Samsung Galaxy X: All The Facts And Rumours So Far

DJ Koh has been at it again. After letting slip about the Note 9 before it launched, he has now also revealed some details about Samsung’s highly anticipated foldable phone — which is on track for being a world-first.

It doesn’t have an official name, but it is generally referred to as the Samsung Galaxy X. These are the details we have so far.

It was during an interview with CNBC that the head of Samsung’s mobile division said that the Galaxy X will probably be revealed at Samsung’s Developer Conference in November.

This is a whole lot sooner than anyone expected. I was personally waiting for a CES reveal and a MWC launch in 2019.

And I wasn’t the only one.

Renowned Chinese leaker Ice Universe tweeted their own prediction back in July.

The timing could be spot in, especially as the phone has now reportedly passed certification as is on the Samsung Support site.

That being said, a reveal is not a launch. Koh has said that the development process of this phone is “complicated” but that Samsung is almost done with it.

So it’s tough to gauge when it may acrtually go on sale. It may not be until after MWC, or perhaps even later.

Koh also confirmed leaks from earlier this year that the phone will indeed be foldable. Even though he didn’t comment on specifics, he did say that it will have a “foldable status”.

Interestingly, Koh himself questioned the need for a foldable phone during the interview.

“You can use most of the uses … on foldable status. But when you need to browse or see something, then you may need to unfold it. But even unfolded, what kind of benefit does that give compared to the tablet? If the unfolded experience is the same as the tablet, why would they (consumers) buy it?,” he said to CNBC at IFA.

“So every device, every feature, every innovation should have a meaningful message to our end customer. So when the end customer uses it, (they think) ‘wow, this is the reason Samsung made it’.”

While these are the only rock solid facts we have so far, there have been some fascinating “leaks” and rumours surrounding this phone for months now.

Here are the most prominent ones so far. But do keep in mind that they may turn out to be inaccurate.


It Won’t Be Named The Galaxy X

Even though the phone is generally referred to as the Galaxy X, one prominent leakerdoesn’t think that will be the name.

The ‘F’ stands for ‘Foldable’.

It Will Have An Unbreakable OLED Screen

Back in July Samsung announced that it had created unbreakable glass — a claim that was stressed tested and ultimately backed up by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the U.S.

The OLED screen includes a strong plastic panel on top, as opposed to glass, which is what makes it flexible.

This sounds exactly like the kind of screen a foldable phone would require.

As an added note, one rumour surmises that the end result will be a 7.3-inch OLED screen.

It Will Have An Extra Hidden Display

Let’s Go Digital uncovered a Samsung patent from July 2016 titled ”foldable electronic device, hidden display and information display method thereof’.

The patent was published in March 2017 and then republished in July 2018.

The patent images reveal a display that will activate when the device is folded. It seems like it can show info such as the date and time, app icons and text messages — things you may want to see without having to unfold the phone.


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Some of the images in the patent also make it look like the hidden display could have a pop up functionality, much like the camera on the Oppo Find X. But that’s pure speculation.


It May Or May Not Have Four Cameras

A few days ago Ice Universe alluded to an upcoming Samsung phone with 4 cameras. But when pressed on whether it will be the Galaxy X, they said no (And are also referring to it as the F)

Ice Universe has a pretty solid track record, so assuming they’re correct about this… which 2019 Samsung phone is going to be rocking 4 Cameras?


It Will Be Racing Huawei To Market

While everyone has been talking about the X, Huawei has also said that it’s going to be the first to put a foldable phone on the market.

And with the recent announcement of the Mate 20 at IFA, with an unveiling set for October 16 in London, one has to wonder if it will be the phone they’re talking about.

Considering that the Mate 20 date beats Samsung’s Developer Conference by mere weeks — the timing is certainly perfect for Huawei to swoop in to steal the hype.


It’s Going To Be Expensive

Considering that the top line Note 9 costs $1,799 I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re going to see the revolutionary phone hit the 2K mark.

There hasn’t been a whole lot of rumours around pricing, but the Korea Times did publish a quote from Kim Jang-yeol, thr head of research at Golden Bridge Investment.

Jang-yeol apparently said that the price could sit around the 2 million won mark, which is just shy of $2,500 Australian dollars.

That’s huge, but to be fair, there is no mention in the article of what research or evidence that figure is based on.

Still, there’s no way that this thing is going to be cheap.


Sadly there’s really nothing too solid on the spec front yet. But we have two months until Samsung’s Developer Conference, so watch this space.


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