force to close and open up the Z Flip.

“I believe we’re in the very beginning of a ten-year transition where nearly every mid-range and premium smartphone will be able to fold one way or another,” Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst of Moor Insights & Strategy, told CNBC. “I do not believe this is a passing fad, but a long term trend we will see in phones but also PCs.”

He added: “We will even see devices that can fold twice and I believe Samsung is looking to that future as it named the line ‘Z’ which has two folds.”

Interacting with apps

As with the Fold, there’s the ability to interact with apps in different ways. With the YouTube app, for instance, you can view it on the fully-opened phone normally as you would with any smartphone. But start folding it at a 90-degree angle, and the experience changes.

Samsung’s new foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip.

The video you’re viewing then collapses into the top half of the display — meaning it doesn’t cross into the second half — while recommendations for other clips and the comments section can be interacted with on the bottom portion of the device.

Meanwhile, the way this folding experience — which Samsung calls “Flex Mode” — works with the camera is also a neat feature. When bending it at an angle, like with YouTube, the photo app shows only what the camera sees at the top, while at the bottom you can flick through options like whether to take a picture or video and different effects.

It’s only a sneak peak at how practical folding phones could be for apps, but given that’s such a key thing these phones will have to get right, it’s a promising sign. Samsung could easily exploit this dual-screen function to enable more creative use cases, like it’s done with its “phablet” Note range of phones.

“Foldable phones is an iPhone moment for the smartphone industry similar to the transition from a keypad, non-touch form-factor to capacitive slate touch form-factor when the iPhone was launched ten years ago,” Neil Shah, partner and vice president of research at Counterpoijnt Research, told CNBC. “4G was the catalyst for the slate mobile phone form-factor then; 5G will play the same role for the foldable smartphones.”

Samsung’s new foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip.

But, Shah added: “The mobile ecosystem from supply chain to manufacturers to app developers will have to work hard on standardizing, optimizing the software, applications on these varieties of potential foldable form-factors to keep the experience intuitive and less fragmented.”

More foldables in the works

The Z flip isn’t just a copycat of the Motorola Razr, which was revealed to much fanfare late last year. That device is another clear example in its own right of how foldables could take off at lower entry points, especially for people hesitant to pay a high price for these gadgets.

Plus, despite Huawei’s political problems and a huge $2,600 price tag for its foldable phone, the Mate X released last year was another sign of the amount of investment that’s going into creating these things.

The Galaxy Z Flip sells for a cool $1,380 price, which is expensive. But it’s worth noting that’s significantly lower than the $1,980 you’d pay for a Galaxy Fold. However, the Z Flip won’t come with 5G — the super-fast next generation of mobile internet — whereas the Fold has a slightly more expensive variant with 5G.

Samsung’s new foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip.

Paolo Pescatore, tech, media and telecom analyst at PP Foresight, told CNBC he believes the foldable category is still a “novelty,” but that Samsung had done a “phenomenal job” with the Z Flip.

“Samsung has raised the benchmark compared to other foldable devices in every single way,” he said. “It is far more refined and feels more finished and fashionable compared to rivals.”

Still, the Z Flip will need to stand the test of time — and of willingness from consumers to buy it. If we’ve learned anything from the last two years’ dismal smartphone market performance, it’s that not everyone is ready to part with $1,000 or more for a new handset.

But it’s a promising sign for gadget enthusiasts and casual tech users alike who’ve been wanting to find a potential entry point for a premium-feeling phone that brings something “new” to the table. The Galaxy Z Flip isn’t cheap, but it’s cheaper, and that’s a start.

We’ll also need evidence the phones don’t stop working out of the blue like the Fold did for plenty of reviewers — including CNBC’s — last year. That’s a key thing to watch out for as Samsung starts putting this into more people’s hands.

Needless to say, this won’t be the last you’ve heard of foldable phones. Plenty of other manufacturers — particularly Chinese ones — are working on new and innovative folding devices.

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Slack researcher discusses the fear, loathing and excitement surrounding AI in the workplace

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6 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence‘s recent rise to the forefront of business has left most office workers wondering how often they should use the technology and whether a computer will eventually replace them.

Those were among the highlights of a recent study conducted by the workplace communications platform Slack. After conducting in-depth interviews with 5,000 desktop workers, Slack concluded there are five types of AI personalities in the workplace: “The Maximalist” who regularly uses AI on their jobs; “The Underground” who covertly uses AI; “The Rebel,” who abhors AI; “The Superfan” who is excited about AI but still hasn’t used it; and “The Observer” who is taking a wait-and-see approach.

