Samsung’s mobile boss said its foldable phone could launch next year

It’s no secret that Samsung’s been working on a folding phone. In fact, it first showed off a prototype way back in 2011, and since then there’s been a steady trickle of information, both official and leaked, but no real sign of the handset hitting the market. At least, until now.

Samsung’s president of mobile, Koh Dong-Jin, has told reporters that the company is aiming to release a phone with a bendable display in 2018.

However, he added that there are problems to be overcome first, which suggests the foldable phone could well slip back further.

But with the iPhone 8 - Apple’s most exciting phone in years - about to launch, it would make sense for Samsung to try and one-up its rival next year.

A credible claim

And release date news coming from a top Samsung executive is promising, as it suggests that even if the phone doesn’t land next year, the company is likely getting close to a launch.

The phone, often referred to as the Samsung Galaxy X, has been given a number of vague release dates over the years, but rarely by a Samsung employee, and never by one this senior, though Koh’s claims are slightly at odds with a claim from a Samsung Display engineer earlier this year, who said that the Galaxy X likely wouldn’t arrive before 2019.

If a foldable phone is sold by Samsung next year, we suspect it will be available in limited numbers and likely at a very high price, so you may still want to wait until at least 2019 – when a more refined model might arrive - to actually buy one.