‘We make glass BEND’ boasts Samsung as insiders reveal how foldable phones are the future & add brainy battery life perk

THE days of boring, flat smartphones may soon be over – mobiles are bending again. Like a throwback to the noughties, foldable phones are all the range and Samsung has been leading the charge – we tackle the latest on Future Tech Feed with Sean Keach. The Sun’s Sean Keach sat down with Samsung’s Annika Bizon and Kadesh Beckford Credit: The Sun / Future Tech Feed The South Korean tech giant has been dishing out foldables at dizzying pace for seven years now. These bendy blowers hinge in the middle, giving you a pocket-sized phone that opens up to reveal a tablet-sized screen. Sign up for the Tech newsletter Thank you! And I took a trip to see Samsung in Chertsey last week to chat with two of the people driving the foldable phone revolution for the latest episode of Future Tech Feed with Sean Keach (Watch the full episode on YouTube). I met up with Samsung’s Annika Bizon, VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experiences and Kadesh Beckford, Smartphone Specialist Product Manager to find out what all the fuss is about. SHAPE UP Just last month, Samsung dished out not one but three new foldable phones. And what was unique about them was that they all had different sizes, shapes, and folding mechanisms. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 folds like a classic noughties flip phone, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra looks like a regular modern mobile, but flips open along a vertical crease like a book. And the Galaxy Z Fold 8 also opens like a book, but it’s a more squat shape. Most read in Tech What’s more, no matter which one you choose, the crease is hardly visible. “We’re this company that makes glass bend,” Annika told The Sun. Kadesh, a Smartphone Specialist Product Manager at Samsung, showed off the new foldable Galaxy Z Fold 8 Credit: The Sun / Future Tech Feed Annika Bizon is the VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experiences at Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland Credit: Samsung “In my head, that just blows my mind when I start thinking about it. You make glass bend.” Most phones use the same rectangular shape, but the world hasn’t settled on an ideal look for foldable phones. And according to Annika, there might not be a one-size-fits-all mobile. “Life is constantly changing and the device you have has to change with you,” she explained. The Flip opens up to reveal a 6.9-inch screen, but the Ultra has an enormous inner display of 8 inches – which is equivalent to two regular 6.5-inch phone panels next to each other. “I need a powerhouse, because sometimes I use this as my laptop,” Annika said. “I can just chuck this in my bag, and I’m out and about, and I can sign off content, I can do loads of things with it.” Kadesh, who spends his days probing the future of phones, reckons there’s a foldable mobile for everyone. “We know that the productivity powerhouses are gonna love the Ultra, and the camera experience, the viewing experience on Fold 8,” he told Future Tech Feed. “But then the personalisation and the pocket ability of Flip. “We’re listened to people over the years, and we’ve literally given them what the data and information shows.” BATTERY BOOST In a way, the folding part of Samsung’s new trio of mobiles isn’t the most exciting bit. Samsung has dished out a relatively new battery technology that adds extra juice. For instance, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra uses a beefy 5,000mAh silicon carbon battery. Batteries have two ends: an anode and a cathode. The cathode is the source of the energy, and it’s where the lithium ions end up when your phone is dead. But when you plug in, those lithium ions rush across to store themselves in the anode – effectively a holding zone – until the battery is 100%. Normally the anode is made of graphite (a kind of carbon), with six carbon atoms holding a single lithium ion. But a single silicon atom can bond with four lithium ions, which is far more efficient. Sadly, silicon swells up massively when it absorbs energy, which isn’t good news for phones. So silicon carbon batteries use a blend of, well, silicon and carbon to give you the best of both worlds – allowing Samsung to provide much more juice in its new mobiles. And this latest model is officially rated to serve up 27 hours of video playback on a single charge, which is impressive given the screens on offer. AI UPGRADES The other big upgrade making major changes to modern mobiles is artificial intelligence. Tech giants are stuffing their devices with so many AI tricks, it’s hard to keep up. Samsung has bundled a few new AI features into its latest selection of phones, which you can use or totally ignore if you prefer. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra captured at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event at Old Billingsgate in London last month Credit: Sean Keach Annika and Kadesh think foldable phones are the future Credit: The Sun / Future Tech Feed One handy trick is called MyFanCam, which analyses videos, tracks the subject, and then reframes the clip so you can stick it on Instagram or TikTok. There’s also a Now Nudge feature that will analyse what you’re doing in real-time, then suggest activities. That might be suggesting the best time to leave for an appointment based on traffic, or prompting the calendar when you’re trying to book a restaurant. And it can even remember where you left your motor in a multi-storey car park. “It’s those little things that just kind of feel like it’s got my back,” said Annika. “And it’s just guiding me through the day, which makes a huge difference to my crazy life.” Kadesh added: “The right information at literally the right time, and when you need it. So that’s where AI currently sits. It just helps you.” Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, £1,699 LIFE SAVER? Samsung also dished out a pair of new smartwatches – the Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 – which, of course, tell the time. But they’re also stuffed with loads of health features, and not just the basics either. “We’ve gone through the stage of 10,000 steps and eight hours of sleep,” Annika said. “Those days are long gone. Now it’s about understanding personalised health.” The smartwatches now monitor vitals like respiratory rate and heart function to give you readouts that can even hint at when you might be getting sick. And Annika says the ECG tracking – which records your heart’s electrical rhythm – has received proper regulatory approval. “They’ve been certified by the MHRA, which means that your doctor can use them,” she told us. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 folds down into a pocketable size Credit: Sean Keach The foldable phone opens up like a book to reveal a large inner display Credit: Sean Keach “You can actually give them directly to your doctor, and I think that’s incredible.” There’s also an antioxidant index that guides your diet, as well as an overall Energy Score and live nutrition alerts to keep your health and fitness goals on track. This might be ringing privacy alarm bells, so Future Tech Feed asked Samsung whether your info actually stays private. “Your data is in your control,” Annika told us. “So if you want to put it into the cloud, you can. If you want to keep it on your device, you can.” SAFETY FIRST? So will foldables catch on? Currently, they’re still expensive – Samsung’s new phones have base prices ranging from £1,149 to £1,899. And not everyone is selling foldable phones yet: Apple is expected to start later this year, but there’s no guarantee it’ll happen. But Samsung is convinced that there are plenty of people who want to use foldable phones. “For me, the future’s now,” Kadesh said. “These devices are part of the future in my personal opinion. “We’ll only ever grow into that direction as a business. “So probably my key takeaway, just to reiterate: the future here, the future is literally foldable. That sounds like a soundbite, but it’s the truth.” And where does it all go next? We asked Annika what 2036 might look like – and if we’d be using foldables, smart glasses, or something else entirely. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 folds down like the flip phones of the noughties Credit: Sean Keach Future Tech Feed with Sean Keach sees expert guests answering big questions about what’s next Credit: FTF “I mean honestly, whatever the consumer wants will be where we are,” she said. So it looks like Samsung phones will keep bending for a while yet. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, £1,899 All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed. Always do your own research before making any purchase. Comment now