Samsung Teases A Foldable Smartphone Launch For Later This Year

After the reports coming in that Huawei is working overtime to be the first smartphone manufacturer to bring a truly foldable smartphone, Samsung might have all the reasons to speed up the production of its flexible handset

DJ Koh, chief executive of Samsung’s mobile division, told CNBC on Monday that the company may show off a foldable phone at the Samsung Developer Conference in November – around the time the new iPhone would be hitting the shelves.

“it’s time to deliver”, as Koh confirms it’s plans to unveil a Samsung foldable smartphone later this year. He didn’t detail the principle behind how the display would work, but stressed the efforts the company has put into differentiating it from a tablet user experience.

“So every device, every feature, every innovation should have a meaningful message to our end customer. So when the end customer uses it, (they think) ‘wow, this is the reason Samsung made it’”, he said. Koh also hinted that the unveiling could happen at the Samsung Developer Conference in November in San Francisco. It takes place on November 7-8. However, there was no mention on when it might be commercially available.

Numerous reports in the past have speculated that a foldable smartphone was on the way, with one codenamed “Project Valley” consisting of a screen that could fold in half. Another has also been rumoured to consist of a smartphone with a 5-inch display when folded, but turns into an 8-inch screen when unfolded.

As Samsung is a major supplier of displays to Apple, reports have also circulated suggesting it was developing flexible displays for iPhones, but not necessarily a foldable version. Current analyst speculation suggests an iPhone with a foldable display could launch as soon as 2020, potentially in collaboration with LG.

The sales of the company’s smartphones are also falling considerably and the recently revealed flagships aren’t expected to improve the situation. A bendable smartphone could give the company a much-needed boost but keep in mind that the company hasn’t revealed when it plans to commercialise this unique gadget.