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[TheShadowLord]

Samsung has been teasing its foldable smartphone for weeks, and now the company has unveiled it for the first time today. Samsung calls its foldable phone technology the Infinity Flex Display, and the phone itself has a tablet-sized screen that can be folded up to fit into a pocket.

Samsung demonstrated a “disguised” device during its developer conference today, and dimmed the lights to protect elements of the design. “There’s a device inside here,” said Justin Denison, SVP of mobile product marketing. “And it is stunning.”

Denison then showed a device that folded out into a tablet and back up into a candybar-like form factor. The device includes a cover display that acts as a phone, and a main 7.3-inch tablet display.

Up to three apps will be able to run simultaneously, using something Samsung calls multi active window. Samsung says it will be able to start mass production of the Infinity Flex Display in a “matter of months,” according to Denison. Samsung isn’t saying exactly when we can expect to see more than just this concept device.


Google is also officially supporting these new foldable devices with Android, and it’s working closely with Samsung for the launch of this phone next year. Google is providing guidance for developers to start using existing features that are built into Android to support these foldable displays.
Samsung isn’t the only phone maker working on foldable devices, though. Huawei reportedly plans to release a foldable handset next year. Lenovo and Xiaomi have also started teased their own prototypes, and LG is also working on flexible OLED displays and TVs that roll up into a box.
Microsoft is even working on a multiscreen device, which could be a modern take on the old Courier concept. Microsoft Surface chief Panos Panay previously revealed that a pocketable Surface device is “absolutely my baby.” Phone makers you’ve probably never heard of are also experimenting with tablet-like devices that fold into a phone form factor, so expect to see a lot more of these handsets in 2019.

 

[bitbydeath]

Great concept, looks quite thick though.

 

[Weiji]

That coffee shop ad is the best worst thing I’ve ever fucking seen.

Is that other guy’s tablet a Simon Says?

Why does his folding phone look like a wallet?

Could the acting be any worse?

WTF Samsung

 

[Fox Mulder]

This will be great in a few years.

 

[Xisiqomelir]

Cannot wait for the DS emulators

 

[Cunth]

is there a video?

 

[Skyn3t]

Cool, but it'll probably cost something around 2000 bucks, at least a 15 hundred. And for 500$ you can get an amazing OnePlus 6T phone with top of the line specs, built in screen fingerprint scanner and more than a decent camera.

 

[Macapala]

This thing is going to be expensive! I pity people who always have to have the latest and greatest tech... they must piss away so much money on this shit.

 

[Vorg]

Cannot wait for the DS emulators

There's a been a ds emulator on Android since 2013 and it's pretty great. Look up Drastic on the play store.

 

[5secondrulesucks]

man. tech really is fucking stale at this point. there has been nothing new and the latest shit is just your same ass phone but like you can pull an umbrella off of it. lame. come up with something really innovative and i wont buy it but i might think its tight

 

[Ichabod]

If it has the battery life of my S8+, I'm there day 1.

 

[llien]

/pray for price not to be exorbitant

 

[Catphish]

I fail to see the point. How is this useful?

 

[5secondrulesucks]

I fail to see the point. How is this useful?

you see there are these wise people. they are called suckers. they buy up all the tech! if you dont buy it now all the suckers will scoop it up

 

[nightmare-slain]

while i love innovative technology i have to laugh at this. samsung makes great hardware but i simply won't touch any of them phones as long as they use that garbage software with bloatware.

also the best thing to happen would be for this to succeed and other companies to try their hand at it. even if i was interested in buying it i wouldn't because it will be expensive as hell and new hardware, especially this big of a change, will have a lot of issues. if they release a 3rd phone that irons out the issues and include the fold feature into their lower tier products then it might be cool.

 

[L0wMax]

is there a video?

It's called the infinity flex display? I don't know why they have it shrouded in darkness. I guess it's a prototype and they don't want to reveal what the case looks like yet.

This might be my next phone (price permitting). This is what real innovation looks like. Not this silly bezel war going on.

