Samsung to announce its Galaxy X foldable phone
Update: The first day of the Developer Conference is over, and as expected we did get a glimpse at Samsung’s first foldable phone. However, it was all very brief and concealed as the company was careful not to reveal too much.
We got to see a 20 second video showing the phone from different angles and then SVP, Justin Denision briefly held up the phone as the lights were dimmed. Denision referred to the technology behind the phone as the “Infinity Flex Display” as he unfolded the device to show us the transformation from phone to tablet.
Denision made the following statement: “I would get in trouble if I showed you everything today, so we disguised elements of the design”. This would explain the ugly frame that you see in the image above.
For a while now Samsung has given us glimpses on the launch of its folding phone, rumoured as the Galaxy X or Galaxy F; some sources also suggest it could be named the Infinity V.
It was dubbed to be the first in the market until California based company, Royale officially announced Flexpai – the world’s first folding smartphone.
However, Samsung has come too far to just renounce now. The Korean company is determined to release its folding phone and recent rumours hint that we could get a glimpse at the smartphone earlier than expected.
Unlike our flagship products, the foldable phone is a completely new concept in terms of design and user experience, which requires a different approach
Since it will not be the first in the market, Samsung must come up with a new strategy and it’s likely to focus on the uniqueness of its product to be the market leader.
When will the Samsung Galaxy X be announced?
Initially we expected Samsung to announce its folding phone at the MWC event which is scheduled for the 25 February 2019. However, things have changed drastically and to stay ahead of the game we might get a first look at the Galaxy X in the Samsung developer conference today (7th November 2018).
Before we take it to the market, we want to share with developers what we’ve done so far and see what they think of it
Earlier this week, Samsung updated its Facebook profile picture with its logo folded in half. Coincidence? We think not, it’s almost certain that we will get a glimpse of the company’s foldable phone today.
At this point it’s not clear if this will be a full announcement or just a teaser. Speaking to Reuters, a Samsung official said in a statement that they want developers to be involved early to make sure that Apps will be compatible with its folding phone.
So, could today’s announcement be solely focused on the technical aspect? We will find out very soon!
Where to watch the developer conference keynote
The conference will be hosted in San Francisco and will start today, 7th November and run until tomorrow. The event will kick-off at 10 am PST (6 pm UK time) and will be streamed live both on YouTube and Facebook. But you don’t have to go anywhere, we have the live stream for you below.