Samsung Galaxy X Release Date, Features, News And Rumors

May 17, 2018 UPDATE: New information from the Korean outlet The Bell suggests that Samsung has finally nailed down the device of the Galaxy X – driving home the fact that the phone, indeed, is in development and may be coming sooner rather than later.

It’s no secret that Samsung has been working on foldable screens for quite a few years at this point, and it’s looking likely that the Korean tech giant may finally be ready to release the foldable phone to the world in 2019.

Samsung Galaxy X

Here’s what we know about the phone thus far. Keep in mind that this information is mostly due to leaks rather than information from the company themselves, but The Bell has a pretty good track record when it comes to leaks so it’s safe to say that the majority of this information is looking pretty likely.

The device will be using OLED panels, as is expected from high-end Samsung flagships, but what is most notable is the number of them. Strangely enough, the Galaxy X will feature three 3.5-inch OLED panels: two that will combine to form a massive 7-inch screen when unfolded as well as one at the read of the device that allows the phone to be used while folded.

This may result in a foldable phone that is one of the smallest high-end flagships on the market while still retaining one of the biggest screens in history.

The screen will also feature a completely bezel-less front with an under-display fingerprint sensor. While Samsung has been criticized in recent years for a lack of innovation, the Galaxy X may very well be a demonstration that the company is still in the game when it comes to driving the industry forward.

We’ll have to see whether these design changes come to fruition, but after some uncertainty regarding the release of the Galaxy X it’s looking like development is preceding as planned with a potential 2019 release.

Dec 28, 2017 UPDATE: Could the existence of the fabled Galaxy X be in doubt? Probably not. But the release date of the foldable device may be significantly less certain.

A new leak indicates that the model number SM-G888N0, seemingly linked with the Galaxy X, is actually associated with a completely different device.

It seems that the Samsung SM-G888N0 is a LTE device built for professionals, meaning that not only is it not the Galaxy X, but it’s not really intended for the consumer market whatsoever.

Samsung may still fulfil its promise to release a Galaxy X foldable before the year is out, but this will undoubtedly be logistically challenging for the mega-corporation.

Dec 15, 2017 UPDATE – The foldable Samsung Galaxy X is one of the smartphone rumors of the year, and recently we gained an intriguing insight into the design of this device. However, this hasn’t been met with universal acclaim, with some observers suggesting that it is a little bulky, and even somewhat ugly.

A patent filing from Samsung has recently given an indication of how the Galaxy X may work when it is released, with two screens and a strip used to connect the two displays. When folded on top of one another, the strip between the two effectively protrudes in loop-like fashion.

The patent also suggest that Samsung intends to combine different generations of devices. The left display is very much reminiscent of recent releases, with slim bezels and no physical Home button.

Samsung Galaxy X
Image: Concept

However, the right screen features a more traditional smartphone design, with a physical button placed under the display, and camera and front-facing scanners visible.

This particular patent may not ultimately appear as part of the Galaxy X release, as massive corporations such as Samsung file such requests extremely frequently. There is also no doubt that the Korean corporation will be testing several different versions of the foldable technology, so it’s possible that the final device will look nothing like this.

But the fact that when folded the device in this patent appears thick and bulky has received criticism in some quarters. Certainly this design element doesn’t exactly fit in with the smartphone zeitgeist, and it could be something that the manufacturer tinkers with before releasing the Galaxy X.

Another patent released by Samsung indeed suggests that the bendable display of the Galaxy X may work in a completely different manner. This document describes a way of folding a display back on itself to create what is effectively a wraparound experience.

In this particular design, the screen notably does not flex. This could be another possible approach for the Galaxy X when the Korean company unveils its foldable smartphone.

While the existence of the Galaxy X is pretty much confirmed following explicit statements from the developer, the precise form of the device is far from settled. There has been considerable debate in the Samsung-following community regarding the final form of the Galaxy X, and the fact that Samsung is patenting differing technology will only heighten discussion.

Among the things that Samsung will be considering particularly carefully with the Galaxy X is the commercial viability of the product. On the one hand, the cost of manufacturing and ultimate price tag of the device will be a concern, and then, conversely, the precise consumer demand for this device is certainly not known currently.

