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jamezr

macrumors P6
Original poster
Aug 7, 2011
16,077
19,075
US
Samsung’s first smartphone with a foldable display might launch in January


This looks so very interesting!!!!!


According to a tipster from China, who claims to have in-depth knowledge and an early scoop on Project Valley, the device is currently undergoing testing. Apparently, the company is testing the device in two hardware configurations; one with Snapdragon 620 processor and the other with a Snapdragon 820 chipset. The device is, which is said to be launched in January 2016, would sport 3GB of RAM, a microSD card slot, and a non-removable battery.

http://www.sammobile.com/2015/09/15...le-display-will-reportedly-launch-in-january/
 
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mclld

macrumors 68030
Nov 6, 2012
2,658
2,127
That is cool and all but I personally dont think I would want a phone with a foldable screen. I dont care about their edge screens either though but good to see them pushing tech in mobile though
 

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
Cool stuff but not something I'd invest in for the first generation. It'll be very interesting to see where this grows and developes into of course.
 

Robstevo

macrumors 6502
Jun 7, 2014
472
722
It would be amazing if It was anything like they showed a few years ago:
A complete game changer it would be, And unless other companies have been working on foldable screens, It would be an idea and market noone else would be able to catch up to for years to come.
 

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spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
This is the next revolution. What's the last paradigm change we had, maybe the iPad replacing laptops? Something like this will replace smartphones and tablets in one fell swoop. Of course it depends on how they implement it, if it will be chunky, if it will have a seam, etc. But if they get it right then it's a game changer.
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,878
10,987
This is the next revolution. What's the last paradigm change we had, maybe the iPad replacing laptops? Something like this will replace smartphones and tablets in one fell swoop. Of course it depends on how they implement it, if it will be chunky, if it will have a seam, etc. But if they get it right then it's a game changer.

If this takes off and other manufactures follow, it will be the end of small tablets, and larger tablets might only be worth producing.
 

kasakka

macrumors 68020
Oct 25, 2008
2,389
1,083
If anything something like this would kill the phablet, replacing it with what is essentially a two page book with a screen on it. I would welcome it as the phablet as it is is a ridiculous device category.
 

Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Jun 10, 2006
7,267
1,965
This seems too extreme for this coming January. Not that I'd mind. They're barely at bezel-less phones, let alone this. Perhaps it will still happen, but I doubt it will look like that mockup.
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,878
10,987
This seems too extreme for this coming January. Not that I'd mind. They're barely at bezel-less phones, let alone this. Perhaps it will still happen, but I doubt it will look like that mockup.

That's a direct prototype from Samsung though, and been out for awhile. So any release version would most likely look better.
 

kdarling

macrumors P6
A complete game changer it would be, And unless other companies have been working on foldable screens, It would be an idea and market noone else would be able to catch up to for years to come.

Other display makers have been working on foldable screens, although Samsung has been the most public about showing off prototypes.

Also, we can bet that Samsung Electronics would be happy to sell as many as they can to anyone :)

However, the manufacturing difficulty is what will keep it exclusive for a while. Samsung has said they'll probably only be able to produce about 40,000 folding displays a month at first. That's a tiny amount, so they'll no doubt start out as very expensive to buy.

This seems too extreme for this coming January. Not that I'd mind. They're barely at bezel-less phones, let alone this. Perhaps it will still happen, but I doubt it will look like that mockup.

From looking at Samsung patents, that design is probably pretty close, albeit thinner.

Basically the trick is to make the fold go in as big a curve as possible, to prevent early circuit destruction.

So Samsung has designed cases that are wedge shaped (the display fold goes at the thicker edge) so the inside display can fold easier.

("Fold" is perhaps the wrong word here. They're bending the display over in a curve, not a sharp crease.)
 
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Klyster

macrumors 68020
Dec 7, 2013
2,231
2,642
Apparently LG are supplying their partners with flexible screens.

I can't wait to see what these companies come up with...
 

nj-morris

macrumors 68000
Nov 30, 2014
1,897
804
UK
This is what I would want. A 7.6-inch 4:3 tablet, which can be folded in half to make the screen curve around the back, like two Note Edge screens together. This would seemingly make 2 5.5-inch 3:2 screens, and you can use either one of them. In this mode you can do some quick checking, snap a photo (of course, you would only need one camera), and pocket it.
I've been speculating about a foldable tablet since the original iPad came out. And this could actually happen.
 

hot spare

macrumors 6502
Aug 22, 2011
340
66
I think Graphene will play some vital role in this. I need to study more about this material, being too lazy now :(
 
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