Samsung Display Says Don't Expect Folding Galaxy Smartphones Before 2019
Despite recent rumors, Samsung claims that they will not be releasing a folding galaxy phone anytime soon. The Korean conglomerate stated that bendable devices would be available no earlier than 2019.
Kim Tae-woong, Samsung Display’s principal engineer remarked at the Display TechSalon in Seoul, South Korea that “Because the bezel-free display currently sells well, we still have enough time to develop bendable display. The technology is expected to be mature around 2019”.
Chung Won-seok, an analyst at HI Investment and Securities, further noted that “Samsung Display is expected to commercialize bendable phones in 2019 because the company does not need to sell the new hardware because it is already enjoying 20 percent of operating profits with bezel-free display.”
Why all the foldable phone rumors? This past autumn, Samsung was granted a patent for a bendable display. The patent featured a smartphone with a flexible display that could “fold-out” into a 7-inch tablet. It was initially believed that Samsung would be shipping out at least 100,000 units during Q3 of 2017.
Microsoft might be your next best bet if you have your heart set on a foldable device. This past January a patent filing indicated that Microsoft is working on a 2-in-1 device that would function primarily has a smartphone, but could be unfolded into a more versatile tablet. This patent is naturally no guarantee that Microsoft is working on such a device. The company has thousands of patents, many of which never come to fruition.
Several experts believe that smartphone design has stagnated and that bendable devices could be the next big trend. The trends toward modular devices has largely been a bust. Google abandoned its modular smartphone “Project Ara”, while LG’s modular G5 flagship failed to do as well as anticipated. The Moto Z family was one of the few modular smartphone projects that did well.
Kim Tae-woong, Samsung Display’s principal engineer remarked at the Display TechSalon in Seoul, South Korea that “Because the bezel-free display currently sells well, we still have enough time to develop bendable display. The technology is expected to be mature around 2019”.
Chung Won-seok, an analyst at HI Investment and Securities, further noted that “Samsung Display is expected to commercialize bendable phones in 2019 because the company does not need to sell the new hardware because it is already enjoying 20 percent of operating profits with bezel-free display.”
Why all the foldable phone rumors? This past autumn, Samsung was granted a patent for a bendable display. The patent featured a smartphone with a flexible display that could “fold-out” into a 7-inch tablet. It was initially believed that Samsung would be shipping out at least 100,000 units during Q3 of 2017.
Microsoft might be your next best bet if you have your heart set on a foldable device. This past January a patent filing indicated that Microsoft is working on a 2-in-1 device that would function primarily has a smartphone, but could be unfolded into a more versatile tablet. This patent is naturally no guarantee that Microsoft is working on such a device. The company has thousands of patents, many of which never come to fruition.
Several experts believe that smartphone design has stagnated and that bendable devices could be the next big trend. The trends toward modular devices has largely been a bust. Google abandoned its modular smartphone “Project Ara”, while LG’s modular G5 flagship failed to do as well as anticipated. The Moto Z family was one of the few modular smartphone projects that did well.
