The Galaxy Fold has opened up a new chapter of mobile device history. In bringing folding capabilities to a smartphone, Samsung aimed to present users with a whole new realm of possibilities of what their device can do for them.
Samsung began the task of designing the Galaxy Fold with the goal of making users’ mobile lives more convenient, taking into consideration how a new folding mechanism would accommodate people’s daily experiences.
Encountering New Form Factors
As the day-to-day lifestyles of consumers have become more diversified, so too have their needs, and the technology they use must keep up. The Galaxy Fold features an all-new form factor with its Infinity Flex Display, which provides the most natural holding experience yet for the user. The Galaxy Fold design team started with the very basics of ‘folding’ and what that action means in everyday life, studying how various things fold and unfold as well as what advantages each folding process offers. People in fact fold and unfold all manner of objects in their day-to-day lives, from their books to their wallets.
The design team worked closely with the engineering team in order to find the most convenient and aesthetically pleasing design for a folding device. The team constructed over 1,000 prototypes using a wide array of materials, including foam board and various fabrics, and eventually settled on an in-folding design.
Optimizing for the Foldable Experience
The Galaxy Fold features design elements that offer consumers a user experience that is as familiar as it is convenient. When incorporating the device’s proprietary new technologies, from the Infinity Flex Display to the hinge, Samsung developed a design that would ensure easy one-handed operation, as well as a comfortable and immersive full-screen experience.
Design elements of the Galaxy Fold ensure this seamless ease of use. The device’s large Infinity Flex Display, measuring 7.3 inches when unfolded, was designed to be the optimum size for carrying around when folded. The inward-folding hinge not only provides an intuitive and familiar folding sensation, but also helps protect the display. Additionally, with a total of six lenses across the device, users are able to take pictures no matter how they are holding the device.
The Galaxy Fold’s slim and ergonomic design provides users with a comfortable grip. The device’s size and ratio has been optimized for one or two-handed use, aligning with the unique capabilities of the Galaxy Fold, such as multitasking with Multi-Active Window. The front and back of the device, when folded (or, the entire back of the device when unfolded) have the same volume, shape and dimensions, with even distribution of weight across the left and right sides of the device so it feels balanced and natural to hold. Furthermore, the placement of the fingerprint scanner on the side of the Galaxy Fold is aligned with where the user’s thumb falls, so unlocking the phone is as intuitive as unfolding it.
Future-Proof Design, Eco-Friendly Packaging
Not only is the Galaxy Fold designed with a unique foldable usability, it has a premium appearance, too. Samsung refined its design precisely. In order to create a seamless look for the device’s cover from the display to the edge of the device itself, Samsung applied to sophisticated process to the front metal frame.
Finally, in line with the Galaxy Fold’s philosophy of providing users with a premium lifestyle experience, the design process does not stop at the device itself. As a finishing touch, the packaging that the Galaxy Fold comes in has been created using eco-friendly materials – the first Samsung product to have this applied to all packaging parts. In another first for a Samsung product, the box has a multi-layer design, so that the full-screen experience of the Galaxy Fold can begin from the moment the user opens the box.
Samsung looks forward to further innovating in the foldable space and seeing what the next trends in foldable designs will be.
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