Rumor: Samsung postpones foldable smartphone again

Samsung is reportedly delaying its foldable smartphone again. According to a South Korean site, the manufacturer has too many problems with the production of the model, which is shaped like a smartphone and can be expanded into a tablet.

For example, Samsung has not yet solved how the various parts of the phone, the screen and the rest of the housing are held together when users fold the phone, The Investor reports. Another problem is the thickness: Samsung wants the device to be a maximum of ten millimeters thick when folded. If the screen is three millimeters thick, it is already six millimeters when folded in half, leaving only four millimeters for the other components such as the battery.

In addition, the manufacturer would like to put a pressure-sensitive screen and fingerprint scanner in the screen, but that makes the production of the phones more complex. Finally, there are concerns about the added value of the foldable screen for buyers of the phone. Therefore, according to the South Korean site, it is unlikely that such a phone could be in stores this year.

The rumors about a foldable Galaxy phone from Samsung have been around for years. This would involve names such as Project Valley and Galaxy X. Samsung has already applied for various patents on systems to make the entire device foldable. The manufacturer wants to use flexible OLED screens for the foldable smartphone. It is already using it to make curved screens, such as those in the Galaxy S7 Edge and reportedly the screens of the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus.