Samsung likes to push the boundaries of what's possible on mobile phones. After pioneering big screens with the Note series and later, curved screens with the Galaxy Round and the Note Edge, Samsung is back at it with its folding device. If you're based in (mostly Western) Europe, you can pre-order the Galaxy Fold starting April 26, or buy it when it launches in retail on May 3. Today, the Korean company announced its retail partners and the 15 countries it'll sell the phone in.
The device will be available in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, and Romania. This leaves most of the Eastern European countries out of the loop, which unfortunately happens all too often.
Retail partners include German carriers Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and O2, Belgian Proximus, as well as — guess the country — Swisscom, Sunrise, and Mobilezone.
As we reported before, the Fold starts at €2,000 RRP, breaking the 2,000 price limit just about a year after we got used to phones costing more than 1,000 units of money. (The US price of $1,980 doesn't include taxes, so it breaks that limit for most buyers, too.)
It's a typical Samsung move to throw new form factors at consumers to see what sticks and to test out new manufacturing processes before really starting mass production. Just like the Note Edge, the Fold is barely more than a prototype. Thus, the question remaining is how many units Samsung manages to sell.
PRESS RELEASE
Samsung brings Galaxy Fold to Europe with exclusive retailers
London, UK – March 25th, 2019 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has today announced exclusive partnerships for Galaxy Fold with a range of retailers across Europe1. Participating partner pre-registration will open from 09.00am CET today for those looking to register interest and receive the latest updates on this highly-anticipated device.
Pre-orders for Galaxy Fold will go live on Samsung.com and participating partner websites from Friday 26th April ahead of its retail launch on Friday 3rd May in 15 European countries2, allowing customers to be amongst the first to purchase one of the most talked-about smartphones of the year.
Introducing a whole new smartphone category, the Galaxy Fold features the world’s first foldable 7.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity Flex Display, which folds into a compact device when closed, fully protected with a Gorilla Glass 6 finish.
The Galaxy Fold’s App Continuity feature allows intuitive, seamless app transitions between the phone’s cover and the Infinity Flex main display, collaborating with Google to enable an ecosystem of apps that are simple and easy to use. The Galaxy Fold features Samsung’s largest ever smartphone screen, with a Multi-Active Window that allows users to easily multi-task across three open apps at once.
Years of development have resulted in the Galaxy Fold’s breakthrough materials and sophisticated hinging mechanism – making the device flexible and tough, whilst maintaining its elegant design that delivers a book-like fold. The devices comes in a range of unique colours including Space Silver, Cosmos Black, Martian Green and Astro Blue for a modern look and feel
Hadrian Baumann, Senior Vice President and Head of Sales, Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics Europe commented: ‘’The Galaxy Fold is the result of ten years of research, and represents a huge breakthrough in smartphone design and functionality. Continuing our legacy of display innovation, the Galaxy Fold will allow our customers to enjoy all the benefits of a bigger screen through a ground-breaking design that fits comfortably in your pocket.
“We are looking forward to becoming the first manufacturer to bring this revolutionary new form factor to Europe through close collaboration with our partners.”
The Galaxy Fold will be available in select European countries from €2,000 RRP. All devices will come with Galaxy Buds, a slim-design protective Kevlar case and one year accidental damage cover through Samsung Care+3.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com.
1 Partners include Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, O2, Proximus (Germany) and Swisscom, Sunrise, Mobilezone (Switzerland)
2 At launch, Galaxy Fold will be available in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and Romania
3 1-time accidental damage coverage is offered to all Galaxy Fold customers upon registration in 30 days from Galaxy Fold purchase date. Coverage is valid for 1 year from the registration date. More information will be available on Samsungcareplus.com soon.
