In the unlikely event that you aren’t sick of Samsung smartphone leaks, we’ve got one last corker to end the week on: the high-concept Galaxy X is closer to completion than we thought – and we could be getting an official announcement as early as January. But getting your hands on one could prove very difficult.
Once again, we owe this titbit to the irrepressible spies at Ice Universe. (Seriously, these guys have been carpet bombing the internet with Galaxy-related leaks on what feels like an hourly basis.) This time, their dirt dishing is focused on the Samsung Galaxy X – or whatever the company ends up calling its foldable smartphone.
Yes, foldable. For those not keeping abreast of mobile phone developments, Samsung has openly acknowledged that it’s working on a folding screen concept that it hopes to implement in future smartphones.
It has filed multiple design patents based on this technology and recently cited “foldable OLED smartphones” as one of its key products for the new financial year. It’s not a matter of if Samsung will release a folding phone, but when.
If Ice Universe’s leaked info checks out, that date is a lot closer than anyone was expecting. According to an inside source, the Samsung Galaxy X will make its official debut at next year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which takes place in January.
This means the product could be bending onto store shelves as early as Feburary, 2019. Needless to say, that’s much sooner than most tech experts had predicted. 2020 and beyond was the safe bet.
Of course, it’s also possible that Samsung will just show off another proof-of-concept prototype without announcing a launch date. Or Ice Universe’s source could be talking bupkis. We simply won’t know for sure until CES rolls around.
If the Galaxy X does launch in early 2019, quantities are likely to be extremely limited. As Scott Plowman over on Ausdroid notes, Samsung is also prepping the Galaxy S10 for an early 2019 release date. It simply wouldn’t make sense to mass produce two flagship phones at the same time.
Rather, the Galaxy X will probably be more of a strategic gambit to gauge the market’s appetite for this new form factor. Plowman predicts Samsung may manufacture as little as 300,000 units – which would make it extremely difficult to get your hands on one.
It may not even launch in Australia, which would be a crying shame. Provided that the concept works, this device could be the shakeup that the smartphone industry desperately needs.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/05/everything-we-know-about-samsungs-folding-galaxy-x-smartphone/” thumb=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/05/Folding-Phone-410×231.jpg” title=”Samsung ‘Galaxy X’: Everything We Know So Far” excerpt=”The concept of an Android smartphone that you can fold up and put in your pocket is inching closer to reality. According to the latest leaked reports, Samsung’s long-rumoured folding Galaxy X is set to make its debut in under a year. Here’s what you need to know.”]
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