Sameer Samat, president of Android at Google, said in a recent interview that he has been using Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and is a big fan of the device. “The [Galaxy Z] Fold 8 is an amazing device,” Samat said. “It helps me get so much work done. I actually find myself starting productivity quite often on that device, and then moving to my laptop.”
Galaxy Z Fold 8 and productivity
Samat described the Fold 8 as a device that helps him stay productive, often serving as the place where he begins work before moving to a laptop. His comments underline continued executive interest in foldable hardware even as the smartphone market evolves.
Apple recently announced its entry into the foldable phone category with the iPhone Duo, a move that could dethrone Samsung as the world’s biggest foldable brand. Despite that launch, analysts and industry experts cited by Samat believe sales of Android foldable phones will continue to climb.
“I think that what this speaks to is something that we’ve known for a long time in the Android ecosystem, which is that the foldable space, the foldable form factor is awesome,” Samat said.
App support and developer tools
Samat acknowledged that Google has made it easier to develop apps and games for foldables in recent years, but said some popular apps still lack specific optimizations. He noted that many developers are actively building foldable-specific features or are in discussions with Google to do so. “I think that as this form factor becomes more and more popular, developers realize that there’s more and more value in investing in it,” he explained.
“I think one of the things that we’ve done is to make the tools simpler and easier for them to invest in. And of course, there are apps that haven’t made that transition yet. Either they’re working on it, or we’re in conversations with them, but there are also thousands of thousands of apps that have.”
