Samsung’s foldable phone to arrive in the first half of 2019

Samsung’s foldable phone myth is (painfully) slowly turning into an actual product. 

After years of rumors, the company showed a prototype of the device in November, and now at CES, a company exec revealed a very rough launch date — the first half of this year. 

Digital Trends got a hold of Samsung’s director of Product Strategy and Marketing, Suzanne de Silva, at CES, and she told them the foldable phone is coming in the first half of 2019. 

Previously, Samsung’s best estimate was sometime in 2019, which, together with a rumor that the company hasn’t even decided on a final design for the foldable phone, did not instill optimism. 

De Silva also commented a bit on Samsung’s reasoning behind this unusual device. She says people want a bigger display, which is why the bezels on phones are getting thinner and thinner. “That’s the reason we created the Infinity Flex, so that we can give consumers the biggest display,” she told DT. 

Many things about the foldable phone are still unknown, including pricing, specs, and even its final look. But inch by inch, Samsung is getting more serious about it. With the company’s smartphone and memory chip businesses struggling as of late, the foldable phone, together with some new 5G devices, might be the boost Samsung needs to weather the storm.