Samsung is prepping for the release of what's possibly the most radical smartphone in years: a foldable one. Many companies flirted with the idea of such a phone, but most of them never seriously explored it., yet the South Korean electronics company somehow found a way to make it work.
Foldable Samsung Galaxy Phone Facing Struggles
However, it's not without some snags. Reports say the phone isn't due until this December at the earliest and 2018 at the latest — but who's to say there won't be further delays? After all, while foldable screens have been proven to work, an entire phone flexible enough to shapeshift at its user's will is probably pretty difficult to pull off.
At CES, Samsung's mobile chief, DJ Koh, explained that the company isn't happy with the phone's direction so far and that there are various things left to fix. He failed to mention exactly whether the problem was with hardware or software or simply getting the device to work.
"It is difficult to talk about the date of the launch now. We want to unveil the products properly but now seems a bit early," Koh told The Korea Herald this week. Last year, Koh said Samsung was targeting a 2018 launch for its foldable phone, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.
"We want to have a good reaction from customers once the phone is out in the market. But there are still durability issues that we need to address," said Koh, adding that he is set on developing foldable devices because he believes it would have significant impact on the industry.
Production To Start In November?
Samsung could start production of the said phones by November, reports The Investor, citing industry sources who also said that Samsung has finalized its specifications and production plans for the foldable device. This is despite Koh saying outright that durability issues remain, but perhaps the specs are indeed finalized, and Samsung now has to figure how to make a foldable phone sturdy enough so it doesn't break easily.
Suppose the sources are correct, the phone should ship by December this year or be delayed not later than early next year. The phone is likely to sport a 7.3-inch OLED display that folds inside, and Samsung is making sure it doesn't get damaged from repeated folding mechanisms.
Interest for this enigmatic foldable device has been rising in recent years, with heavy speculation and even concept product renders of a so-called Galaxy X phone frequently making the rounds.
Are you excited for a foldable Galaxy phone? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
