14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung is known as one of the smartphone makers that try to push the limits of the market and drive innovation with every flagship they release. The company has been working on various projects in order to bring a viable foldable smartphone to shelves.
Word about Samsung's Project Valley first got out last year, when it was said that the company was working on introducing a foldable handset as soon as 2016. Well, the first seven months of this year have already passed, but there's no indication that the device will arrive in the near future.
Rumors from a few months ago indicated that Samsung's Project Valley smartphone could arrive in early 2017. The Galaxy X, as part of Project Valley, was said to arrive earlier next year. Still, Samsung Mobile Chief D.J. Koh has stated for The Korea Times that the company isn't rushing to release its first foldable smartphone and intends to take its time to make sure the technology is ready and will be distributed to consumers.
A foldable smartphone would change the dynamics of the market, the exec says
The executive has stated that Samsung needs more time in order to develop the technology, as such a foldable smartphone would need significant changes in software and user experience. He has also said that such a device would have a “ripple effect in the industry,” but that he wishes to distribute the technology only when it's finished and can truly bring innovation to the market.
Previous rumors suggested that the bendable Samsung phone wouldn't be available internationally, but only in certain markets like France, Germany, Italy, Poland, South Korea, and the UK.
Well, that remains to be seen, but there has been quite some talk around Samsung's Project Valley, which has prompted other smartphone manufacturers to work on such a concept. Lenovo has recently showcased a bendable smartphone prototype that can be attached to the user's wrist, but the company hasn't provided any information on the release date.
It seems that we won't see any foldable phones this year or in the first part of next year, and all we can hope is that, when it finally arrives, it will be truly worthwhile.