Will 2018 be the year Samsung finally unveils its long-promised foldable smartphone? The company's mobile chief says yes.
In an interview with CNBC, Samsung Mobile CEO DJ Koh said the South Korean tech giant finally plans to unveil a smartphone with a foldable display this year, though there's no word as to when the device will actually go on sale. Samsung may show off the handset at its annual developer conference, which takes place in November, the report notes.
"It's time to deliver," Koh said of the company's foldable phone, according to the report. He said the "complicated" development process is "nearly concluded."
As for how it will work, Koh said you'll be able to carry out most tasks while the device is folded up. "When you need to browse or see something, then you may need to unfold it," he said. When unfolded, the device will offer a different experience than a tablet.
"If the unfolded experience is the same as the tablet, why would they (consumers) buy it?" Koh reportedly said. "Every device, every feature, every innovation should have a meaningful message to our end customer. So when the end customer uses it, (they think) 'wow, this is the reason Samsung made it'."
Whether this actually comes to pass remains to be seen. Rumors about a folding Samsung smartphone have been swirling for years, and the company has made similar promises in the past but has yet to bring such a device to market.
In July, The Wall Street Journal reported that Samsung is gearing up to introduce a folding phone "early next year" with a screen measuring around 7-inches. "The screen can be folded in half, like a wallet," the newspaper reported. "When the phone is folded, its exterior shows a small display bar on one side and cameras on the other."