14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung will take the wraps off its first foldable smartphone at the company’s developer conference next month, but the device isn’t ready just yet so it won’t go on sale in November.
An unnamed company official told The Korea Times that the version making its way to the Samsung Developer Conference wouldn’t be a finished product and the South Korean firm would only present a preview of the device.
“We may provide partial information of the foldable phone at the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC) in November, but the finished product won't be available there,” the official was quoted as saying.
The Samsung Developer Conference will take place on November 7 and November 8 in San Francisco, and at least one smartphone is likely to be unveiled.
Possible launch date
As for the launch date of the device, very little is known at this point, but earlier this year, it was speculated that the foldable smartphone would go live in the first quarter of 2019.
However, Samsung’s product unveiling roadmap tries to separate the launch of the Galaxy S10 from the foldable model, as the two could cannibalize each other and thus impact sales. The Galaxy S10 is therefore projected to launch either in late January or in early February, while the foldable phone may hit the shelves in March.
According to previous speculation, the device may use a 7-inch OLED screen when unfolded. It would support a folded state as well and measure 4.5 inches, as reported by the cited source.
Samsung wants to be a pioneer of the foldable smartphone market, and this is the reason the company plans to showcase its device so early ahead of the actual launch. Other phone makers are also exploring this new side of the market, including Huawei, and their devices could see daylight by the end of the year too.