It is this latter point which means that Samsung is expected to go with a limited release of the foldable Galaxy X initially, and probably in its native East Asia only.

Dec 6, 2017 UPDATE – A new report suggests that the Galaxy X foldable smartphone could indeed appear in 2018. This has already been suggested in some quarters, but the likelihood of this eventuality is certainly increasing.

It is well known that Samsung is working on some form of foldable smartphone, with rumors of such technology having been circulated for several years. Samsung itself also outlined its capabilities in this department at several trade shows, and it was thus expected that this prototype technology would make its way into the mainstream eventually.

And now a new report from Business Korea suggests that Samsung will release a device with a foldable screen as early as next year. This publication obviously emanates from Samsung’s native territory, meaning that its word can be taken particularly seriously.

The Business Korea article also suggested that the Galaxy X name that has been linked with the device will indeed be used. This will inevitably lead the smartphone to be linked with the iPhone X, which has proved to be a massive success for Apple since releasing earlier this year.

According to Business Korea, the concept behind the Galaxy X is to create a two-in-one device that functions as both a smartphone and tablet. This delivers obvious logistical benefits for the consumer, and would operate in a similar way to the two-in-one tablet laptops that have had such an impact on the personal computer market.

Both the smartphone and tablet niches are facing significant challenges in the coming years. The feeling is that both of these hugely popular forms of technology have begun to stagnate slightly, with manufacturers facing diminishing returns in terms of technological innovation. So a device that revolutionizes the space by delivering both smartphone and tablet technology in one handset could be a real boost to the market.

Of course, developing a screen that can fold suitably is particularly challenging, and Samsung has therefore invested a significant amount of time and money in manufacturing flexible OLED displays. All this has undoubtedly been a big undertaking for the Korean corporation, it is notable that Samsung has become particularly associated with outstanding screen technology, and thus it makes sense for the company to innovate in this department.

Samsung also derives a notable advantage from the fact that the subsidiary company Samsung Display is the world’s leading manufacturer of phone-sized OLED panels. This will give the Galaxy X an advantage in the foldable market, even though Apple has also patented similar technology.

The Korean company has made some veiled statements on the possibility of a foldable smartphone in the past, and also possibly inadvertently revealed the Galaxy X on its own website. But there has been no official comment on the latest Business Korea reports, with the mega-corporation instead concentrating its efforts on readying the forthcoming Galaxy S9 for market.

Samsung enjoyed an extremely successful 2017, but will be under pressure to respond to an iPhone X that has captured the public imagination.

Nov 20, 2017 UPDATE: As Samsung fans await more news on the potential Galaxy X, a major new announcement has teased the tantalizing prospect of this affordable smartphone.

Samsung’s South Korean operation has launched an official support page for a device bearing the model number SM-G888N0. This is particularly significant as this is believed to be the Galaxy X, which will be the first ever foldable smartphone produced by the Korean corporation.

Anticipation is rife for this product, as Samsung has been demonstrating its foldable technology at trade shows for some years. It has been anticipated for some time that the Korean manufacturer would include this technology in one of its smartphone products, but logistical considerations have prevented this until now.

The prototype version of the Galaxy X has reportedly passed through several regulatory agencies over the last 12 months, and this first mention of the device on Samsung’s official pages can be considered confirmation of its existence.

While Samsung fans will be eager to learn more official details regarding the Galaxy X, the page on the SM-G888N0 is rather reticent about revealing anything in particular. There are no software or hardware features listed on the website, although there are a raft of rumors available that point to possibilities.

Previous statements from the Korean developer indicate that the company will release the foldable smartphone at some point during 2018. It seems that it will be marketed as an alternative flagship, alongside the existing Galaxy S and Galaxy Note premium lines.

However, the timing of its release means that many of the hardware features included in the Galaxy X are somewhat uncertain. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 could be included in the Galaxy S9 and and Galaxy S9 Plus in February, but it is unclear whether the Korean corporation managed to secure enough units to achieve this.

With the Galaxy X having already been certified in Samsung’s native Korea, the device has received all required approvals in order to launch worldwide. While we can reasonably expect this handset to appear around the middle of the calendar year, we could see an announcement related to the Galaxy X at the forthcoming CES 2018 trade show.

