While the once-meteoric interest in foldable smartphones has fallen from its heights in 2019, no company has remained more committed to the form factor than Samsung. After a rough start, it has doggedly improved the durability and usability of its two foldable models and consistently released new products -- including the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 announced today.

Behind the scenes, Samsung has also worked closely with businesses and professionals to explore scenarios where foldable phones can offer unique value. ZDNet spoke with Chris Balcik, VP & GM of Samsung's Mobile B2B Division, about the use cases and the companies where Samsung foldables are being put to use. 

Balcik talked about the ways banks, health care, retail and law enforcement are especially putting the Galaxy Fold to use for what he called "next-level" productivity. Balcik also mentioned that companies are experimenting with using the Fold to replace a smartphone, tablet and laptop by pairing it with Samsung DeX to attach it to a mouse, keyboard and monitor and work as a (Chromebook-like) computer.

Balcik also shared details on Walmart's Connected Associate program, where the company is putting rugged (non-foldable) Samsung devices into the hands of employees and also allowing them to also take them home and take advantage of them for personal use, using Samsung Knox to segment data and usage between business and personal functions. Balcik said Samsung has delivered a million devices in one year as part of this program.

Watch the full 10-minute video above to catch all the details.

Samsung Unpacked

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: Three features I love (and two that I still wish for)Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra hands-on review: Minor improvements to an already great tabletHow to preorder the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Flip 5, Tab S6 and moreSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 hands-on review: Three upgrades that make a notable differenceWe tested every foldable phone on the market. These are the best models

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 review: Three features I love (and two that I still wish for)
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra hands-on review: Minor improvements to an already great tablet
• How to preorder the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Flip 5, Tab S6 and more
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 hands-on review: Three upgrades that make a notable difference
• We tested every foldable phone on the market. These are the best models

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4.

Jason Hiner/ZDNet