Some reports have stated that Samsung is going to produce a limited batch of foldable Galaxy X smartphones this year, to see how customers might respond to this particular design. But Samsung Display believes that foldable phones are at least two years away, and the Galaxy S8 is partly to blame.
“Because the bezel-free display currently sells well, we still have enough time to develop foldable display. The technology is expected to be mature around 2019,” Samsung Display’s principal engineer Kim Tae-woong said at the Display TechSalon in Seoul.
Foldable phones still pose some technical challenges that need to be addressed, Kim told The Korea Herald after the conference.
Samsung Display also said that single foldable phones will be unveiled first, before multi-foldable devices that can be folded on both sides.
An analyst further reinforced the idea that Samsung doesn’t need to come out with a new form factor as long as the newly unveiled bezel-free smartphones will sell well.
“Samsung Display is expected to commercialize foldable phones in 2019 because the company does not need to sell the new hardware because it is already enjoying 20 percent of operating profits with bezel-free display,” HI Investment and Securities analyst Chung Won-seok said.
“When the demand for bezel-free handsets slows down, Samsung will unveil the foldable display as the next card.”
The Galaxy S8 is currently the only bezel-free smartphone in Samsung’s lineup, but it’s likely Samsung will bring its Infinity display to other flagships in the future.