Previous Update – Of all forthcoming smartphones, Samsung Galaxy X is arguably the most exciting. Based on a foldable design, this handset promises to be a revolution in the way that the technology is marketed. With the potential to provide a larger degree of screen real estate with a smaller design, the Galaxy X could have the sort of impact on the smartphone industry that Samsung previously achieved with its curved screen technology.

However, the disaster of the exploding Galaxy Note 7 could lead the Korean manufacturer to be somewhat cautious with the Galaxy X. The last thing that the smartphone manufacturer wants with this innovative device is for it to be as unreliable as the Note 7, and this means that its approach with the Galaxy X could err on the side of conservatism.

Of course, this will not impact on the foldable screen, as this is the major selling point of the Galaxy X, and indeed the primary justification for its supposed existence. Indeed, Samsung has already confirmed publicly that there will be some form of foldable technology released in 2018; the question is when not whether.

The flip phone format has certainly declined in popularity since the advent of the smartphone, but with designers wanting to showcase ever larger models, it now makes sense in the contemporary climate. With the Galaxy S, Samsung is aiming to show off its unrivalled technological skills, and maintain its position as being the most innovative manufacturer in the mainstream of the smartphone marketplace.

And by creating the Galaxy X, Samsung can essentially test the water for this approach both in terms of its market viability and production logistics, without taking the risk of including it in its flagship Galaxy S9.

It is this cautious approach which is increasingly leading analysts to suggest that the Galaxy X may be a limited release when it finally emerges. Reports are now rife which suggest that the smartphone will initially be released in only Samsung’s home territory of South Korea, with a relatively small production run as well. This will enable Samsung to say whether a Western release is indeed justified, while also testing the reaction to the technology.

Previous Update – Galaxy X revealed: The South Korean company is continuing the development of the foldable Samsung Galaxy X, as anticipation begins to build regarding this premium smartphone. The manufacturer has had bendable technology available for some time, but it seems that it will finally see the light of day in 2018.

Nonetheless, all is not necessarily plain sailing for Samsung with this handset. Aside from the technical and logistical challenges that the Galaxy X will face, Samsung also has to essentially define what the Galaxy X is actually about. Why do consumers need a foldable display, and what advantages does it really deliver over a conventional smartphone?

Among the obvious motivations for the Galaxy X and its foldable display is the ever increasing size of smartphone screens. A display that can be folded obviously opens up the possibility of a smaller unit with a larger screen. But is this really enough to sell another Samsung smartphone in a crowded marketplace in which the Korean company already offers the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note ranges?

What can be said for certain is that Samsung has considerable experience with unique smartphone designs, having already produced the first ever curved screen mobile, which effectively popularized the now commonplace technology. However, the problem with the foldable screen is that this will potentially add to the thickness of the smartphone, which doesn’t exactly correlate neatly with trends in the industry.

When the Galaxy X does arrive in the stores, it is likely to feature reduced specs in comparison to the Galaxy S8 and Note 8. The unique selling point of the handset will undoubtedly be the foldable screen, with Samsung likely to choose relatively modest specs in order to keep the cost of the device down.

Previous Update – New patent filed: As excitement grows regarding the potential of a foldable Samsung Galaxy X release, it seems that it’s not only Samsung that is planning a bendy smartphone in the foreseeable future.

Apple has seemingly filed a smartphone patent that can be viewed as a direct response to the Galaxy X. This sets up a major battle in the potential foldable smartphone niche in the coming years.

However, sourcing information indicates that Apple may have problems locating enough stock to produce its bendy iPhone in the next couple of years.

It seems that the Galaxy X will have a head start on the Apple contender, with the likely released date for the first bendable iPhone probably 2020.

With Samsung planning the Galaxy X for next year, watch this space…

The Samsung Galaxy X launches in 2018, and is set to revolutionize the smartphone niche. It is this device that Samsung has reportedly chosen to debut its foldable technology that it has been showing off at trade shows for several years. This will make the Samsung Galaxy X a truly unique device, and one that will generate a huge amount of buzz and headlines when it appears in the stores.

