Samsung might upstage Apple with foldable Galaxy X in November

DJ
Koh, president of mobile communications business at
Samsung.
Drew Angerer/Getty
Images

• Samsung executive DJ Koh said the firm could unveil its
  foldable phone, nicknamed the Galaxy X, in November.
• It follows Koh’s previous hints that the phone is
  almost ready, but also complicated to develop.
• A November reveal could potentially upstage the new
  iPhone, which will likely be unveiled at Apple’s September
  event, but go on sale in November.

Samsung has hinted it might be ready to upstage Apple’s new
iPhone this year as it prepares to launch a foldable phone.

DJ Koh, chief executive of Samsung’s mobile division,
told CNBC on Monday that the company may show off a foldable
phone at the Samsung Developer Conference in November — around
the time the new iPhone would be hitting the shelves.

Koh didn’t say when the foldable phone would actually be
available to buy, although he has previously thrown out vague
hints that it might be this year or 2019.
In an interview with Business Insider last month, DJ Koh said
the phone was “not far away.”

“It’s nearing completion — we’re currently focused on the user
experience,” he said at the time.

If Samsung shows off its foldable phone this year, it may
encourage some potential iPhone buyers to hold off. The company
could use the boost,
given the sluggish sales for its previous flagship, the
Galaxy S9.

Not much is known about the foldable phone, nicknamed the Galaxy
X, except that it will likely be the size of a small tablet, be a
little bulkier than a normal phone while folded, and that it will
almost certainly be pricey.
You can read our full roundup of likely Galaxy X features
here.

Part of the delay seems to down to Samsung trying to design a
foldable phone that will appeal to users over a normal tablet or
jumbo-sized phone. “You can use most of the uses … on foldable
status. But when you need to browse or see something, then you
may need to unfold it,” Koh told CNBC. “But even unfolded, what
kind of benefit does that give compared to the tablet? If the
unfolded experience is the same as the tablet, why would they
[consumers] buy it?”

Apple, meanwhile,
has sent out invitations for its iPhone event on September
12. The firm is expected to launch three new iPhones, but
they are likely to be iterative designs rather than major
innovations like 2017’s iPhone X. All three phones are expected
to sport the iPhone X’s “notch” design, and its edge-to-edge
screen.