The Phone That Could Fold
Smartphones, they’re everywhere. It seems as though everyone has one. We use them for almost everything, including ordering items on Amazon or binge watching movies or shows on Netflix. Every year, there is a newer, bigger, and better iPhone or Galaxy and everyone always feels like they’ve got to have the best. However, Samsung is planning to change it up this year: creating a foldable phone.
This announcement came from a Chinese tipster who has been known to leak accurate and correct information about companies before they announce it. According to the leaker’s twitter, the foldable phone, the Samsung Galaxy X, is set to be either announced or released in Quarter 3 of 2017. The same person also claims that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be released in Q4 of 2017. It is believed that the Note 8 will not explode, unlike its predecessor.
The new foldable phone is not just any flip phone, it is a foldable smartphone/tablet. This means that the screen and the phone itself will have the ability to completely fold over, all of it. According to similar sources, the device will act as a phone when it is folded over and then it will become an 8-inch tablet when it is opened. You will not have to unfold the device every time you want to use it as a phone.
Warning: incoming nerd stuff. The Samsung Galaxy X is believed to have the same processor as the Galaxy S8: Qualcomm’s 835 processor. It is also said that the phone will feature a dual camera setup and a MicroSD slot. The battery will most likely not be removable. It is also rumored to have a 6.4 inch Super AMOLED 4K display. It will also have Samsung’s new AI, Bixby, that was introduced into the Galaxy S8. While it is the first of its kind, Samsung has already perfected the foldable screen technology.
While the phone will come out in Q3, not everyone will be able to buy one this year. It is believed that Samsung will produce 100,000 foldable phones and release them in some parts of Europe and South Korea. If the phone is successful, they will mass produce the phones in 2018 and sell them worldwide. Samsung is being very cautious with this project after the exploding Note 7 ordeal.
Despite the successes of Samsung’s foldable phone project known as Project Valley, LG is working hard to make their own foldable phones. LG has also created a foldable screen technology and also plans to release 100,000 phones in a test market. However, there is one part where LG is not copying Samsung in the foldable phone race; they are believed to be willing to sell their foldable screens to other companies like Apple. There are many other companies including Lenovo, Vivo, and Oppo who are also seeking to release a foldable phone. Lenovo held their TechWorld conference on June 9, 2016, in San Francisco, at the conference, they showed the audience some prototype phones and tablets that could fold. The phone could fold around your wrist and the tablet folded into a phone. Both devices actually worked when they were folded. This is one of the first glimpses we have had of a foldable screen.
While the Samsung Galaxy X is being kept in the shadows, Samsung has recently announced the Samsung Galaxy S8 and has confirmed that the Note 8 will be released. They have also announced that both phones will not explode and that they are safe. The Samsung Galaxy S8 will be released on April 21 and the Note 8 will come out sometime at the end of the year.
Hi, my name is Jake Werner and this is my staff profile. I am a Copy Editor, the Fun Facts editor, and the editor of the Jetcast and this is my second...
Carter Rodny • Apr 17, 2017 at 12:52 pm
I’ve always wanted a phone that rests like a wet noodle in my pocket all day long.
Ryan Self • Apr 17, 2017 at 12:11 pm
Wow this phone seems far out!
Ryn Wayman • Apr 17, 2017 at 12:11 pm
A folding phone sounds cool but in practice it seems too big
Jonathan Flat • Apr 17, 2017 at 12:14 pm
Just like the “Plus” version of every iPhone!
Robert Corl • Apr 17, 2017 at 12:05 pm
This is really incredible; I had no idea this was possible until now. I look forward to these new phones and the iPhone 8!
Bethany Diaz • Apr 17, 2017 at 12:00 pm
I hope it is as effective as current phones are. There are already tablet/laptop combinations so this seems like an obvious next innovation.
Megan Reynolds • Apr 17, 2017 at 11:56 am
I loved this article Jake. Its amazing to think about how technology has advanced in the past few years.
Joseph Cordaro • Apr 17, 2017 at 11:48 am
Hopefully they make it super thin and light, I don’t think anyone wants a brick in their pocket. Great job jake!
Luke Negley • Apr 17, 2017 at 10:02 am
I knew one day someone would invent this technology. Great article Jake!