Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S10 trio in San Francisco last month, but the device that arguably grabbed the most headlines was the Galaxy Fold, its first phone with a foldable display. Samsung said at the time that pre-orders for the Galaxy Fold will open in April, but there was no official word on whether the phone — which carries a price tag of $1980 (roughly Rs. 1,40,000) — will come to India. Until now.
Speaking to select media after the India launch of the Galaxy S10 series in New Delhi on Wednesday, DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics, confirmed that the Galaxy Fold will indeed launch in India.
"Indian market is, I clearly said, most important market — not only investment and everything, my long-term commitment is towards the market. In this market, why will I not deliver my newest technology innovation? Yes, I will do," Koh said while confirming Galaxy Fold India launch plans.
He didn't share any timelines for the launch, but based on his comments, the Galaxy Fold India launch should happen in line with other major markets.
Koh also confirmed that Samsung would ideally like to manufacture the phone in India, in order to keep the costs down. "Because of taxes, we must make it in India, to sell in India," he added. However, it's unlikely that the phone will carry the "Made in India" tag when it eventually comes to the country.
Koh said the company would like to consolidate manufacturing at one place, which makes sense given the limited quantities of Galaxy Fold that are likely to go up for sale. This, of course, means that when it launches in India, the Galaxy Fold could carry a significant premium over $1980 price tag in international markets.
Koh also hinted that the Galaxy S10 5G could be launched in the country when the market is ready.
"We are working with the carriers here [in India]. Depends on their progress. Samsung is ready to support all 5G frequencies - not only sub-6 [GHz], but millimetre wave as well," Koh said when asked about the readiness of the Indian market for 5G devices.
Samsung showed off the Galaxy Fold at an event in San Francisco last month. The phone packs a display that measures 7.3 inches when unfolded. It also includes a smaller, 4.6-inch display on the outside.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold packs other top-of-the-line specifications like 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, as well as a total of six cameras and two batteries with a combined capacity of 4,380mAh.
Editor's note: Story has been updated to clarify that the Galaxy Fold will not be manufactured in India.
With Galaxy Fold, has Samsung kicked off a revolution in smartphone tech? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.