Smartphones with flexible screens could soon become a reality as Samsung is rumoured to be just weeks away from unveiling its new foldable handset.
Previewed at the company’s developers’ conference last November, the yet-to-be-named smartphone will feature technology never seen before on a consumer device. It is tipped to be a game-changing handset.
The benefit of a folding smartphone over a conventional one is that users can view up to three apps at once and “carry out more complex tasks”, according to the Evening Standard.
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Another major benefit is the ability to use a large touchscreen in a device that can be folded in half, making it a more portable option than so-called “phablet” handsets such as the iPhone XS Max and Galaxy Note 9, says ZDNet.
Fans will have to wait until Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked conference at the end of February to get a good look at the new handset.
In the meantime, here’s everything we know about the cutting-edge smartphone:
When will it come out?
No official release date has been given yet, but Samsung has hinted that the foldable phone may arrive sooner than fans expect.
The South Korean tech giant confirmed at last November’s developers’ conference that the device would enter production in the coming months, suggesting it may arrive within the first half of 2019.
Now, it seems, it could make an appearance as early as next month. According to T3, Samsung is rumoured to be unveiling its flexible smartphone in full at its Galaxy Unpacked event on 20 February, the same day it plans to launch the Galaxy S10.
How much will it cost?
Given that there has never been a foldable device of this kind before, the phone is expected to cost significantly more than the current £899 Galaxy Note 9.
Dan Ives, managing director of equity research at Los Angeles firm Wedbush Securities, told The Sun that the foldable smartphone will boast a price tag of around $1,200 to $1,350 (£930 to £1,050).
What will it be called?
The foldable phone is commonly referred to as the Galaxy X, a codename that has been used “over and over” for Samsung’s flexible handset prototypes, says Stuff.
However, South Korean news site ETNews claims that Samsung’s next flagship Galaxy device will be called the S10 X to mark the ten-year anniversary of the iPhone rival, potentially ruling out the Galaxy X name for the foldable phone.
Another possibility is Galaxy F, for “foldable”, but there’s no concrete information to suggest Samsung plans to use the name on the final product.
What are the specs?
Fans will have to wait a few more weeks before Samsung reveals the tech specs.
However, we do know that the device’s bendable screen is being dubbed the “Infinity Flex Display”, which is believed to measure 7.3in when flat and unfolded, TechRadar reports.
There are also rumours that Samsung has developed a folding battery with a capacity ranging from 3,000mAh to 6,000mAh, the news site says. To put that into perspective, the Galaxy Note 9 has a battery of 4,000mAh, one of the largest on the market.
What’s more, Trusted Reviews says the device is expected to boast 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.
