Yasuhiro Yamane, a Japanese IT journalist who has lined smartphones and telecommunications for greater than 20 years, visited Korea final week. Having amassed greater than 1,800 cell phones, he describes himself as a “mobile phone researcher” — a mirrored image of his deep curiosity and long-standing ardour for cellular know-how.
Convinced even earlier than its launch that it was a must have, Yamane traveled to Korea to buy Samsung’s first multi-folding smartphone, Galaxy Z TriFold.
What led a veteran reviewer who has examined numerous smartphones to name Galaxy Z TriFold “an entirely new kind of device”? Samsung Newsroom sat down with Yamane to listen to his candid first impressions and hands-on expertise.
Based in Hong Kong, Yamane has labored as a contract journalist specializing in smartphones and telecommunications for greater than twenty years. Since about 2003, he has contributed to Japanese media shops, produced business reviews and delivered lectures.
What 1,800 Phones Reveal About Samsung
Q. How did you turn out to be an IT journalist and a “mobile phone researcher”? What led you to amass 1000’s of units?
After working at a Japanese petrochemical firm, I used to be assigned to Hong Kong as an expatriate, dealing with commerce and gross sales. During that point, I encountered a variety of cell phones from all over the world. The ease of swapping SIM playing cards made it attainable to strive new units instantly and each day publicity quickly sparked a deeper fascination. Rather than returning to Japan, I stayed in Hong Kong and commenced researching and masking cell phones in earnest.
I not often parted with units I had beforehand used, even after shopping for new ones. When I got here throughout attention-grabbing fashions at secondhand outlets, I acquired them for analysis and documentation. Before lengthy, my assortment had grown to greater than 1,800 telephones.
I nonetheless bear in mind the primary Samsung product I ever purchased — the SGH-E400, a flip telephone launched in 2003. With its distinctive, rounded design and crimson and champagne gold coloration choices, the telephone felt elegant — a design sensibility that was uncommon at a time when few rivals provided something comparable.
Q. Do you’ve a favourite amongst your 1,800 telephones?
One standout is the Serenata, a premium music telephone co-developed by Samsung and Bang & Olufsen in 2007. The refined curved design, easy sliding mechanism and sound high quality — outstanding for a cell phone — left a long-lasting impression. The stage of workmanship was so excessive that even the alarm sounded nice. To today, I contemplate it essentially the most lovely gadget in cell phone historical past.
Q. What are a very powerful elements when selecting a cell phone?
These days, even entry-level smartphones supply ample efficiency for on a regular basis use. That’s why I worth design simply as a lot as efficiency, particularly for a tool I carry with me always. Given the character of my work, experiencing new applied sciences can be important.
For these causes, I’ve primarily used Samsung smartphones. In current years, Galaxy Z Fold collection has been my fundamental gadget.
From Purchase to First Impressions
Q. Why did you journey from Hong Kong to Korea to buy Galaxy Z TriFold?
I imagine Samsung’s foldable lineup stands out not just for its show know-how but additionally for its foldable-optimized consumer interface. Features resembling split-screen performance and multitasking are exceptionally properly executed.
When I heard that Samsung, a pacesetter within the foldable market, was introducing a novel multi-folding type issue — Galaxy Z TriFold — I believed it might open up new prospects not like something we had seen earlier than. Eager to strive it earlier than anybody else, I traveled to Korea to buy the gadget.
Q. What had been your first…
