Main financial assets discussed: Samsung (OTCPK:SSNLF), Qualcomm (QCOM), Motorola (MSI), Google (GOOG, GOOGL)
Top 3 key points:
1. Samsung has unveiled the latest iterations of its foldable phones, the Z Fold5 and the Z Flip5, with improvements in design and performance.
2. The new hinge design and larger external display on the Flip5 contribute to improved usability and competitiveness in the foldable phone market.
3. The developments in foldable technology, along with increased competition, are making foldables more mainstream and poised for significant growth in the market.
Recommended actions: **Buy** Samsung, Qualcomm, Motorola, and Google stocks as the developments in foldable technology and increased competition are expected to drive growth in the market.
The main topic of the article is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and its position in the foldable smartphone market.
Key points include:
- The growth of the foldable smartphone market, with foldable shipments increasing 64% year-on-year in Q1 2023.
- The increasing competition in the foldable smartphone market, with more companies releasing their own foldable devices.
- The appeal of the Galaxy Z Fold 5's large screen and improved hardware, including a thinner design and upgraded chip.
- The trade-offs of the form factor, such as the device's size and narrow external screen.
- The improvements in battery life, camera performance, and software experience.
- The high price of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the potential impact of competition on pricing.
Main topic: Review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
Key points:
1. Design and display: The Z Fold 5 features a new Flex hinge that eliminates the gap between the phone when closed, making it thinner and more durable. The main display is brighter and the device supports the use of a stylus.
2. Performance and multitasking: The Z Fold 5 is faster and more responsive thanks to the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip. It also offers improved multitasking features, such as side-by-side app mode and an expanded taskbar.
3. Cameras and battery life: The Z Fold 5 has a capable camera setup, but it falls short compared to other flagship phones in its price range. However, it offers impressive battery life, lasting longer than the Pixel Fold.
Overall, the Z Fold 5 offers incremental improvements over its predecessors, but may not be compelling enough for those who are not already interested in foldable devices.
Main topic: Samsung's latest slate of Galaxy devices and their pre-order offers.
Key points:
1. Pre-ordering the Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers double the storage (256GB to 512GB) and a $200 Amazon gift card at no extra cost.
2. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has received positive reviews, but Samsung could do more with the foldable format.
3. Pre-ordering the Galaxy Z Flip 5 offers 512GB of storage and a $150 Amazon gift card. The device has a larger and more useful external display compared to previous models.
Main topic: Review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 foldable phone
Key points:
1. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 features a 3.4-inch external display, which is an improvement over its predecessor.
2. The phone has a new hinge that allows for gapless closure when folded.
3. The Flip 5 has similar cameras, water-resistance rating, and battery size as its predecessor, but comes with twice the base storage.
Xiaomi has announced the Mix Fold 3, a new foldable phone for the Chinese market. Key points about the device include:
1. The Mix Fold 3 has a 6.56-inch cover screen and a larger 8.03-inch foldable screen.
2. It features Leica-powered rear cameras with multiple focal lengths, including two telephoto lenses.
3. The device is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and has up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It also has a 4800mAh battery with fast wired and wireless charging.
Please note that this information is specific to the Chinese market and there is no word on a global launch yet.
Main topic: Samsung's plans to update its Galaxy phones to the Android 14-based One UI 6.
Key points:
1. Samsung is preparing to update its Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Galaxy Z Flip 5 to One UI 6.
2. The update is expected to roll out around October or November, following the release of Android 14 in August.
3. Samsung will gradually bring One UI 6 to other Galaxy phones, including older models launched in the past two years.
The main topic is a comparison between the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Motorola Razr Plus, two flip-style foldable phones.
Key points:
1. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 offers a powerful Snapdragon chipset, a big cover screen, and a refined design with a new hinge.
2. The Motorola Razr Plus has a large cover display, fast main and cover screens, and a unique design that feels like having two phones in one.
3. Both phones have their strengths and weaknesses in terms of design, hardware, software, cameras, and overall user experience, but the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is considered slightly better overall.
The main topic is the rumored camera upgrade for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 prototype.
Key points:
1. The prototype is said to have a 50MP primary camera sensor.
2. The Flip series, including the Flip 5, is Samsung's most popular foldable, accounting for 70% of its global sales.
3. The Flip 5 features a 3.4-inch external display and a 6.7-inch internal display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Samsung is interested in creating a foldable tablet and laptop. The company sees the tablet as a good product category for the foldable format. Samsung is investing resources into developing a thin, light, and strong foldable tablet. The company is also considering a foldable laptop in the future.
The main topic is Samsung's software updates for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip.
