Maeil Business News Korea announced on June 4th that Samsung Electronics will release a foldable smartphone than can be folded and unfolded in the first quarter of next year.
As the market for premium smartphone replacement has been lengthening, market growth has slowed down, and smartphones with similar design have been launched, making smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics to be increasingly concerned.
“The development of the foldable smartphone is already finished and we are preparing them for the first quarter of next year. Due to the nature of the foldable smartphone, which puts two display screens together and allows it to fold and unfold, a final check is underway on the hinge (whether it should be folded at least tens of thousands of times) and whether the battery has no issues,” said an official at Samsung Electronics.
He added, “We are developing user interfaces and apps together so that we can maximize customer satisfaction beyond simply responding to the saying ‘the foldable smartphone is out!’ We are focusing on improving the completeness of the product.”
Next year is the 10th anniversary of Samsung Electronics’ launch of the Galaxy S series. Samsung Electronics is preparing three models to commemorate it, and one of them seem to be the foldable smartphone. The Galaxy S10 series will also include innovative technologies such as the fingerprint recognition and triple cameras.
It is also likely that the foldable smartphone will be released in February after it is unveiled at the CES 2018 in Ls Vegas in January of next year.
Samsung Display, which is responsible for the production of the foldable OLED display panels for the foldable smartphone, is expected to supply foldable OLED to Samsung Electronics’ wireless division (IM) in December. To this end, Samsung Display is expected to establish a pilot line for the production of foldable OLED displays panels and enter into operation soon.
