Samsung, one of the biggest phone manufacturers in the world, has just announced its first ever foldable phone. This is the first mainstream foldable phone from a mainstream company, and although we have seen multiple foldable devices to date, this seems like the most promising.
Samsung’s foldable phone is built on a technology called Infinity Flex Display that allows you to fold the phone into a phone-sized screen, or open it up to use it as a tablet-sized device with a 7.3-inch display. You will be able to run 3 apps at a time on the tablet mode, too. There is no bezel between the two parts of the device, and it actually looks kind of nice.
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The device Samsung showed off isn’t thin or bezel-less completely like Samsung’s Galaxy devices, though. Samsung says this is just a prototype device and the company is hiding the design elements for now, but it apparently looks gorgeous inside. However, this is how the end product should look like when it comes out in 2019:
It’s a phone… It’s a tablet… It’s a phone that unfolds into a tablet! #SDC18 pic.twitter.com/FgwpJPjqTn
— SAMSUNG DEVELOPERS (@samsung_dev) November 7, 2018
Google today also announced that the company is building native support for foldable devices into Android, and that’s going to come in handy for companies like Samsung and others to build a universal experience that’s consistent across all the new Android foldable devices that are going to come out soon.
Samsung is expected to officially release its foldable device in 2019, which is exactly when Microsoft is expected to unveil its own foldable Surface device: Andromeda.
skane2600
<p>My old flip-phone folded too :)</p><p><br></p>
skane2600
<p> Hmm. Looks like the world thickest smartphone.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#361753">In reply to slbailey1:</a></em></blockquote><p>I don't get the promotional value of displaying what your product <em>isn't</em> going to look like. On the other hand, if the design isn't as far along as you suggest, that's another story.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#361833">In reply to VancouverNinja:</a></em></blockquote><p>I don't know. Foldable or not, the tablet form-factor isn't ideal for full Windows and the viability of a UWP-only option isn't very credible IMO. I don't know how you could connect a physical keyboard to a foldable device unless you either make the screen very short or the device very tall.</p>
PeterC
<p>This is like the "ripples" on the puddle in Jurassic Park. Samsung are clearly stating intention, whose next I wonder? Ive long held out hope for a digital moleskin/journal in a smartphone package. Not that long ago I would have purchased this type of thing from MS in a heartbeat, now i'm not sure. Could such a device succeed if its not either iOS or Android based?</p>
BrianEricFord
<p>Samsung didn’t unveil their foldable phone.</p>
PeterC
<blockquote><em><a href="#361804">In reply to VancouverNinja:</a></em></blockquote><p>No it’s got a protective box cover over it hiding the actual handset/tablet design. They were demoing the screen at their dev conf</p>
dontbe evil
<p>not a Samsung fan, but as usual as many others millions of years ahead of apple, waiting for lg one in january</p>
dontbe evil
<blockquote><em><a href="#365029">In reply to Jeffsters:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>bhauahuahuahuahuaua … apple just fill patents, like rounded corners, to get money</p>