Samsung Launches New Foldable 'Flip' Phone, 5G Devices
2020-02-13
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1Samsung Electronics has launched a new foldable phone and several new 5G devices.
2Samsung announced the telephone and other products during an event Tuesday in San Francisco, California.
3The new phone is called the Galaxy Z Flip.
4It goes on sale February 14 and has a starting price of $1,380.
5When open, the Galaxy Z Flip is similar in shape and size to most smartphones.
6When closed, the phone collapses down to half its size, in the shape of a square.
7The Galaxy Z Flip is the company's second foldable phone.
8Samsung launched its first model, the Galaxy Fold, last year.
9That phone closes up over the middle and opens up to the size of a small tablet.
10Technology critics have noted design problems with the Galaxy Fold, which also experienced delays in production.
11There were also reports that screens on some of the first Folds began breaking after just a few days of use.
12Samsung says the Z Flip's screen is made of a glass-like material.
13The Galaxy Fold device had a plastic screen.
14When the Z Flip is closed, users can still see the time, take selfies and be notified of messages.
15It can be set up in different positions for taking pictures, watching videos or typing.
16Rebecca Hirst is a marketing director at Samsung Electronics.
17She said at the launch event that the new phone marks a "giant step forward" for the company.
18"We're changing the shape of the future with the Galaxy Z Flip.
19This is no ordinary smartphone - it changes everything," Hirst said.
20Last year, China's Huawei launched a foldable smartphone called the Mate X.
21And, Motorola recently began selling its own flip phone model, called the Razr.
22The device sells for $1,499.
23The foldable phones represent an attempt by manufacturers to energize a market where sales have slowed.
24Many people are holding onto their old phones longer, in part, because new phones can be costly.
25In addition, critics say the new products do not necessarily offer major upgrades in performance.
26Technology experts say since the new foldable models are pricey, they are likely to appeal only to a limited market.
27Paolo Pescatore studies the mobile phone market for PP Foresight.
28He told The Associated Press that while there has been "a lot of excitement" around foldable phones, the devices are likely to go through many changes in coming years.
29At its product event this week, Samsung also announced three new versions of its Galaxy S smartphone line.
30The phones include the S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra.
31All the S20s promise upgraded cameras and will connect to wireless 5G.
325G is the next generation of wireless technology. It promises much higher internet speeds.
33The S20 phones will go on sale in the United States on March 6, with prices from $1,000 to $1,400.
34Samsung was the top smartphone company in the world last year.
35But Apple took the number one position in the December quarter, the research service IDC reported.
36Apple's rise came after a drop in pricing for the iPhone 11 helped the company enjoy its best growth since 2015.
37Samsung and Apple also face strong competition from Huawei, which finished a close third in market share in the final three months of 2019.
38I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Samsung Electronics has launched a new foldable phone and several new 5G devices. 2Samsung announced the telephone and other products during an event Tuesday in San Francisco, California. The new phone is called the Galaxy Z Flip. It goes on sale February 14 and has a starting price of $1,380. 3When open, the Galaxy Z Flip is similar in shape and size to most smartphones. When closed, the phone collapses down to half its size, in the shape of a square. 4The Galaxy Z Flip is the company's second foldable phone. Samsung launched its first model, the Galaxy Fold, last year. That phone closes up over the middle and opens up to the size of a small tablet. 5Technology critics have noted design problems with the Galaxy Fold, which also experienced delays in production. There were also reports that screens on some of the first Folds began breaking after just a few days of use. 6Samsung says the Z Flip's screen is made of a glass-like material. The Galaxy Fold device had a plastic screen. 7When the Z Flip is closed, users can still see the time, take selfies and be notified of messages. It can be set up in different positions for taking pictures, watching videos or typing. 8Rebecca Hirst is a marketing director at Samsung Electronics. She said at the launch event that the new phone marks a "giant step forward" for the company. "We're changing the shape of the future with the Galaxy Z Flip. This is no ordinary smartphone - it changes everything," Hirst said. 9Last year, China's Huawei launched a foldable smartphone called the Mate X. And, Motorola recently began selling its own flip phone model, called the Razr. The device sells for $1,499. 10The foldable phones represent an attempt by manufacturers to energize a market where sales have slowed. Many people are holding onto their old phones longer, in part, because new phones can be costly. In addition, critics say the new products do not necessarily offer major upgrades in performance. 11Technology experts say since the new foldable models are pricey, they are likely to appeal only to a limited market. 12Paolo Pescatore studies the mobile phone market for PP Foresight. He told The Associated Press that while there has been "a lot of excitement" around foldable phones, the devices are likely to go through many changes in coming years. 13At its product event this week, Samsung also announced three new versions of its Galaxy S smartphone line. The phones include the S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra. 14All the S20s promise upgraded cameras and will connect to wireless 5G. 5G is the next generation of wireless technology. It promises much higher internet speeds. 15The S20 phones will go on sale in the United States on March 6, with prices from $1,000 to $1,400. 16Samsung was the top smartphone company in the world last year. But Apple took the number one position in the December quarter, the research service IDC reported. 17Apple's rise came after a drop in pricing for the iPhone 11 helped the company enjoy its best growth since 2015. 18Samsung and Apple also face strong competition from Huawei, which finished a close third in market share in the final three months of 2019. 19I'm Bryan Lynn. 20Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters and Samsung. George Grow was the editor. 21We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page. 22_________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24foldable - adj. able to be folded or doubled over (bent in two so that one part lies flat on top of the other) 25tablet - n. a small computing device that is controlled by touching the screen or by using a special instrument 26screen - n. a flat area on an electronic device where images can be seen 27type - v. to write something using a keyboard 28ordinary - adj. not special, different or unusual 29flip - v. to turn or make something turn onto a different side 30upgrade - n. an improvement to something to make it better or higher quality 31quarter - n. any three-month period