Amid rumors that had been sprouting up since official plans were communicated during 2011, the CEO of Samsung’s mobile division told CNBC of the former’s plans to further unveil an ambitious project potentially comparable to the likes of the iPhone’s reveal back in 2007.

It was announced that a device with a foldable screen was in the works.

“It’s time to deliver,” says Samsung President DJ Koh, describing the endeavor. According to the company, consumer research suggested that there was a demand for such a device.

The concept of folding screens are nothing new, the issue has proven to be an engineering hurdle is that of fitting a device’s internal components into such a device (especially with something as rigid as batteries). As these companies aren’t just creating flip phones anymore.

According to Koh, every function on the device’s folded and unfolded form will serve as an incentive to use the device both ways.
“Even unfolded, what kind of benefit does that give compared to the tablet?” he said.
“If the unfolded experience is the same as the tablet, why would [anyone] buy it?”

It is clear that Samsung considered how customers use their product in the making of the device. Koh also took the time to add on how each feature was made to differentiate itself from the others deliberately.
“Every device, every feature, every innovation should have a meaningful message to our end-customer.”
With these words in mind, it can be inferred that Samsung’s main selling point with this could be how customers can seamlessly carry a tablet-like device with more ease.

If these claims are true, and Samsung’s intentions are clear, their new device would mark an important divergence in the mobile market, especially regarding how this newfound technology would take off.

While CNBC was also told of the complicated development cycle for the device and that Samsung had nothing to share when approached by the BBC, Koh also added that the company had nearly concluded the process.

It is rumored that the days leading up to the device’s announcement are numbered.

These are just rumors though. Samsung themselves have had a history of teasing us time after time again. In fact, the company had originally promised an early 2018 release, they then later announced a November release. With November just around the corner, an early to mid-2019 release is expected by now.

For Samsung, the unveiling of a foldable phone would need to be a turning point not just for the company, but for the overall market in order to make up for all the waiting.

The Chinese company Huawei, a mobile phone-maker practically unheard of in the West, poses a threat to Samsung’s place on the pedestal. Not only did Huawei overtake Apple as the second biggest seller of smartphones back in July, but they’re also planning on creating a foldable phone.

Like Samsung, Huawei is planning to incorporate a tablet mode which expands the screen size when unfolded.

Moreover, LG, another South Korean company is also looking to throw its hat in the ring with foldable technology. Although Its CEO claimed that being the first to release a device of this type isn’t of particular concern to them.

Other companies are also interested in what appears to be a new craze in smartphone use, as It is now rumored that Apple is also developing their own foldable technology. With Samsung already facing competition to be the first to release a handheld device with a foldable screen, they have even more incentive to speed up the process.

As of now, it isn’t exactly clear who is going to reach the finish line first. Even so, whether a foldable phone would prove to be a groundbreaking innovation by outside competitors in the future is still to be determined.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2018/09/04/samsung-set-unveil-foldable-smartphone-year/1188981002/

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45418968

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2018/09/11/samsung-galaxy-x-folding-galaxy-f-galaxy-s10-note9-release-date-cost-price/#4d0af5826428

https://www.t3.com/news/lg-foldable-phone-is-official-watch-out-samsung-galaxy-f