Samsung is expected to debut its foldable Galaxy X to developers this week

Samsung might not be the first to launch a foldable device, but it looks like the long-in-development Galaxy X smartphone will finally be unveiled to developers this week. While many are hoping for a sneak peek at the impending device, the South Korean firm has at least promised to reveal the user interface.

In an attempt to jolt its declining mobile division and further combat competition, Samsung will reportedly debut its Galaxy X foldable smartphone during Wednesday’s Developer Conference. While this will undoubtedly see some of its upcoming features worm their way out from behind closed doors, such as the user interface, the extra communication with app makers is an effort to ensure a smooth release for the experimental device.

“Unlike our flagship products, the foldable phone is a completely new concept in terms of design and user experience, which requires a different approach,” an anonymous Samsung official told Reuters. “Before we take it to the market, we want to share with developers what we’ve done so far and see what they think of it.”

Unfortunately, this means that consumers still have a bit of a wait on their hands before the smartphone is released. While rival Chinese display maker Royale will begin taking pre-orders for its own flexible device in December, the Galaxy X is rumoured to appear early in 2019 instead.

So far, it is believed that the Galaxy X will be a 7.3-inch OLED foldable tablet that closes into a 4.5-inch smartphone. While speculation states that this is likely to be accompanied by a high price tag pushing towards the $2,000 mark, Chinese competitors such as Huawei could very well drive the cost down.

“First, Samsung needs to show foldable smartphones are commercially viable. If they become established well enough to take a place in flagship product line-ups like the S-series and Note-series, then foldables might just help turn around the company’s underperforming mobile business,” explains HMC Investment & Securities analyst Greg Roh to the publication.

Hopefully we will know more when the Developer Conference rolls around tomorrow.

KitGuru Says: Analysts are concerned that demand will be low, but my primary concerns are whether the Galaxy X can live up to such promises after such a long time in development. Speculation running wild might well have promised a device that won’t come to fruition for a while to come, although I truly hope I’m wrong. Would you sport a foldable smartphone?

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