Samsung likely to unveil foldable phone this year

Samsung is set to release a foldable handset later this year, according to some reports.

The unnamed smartphone was reportedly showcased to a limited number of partners the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona. The company is trying to prevent leaks; however, rumors about the South Korean giant mass-producing a few thousand units this year have already surfaced.

Samsung is likely to test waters by releasing the handset that’ll deliver “luxurious design and high-quality” to testers and partners in the third quarter of this year.

Features of the foldable handset will seemingly beat anything the company has done in the past, including its unreleased flagship handsets Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8.

The phone that will reshape the ecosphere of the mobile industry, is expected to be officially announced later this year at the International Franchise Association 2017. After gauging demand for the product, mass-production will start in 2018. Some reports foresee the phone hitting the stores somewhere in 2018.  

The price and features apart from the foldable OLED display are unknown at this stage.  

Chinese mobile manufacturers including Lenovo and Oppo are ready to pose tough competition to the company, as rumours about companies working on producing foldable-handset prototypes have been making rounds in the tech ecosphere for a while now.

While American manufacturer Vevo has been reported to be working on a foldable handset, Apple remains notably absent from all such reports. However, according to ETNews, South Korean giant LG Display is considering the prospect of producing foldable screens for partners including Google, Microsoft, and Apple.