Now that DJ Koh, the CEO of Samsung’s mobile division, has suggested the company might unveil its long-awaited foldable smartphone later this fall, we’re getting some new details about what the design of this handset will consist of. Not from the company, of course, which is still being coy about what’s being referred to as the Galaxy F.
A new report out of Korea from ETNews says the so-called Galaxy F (the naming convention we’ll stick with for now) will sport a foldable 7.3-inch Samsung-made OLED display on the inside with a 1.5R curvature. That’s according to SamMobile, which adds that the external display will “reportedly be 4.6 inches and of flexible OLED variety, allowing the device to be used as a regular smartphone when the device is folded. The design, which matches with what DJ Koh was hinting at, offers the convenience of using the larger display only when it is needed and not necessarily for every task.”
We already new this handset will have a form factor comparable to a book that folds vertically in the middle. Also, that Samsung would include a display on the exterior so that you can use it even when it’s closed.
Apparently, Samsung has also code-named this foldable phone project Winner. Again, according to ETNews, the company is shooting for between 100,000 and 120,000 foldable display production units a month, though Samsung Display will likely place part orders for 150,000 to 180,000 units a month because of “yield issues.”
Koh told CNBC just a few days ago that the new phone might be ready to show off at the company’s developer conference in San Francisco this November. He furthermore acknowledged to the network that while the development process has been “complicated,” Samsung is also pretty much at the finish line now.
“You can use most of the uses … on foldable status,” he told CNBC. “But when you need to browse or see something, then you may need to unfold it. But even unfolded, what kind of benefit does that give compared to the tablet? If the unfolded experience is the same as the tablet, why would they (consumers) buy it?
“So every device, every feature, every innovation should have a meaningful message to our end customer. So when the end customer uses it, (they think) ‘wow, this is the reason Samsung made it’.”
The release of this model, along with the Galaxy S10, comes at a time when the company definitely is looking to regain some of its mobile mojo. It’s still the top handset maker in the world, mind you, though mobile sales slipped 20 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period in 2017. Apple and Huawei are working hard to eat away at Samsung’s position relative to pricey flagship phones, and as part of its interview with Koh, CNBC noted that a foldable phone might be just the thing to help Samsung stand apart from competitors.
Even so, there’s some justification for being dubious. We’re already on record as pointing out you might ought to take a wait-and-see approach before getting excited about a foldable model, on account of when Samsung rushes products out the door, as it often does, they’re frequently, ah, not the best they could be. But we’ll see.
