Samsung Galaxy X could arrive in December with a 7.3-inch foldable screen

Will 2018 be the year Samsung finally launches its first foldable phone? According to the latest rumors it might, but you’ll be waiting until almost the end of the year.

According to industry sources speaking to ETNews, Samsung will develop foldable displays by March, manufacture panels in September and start manufacturing the phone itself (currently known as the Samsung Galaxy X) in November, with the phone then likely launching in December or early 2019.

The sources add that the Galaxy X will apparently have a 7.3-inch flexible OLED screen which folds inwards like a book, so when it’s folded you can use it as a phone, while unfolded it’s more of a tablet.

But if you like the sound of that you might want to start saving, as with foldable phones Samsung is apparently aiming to create a market that’s one step higher than the premium smartphone market the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 belong to, so by the sounds of things the Galaxy X could cost even more than the iPhone X.

Don't count on a 2018 launch

That assumes this information is accurate, and it may not be, as separately Samsung’s mobile chief Koh Dong-jin has said “it is difficult to talk about the date of the launch now. We want to unveil the products properly but now seems a bit early,” according to the Korea Herald, adding that “there are still durability issues that we need to address.”

He had previously been open about aiming for a 2018 launch, so these new comments suggest the Samsung Galaxy X might not be quite so imminent after all.

Via PocketNow

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.