Samsung Canada’s new VP of Mobile shares his goals, excitement and love for the Flip

Samsung released three phones this past July, one of which offers a fancy new form factor that feels like an evolution of smartphones. Ahead of the phones’ release, I spoke with Samsung Canada’s vice president of the mobile experience division, Tarik Akad.

Akad started at Samsung in June, so while I wanted to learn about the fate of the Z Flip series and whether Canada will get the next TriFold, I was also thrilled to learn about Akad’s goals for Samsung, his excitement for the new position and his love for the Flip series.

Are you excited for your new position at Samsung?

Tarik Akad: I am very thrilled. I have a diverse background. I worked in different markets and outside Canada as well. And in most of those markets, I’ve seen Samsung being number one, so I am thrilled to take this market and this team towards that mark. It’s very exciting. And I just joined at the perfect time, as we are heading towards this new Unpacked event, so yeah, I’m very, very thrilled. 

What’s Samsung’s goal with the Fold 8 vs. the Fold 8 Ultra, and who is each device made for?

Akad: The Fold 8 Ultra, which I’m going to call the flagship model of the three — this is going to be the most capable foldable experience, having the 8-inch workspace experience, the most advanced camera system, and the flagship performance. The focus is literally for people seeking the best productivity and creation. It’s almost like, “Do you need your laptop? Do you need your tablet?”

Or you can have the Fold 8 for all your needs around productivity and creativity. The new Fold 8 is a very different approach; it’s a passport-style form factor that’s wider. When you start playing with it, like watching content or reading an eBook, for instance, that device is an unbelievable experience. As well as going through social media, because you can turn the device whenever you want [when it’s unfolded, turning it into portrait]. It has a 16:10 aspect ratio when you unfold it, and gaming feels so natural. And it’s also our lightest fold [Samsung differentiates it as the lightest ‘Fold’ but not foldable].

For me, it’s such a dilemma; I would like to use them all. We have too many devices because the Flip is such a fun device; the whole camera experience is on another level, and the experience is very different. It’s a totally different segment; it’s just about simplicity around creativity for the Flex Window and how you interact with the camera.

So the three devices we are launching belong to all these different segments. I feel like I belong to all these segments. At different hours of the day or different days of the week, I am really struggling with which one to use — I’ll probably use all of them.

Are there any hurdles you’ve come across in Canada? Like, are people finding them too expensive or afraid of them breaking?

Akad: What I can say is that this has been a journey. This is our eighth launch, and we’ve been building on top of each launch with all that we’ve got. And it’s quite remarkable how durable they are. It’s going to feel more solid. We have been fine-tuning tension over the hinge. And it has a Flex Titanium Display, which is helping the screen to be stronger. And by inserting this Flex Titanium Display, we were able to create some more space, and we were able to increase the battery life. And with that, we also inserted a new camera system with 50MP ultrawide. So all that is to improve the experience and make sure durability is there.

And we’ve reduced the crease visibility so much that when you see it, you’re going to be like “Where’s the crease?” And we’re putting it up against our own competition. We’ve been doing this for eight years now; we are setting the bar in the market, and it’s exciting, and yes, it comes with a cost. What I’m going to say is that we’re working with many partners in the market to make sure affordability options are there.

Rumour has it Samsung is going to stop selling the Flip. Do you find that the Flip isn’t selling the best? Last year, the Fold 7 sold better; are you expecting the same with the Fold 8/Fold 8 Ultra?

Akad: Well, first of all, personally, I love that device; that’s going to be, most likely, my weekend device whenever I can drop this productivity piece in my life during the weekend and get away a bit from work and spend time with my kids, since this is the lightest one.

From a Samsung lens, Flip remains an important part of the category, and this is another launch where we have been focusing on improving many, many things around the experience, the design, the hardware, as well as the software. And it’s a different experience when you compare the Flip to the other two models; it’s about giving people more screen, and you know, at the same time, flexibility around creativity. And that portability experience is a different level.

And with Flip 8, we are still investing in the areas that define all these experiences that I mentioned. It’s the slimmest, lightest, and the flexed window and the flex cam experience is reaching new heights here, so I’m very, very excited about this new version of Flip as well. So our intention is to make sure that the relevant segments are able to taste that experience and demo the device in our stores as well as in our partner stores. Because that is a very relevant device for that segment.

Stepping into your new role, what is your primary definition of success for Samsung Canada, Mobile and beyond hardware and sales? What do you want people to think of when they hear Samsung Mobile in Canada?

Akad: Number one is going to be making sure that Samsung Canada is recognized for leading in technology and making technology relevant for a customer’s life. It’s not about talking about specs; well, obviously, we make sure that we have the best specs, but it’s also the integration of our software and the AI platforms. We enable the best experience and make their lives easier.

With that, making sure that Samsung is known as the most innovative company, very relevant and accessible to more Canadians. That’s going to be my whole aim here.

Are we going to get something like the Samsung Galaxy TriFold in Canada? I thought that phone was sick!

Akad: [laughs] I’m glad to hear that; stay tuned. You never know. 

But looking at this portfolio, especially the passport form factor, is going to be exciting for us to talk about. And I’m very excited to introduce this model, and that it’s the perfect time for me to join this company that’s the king of innovation, and we care about customer experience and that journey. So yeah, this is the best time ever.

And I definitely agree with Akad, as I recently reviewed the Fold 8 and called it the phone of the future, as it feels like the next evolution of the smartphone. Check out my full review of the Z Fold 8. 

This interview has been edited for language, clarity and length.

Image credit: Samsung