In an ad break during last night's Academy Awards, Samsung gave viewers an unexpected first look at its yet-to-be-announced Galaxy Z Flip foldable phone, which the company is supposed to officially unveil on Tuesday.
The look of the phone in Samsung's commercial matches up with previous leaks, with the device being shown folded up, opened at various angles as well as opened completely flat. At one point, the ad shows the phone sitting on a flat surface at a 90-degree angle while a Google Duo video call takes place on the screen.
The ad also provides a first glimpse of the phone's small full-color digital screen on the back that can show a caller's ID and includes touch sliders for accepting and rejecting calls when the phone is folded up. Two colors of phone are shown – purple and black. The commercial ends with the tagline "Change the shape of the future."
The Galaxy Z Flip is rumored to feature an ultra-thin glass screen that Samsung is said to have developed in an effort to avoid the display issues that plagued the Galaxy Fold. Even so, it looks like Samsung hasn't been able to iron out a common wrinkle of foldable phones – "You may notice a small crease in the center of the main screen, which is a natural characteristic of the screen," reads the ad's small print.
The 6.7-inch Galaxy Z Flip is expected to be more affordable than the Galaxy Fold, which costs $1,980 in the U.S. The original Fold was beleaguered with display issues from the off, and Samsung will be hoping the Flip doesn't suffer a similar fate. There have already been reports of hinge problems with Motorola's just-released $1,499 Razr flip phone.
The Galaxy Z Flip will be officially announced alongside the Galaxy S20 – of which three models are expected – at Samsung's Unpacked event in San Francisco on February 11.
There are no rumors suggesting that Apple has plans to release a foldable smartphone anytime soon, but Apple is undoubtedly looking into foldable devices and has patented some foldable display technology.
