Our first look at Samsung 's foldable raises more questions

In the moment everyone at Samsung's annual developer conference Was waiting for, Mobile Marketing Justin Dennison reached into his pocket Samsung's first foldable phone. Rumored to be called the "Galaxy F" – Samsung did not disclose the device – this foldable phone for 2019 represents Samsung's best chance of maintaining its position as the world's largest phone-maker.

The revelation of the foldable phone comes at a time when dirty smartphone flagging and stalled innovation have created a "recession"that threatens not just Samsung's dominance, but Apple's, too, leaving room for players like Huawei to tighten its already closing grip. This article is available from the Galaxy S9 to the United States. iPhone XS, vary only incrementally from 2017's best models. As much as radical new design would shake up the flagging industry, it also raises questions about the design's usefulness, and how easily it could stumble into gimmick territory.

Samsung is not alone in pursuing a foldable phone. LG and Huawei are developing prototypes of their own, and one brand, Royole, has already come out with the all-plastic FlexPai, whose screen folds outward, Samsung's Dennison showed on-stage.

Samsung coyly refused to share more than the basics. We know that the screen is in the way of a book, and that it is a screen on the outside, so you can use the phone while it is folded in half. The company also had some new manufacturing processes and components. Finally, we know what it's going to be like One UI, which will also come to future Samsung phones, likely the Galaxy S10.

What we do not know if the material is made of glass or plastic; how much it will cost you; and if using it will be practical, or gimmicky. What will keep it from flaming out like "foldable" ZTE Axon M?

"Possibly when we start selling the foldable phone, it may be a market niche, but definitely, it will expand," Samsung mobile chief DJ Koh told CNET in an October interview. "I'm positive that we need a foldable phone."

"Need" is a strong word for any new device, but phone makers and pundits agree. A double foldable phone available your surface area.

The design engenders new ways to use the phone. You might be playing games and watching videos on a larger canvas. Now, you could split the screen into separate panes for better multitasking.

For example, one display could become a virtual keyboard, while the other formed a composition window. Now, you could mirror the video clip on the table from a friend. And a phone that folds can not get you up, no case needed. Like the earliest attempts at dual-screen phones, the Holy Grail of greater screen surface promise.

Google agrees: The future of phones is foldable

Samsung, LG and Huawei can not make a foldable Android phone without Google's support. Moments before Samsung unwrapped the foldable phone support for foldable phones. The goal is for apps to work seamlessly when moving to a larger screen, and to one pane to multiple active portions of the screen at once.

These powerful, portable computers continue to become the hub of people's lives, and they have struggled to expand their reach. The folding configuration aims to change everything.

But handset-makers have their work cut out for them. Making two screens is easier than done. A screen that can bend and flex is one thing – Samsung and LG first made "curved" screens in 2013 and 2014, respectively – however the phones themselves did not bend.

Making the body of the device is a challenge on a large scale: Batteries and components are rigid, and shifting the battery to make the phone feel imbalanced. Besides that, flexible screens have been in place, but thin glass can be more easily compared to other devices.

Royole's FlexPai solves the screen flexibility by OLED display. The FlexPai developer models starts with $ 1,588. Royole put the battery on the right side, and said it balanced the left with the other components. A rubberized hinge controls flexion on the back.

Read: Samsung mobile CEO: Our foldable phone will be a tablet you can put in your pocket

Despite design challenges, creating a bendable phone is a risk Samsung must take. Samsung is betting being the first major player to show off a slice of its pie. A foldable phone is also a halo device, an aspirational product like Ford's GT supercar gold Nokia's luxury Vertu phones, which gives the brand some prestige. Volume is not the name of the game here, but capturing attention is.

"Does the industry need to move to fold? No, but it does not open up to a new hybrid device," said he, referring to a category that spans phones and tablets. (Note that the term "phablet" was coined in response to the Galaxy Note for the very same reason.)

Samsung's challenge is to see its new designs do not backfire and bomb. The company took a risk with the Galaxy Note series, and it ultimately paid off. Despite a rough start, it is now established with a loyal following, and the jumbo screen phone design is now standard industry. However, 2013's Korea-only Galaxy RoundGalaxy phones we take for granted today, the world's first phone with a curved screen.

We still do not have details on the "Galaxy F's" hardware specs, but the foldable hybrid is rumored to have a 7.3-inch display, a silver finish and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8150 processor. It's said to have 512GB internal storage, with support for a microSD card.

"The price point for this technology will be very high," Lam said. "It will be years before a consumer-grade version is available at the right price."

At this early stage, it is best to frame the Galaxy F, and any first-wave foldable phone, as it does not, but rather than the one we need right now.

Samsung did not respond to a request for comment.

Article first published Nov. 6 at 4 pm PT and updated most recently at Nov. 7 at 2:45 pm PT with more details.

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