Samsung Electronics is well on its way to release a string of fold-out smartphones this year.
The company has reportedly been working on a lineup of foldable smartphones, and now, reports suggest that Samsung will have the fold-out devices ready for commercial launch by Q3 2017.
The latest information comes courtesy of the news publication The Investor, which cites reliable sources.
"Samsung is expected to roll out more than 100,000 units of fold-out devices in the third quarter," revealed the publication.
The site's sources also let on that the foldable Samsung handsets, which are anticipated to have outward facing panels upon folding, could be deployed as a tablet when unfolded. The fold-out smartphones will apparently be able to convert into an 18 cm tablet upon being unfolded.
The development of the fold-in Samsung smartphones — as opposed to the fold-out ones — is reportedly finished. The screen of the fold-in devices apparently get tucked in when folded.
Samsung reportedly finished the creation of these fold-in smartphones in August 2016. The company began the fold-out smartphone development in the same month. This process was made simpler for the company as it already had worked on fold-in devices and, therefore, the shift to fold-out technology was not a major challenge according to sources.
Why Samsung Has Fold-Out Smartphones In The Works
Even though Samsung developed fold-in technology for its devices, the company realized that users could potentially find it tough to unfold a smartphone every time they wished to use it. Therefore, the South Korean smartphone maker gravitated toward the more practical fold-out smartphone technology, which would simplify usage.
Benefits Of A Foldable Smartphone
The arrival of a foldable smartphone — be it one deploying fold-in or fold-out technology — will usher in a new era for mobile devices. The inclusion of a foldable display would make smartphones portable and while they could be slightly thicker than current-gen smartphones, the handsets would be a delight for multimedia users. Imagine watching movies on a bigger screen or playing your favorite game on such a display!
Samsung's rival LG is also rumored to have a similar technology in the works, which it may deploy on its flexible OLED display. The technology being used by LG is believed to be far more advanced than that used by Samsung as the former has been working on the fold-out concept since the past two or three years.
The latest report also reveals that LG is poised to manufacture over 100,000 foldable devices in Q4 2017.
LG, however, is reportedly not going to keep the fold-out technology to itself. Rumors have been rife that it may partner with Apple and Huawei on developing the foldable screen technology.
A study from market research firm Strategy Analytics predicts that the foldable display market will appreciate from 2.7 million units in 2017 to 163 million units by 2022.