Nonetheless, the existence of the Samsung Galaxy X can still be considered somewhat enigmatic. Concept images have emerged for the smartphone, which indicates that it will definitely be a bendable device. However, few concrete details are available at the time of writing, with Samsung having successfully kept this smartphone under wraps.

So although it is highly anticipated that the Samsung Galaxy X will emerge at some point during 2018, and indeed that it is a foldable device, little is known about the technical details of how this will be achieved. We have seen Samsung showcase its bendable technology previously, but few details have emerged regarding its precise nature.

However, Bloomberg has already quoted Samsung’s president of mobile business, Koh Dong-Jin on the subject, suggesting that the Korean electronics giant will indeed launch a foldable smartphone before the end of 2018. Bloomberg indicated that this will carry the Note branding, but many market observers instead believe that this device could be branded as Galaxy X.

There are also some interesting rumors regarding the pressing run for the Galaxy X, with reports close to Samsung’s native Korea indicating that a relatively small number of units may be produced initially. Furthermore, these could be limited to South Korea, with Samsung treating its native market as a test run for a global roll out.

The Samsung Galaxy X has recently passed certification in South Korea, with the model number SM-G888NO cropping up in a certification filing from the Korean National Radio Research Agency. This resulted from its filing for Bluetooth certification, with the Wi-Fi Alliance having also confirmed this information following an application for certification.

It is very early days to speculate about the release date and pricing of the Samsung Galaxy X, but it has been predicted that the smartphone could be unveiled at the CES trade show. CES 2018 will take place in Las Vegas in January, so this means that we may only have a couple of months to wait for more information on the Galaxy X. And while Samsung has a tendency to reveal release dates and concrete information about devices at trade shows, it is possible that any CES unveiling of the Galaxy X will be limited to a demonstration teaser.

A report from SamMobile suggests that the Samsung Galaxy X will be released in a small number of selected regions in order to test interest prior to a wider roll out. Britain and the United States will be included in these nine territories, and obviously Samsung’s native South Korea, but there will also be some other interesting selections, such as the Eastern European nation of Poland.

Samsung has come to be associated with outstanding display technology, not least because it is a market leader in televisions. Thus, the screen of the Galaxy X will no doubt be central to its success or otherwise, as indeed is pretty much the case with every smartphone. Apple has acknowledged the importance of wraparound technology with its recent iPhone X release, and it is clear that the importance of producing impressive screens is becoming ever more critical.

It has been suggested in some quarters that the Samsung Galaxy X will be a hybrid device, with a screen capable of folding out to 7-inches in total. However, it is also believed that Samsung has multiple devices of this nature in development, with the Korean company possibly still pondering which one will ultimately be released.

Obviously a large display, with a staggering 8-inches having been considered as the largest of the foldout designs, would be a major selling point for the device, and one that would really make the handset stand out from the crowd. But there are obvious logistical problems associated with such a screen size, not least the potential development costs involved.

It is also possible that the Samsung Galaxy X will be the first ever device from the Korean manufacturer to embrace 4K resolution. This increasingly prominent technology has been linked with Samsung devices for several years, but the Korean company has declined to release a device capable of 4K resolution as of yet, despite the Quad HD+ capabilities of the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8.

However, some analysts have suggested that 4K technology would be rather ambitious for what is a completely new device.

Dual-cameras have been strongly linked with the Samsung Galaxy X, which would certainly be a natural move after this technology was previously included in the Galaxy Note range earlier this year. It would also provide this mooted device with an advantage over the recent Google Pixel 2, with Google having opted for single-lens snappers in its smartphone.

It is also probable that the Snapdragon 836 will appear in the Samsung Galaxy X, with this state of the art processor having also been strongly linked with the aforementioned Pixel 2 (although this never came to fruition).

Interestingly, the Samsung Galaxy X may enter a market which is imminently flooded with similar devices. Both LG and Lenovo have been particularly linked with foldable smartphones, with Samsung’s Korean rival LG having patented a phone / tablet hybrid. This suggests that Samsung isn’t perhaps as far ahead of the game as one might imagine with the Galaxy X, and that this foldable smartphone will soon become part of a unique niche within the mobile market.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see whether the Samsung Galaxy X does indeed emerge at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

[mashshare]

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