1. The updates are over 300MB each and fix 74 security vulnerabilities.
2. Samsung demonstrates its commitment to timely software updates.
3. Samsung is known for delivering updates ahead of schedule, making Google look bad in comparison.
The main topic is Samsung's manufacturing process for their smartphones.
1. Overview of Samsung's Smart City in Gumi, South Korea, where the company conducts R&D and manufacturing.
2. Tour of Samsung's smartphone museum showcasing their past devices and a breakdown of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5.
3. Description of the manufacturing and assembly process, including the use of CNC machines, testing procedures, and efforts to automate the assembly line.
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 is now $300 off, Motorola's razr+ is $900, and Philips Hue smart lights start at $15 in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.
Samsung and designer Thom Browne have unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold5 Thom Browne Edition, a limited edition smartphone that combines cutting-edge technology with iconic design elements, including black pebble leather, Thom Browne's signature stripes, and gold accents. The package also includes exclusive accessories and a specially crafted Galaxy Watch6 Thom Browne Edition, with both items available in limited quantities starting on September 12, 2023.
Samsung has started rolling out the One UI 5.1.1 update to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in the US, bringing in new features such as app switching, Flex Mode enhancements, Quick Share improvements, better sleep tracking in Samsung Health, and more.
Samsung is set to release its latest One UI 6 update based on Android 14, with eligible devices including the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Z Fold series, Galaxy Z Flip series, Galaxy A series, Galaxy M series, Galaxy F series, Galaxy Tab S9 series, and the Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro.
Samsung has launched the 'December Samsung' sale with discounts on TVs, monitors, smartphones, and other electronic products, including deals on Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Tab S9, Galaxy Watch 6, and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is a premium foldable phone with a compact design, improved hinge, and larger cover display, making it an attractive option for those interested in the clamshell foldable form, but it does come with compromises in terms of battery life, camera quality, and inconvenience in unfolding the phone.
Samsung has released the September 2023 security update for its latest foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5, in Europe, fixing over 60 security vulnerabilities.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 outperforms the Google Pixel Fold in terms of speed and performance, thanks to its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and UFS 4.0 storage.
The article compares the iPhone 15 to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5, highlighting their specifications, displays, cameras, prices, and overall value, ultimately concluding that the best smartphone choice depends on personal preferences and needs.
Samsung has released the W24 and W24 Flip as more luxurious alternatives to the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Flip5, featuring increased RAM, storage, and ceramic back panels.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 offers a dual-screen experience, powerful hardware, versatile software, and a great camera system, making it a worthwhile purchase, especially considering the current sale price.
### Summary
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is currently on sale with a $1,320 discount, making it more affordable for those interested in the best foldable phone, but the sale ends tonight.
Motorola's new clamshell-style foldable phone, the Razr+, offers a satisfying compact design and a larger outer display, but the author still finds themselves opening the device more often than expected, leading them to question if a different form factor would better suit their needs.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 are the fastest and smoothest Samsung phones in 2023, while the Galaxy S23, S23+, and Z Flip 5 are also great options for those looking for smaller and/or cheaper phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.
Samsung is expecting to ship over 10 million foldable phones, including the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5, which could sell 8-10% higher than their predecessors, while also planning an early launch of the Galaxy S24 series in response to strong demand for the iPhone 15 series.
Samsung has postponed the release of the One UI 6.0 beta update for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 until next month, citing the Chuseok holiday in South Korea as the reason for the delay.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is available at different prices worldwide, with South Korea being the cheapest country to purchase it, while Mexico is the most expensive.
On October 19, OnePlus is set to launch its first foldable smartphone, the OnePlus Open, which features a design more similar to the Galaxy Z Fold5 than the Pixel Fold, and has partnered with Unbox Therapy to showcase its hinge and other features such as a large cover display and a mute switch.
India's online shopping platforms Amazon and Flipkart are currently running sales events, offering significant discounts on Samsung's latest foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5, with discounts of up to INR 17,000, making it an ideal time to purchase these devices.
Samsung has released the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 beta update for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 in India and the US, making it the first foldable phone from Samsung to receive the update.
Samsung has made the One UI 6 beta, based on Android 14, available for the Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Flip5 foldable smartphones.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 have finally received the One UI 6 beta, with the Fold 5 beta being rolled out in the US and India, and it is expected that other devices in Samsung's foldable lineup will follow suit soon.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has launched the One UI 6.0 beta program in select markets, including the UK, and is expected to release the public build before the end of the year.
Samsung's rumored smart ring, the Galaxy Ring, may not be released until the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 in the second half of 2024 or even early 2025, according to reports.
Samsung is reportedly working with gaming companies such as Epic Games and Krafton to create exclusive games for its Galaxy Z Fold lineup, aiming to differentiate itself and attract more users to foldable phones.