 

[lil puff]

Great concept, looks quite thick though.

thicc

It looks nice though. I want to check and see if I can upgrade. It's actually cool.

 

[lil puff]

while i love innovative technology i have to laugh at this. samsung makes great hardware but i simply won't touch any of them phones as long as they use that garbage software with bloatware.

also the best thing to happen would be for this to succeed and other companies to try their hand at it. even if i was interested in buying it i wouldn't because it will be expensive as hell and new hardware, especially this big of a change, will have a lot of issues. if they release a 3rd phone that irons out the issues and include the fold feature into their lower tier products then it might be cool.

100% agree about the bloated software. I've used Blackberry for years just because it's clean and for people that don't need all that stuff.

I hope they can start to get into audio apps, because as of now, everything is only available to ios.

 

[synchronicity]

That coffee shop ad is the best worst thing I’ve ever fucking seen.

Is that other guy’s tablet a Simon Says?

Why does his folding phone look like a wallet?

Could the acting be any worse?

WTF Samsung

"All in a day's work for Samsung"

 

[Pagusas]

too much bezel, hope they can cut down on it.

 

[L0wMax]

too much bezel, hope they can cut down on it.

Can someone explain to me why bezels are a bad thing? They keep your fingers from touching the screen accidentally.

 

[Pagusas]

Can someone explain to me why bezels are a bad thing? They keep your fingers from touching the screen accidentally.

They are ugly. Its as simple as that.

 

[Kamina]

Its so thick...lets hope they will find a better design

 

[Boss Mog]

Way too thick folded, wtf were they thinking?

Do you work for theverge OP? Cause damn if there aren't like 10+ links to the site in that OP.

 

[Bluecondor]

Wow - when I saw the picture of how the larger screen can be folded back into a regular sized phone, I completely see why this is game changing.

As we know with technology, the first few versions of this will have limitations, but the 3rd or 4th iteration of this will likely be very impressive.

 

[womfalcs3]

Thinness is a priority over the flexibility of larger vs. smaller screens. Plus, you know this complicates app development. The complication is not necessarily prohibitive, but is it necessary?

I'm more interested in their truly bezel-less S10.

 

[cryptoadam]

The thickness was to hide the design from my understanding. The phone won't look like that its a prototype. They were trying to obscure the phone so no competitors steal it.

either way this is very exciting. The whole idea of foldable/rollable screens is so futuristic. I am really looking forward to 5 years from now when all screens will be like this.

 

[iconmaster]

I really, really like the idea of an iPad in my pocket.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

I hope this one doesn't blow up on somebodies pocket.

 

[L0wMax]

The thickness was to hide the design from my understanding. The phone won't look like that its a prototype. They were trying to obscure the phone so no competitors steal it.

either way this is very exciting. The whole idea of foldable/rollable screens is so futuristic. I am really looking forward to 5 years from now when all screens will be like this.

I can't wait for the day when I can buy a roll of tv and spool it out across the wall. lol

 

[ThatStupidLion]

AMAZING jumping off point. cant wait for the next 12 years

 

[cryptoadam]

I can't wait for the day when I can buy a roll of tv and spool it out across the wall. lol

it will be awesome. Even better having a phone rolled up into something the size of a pen/lighter. And then bam just roll out your screen.

Foldable screens will be game changers, we just gotta wait about a decade. Urge to freeze myself rising.

 

[Fbh]

Wow, seems like this could be extremely cool a few iterations from now

 

[LOLCats]

gotta start somewhere. The Model T came before the Bugatti.

 

[I'm new be nice]

It looks really impressive, but one of the things I like about modern phone design is a shift away from mechanical parts. The more solid-state the device becomes the more durable it will be. Devices are now at a point where I feel less inclined to update as often as I used to. I don't mind spending a lot on a phone, but I want it to last much longer now than I used to.

It does seem like with some iteration it could be really good though. They should stick a stylus in there.

 

[Grinchy]

Wow, seems like this could be extremely cool a few iterations from now

Yeah, this looks like a good starting point for a really cool device down the line. I'm interested.

 

[Paradicia]

I'm holding out for when it looks like this: