Apple patented the technology for a foldable display late last year, triggering rumors that the iPhone 8 will be a foldable smartphone. But let’s not forget that the rumors about a foldable smartphone focused on Samsung before Apple, and now we’re hearing that the Korean electronics giant is preparing to release such a smartphone in the third or fourth quarter of this year.
Foldable Galaxy X1 coming this year, suggests rumor
A post on Weibo, often referred to as the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, suggests that Samsung will officially unveil its foldable Android device dubbed the Galaxy X1 sometime in the second half of this year. The rumor of Samsung making a foldable smartphone dates at least back to May 2015, if not before that.
At that time, the smartphone was associated with the code-name “Project Valley.” However, now rumors point to the foldable smartphone being named the Galaxy X1. Clearly it was too early for the foldable tech to make it into the Galaxy S7, as the earliest rumors suggested.
According to the Weibo post, Samsung will show off the foldable smartphone in the third or fourth quarter, and it lists the model number of the phone as SM-X9000. The timeframe seems to match up with the report last month that the Galaxy Note 8 could feature a foldable screen. However, instead of being linked with the Note 8 name, the foldable phone has been granted a new name.
Clouding the rumors further was the report that there would be two variants of the foldable Note 8, one of which would have a bendable display and another which would resemble a tablet computer that can fold in half.
No rumored specs yet for Samsung’s foldable smartphone
Samsung has yet to even hint that it is planning a foldable smartphone, but that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from churning out stories. Past rumors suggested that there would be a bigger variant of the foldable phone called the Galaxy X1 Plus which would carry the model number SM-X9050.
While Apple was awarded patents for foldable display tech, Samsung isn’t without similar patents to its name. The Korean firm received a patent for a foldable display around the same time Apple received its patent for the same idea. I can already hear the rifle of papers as one or both companies prepare to sue the pants off each other, despite the supposed legal ceasefire in some parts of the world.
If Samsung can manage a foldable smartphone this year, it would be apt timing, as it must make a comeback after the Galaxy Note 7. Consumers just might be willing to take a chance on the brand again for the excitement of having such an impressive display of new technology.
