Samsung foldable phone is real and opens on a tablet

Samsung gave Wednesday a first glimpse of its future foldable phone, saying that it will be mass produced "in the coming months".

Justin Denison, senior vice president of mobile marketing at Samsung, introduced the phone: a tablet with full aperture, and then a phone at the closing. It uses a new display technology called Infinity Flex Display that allows you to open and close the device repeatedly without any degradation.

"The Infinity Flex display represents a whole new mobile platform," Denison said. "We live in a world where the size of your screen can only be the size of the device itself.We have added a new dimension to help you navigate, look and perform tasks like never before."

The device that he showed is not the end product. It is likely that the Samsung phone will come out more stylish and will feature smaller glasses than those shown by Denison.

"The success or failure of Samsung's first collapsible phone will depend on Samsung's ability to unplug the device." Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insights, said. "If it's a sleek and attractive design device, it will attract gadget lovers .If it is bulky and hard to use, it will be harder to sell."

The foldable phone can run up to three applications at the same time, what Samsung calls Multi Active Window. Glen Murphy of Google, responsible for Android UX, took the scene after Denison and said Android will support the new foldable display technology.

Denison added that Samsung is also working on expandable and roll-up display technology.

Samsung made the announcement at its fifth annual developer conference on Wednesday and Thursday in San Francisco. The event, which had started modestly at a San Francisco hotel, has expanded in 2016 to Moscone Center West, where Apple had previously held its developer conference. Last year5,000 people attended the SDC.

The SDC reflects Samsung's efforts to encourage developers to create software specifically for its devices. Previously, this meant creating apps running at the edge of curved curved Samsung smartphone screens or taking advantage of its S Pen stylus. This year, the focus has been on Bixby and artificial intelligence.

Samsung continues the Holy Grail of a foldable phone since it marveled at CES 2013 with a flexible OLED display. The device comes at a difficult time for the mobile phone market. Sales of Apple and Samsung phones are slowing and the global smartphone market is in recession. Foldable phones could mark the next big innovation in mobile devices – as long as they are not too gimmicky.

D.J. Koh, CEO of Samsung's mobile business, said CNET in an interview in October you can use the device as a multitasking tablet before folding it into a more portable phone. He again stressed that the foldable phone would not be a "gadget" that "would disappear after six to nine months after delivery".

"When we deliver a foldable phone, it has to be really meaningful to our customers," Koh said last month.

Foldable phone specifications

At a panel with developers Wednesday afternoon, Samsung gave more details about its next foldable device. Jisun Park, director of engineering and head of Samsung's mobile system software group, aims to ensure a battery life that is as long as current Galaxy smartphones. This is despite the fact that there is more screen that drains the battery.

The cover screen, which is displayed when the device is closed and looks more like a regular phone, measures 4.58 inches and has a 21: 9 aspect ratio. Samsung has a resolution of 840×1960, with a screen density of 420 dpi.

"Compared to the main screen, the experience is more … optimized for targeted, convenient and fast access and interaction, in order to take advantage of the small screen," Park said. Once the device is unfolded, the cover will turn off and turn black, he added.

The main screen, the largest screen you see when you unfold the phone, measures 7.3 inches and has a 4.2: 3 aspect ratio. Samsung indicates that the resolution is 1536×2152, with a resolution of screen density of 420 dpi.

"Unfolding the phone provides more information with visual cues," Park said. He stressed that it was essential for Samsung to involve developers in the development of its ecosystem to take advantage of multiple screens.

Claus Enevoldsen, marketing manager at Flipboard, showed an application his company was working on for Samsung's collapsible phone. Samsung and Flipboard have been working together for years. The news app has been placed prominently on Galaxy phones.

Once closed, only one information window appears in the Flipboard application, just like what you normally see on the smartphone version. When you unfold the phone, you get a larger panel (displayed at the same spot where you left it on the cover screen) and a multiple window support.

"We want to build on all that is possible with this form factor," said Enevoldsen.

First Published at 11:30 am Pacific Time
Updated at 4:25 PM PT: Adds specification details from a panel.
Updated at 5:35 PM PT: Add an analyst comment.

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