Samsung today unveiled its much-anticipated foldable phone and urged Android programmers to start writing apps for the product. The company described its Infinity Flex Display as “the foundation of the smartphone of tomorrow” and said it intended to start production within months.
When unfolded the device resembles a 7.3in (18.5cm) tablet. When closed a separate smaller display on the handset’s other side comes into use.
The foldable display was shown as part of an engineering prototype by Justin Denison, Samsung’s SVP of Mobile Product Marketing, who assured attendees at the conference that what he was showing off isn’t the foldable smartphone.
The design has been obscured because Samsung doesn’t want to reveal it at this point in time.
The device will have an external display so that users can continue to use it as a smartphone when it’s folded. Once it’s folded out, the internal display makes it double as a tablet.
It will be an intuitive, continuous experience between the displays. Samsung will enable users to run three apps simultaneously through a feature called multi-active window.
Android VP of Engineering Dave Burke:
“It’s an exciting concept and we expect to see foldable products from several Android manufacturers. In fact, were’ already working closely with Samsung on a new device they plan to launch early next year.”
