Samsung’s highly-anticipated folding phone has made an incognito appearance at CES 2019 and is pegged to release next month.
Moving out from the rumours and leaks, Samsung’s foldable phone was showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday. However, not everybody had a chance to see the device in person. According to The Korea Herald, the company showed the phone to only select audience behind closed doors.
According to the report, the handset, which will likely be available to purchase within the next few months, was shown to “client companies” visiting Samsung’s booth at the Las Vegas show. Here’s what we know so far:
The new phone has an AMOLED clamshell that was previously shown off at the Samsung Developer Conference. The “Cover Display,” as Samsung dubs it, will be a 4.58-inch panel running at 840 x 1960 resolution. It will be used mainly for alerts, caller ID, and “basic” app use.
The internal Main Display is a much larger 7.3-inches featuring a 1536 x 2152 resolution. As users switch between the two displays, apps will shift seamlessly between the two with a more data-rich view on the big screen and simplified presentation on the smaller. Users will also be able to see several apps on the display simultaneously.
“When unfolded, Samsung’s foldable phone does not show any crease indicating it had been bent,” said one insider. “However, completely folding the device will lead to breakage. For this reason, Samsung is testing the device so that the sides remain slightly lifted when folded. The prototype seen today leaves a crease mark when being folded, but this issue will be fixed in the finalized version.”
Welcome to the next generation. Galaxy Unpacked on February 20, 2019. #SamsungEvent pic.twitter.com/M1Gh0F9Fs5
— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) January 10, 2019
According to the Wall Street Journal and a new tweet from the Korean company, Samsung could officially unveil the phone, along with the highly-anticipated Galaxy 10 series, at events in San Francisco and London on February 20. The device still doesn’t have a name, but names currently being floated include the “Fold,” “Galaxy Fold,” or the “Galaxy F.”
It isn’t clear when the phone will actually go on sale. Prior reports peg a release date around March or April, with a price tag of $1,770 USD.
