Samsung improves the AI in folding phones like the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and smartwatches that track health.
Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), opened a new tab, showed off its newest folding smartphones on Wednesday. Its most expensive model is now lighter and thinner, and AI features have been improved to make it more competitive with Apple in the high-end market.
On top of that, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 has better health tracking features to bring in more people who want to buy accessories like its smartwatch and a new ring that makes it easy to check your health and control your screen.
The biggest smartphone company in the world was the first to make a foldable phone in 2019. However, Wednesday’s launch is very important because, according to data source Canalys, Samsung’s foldable Galaxy Z Flip 6 phone shipment share dropped from 81% in 2022 to 63% in 2023 as new competitors entered the market.
In answer, Samsung made the wide Galaxy Z Flip 6 its thinnest and lightest phone ever to get people to buy it. The clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 6 has a longer battery life, a camera with a better resolution, and a new vapour chamber that keeps the phone cooler. This removes pain points that were found by talking to customers.
Wednesday, the company set the price of the Z Flip 6 at $1,099.99 and the price of the Z Fold 6 at $1,899.99. This is only a $100 price increase compared to last year’s model, even though the cost of materials has gone up a lot and the prices have been the same for three years.
Samsung has added new AI features, such as a “listening mode” that lets you use your voice to understand what you’re hearing when you pair your phone with Galaxy Buds earphones. It also worked with Alphabet’s Google on new AI search features, such as showing all the steps to solve a maths problem when it is circled on the screen.
It added a lot of new health features to its Galaxy Watch models, along with new sensors and a 3-nanometer chip that made it three times faster to start up apps and process data than last year’s model.
The FDA has now cleared it as a sleep apnea monitoring device in the US. For bikers, it measures functional threshold power (FTP), which is an important piece of information. It also measures advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which are a biomarker linked to diabetes.
Samsung has been betting for years that health tracking will bring in new customers. The new Galaxy Ring is the result of that bet.
It costs $399 and weighs 3 grams (0.1 ounce) or less. You can have it in the shower or while swimming, and it can constantly track your heart rate and stress levels. It can also help you handle the camera or alarm on a Samsung phone.
