It’s time to deliver foldable smartphone: Samsung CEO

By Anuj Sharma - September 5, 2018
samsung-dj-koh
While Koh did not reveal any details on how the folding screen could work, the CEO at IFA Berlin last week said that “you can use most of the uses ... on foldable status.

Putting an end to round the clock rumours, Samsung’s CEO of mobile division DJ Koh on Wednesday announced to unveil details of a foldable smartphone later this year. 

"It's time to deliver" on a foldable device after consumer surveys carried out by Samsung showed that there is a market for that kind of handset,” said Koh.

While Koh did not reveal any details on how the folding screen could work, the CEO at IFA Berlin last week said that “you can use most of the uses ... on foldable status. But when you need to browse or see something, then you may need to unfold it. But even unfolded, what kind of benefit does that give compared to the tablet? If the unfolded experience is the same as the tablet, why would they (consumers) buy it?

"So, 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',” added Koh.

According to previous rumours and leaks, the device looked like a flip phone that relied on a hinge to connect the two parts of the handset. But Samsung aims to create an actual screen that bends. In July, The Wall Street Journal reported that the upcoming foldable smartphone would use a single screen.

More details of the device could be unveiled this year at the Samsung Developer Conference in November in San Francisco, Koh said, adding that while the development process is "complicated," the company has "nearly concluded" it.

With the foldable smartphone, Samsung aims to regain growth in its mobile division which dipped 20 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2018. Samsung is facing fierce competition from Apple and Huawei in the high-end segment market and a foldable phone could differentiate it from its competitors and will also the South Korean giant to put a higher price for the unique device.

 

  • Tags
  • Samsung