Samsung’s folding phone will go on sale next year

Samsung is set to have a busy year in 2019. The Korean tech giant is expected to launch three Galaxy S10 models, as well as its long-awaited folding phone, by early next year, according to Bloomberg. A folding phone has been in the works at Samsung for many months now, with speculation of such a […]

Samsung is set to have a busy year in 2019.

The Korean tech giant is expected to launch three Galaxy S10 models, as well as its long-awaited folding phone, by early next year, according to Bloomberg.

A folding phone has been in the works at Samsung for many months now, with speculation of such a device first bubbling up over a year ago.

Bloomberg said Samsung’s foldable phone is currently being developed under a secretive codename, ‘Winner,’ which is in line with previous reports that made the same claim.

The firm is mulling over two prototypes – one of which is longer horizontally, while the other is longer vertically – with designers preferring the portrait model, as it’s easier for users to hold than a landscape design.

It would also have a four-inch screen on the outside so that users can check their messages and notifications without having to flip it open.

The device would take after the once-popular Motorola Razr, featuring a screen that opens with a snap. It also weighs over 200g as it features a massive screen.

Samsung has tested the phone’s folding mechanism more than 200,000 times, meaning it has passed the threshold for durability, according to Bloomberg.

The firm has also been working with Google to develop a special version of Android for the device.

In the meantime, analysts predict Samsung will have a lot to prove with the folding phone, especially as rivals like Apple and Chinese smartphone makers have expressed interest in building similar models.

But a folding phone isn’t the only device expected to hit the shelves next year.

Samsung is said to be planning Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus models that have curved OLED screens, in-display fingerprint sensors and almost no bezel at the top or the bottom. The S10 will also have triple cameras on the back.

The firm is mulling over leaving the headphone jack out of the S10 and S10 Plus, which would be in line with rivals like Apple.

In addition to those devices, Samsung is also expected to release a cheaper version of the S10.

Unlike the other two models, it wouldn’t feature a curved screen or an in-display fingerprint sensor.

The move comes as Samsung Mobile CEO DJ Koh confirmed a folding smartphone would finally hit the shelves.

Koh didn’t offer up many details about how the phone will be designed, but said the company wants to give users a unique product that’s much different from a tablet.

‘Every device, every feature, every innovation should have a meaningful message to our end customer,’ Koh told CNBC.