Samsung wants to introduce foldable smartphone in 2018
Project Galaxy X
Tech giant Samsung may present the announced foldable smartphone already this year. The Head of the smartphone manufacturer, DJ Koh, told CNBC that a presentation in November would be conceivable.
The smartphone is supposed to have a crease in the display so that users can fold it. Folded out, it will be as big as a tablet with a screen diagonal of seven or eight inches.
At the moment the IFA is taking place in Berlin. Samsung is also represented there. Koh said at the fair that the development is almost finished. But this phase was probably anything else but easy. That’s probably one of the reasons why he added a small question mark to the presentation in November.
Rumors since 2011
That Samsung is working on a foldable smartphone is nothing new. There have been rumors about such a device since 2011. Recently the project name Galaxy X appeared over and over again. A prototype with a flexible display was also presented in 2011. Five years ago, Samsung filed the patent applications.
But consumer will likely have to wait longer, since the presentation is specially intended for developers. It is rather improbable that the Korean company will already present the finished product.
Samsung announces change of strategy.
The smartphone manufacturer is also changing its strategy for updates and new functions. In the future, the Galaxy A series will be changed at first. Previously, the more expensive series S and Note were the first to receive updates. The aim of this strategy change is above all to attract young customers who would rather afford the Galaxy A mid-range model than the high-priced ones. Koh said “We are very focused on the millennials as a target group that can’t afford a top model. But how can I bring these people significant innovations? That’s why I’m trying to highlight our mid-range models”.
It remains to be seen whether the change in strategy will keep the growing competition from China at a distance. Apple has already been replaced by Huawei as the second largest smartphone provider in the world.
Picture: Giga
