Samsung Galaxy X leaks reveal what foldable phone will look like

The release date remains a mystery but new details finally give an indication of its appearance – and eye-watering price

Anthony Cuthbertson
Friday 25 January 2019 17:11 GMT
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Samsung has technically already unveiled its foldable phone, expected to be called the Galaxy X or Galaxy Fold, but few concrete details are actually known about the next-generation device. Now new leaks have at last shed some light on what the strange phone might look like.

During its November unveiling the firm described it as the "foundation of the smartphone of tomorrow", but the event took place in the dark so it was difficult to see what the smartphone-meets-tablet even looked like. And unlike Samsung's other forthcoming device – the Galaxy S10 – there have been few leaks to offer an idea of what to expect.

The South Korean electronics giant is hosting an event on 20 February, which could see both smartphones fully revealed, but a couple of reports in recent days appear to have finally given more details about the mysterious folding phone.

The leaks have provided an indication of the colour schemes, the network capabilities, as well as the huge cost to anyone hoping to get hold of one.

One of the most hotly-anticipate technologies of 2019 is set to feature in at least one version of the Galaxy X, with one report claiming the folding handset will support 5G.

Unoficial Samsung news site SamMobile claims up to one million units will be manufactured in anticipation of a global release, with certain markets like South Korea and the US offering 5G functionality for the Galaxy X.

The same publication reports that Samsung will offer its new phone in blue, green, silver and black colours – though probably these colours will be named something different by the tech firm's product marketing team.

Justin Denison, Samsung Electronics senior vice president of Mobile Product Marketing, speaks during the unveiling of Samsung's new foldable screen smart phone
Justin Denison, Samsung Electronics senior vice president of Mobile Product Marketing, speaks during the unveiling of Samsung's new foldable screen smart phone (Reuters)

Such a radical departure from standard smartphone design seems to have come at a cost, as the Galaxy X is expected to be priced higher than a top-of-the-line iPhone.

The retail price tag is anticipated at around 2 million won ($1,790), according to The Kore Times.

The unveiling of the Samsung 'Galaxy X' was shrouded in mystery in November 2018
The unveiling of the Samsung 'Galaxy X' was shrouded in mystery in November 2018 (Samsung)

Little is known about how the phone will actually work, though Google has announced its Android mobile operating system will support folding devices.

Samsung is not the only company working on a folding phone, and isn't even the first to properly unveil one.

Chinese startup Royole showed off the "world's fist commercial foldable smartphone" at an event in China last year, which Royole CEO Bill Liu said would "forever change the consumer electronics industry."

Meanwhile Chinese tech giant Xiaomi is going one step further by developing "the world's first double-folding phone."

A video of Xiaomi president Bin Lin showed how the mechanics of the device will work, though a name or release date is yet to be announced.

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