Samsung has been rumored to be developing a foldable smartphone. Since originally launching its flagship Galaxy handset more than eight years ago, however, it hasn’t released a smartphone with a foldable touchscreen display. Of course, Samsung isn’t alone in this regard. No other mobile device manufacturer has released a foldable smartphone. But that’s about to change, as Samsung recently confirmed that it was in fact developing a smartphone with a foldable touchscreen display.
When presenting at the company’s Annual Developers Conference earlier this year, Samsung presented a working prototype of its first foldable smartphone. Known as Infinity Flex, Samsung touted the innovative new handset as being “the foundation of tomorrow.. The Infinity Flex looks like a traditional tablet computer in its default, unfolded position. It measures 7.3 inches, which is about the same size as a standard tablet computer. However, the Infinity Flex is neither a tablet computer or a standard smartphone. Rather, it’s a two-in-one device that allows users to choose their own preferred configuration.
If you want to use the Infinity Flex as a smartphone, for example, you can simply fold it vertically in half. The half of the display that’s visible from the front will essentially provide the full user interface (UI), being the Android operating system with Samsung’s own modded skin over it. If you want to use the Infinity Flex as a tablet, on the other hand, you can simply unfold it back into its original, default position.
So, when can you expect to see the Samsung Infinity Flex available for sale? Samsung hasn’t announced an official release date, though it did confirm that production of the new foldable smartphone will begin within months. Assuming that’s true, Samsung will likely release the Infinity Flex later new year, presumably around the holidays, when most mobile device manufacturers release their new product models.
There’s been a growing interest surrounding smartphones with foldable touchscreen displays in recent months. A small mobile device manufacturing company, Royole, has also announced plans to launch a foldable smartphone. Furthermore, Google’s Android team has said that it’s working to implement the necessary framework so that developers can make custom, optimized apps designed specifically for mobile devices with a foldable touchscreen display.
“We just announced support for foldables at #AndroidDevSummit, a new form factor coming next year from Android partners. Android apps run seamlessly as the device folds, achieving this form factor’s chief feature: screen continuity,” tweeted Android Developers.
