Reports suggest the Samsung Galaxy X was demonstrated during a behind-closed-doors at Mobile World Congress in February this year. The mobile operators who are said to have seen it were reportedly “very impressed” with the Samsung Galaxy X. Nevertheless, an official reveal for the world’s first foldable smartphone appears off the cards (for now).
As with any new iPhone or Galaxy smartphone, heaps of leaked info is out in the public domain already. These details provide an outline of what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy X’s design, specs and a possible release date.
Samsung Galaxy X at a glance
- Reveal could be at IFA in Berlin (Q3 2017)
- Limited 100,000 units at launch
- Possibly a smartphone/tablet hybrid
Samsung has been teasing us with a foldable mobile for some time. In spite of this hype, the likelihood of Samsung planning a double hit following the Samsung Galaxy S8 reveal this was always very low.
IFA Berlin has been cited as the next big tech event where we could see Samsung’s elusive foldable. This report comes from a Korean news network, which has offered a number of other key facts about the rumoured Galaxy X. IFA Berlin is set to take place in September, with the show having a key focus on industry innovation.
We’ll need to wait a little longer to know how the device will actually work and whether its design will amount to compromises on Samsung’s hardware.
Samsung Galaxy X: Release date and shipping
- Reports suggest Q3 2017 reveal
- Initially limited to 100,000 units in Q4
- To hit mass market mid-2018
Given the unique stature of Samsung’s rumored foldable, current speculation that the company will only release a limited run of 100,000 devices seems valid. So, who’s going to nab one? According to SamMobile, the device will release in selected regions first to test interest prior to a wider push. Listing nine territories in total, the Samsung Galaxy X will reportedly hit the UK and US, as well as Poland and Samsung’s home of South Korea. This could signal exclusivity with selected networks, akin to Apple’s O2 deal for the original iPhone. This is speculative at the moment, but Samsung did opt for this model last year with the Galaxy S7 Active, naming AT&T as sole US carrier. After all,100,000 units isn’t much for a brand used to owning roughly 40% of the smartphone market.
Samsung’s hesitance to reveal the Galaxy X has been linked to worries about the device’s profitability. Despite this, details seen in PocketNow put down Q4 for the initial 100,000 run. Based on this info, though, the general public will need to wait for mid-2018 for it to go mass-market, provided the Samsung Galaxy X makes it past this early phase.
Samsung Galaxy X: Specs and design
- 5in mobile screen and rumoured 7in tablet display
- Device might be 4K
- Patented onscreen hinge technology
Samsung likes to keep people guessing. A 2016 Bloomberg report suggested they’re not just working on a Samsung Galaxy X but another folding device. The first glimpse of this concept was actually shown back in 2014 through a cringey teaser video that demonstrated a “Flexible OLED Display Phone and Tab Concept”. More recently, leaked patents have shown something resembling a slightly more typical Galaxy device but with folding functionality.
Screen size has been hotly debated, leaked patent images via SamMobile suggest it’s altered through development. The hybrid model alone is suggested to have been cut from 8in to a 7in foldout screen. While the phone screen is rumoured to be in the 5in-5.5in ballpark. These claims give weight to reports Samsung have multiple devices in development. Samsung might even still be pondering what one will make it into the public’s hands.
Read next: Samsung S8 review
The tablet hybrid has seen popularity from audiences already, the latest fan concepts revealing how such a device could work can be seen in this video.
Details on what specs the Samsung Galaxy X will bolster remains very hush hush but those “close to the matter” are trickling out the odd bit of info via the Korea Herald. One outlandish claim in this report predicts the Samsung Galaxy X will feature a 4K resolution screen, certainly making it quite a showstopper. However, 4K seems ambitious for something utilising what is very new technology.
More plausible than 4K, the Galaxy X could bolster a Samsung prototype shown at SID Display Week 2016. A video filmed by SlashGear reveals a 5.7in, 1080p OLED display on an automated arm control, with a pixel density of 386ppi. Considering this was just last year, it does seem odd Samsung would not incorporate into a future product.
In terms of design, one of the crucial elements in various patent images is the hinge that would allow Samsung’s device to function as a foldable. In July 2016, Patently Mobile released a series of images for both a mobile and tablet concept showing how foldable tech would work. One Galaxy X design demonstrates a central fold in the middle of the screen, allowing the device to go into a compact mode. In November 2016, SamMobile released new patent images showing what is assumed to be the Samsung Galaxy X in much more detail. They give an even more in-depth view of the centrefold technology. However, these images didn’t seem to indicate a tablet hybrid (at least in this model).
Samsung Galaxy X: The rivals
- LG could also reveal a foldable device this year
- Lenovo pegged as another frontrunner
Samsung and Apple are the big dogs of global smartphones, but as with curved screens in the Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung seems to be leading the charge with innovation.
That’s not to say other companies aren’t also eyeing up foldable phones as the next big thing. So far we know LG are keen to take on Samsung in the early days of foldable smartphones, following a leaked patent from TrendyTechz that suggests it will also produce a phone/tablet hybrid. Patent images show a 7in folding tablet that can alter to a 5in phone at will, much in the same vein as Samsung’s rumoured hybrid. LG might even reveal in the same month of Samsung; the company did demonstrate a highly flexible screen back in 2014, with promise it could go into production sometime in 2017. At that time, LG’s folding tech was made with a special film instead of a standard plastic, although whether an LG hybrid will use this is unknown. Lenovo has also been penned as a frontrunner in the foldable phone game. Last year the company showed off a folding device, albeit in very early stages, doubling up as a wearable and a phone. All bets still point to Samsung firing the starting gun with the Samsung Galaxy X, but reports are putting others hot on their heels.
We will update this page as more is known about the Samsung Galaxy X.