Everything you need to know about the Samsung foldable phone before it is unveiled tomorrow

Tomorrow, Wednesday, Samsung is preparing for its conference, which answers questions about the company's foldable phone, which is rumored to be called the Galaxy X, Galaxy F, Galaxy Fold, or Galaxy Flex.

On February 11, the company released a teaser video stating: “The future of the mobile phone is revealed on February 20, 2019,” along with images of Korean and English words showing “the future is unfolding” sliding on an invisible curved surface.

Although the video does not give much information, it confirms that Samsung will use the Galaxy S10 launch event to also talk about its foldable phone in detail.

It is expected that we will see more than just snapshots of the prototype of the foldable phone that the company presented in a flash during the activities of its annual conference for developers last November.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Samsung will unveil the device and present it to the public.

The company's foldable phone is expected to arrive in the first half of 2019, as foldable phones are considered the next big thing for smartphones in 2019, along with 5G networks.

The foldable design promises to expand the phone's screen size while maintaining portability and pocketability.

Foldable phones are also seen as a way to change interests after data showed people were holding onto their devices for as long as possible before upgrading, slowing sales.

Samsung may be the biggest competitor in this race, but it is not the only one, as Xiaomi challenged Samsung with a new type of foldable phone design before it was announced.

Although we know more now than we did back in November when Samsung quickly showed off its prototype, what we've seen so far has raised more questions than answers.

Through the following report, we try to present what we know about the device, what we think about it, and what we still have to know.

Galaxy X, Galaxy F, Galaxy Fold or Galaxy Flex

Galaxy X and Galaxy F nomenclature has been at the forefront, as a recent report from the Wall Street Journal indicated that Samsung will be choosing a name from the F series, Which means the Galaxy F, Galaxy Fold, or Galaxy Flex designations are all possible.

Speculation, after the recent teaser video appeared, is that Samsung may choose to name the Galaxy Fold, as the company chose the phrase “the future unfolds” and did not choose a phrase with an X in it.

Although the Galaxy X naming looks better, it makes sense for Samsung to avoid copying the iPhone X naming, however, “X” could mean plus, exciting, or 10, given that there are 9 Galaxy S phones, and this is the anniversary The tenth anniversary of the first Samsung Galaxy S phone.

What does this mean for a foldable phone for gaming

Samsung has obtained a patent for a foldable phone design that includes physical game controls such as the D-pad and buttons, as the design combines two major trends, which are phones Foldable phones and gaming phones like the Razer Phone 2 and Nubia Red Magic Mars, and even if physical game controls didn't appear on Samsung's first foldable phone, it's a hint of another way this big hybrid device could work.

What is a foldable phone

If we want to define a foldable phone from Samsung's point of view, it is a device with cellular connectivity that looks like a tablet when fully opened and can be closed to look like your regular mobile phone.

Samsung's prototype has a tablet-like screen that folds inward like a book, but Royole's FlexPai, another foldable phone, has a screen that folds out, meaning the screen is on the outside.

While the future Xiaomi foldable phone bends on both edges, so that the middle part of the screen becomes the size of a typical phone, which means that there is no unified definition of the meaning of a foldable phone.

Didn't ZTE make a foldable phone

ZTE introduced the Axon M last year, which was an early version of a foldable phone that connected two separate screens via a central hinge, but Samsung's phone The foldable appears to have a single screen that can be folded at the midpoint.

The Axon M phone can be adopted as a way to explore different new ways to use a dual-screen device, and ZTE can return to the arena by introducing the second generation of its foldable phone, although rumors indicate the possibility of competitors such as Huawei arriving. Motorola first.

What is the use of a foldable phone

There are two main advantages of a foldable phone. First, it can increase the available screen space. The Samsung model has a 4.5-inch screen that you use when the phone is closed, which turns into a screen measuring 7.3 inches when opened, and you can say you have the equivalent of three screens working together.

The larger screen gives you an expanded field of vision and provides different ways in which you can use your device. The Samsung phone screen allows you to multitask in three areas at once.

While ZTE's Axon M lets you use the entire screen for a single app, load a separate app on each screen, or mirror the same app on both screens.

Thanks to Google's official Android support for all foldable phones, apps on the Galaxy foldable phone will be able to take advantage of three active windows on this 7.3-inch inner screen.

What happens when you open and close your phone while using an app

The foldable phone automatically moves the app or screen you're looking at when closed or folded to the open position, and vice versa.

Xiaomi's video shows a simpler solution, so that if you close the phone by folding it under the edges of the larger screen, you don't lose the screen you're actually on, so in theory the phone doesn't switch between screens at all.

What's special about the Samsung screen

Samsung created a new Infinity Flex Display for its foldable phone, and the company said it had to modify the usual layers that are part of any screen.

Although all screens are layered, they are usually stacked and motionless.

The Infinity Flex Display uses a new adhesive developed by Samsung to form the layers of the display so that they can be bent and folded hundreds of thousands of times.

Samsung also needed to make the Infinity Flex Display thinner than any other mobile screen, as it reduced the thickness of the polarizer layer, which helped it make the screen readable by 45 percent.

The Infinity Flex screen is made of polymer, a type of plastic, and the 4.5-inch external display can be covered with a layer of Gorilla Glass like the Galaxy S9 and Note 9 phones.

