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Samsung gave the world a glimpse of its Infinity Flex display foldable phone yesterday, proving both that it is real and revealing its take on how a tablet should fold to become a phone.
Unlike the FlexPai, which folds to become a dual-screen phone, Samsung’s Infinity Flex device is a thinner-than-usual single-screen phone with large bezels on the top and bottom and no notch.
Unfolding this Samsung foldable phone to a tablet state switches off the small screen and activates a 7.3-inch screen, which has thin and equally sized bezels around all four edges, similar to the 2018 iPad Pro.
Samsung’s foldable phone is here (Wait, why do I want one?)
Samsung didn’t give away much about its folding phone during the initial reveal at its developer conference and presented it under the cover of darkness to hide its design.
However, at a panel with developers later on it provided details about the foldable smartphone’s battery, each display’s resolution and their purpose.
As CNET’s Shara Tibken reports, in its folded state, users would be looking at the Cover Display, which is 4.85 inches with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 840×1,960 pixels. It has a screen density of 420 dpi.
The smartphone’s small screen is designed for “quick access and interaction”, a Samsung engineer said.
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As a tablet, users would see the 7.3-inch Main Display, which has a 4.2:3 aspect ratio with 1,536×2,152 pixel resolution and a screen density of 420 dpi. When unfolded the Cover Display automatically turns off.
Flipboard revealed an app that it’s build for Samsung’s Infinity Flex device. On the Cover Display it looks like the normal smartphone version of Flipboard with a single panel.
When the device is unfolded to the Main Display, the app lands on the same page that was open in Cover Display but with a bigger panel and support for multiple windows.
The flexible device eschews glass for a composite polymer that’s capable of being folded “hundreds of thousands of times”, according to Samsung.
While there’s lots of power-hungry screen space, Samsung is aiming for the foldable’s battery to last just as long as its current Galaxy smartphones.
There’s still a lot to uncover about Samsung’s new form factor and how it will eventually look after developers have had a chance to build apps for it.
Google yesterday also revealed that Android will have native support for foldable devices and said Samsung planned to make it available to consumers next year.
Samsung says it will start mass production of foldable Infinity Flex display in the coming months.
In the its folded state, users look at the Cover Display, which is 4.85 inches with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 840×1,960 pixels.
Image: Angela Lang/CNET
Previous and related coverage
Samsung to start mass production of foldable Infinity Flex display in the coming months
At the Samsung Developer Conference, the company revealed its new foldable display, teasing what its new foldable device will look like.
Samsung adopts a minimalistic design with One UI for Galaxy devices
Samsung is trying to get rid of redundant features and make your phone easier to use with its upcoming One UI update.
Samsung to open Bixby up to developers
As Samsung’s “singular commitment to AI,” Bixby will transform “from a simple mobile voice assistant to a scalable AI platform,” Samsung’s Eui-Suk Chung said at the Samsung Developer Conference.
World’s first foldable phone? Royole’s 7.8in FlexPai tablet folds into dual-screen phone
The FlexPai is rough around the edges but could be the world’s first commercially available foldable tablet-phone.
A business laptop with 3 screens? Microsoft patent filing points at multi-screen folding device TechRepublic
A dual-screen device patent recently filed by Microsoft includes a third screen attached to the devices hinge that can display information in a variety of configurations.
Samsung’s foldable phone is real and opens into a tablet CNET
The device will use the company’s new Infinity Flex Display and be available next year.
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