Samsung Galaxy x concept

Think the Samsung Edge display is cool? Something cooler could be coming very soon. Samsung has been working on foldable displays for a number of years, and the Korean giant might be ready to showcase its first completely flexible smartphone in 2017.

Information about the phone, which has been dubbed the Galaxy X or “Treble Eight,” has slowly trickled out. Here’s everything we think we know about it so far.
Release date

Samsung has long been rumored to be prepping the Galaxy X for a release sometime in 2017, and latest reports indicate that the company is still on track to achieve that. However, it may only be a limited run to test out the device, which may not get a wide release.

Most recently, the phone’s model number, SM-G888N0 (with the “N0” reportedly denoting that it’s for the Korean market), was listed on documents for Bluetooth testing. Then it was referenced in Wi-Fi certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance and in filings submitted to the National Radio Research Agency of the Korea Communications Commission.
Components needed to produce between 2,000 and 3,000 foldable Galaxy X phones have apparently been ordered by Samsung, ready to make a series of the devices during the first half of this year. An anonymous industry source informed Korean site The Investor that Samsung will “test the waters” with the limited run prototype, which may launch in the second half of 2017.

If such a small amount of Galaxy X phones are made, then we shouldn’t expect them to be made available outside South Korea, or even to the public at all. The phone is described as having two OLED display panels with a hinge in the middle. Screens without bezels, like the ones used on the Galaxy S8, may be used to create a seamless, one-screen look.

A limited run of test phones does fit in with previous reports. According to a report from ETNews, Samsung intended to begin production of a prototype phone in Q3 of this year, in order to “verify quality of foldable smartphone by producing thousands of prototypes.” Once production begins, Samsung will be monitoring the quality of the prototypes internally — and if they meet the mark, the company will likely begin producing a consumer version of the phone.

Before this, rumors suggested a commercial device may release in the third quarter of the year — or sometime July through September. According to a source that spoke to the Korea Herald, Samsung may roll out more than “100,000 units of fold-out devices” later on this year. The device can reportedly be used as a 7-inch tablet when unfolded. Previous leaks from Twitter user and Samsung leakster @mmddj_china said the device will be available to purchase at some point in the third or fourth quarter of 2017.

A final consumer version may arrive even later. Sources told Bloomberg that we could see Samsung’s first foldable phone at Mobile World Congress in late February 2018, and that the company is considering building two new smartphone models — including one that folds like a wallet. One of the two devices is said to have a 5-inch screen when used as a cell phone but can be rolled out to show off an 8-inch display.