Samsung has been working on a foldable phone for years, so what else is new? Well, the company may finally — finally — have a launch date in mind. Early Galaxy X rumors said the phone was due in 2017 before that date slipped to 2018. Then earlier this year Samsung failed to commit to an actual launch date for the handset, saying it wants to take its time and offer meaningful smartphone experiences to buyers.
A new report now says the Galaxy X may be unveiled at some point next year as part of a pilot program, and the design may be finalized by June of this year. The same report also says the phone will look more like a Galaxy Note phone rather than a tablet.
Korean-language The Bell reports that a prototype of the phone was shown to certain Samsung partners at CES 2018 behind closed doors. The device featured three OLED screens, all measuring 3.5 inches in size. Two displays were placed inside the handset, while a third one was found on the outside of the phone. That way, consumers will be able to use the device regardless of whether they extend the full screen or not.
The report notes that the Galaxy X won’t actually turn out to be the Galaxy S10, something the same paper mentioned earlier this week. The Bell also says the phone would look more like a Galaxy Note when extended, rather than a tablet.
Samsung will apparently only make between 500,000 and 2 million units initially, as the phone will be part of a test program to gauge consumer response. That’s something we’ve heard from previous Galaxy X rumors. Samsung is looking to test the market before committing to large-scale production.
According to the report, Samsung has already informed some parts suppliers of its foldable phone roadmap in preparation for next year’s Galaxy X launch.