Only 50% of the respondents fell under the Maximalist or Underground categories, posing a challenge for businesses that want their workers to embrace AI technology. The Associated Press recently discussed the excitement and tension surrounding AI at work with Christina Janzer, Slack’s senior vice president of research and analytics.

Q: What do you make about the wide range of perceptions about AI at work?

A: It shows people are experiencing AI in very different ways, so they have very different emotions about it. Understanding those emotions will help understand what is going to drive usage of AI. If people are feeling guilty or nervous about it, they are not going to use it. So we have to understand where people are, then point them toward learning to value this new technology.

Q: The Maximalist and The Underground both seem to be early adopters of AI at work, but what is different about their attitudes?

A: Maximalists are all in on AI. They are getting value out of it, they are excited about it, and they are actively sharing that they are using it, which is a really big driver for usage among others.

The Underground is the one that is really interesting to me because they are using it, but they are hiding it. There are different reasons for that. They are worried they are going to be seen as incompetent. They are worried that AI is going to be seen as cheating. And so with them, we have an opportunity to provide clear guidelines to help them know that AI usage is celebrated and encouraged. But right now they don’t have guidelines from their companies and they don’t feel particularly encouraged to use it.

Overall, there is more excitement about AI than not, so I think that’s great We just need to figure out how to harness that.

Q: What about the 19% of workers who fell under the Rebel description in Slack’s study?

A: Rebels tend to be women, which is really interesting. Three out of five rebels are women, which I obviously don’t like to see. Also, rebels tend to be older. At a high level, men are adopting the technology at higher rates than women.

Q: Why do you think more women than men are resisting AI?

A: Women are more likely to see AI as a threat, more likely to worry that AI is going to take over their jobs. To me, that points to women not feeling as trusted in the workplace as men do. If you feel trusted by your manager, you are more likely to experiment with AI. Women are reluctant to adopt a technology that might be seen as a replacement for them whereas men may have more confidence that isn’t going to happen because they feel more trusted.

Q: What are some of the things employers should be doing if they want their workers to embrace AI on the job?

A: We are seeing three out of five desk workers don’t even have clear guidelines with AI, because their companies just aren’t telling them anything, so that’s a huge opportunity.

Another opportunity to encourage AI usage in the open. If we can create a culture where it’s celebrated, where people can see the way people are using it, then they can know that it’s accepted and celebrated. Then they can be inspired.

The third thing is we have to create a culture of experimentation where people feel comfortable trying it out, testing it, getting comfortable with it because a lot of people just don’t know where to start. The reality is you can start small, you don’t have to completely change your job. Having AI write an email or summarize content is a great place to start so you can start to understand what this technology can do.

Q: Do you think the fears about people losing their jobs because of AI are warranted?

A: People with AI are going to replace people without AI.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Biden administration to provide $325 million for new Michigan semiconductor factory

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6 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday that it would provide up to $325 million to Hemlock Semiconductor for a new factory, a move that could help give Democrats a political edge in the swing state of Michigan ahead of election day.

The funding would support 180 manufacturing jobs in Saginaw County, where Republicans and Democrats were neck-in-neck for the past two presidential elections. There would also be construction jobs tied to the factory that would produce hyper-pure polysilicon, a building block for electronics and solar panels, among other technologies.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on a call with reporters that the funding came from the CHIPS and Science Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022. It’s part of a broader industrial strategy that the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, supports, while Republican nominee Donald Trump, the former president, sees tariff hikes and income tax cuts as better to support manufacturing.

“What we’ve been able to do with the CHIPS Act is not just build a few new factories, but fundamentally revitalize the semiconductor ecosystem in our country with American workers,” Raimondo said. “All of this is because of the vision of the Biden-Harris administration.”

A senior administration official said the timing of the announcement reflected the negotiating process for reaching terms on the grant, rather than any political considerations. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss the process.

After site work, Hemlock Semiconductor plans to begin construction in 2026 and then start production in 2028, the official said.

Running in 2016, Trump narrowly won Saginaw County and Michigan as a whole. But in 2020 against Biden, both Saginaw County and Michigan flipped to the Democrats.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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The Internet is Littered in ‘Educated Guesses’ Without the ‘Education’

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2 weeks ago

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October 8, 2024

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Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.

The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.

The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.

Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.

On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.

The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.

More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.

Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:

  • You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
  • This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
  • In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!

Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.

Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.

There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.

Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.

Successful people tend to be secretive.

Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.

Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.

Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.

______________________________________________________________

 

Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

 

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