Samsung says its foldable phone is also a tablet that fits in your pocket, to debut early next year
SAMSUNG’S LONGRU MORED foldable phone still hasn’t appeared, but its mobile chief offered one compelling case for a product that could easily be written off as a gimmick.
Samsung’s mobile head, DJ Koh stressed the foldable phone wouldn’t be a «gimmick product» that will «disappear after six to nine months after it’s delivered.» It’ll also be available globally, unlike previous phones like the Galaxy Round, which used a curved display and was available only in Korea.
He specifically gave a first glimpse of what the company’s long-awaited foldable phone will be like. The executive said that while unfolded the device will offer the functionality of a tablet complete with multi-tasking and a big screen, but can then be folded into a portable phone.
The description matches a cringeworthy concept trailer the company released back in 2013 which showed a device with one large internal screen combined with a second smaller screen on the outside for use when folded.
Koh has previously suggested that the handset could be unveiled at Samsung’s developer conference where he will be delivering the opening keynote on November 7th. The executive said it would have to reach his standards before it could be announced.
”When we deliver a foldable phone, it has to be really meaningful to our customer,” Koh told CNET last week, “If the user experience is not up to my standard, I don’t want to deliver those kind of products.” Although he expected the hybrid device to initially find a niche market, he said that he believed it would expand, and that “we do need a foldable phone.”
Numerous manufacturers have stepped up with their own efforts to produce a foldable smartphone. Huawei reportedly plans to release a foldable handset in limited quantities in 2019, and Lenovo and Xiaomi have also teased their own prototypes. Finally, LG has also invested big in flexible displays, and earlier this year showed off a concept TV that rolled up into a box when not in use.
However, the foldable Samsung phone, like the Galaxy Round, will be Samsung’s testbed device to see how reviewers and the market react. The Galaxy Round, which bowed vertically in the middle, was Samsung’s first curve-screen phone. It’s a direct ancestor to the dual curved screens we see on today’s Galaxy S9 and Note 9 phones.
Samsung has been chasing the holy grail of a foldable phone since it teased one at CES 2013 by showing off a flexible OLED display. Koh confirmed last month that Samsung’s upcoming device will be launched this year and could debut as early as next month at Samsung’s Developer Conference. The folding capability would mark a major advance in smartphones, which have stagnated with fewer innovations.
Samsung isn’t the only company aiming at a foldable phone. Huawei could be gunning to be the first to launch such a device, in November. Huawei beat Apple to become the world’s second-largest smartphone maker, and is likely aiming for Samsung’s top spot. Launching the first foldable phone could help either company cement a reputation as a trailblazer and create buzz that could trickle down to its more traditional, and cheaper, phones.
The larger screen is important, Koh said. When Samsung first released the original Galaxy Note, he said, competitors called its device dead on arrival.
Now, after generations of Notes phones, you see larger devices like the iPhone XS Max and the Pixel 3 XL, proving that consumers want bigger screens. A foldable phone would let screen sizes extend beyond 6.5 inches.
«Possibly when we start selling the foldable phone, it may be a niche market, but definitely, it will expand,» Koh said. «I’m positive that we do need a foldable phone.»