The Samsung Galaxy F has long been rumoured to be Samsung’s first foldable smartphone. Here are all the rumours surrounding the device rounded up.
The Samsung Galaxy F has long been rumoured to be Samsung’s first foldable smartphone. But will it be called the Galaxy F, Galaxy Flex, Galaxy Fold, or the Galaxy X, all of which have been reported in the past?
Well, no one knows yet, but we do know a foldable phone is coming. Until very recently when the Galaxy Flex name appeared, followed by Galaxy Fold as a nickname, we’ve heard Galaxy F a lot so you’ll see all names in this feature until Samsung officially confirms the name. Here is the story of Samsung’s foldable smartphone. Release date and price Prototype demoed November 2018 Possible MWC 2019 launch Could cost $2000
Samsung’s foldable phone has been rumoured to be coming for years. In 2017, there were reports suggesting we would see it at IFA 2017. But surprise, that never happened. Since then, we’ve head murmurings that the device will finally make its full debut at Mobile World Congress 2019.
That date has some serious potential now, especially as Samsung previewed a device with an Infinity Flex flexible display at its developer conference in November 2018, living up to Samsung mobile chief DJ Koh’s previous claims in early September 2018 that the foldable device will be revealed in some way in 2018.
The company was originally rumoured to begin mass production of the foldable smartphone in November 2018, reveal prototype models to carriers behind closed doors at CES 2019, and reveal it officially at MWC in February.
Samsung said during SDC 2018 in November that mass production of the Infinity Flex display would start in a « matter of months » though, suggesting the device itself could still be a while off. That said, a while off should still mean 2019. Google announced separately in November 2018 that Android would support foldable phones and Samsung « plans to offer » one in 2019, while Samsung itself confirmed it would launch a foldable device « this year » in its earnings report – it is just not yet known when in 2019 this will be.
Supporting a sooner rather than later release, Samsung’s mobile chief DJ Koh told Korean journalists that the company was working to produce a 5G phone, which wasn’t going to be the Galaxy S10. That left some to assume this first 5G device might be the Galaxy F, though it’s thought there will be four phone launches in 2019 for Samsung, comprising the S10, Note 10, a 5G phone, and a foldable phone.
Samsung is reported to be more interested in being the first to bring a foldable smartphone to market, rather than focusing on sales though. Koh suggested the foldable phone’s launch is imminent, noting Samsung doesn’t « want to lose the world’s-first title », which means that while we think an MWC launch is perhaps a little optimistic, it is possible, even though it won’t get that title now after Royole launched a foldable phone at CES 2019.
