"Samsung has surprised the world with the foldable phone." (Stern magazine, Germany)

The Galaxy Fold, the latest smartphone release of Samsung Electronics, has attracted major coverage by international media.

Bloomberg News said, "Samsung's device is not the first foldable-screen phone, but the company's brand, reach and technological prowess makes it the most advanced folding phone for the mass market."

The Vietnamese online media outlet 24H praised the new release by saying, "The Galaxy Fold will bring a whole new experience and make us do new things we’ve never did before with a smartphone."

The Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun added, "Samsung has gone on the counterattack against Chinese companies like Huawei by equipping the new device with a creative design and outstanding capabilities."

Other media, however, remained skeptical about the Galaxy Fold, specifically how its high price of nearly USD 2,000 could dampen demand for it.

USA Today quoted the results of a poll conducted by SurveyMonkey Audience, saying, "Only 19 percent of smartphone buyers with an Android device said a flexible or foldable design would fill the bill," adding, "In the same survey, only 3 percent of buyers said they were willing to spend more than $1,000 on any new smartphone." 

The American daily, however, did mention the Fold's technological features, saying, "That may be beside the point, though. For one thing, many of us have pointed to smartphone innovation as having hit a wall these past several years. So whatever you end up thinking about the Fold, you can't say that it isn't different or doesn't represent change."

The Galaxy Fold was formally introduced at the event "Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2019" in San Francisco. With sales to start from this year's second quarter, the device features a 4.6-inch screen when folded and a 7.3-inch screen when fully opened into a tablet.

jesimin@korea.kr