The era of the foldable smartphone is coming.
Samsung today gave a sneak peak of its long-rumored foldable device that can morph between smartphone and tablet. There’s still a lot unknown about the device, but we do know that Samsung is working with Google’s Android to support the launch of the phone next year, as The Verge notes.
The tablet configuration looks like a typical device, and when folded up the phone takes on a thicker “candy bar” look compared to today’s super thin smartphones.
Justin Denison, senior vice president of mobile product marketing at Samsung, detailed the” Infinity Flex Display” that makes the “new form factor” possible at the Samsung Developer Conference Wednesday. The protective glass layer found on most smartphones was replaced with an “advanced composite polymer.” The device will feature the ability to use three apps simultaneously.
Samsung painted the foldable device as the next evolution for smartphones, and several companies are working on their own versions. LG and Huawei are rumored to be developing foldable phones, and Microsoft has for years been linked to a dual-screen Surface device. Samsung, and all these other manufacturers, were beat to the punch when a San Francisco-area startup called Royole unveiled its FlexPai foldable phone earlier this week.