Will we get foldable glass

Glass is often seen as a more premium material than plastic, and Corning, the developer of Gorilla Glass, is working on ultra-thin glass that can bend.

The company is still developing its own flexible glass at the moment, and there is no confirmation on when it will be ready for sale.

Although it could be seen on Samsung's first foldable phone, it likely won't appear until 2020 at the earliest.

When will the Samsung foldable phone be released

Samsung stated that the phone will arrive in the first half of 2019, and said in November that the mass production process will begin in the coming months.

The foldable phone is likely to start selling in 2019, as early as March as the release date.

Although a closer look at the phone is expected during the Galaxy S10 launch event, the company is likely to hold a separate event to officially unveil the first foldable phone.

What is the cost of a foldable phone

It is easy to guess that this device will be very expensive, as the sources mentioned that the Galaxy foldable phone may cost between 1500 and 2000 pounds, that is, between 1930 and 2570 American dollar.

While the cost of the Royole FlexPai folding device targeting developers is $ 1318 for the device that contains 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage, while the price of the version is 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage space. Internal storage to 1469 dollars.

Considering that the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 starts at $999, it makes sense that the foldable phone would start at $1,500, if not more.

Device makers like Samsung and Royole are expected to justify the higher prices based on the total screen area, since you get a tablet and a mobile phone in one.

What is the battery life

Jisun Park, Engineering Director and Head of System Software Group at Samsung Mobile, said that Samsung aims to give its foldable phone the same long-lasting battery life as current Galaxy smartphones. , And this is despite the presence of a screen that is more capable of draining the battery, noting that the American version of the Note 9 phone continued to work for an average of 19 hours and 20 minutes in the video test.

Where the battery sits

We don't have access to design details, but batteries don't bend.

It is expected that the large capacity battery will be located on one side, while many other components will be located on the other side to balance them out.

Does the foldable phone look like this picture

Of course not, Samsung showed a prototype, commenting that the real parts were hidden inside, as they weren't ready yet to actually show the final design of the phone to the public or competitors.

The new user interface from the company, One UI, showed a look at what can be obtained, as the company stated that the rounded rectangular edges that form the main idea of ​​the design aim to match the rounded edges of the devices.

The foldable phone features 90-degree edges and thick frame edges.

What are the specifications of the Galaxy foldable phone

It is known that the external screen comes in size of 4.5 inches, while the internal Infinity Flex screen measures 7.3 inches, and these are the only actual specifications that we know, and we do not have details about the camera battery capacity, processor, storage size, headphone jack, external storage capacity, or waterproofing.

Balancing battery resources and performance across two screens, a phone needs speed and energy efficiency to keep battery life from sacrificing as you switch between screens throughout the day.

How the foldable phone works

You'll generally start using the Samsung foldable phone as you would your regular phone, then open it up when you want to take advantage of the larger screen space. between them.

Does it work with Android

Yes, as Samsung announced that the foldable phone, and future phones, will work on a redesigned version of the Samsung operating interface known as One UI.

Samsung is making the One UI beta available this month, but only for Android Pie 9 users.

Which applications will work on the phone

We don't have many details about the applications, and this detail is part of the reason behind Samsung's disclosure of the device at its developer conference, as the company wanted to present it to developers in order to provide support for the phone.

Samsung apps, such as SmartThings, are supposed to run on the device, and Flipboard has long demonstrated its initial efforts for one of its apps.

Given that the biggest advantage is the ability to multitask – run three apps simultaneously or access more features in a given app at once – it is up to developers to create compelling apps that run smoothly on the foldable phone.

Samsung relies on app developers to help innovate, much as it did with the Galaxy Note's stylus-compatible apps.

Does the smaller screen go dark when unlocking

Samsung's design is now turning off the small 4.5-inch screen, opening the app on the larger 7.3-inch inner screen, and picking up where you left off.

Who are Samsung's competitors

There are more competitors entering the race, and although Royole FlexPai and ZTE Axon M beat Samsung by offering a true foldable screen, these phones are not a major competitor. for Samsung phone.

It is known that LG and Huawei have their own plans for foldable phones, there is also a prototype from Xiaomi, and rumors about the Motorola Razr foldable phone.

Is Samsung selling foldable screens to other device makers

During a segment of Samsung's developer conference in November, a developer asked when Samsung would sell its display technology to its competitors. The company declined to comment on That's a question, but Samsung is one of the world's largest producers of display panels, and it's likely that it will eventually sell the technology to competitors for use in their own devices.

TCL, which sells televisions and is responsible for the BlackBerry, Alcatel and Palm brands, has also expressed interest in selling foldable panels to other device makers, and has said it will wait until 2020 to unveil its first foldable device, which It may or may not be a phone.

What comes after foldable devices

Foldable devices are not the end of development, and Samsung announced last November the next challenge it set for itself, which is rotating and foldable screens to stretch.

Most analysts agree that foldable phones will become an integral part of the smartphone world in 2019 and beyond.

This will be the best way to meet consumer demand, but it's likely to be a multi-year process before prices, software, applications and the product itself are set," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD Group.

It is imperative that we move beyond devices in which foldable screens are a solution in search of a problem," said Ben Wood, senior researcher at CCS Insight.