- Samsung is expected to launch a foldable smartphone priced at KRW 2 million
- Starting from November, its components are going to be supplied
- The phone will have a display of 4.5” when folded
For a long time now, the tech world has been expecting the South Korean company Samsung to launch a foldable smartphone. And now the wait seems to be getting close to an end, and Samsung is expected to launch the foldable phone at a whopping KRW 2 million (roughly Rs. 1,25,000). Reportedly, the smartphone is anticipated to be launched in MWC 2019 in Barcelona. And the gen-next Galaxy S-series flagship, the Galaxy S10 might be launched in CES 2019. Apparently, the new foldable smartphone might be named Galaxy X. DJ Koh, Samsung Mobile CEO stated in an interview that the new hardware isn’t just a publicity stunt. At the start of this year at CES, the company also previewed this foldable model in privacy.
Korea Times after analyzing the market trend has reported that the unique components which are designed to enable the foldable design of the smartphone will start in the approaching November, and once the parts are shipped, the assembling process will begin so that the handsets be available for their launch on time. The subsidies from carriers are not included in the predicted price, i.e., KRW 2 million. So, the carriers might offer a lower price for the handset after bundling them up with their plans.
Previous reports suggested that the first foldable smartphone will fold inwards and come with a display screen of 7.3 inches. At a later stage, the outward folding model of the phone will be introduced. The phone when folded will display a screen of 4.5 inches, revealed the Head of Research at Golden Bridge Investment, Kim Jang-yeol, adding to the previous reports. Moreover, the new launching handset will adorn two displays on the inside of the phone, and when folded, it will have a single screen, as told by Park Hyung-woo, Shinhan Financial analyst.
During CES 2019 taking place in Las Vegas, Samsung is predicted to introduce the prototype of this new handset to European and US mobile carriers in a secret meeting. However, MWC taking place next year is expected to showcase the smartphone as Galaxy X publicly. Samsung is also planning to safeguard the title of “world’s first” foldable smartphone ahead of in lead of the competition. Nonetheless, other leading companies in the market like Huawei, Apple, ZTE, and Motorola are also reportedly working on launching similar models, and we could see some more of these models after Samsung’s launch.