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Samsung will call its foldable phone what? Apple wouldn't do that

The rumors are rife. The supposed name is, um, ripe for humor. Or even tragedy. Which leads us to wondering: What would Apple do?
Written by Chris Matyszczyk, Contributing Writer
galaxyf.jpg

Something more than an F?

Screenshot by ZDNet

Of course, I'm excited as you.

The mere thought that a complete new design for a phone -- a foldable phone -- might soon emerge is as pulsating as the thought of my San Diego Chargers finally winning the Super Bowl. Or at least beating the New England Patriots.

Also: Samsung 'Galaxy F' foldable: Possible March launch

It's said the phone will be, um, unfolded on Feb. 20.

Already, though, everyone seems to know what it's going to be called: The Samsung Galaxy F.

Why, just try Googling Samsung Galaxy F and you'll find a plethora of articles and videos assuredly declaring this will be the name.

I worry.

Samsung has often been first with new phone designs. Occasionally, though, something goes wrong shortly after launch. Who can forget the explosive debacle of the Galaxy Note 7?

If something went wrong with the Galaxy F, please imagine the headlines:

Samsung Gets an F.

Oh, For F's Sake.

F In Disaster.

In any case, F seems to be going backward in the alphabet once you've launched a lot of Galaxy S devices.

Worse, though, calling it Galaxy anything places it in an existing category of phones. This new foldable will, one hopes, be far, far away from the Galaxys.

Why not, then, give it a brand name all its own? The Samsung Universe. The Samsung Holy Grail. The Samsung Fantasy. The Samsung At Last.

Perhaps you get the drift.


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It's odd to present something radical and then make it sound not so radical at all. It's odd to get people excited and then tell them that it's merely an entertaining little upgrade.

Lordy, if Apple were selling this thing it'd be like the coming of a magical, revolutionary new future, one that will change people, cities, countries in an instant.

It'd be as if an electronic Messiah had descended and would lead us to a glorious, secure future where our new lives would unfold before our very eyes.

I feel sure that, despite lately offering painfully meaningless names such as iPhone XR, Apple wouldn't call its foldable phone iPhone F. Nor even iFone.

Surely Cupertino would call it iFold.

Or would that be a touch defeatist?

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