Price of Microsoft's Surface Duo plummets to better represent middling hardware ... but only if you're in the US
Popal thinks foldables could do better if they fall to around $400 – the sweet spot for mainstream affordability. But he doesn’t want it to happen. “I strongly believe that is not a good move – especially not at the expense of quality and user experience,” he stated.“Vendors should focus on improving user experience and building to increase confidence in the category and generate long-term growth,” he opined. “I believe foldables are the future of premium Android devices even if, as a whole, they are only expected to capture less than three percent of global volume by the end of our forecast period.
As premium handsets are the niche in which smartphone manufacturers can often make the fattest margins, Popal’s advice offers them a way to keep preserve profits by maintaining Samsung’s current positioning of foldables’ as a pricey status symbol.Apple, which dominates the premium handset market, has shown no sign of interest in foldables but is already astoundingly profitable with its usual rounded rectangles.
Apple have patents and designs for a flip phone.
1,000 days for 1% does not sound like a breakthrough product. Wonder how marketing costs compare to profit margins?