Samsung has long been rumoured to be working on a foldable smartphone, and now a new report out of Korea claims to provide some new details about the mysterious device.
So far we’ve had a load of patents and sporadic reports, but if this new report from the Korea Herald is anything to go by, we could see the flexible device as soon as this year.
According to ‘sources familiar with the matter’, Samsung will “roll out more than 100,000 units of fold-out devices in the third quarter.”
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What’s more, Samsung is said to have moved on from ‘fold-in’ panels to develop panels that fold out to form a 7-inch tablet.
According to the sources, the company found that fold-in panels were too inconvenient for users, and started developing the new fold-out panels in August last year.
Samsung apprently recognised that users wouldn’t want to unfold their phone every time they wanted to use it, which spurred on the development of the out-folding panels.
The sources continued: “Since the company already secured fold-in phone technology, it was not a big challenge to shift into the fold-out phones.”
Despite the development of the foldable smartphone/tablet, Samsung is said to have not yet made a final decision on whether to unveil the device this year.
“The final decision will be made after the personnel reshuffle of the company’s information technology and mobile communications unit is carried out,” the source added.
On top of all that, the report claims LG is also working on developing a foldable smartphone which it will unveil in the fourth quarter.
None of this has yet been confirmed, so the usual pinch of salt approach applies here. But rumours of a foldable phone from Samsung have been around for a while now, and we’re sure there’s something to them. Stay tuned.
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Let us know what you think of the report in the comments.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
