Want a Samsung foldable that’s truly your own? Soon you may be able to order a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 or Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and choose what colors it comes in – and we might hear more at next week’s Samsung Unpacked event on October 20.
That’s not according to a rumor or leak – that comes from Samsung itself in a video teaser. The video, bluntly titled ‘Get ready to unfold something unmistakably you,’ shows a trio of aliens spinning a color wheel that changes the hue of their clothes. Not too subtle, Samsung.
Presumably, this applies to both the Z Fold 3 and the clamshell foldable Z Flip 3. If you really wanted to read into the video, only the aliens’ tops and bottoms are changing, suggesting that prospective buyers will only be able to tinker with the colors on the backs of the Z Fold 3 or top and bottom of the Z Flip 3 – no double-tones, designs, or inscriptions. We should also expect users to be able to change the color of the hinge, too, though perhaps with fewer options given its metal construction.
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Analysis: Color customization, a feature of the past...and back again
Most smartphones come in a handful of colors, and the Z Flip 3 is available in several bright and pastel hues, but the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 can only be bought in black in many markets. Opening up to many more colors is a boon, and hopefully won’t cost anything extra – and is likely something Samsung is betting will entice more customers to take the plunge and pay for the pricier foldable, which starts at $1,799 / £1,599 / AU$2,499. (The Z Flip 3 is a more comparatively affordable at $999 / £949 / AU$1,499, but would certainly be more enticing with more colors.)
Of course, Samsung isn’t the first phonemaker to offer a device in a custom assortment of colors – for years, Motorola had its own customization service, Moto Maker, to let customers pick from a variety of hues. The 2014 Moto X, for instance, had “18 back colors, 7 accents, and 2 front panels,” per The Next Web, though other phones could be similarly customized. But Motorola slowly phased it out, opting for Moto Mods before abandoning those too.
But a return to true customizability in colors would be welcomed by consumers, even if it may take more time to personalize the phones before arriving at their door. We’ll have to see just what Samsung has in mind for its foldables on October 20.
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