Samsung launches foldable 'Galaxy Fold' phone that costs $1,980

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Inside the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, before a packed house, Samsung launched what it says will be a new era of mobile.

"The Galaxy Fold is incredibly versatile. It's a smart phone, a tablet and a camera that fits in your pocket," said Justin Denison from Samsung.

Galaxy Fold users will be able to seamlessly transition from a 4.6 inch phone to a 7.3 inch tablet. Samsung also announcing the launch of the latest in their line of galaxy phones, the S10.

With a larger screen and an in-screen fingerprint unlock feature freeing up even more real estate on that screen. 

"Embedded directly beneath the screen is the world’s first ultrasonic fingerprint scanner," said Suzanne DaSilva from Samsung.

Samsung says the new devices will launch just as the latest, faster 5G service becomes available this year. "Here in the US our first 5G partner was Verizon," said D.J. Koh from Samsung.

Tech analysts got their hands on the S10 today putting it through its paces and saying it's the work horse of the Samsung product line. 

"You look at the price points they're $750 to $999. That's where the majority of phones are being bought these days," said Bob O'Donnell from Technalysis. But, experts say it's that folding phone that will generate the most buzz.

"We've been talking about foldable phones for a very long time. And, to finally see one that you can actually get your hands on, and is made by a big name company with software that looked very impressive, I have to say I'm very excited to try that," said O'Donnell.

All that excitement comes at a cost the new Samsung Fold expected to launch in late April with a $1,980 price tag.