KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — As curved displays are now mainstream on Samsung flagship devices, the next breakthrough would be a smartphone with a foldable display. Talk about Samsung making a foldable smartphone has been going on for years and word has it that it will be called the Galaxy X. Initially expected for this year’s release, it looks like we’ll have to wait for another year before we can see this new form factor with a flexible display.
In an interview with Samsung mobile chief, DJ Koh, he said that the company is planning to launch its foldable phone sometime in 2019 instead of its initial target to launch it this year. He added that user experience (UX) is their biggest obstacle to commercialisation and they are still trying to overcome the issue. Production of the device is expected to start by end of this year.
We all know that Samsung has the capability of producing curved and flexible displays, and the biggest challenge is how to make it useful on a smartphone. For example, for curved displays, the South Korean maker had experimented with the Galaxy Round and the Galaxy Note Edge, before they settled for a dual-curved display with edge functionality that we see today.
Apparently, Samsung had shown its foldable smartphones to selected partners at CES 2018. According to a source, the device features a foldable 7.3″ screen and they have shown both infolding and outfolding prototypes during its closed-door meeting.
The infolding design is said to have a more drastic curvature while the outfolding type requires a more advanced technology to produce due to durability issues. It is believed that Samsung will be kicking off production for the infolding version first and it could start as early as November. — SoyaCincau
