Samsung recently showed off a prototype version of its upcoming foldable smartphone concept and now we’ve learned that this unusual device, tentatively named Galaxy F, will launch around March 2019 for nearly $1,800.
The device would apparently launch a month after Samsung unleashed its next-generation consumer Galaxy smartphone with 5G support, dubbed Galaxy S10, at next year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) which runs from February 25 through February 28, 2019. The flexible phone will be also shown off at MWC ahead of its March arrival, but won’t support 5G like the S10.
According to Japan’s Yonhap News Agency, Galaxy F will be in limited quantities with just one million units available at launch. According to industry sources, the foldable device should retail for around 2 million won, which works out to about $1,770.
And you thought paying a thousand bucks for a high-end smartphone was outrageous…
A prototype of Galaxy F that Samsung showed off at its annual developers conference last week has a 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display that could be folded in half. It’s actually three displays because there’ a smaller 4.6-inch screen on the outside when the device is folded.
This permits the user to run up to three apps at once when unfolded in a tablet-like form factor. Samsung has written its own custom interface for Galaxy F, but Google will be adding support for its Infinity Flex Display’s foldable form factor to its Android software so that other manufacturers can put out similarly-designed smartphones.
Samsung claims it’s heard from people all around the world that there’s a need for a new form factor that could deliver new experiences with a bigger display while still maintaining portability, especially as the popularity of the digital nomad lifestyle grows.
Apple could launch a foldable iPhone in 2020.
Is a foldable smartphone a gimmick or something that’ll take off, do you think?
Sound off with your thoughts in the comments section below.