There have been rumours in the past that Samsung was looking
to eventually release a large display smartphone that folds in half to fit in
your pocket. Now, it looks like that release data may soon be here.
Recent reports indicate Samsung isn’t just prototyping at
this point, but that they have a working model. According to LetsGoDigital, the
company has just had it’s smartphone inspected by the Korean National Radio
Research Agency ahead of an expected launch early next year.
The Galaxy X, as it’s supposedly named, has been going by
the model number SM-G888, as it goes through various inspections before it’s
declared compliant with regulations. Of course, it may eventually turn out to
be another phone entirely, but the descriptions so far fit previous rumours
surrounding the Galaxy X.
In fact, Samsung has previously demoed flexible technology,
including what they called the “World’s first foldable AMOLED” at CES 2009. AT
the time however, the hardware was only a proof of concept and far too bulky to
actually apply to a consumer device. In addition, it had a really low
resolution and was expensive to manufacture.
If Samsung has been able to improve the technology enough,
it’ll be like the Note Edge when it first launched; more of a reconnaissance
mission. The idea would be for Samsung to sell the device in limited numbers to
gauge public response, before they decide to wholly dive into further
development. The curved display on the Edge, after all, has always been
Samsung’s stepping stone to the eventual foldable displays they’ve always
envisioned.
With any luck, Samsung may be able to unveil, or at least
demo, the new device at CES 2018 in Jan, or later in February at MWC 2018.
Either way, we may about to see the first device in the longest time capable of
rocking our world.
