Samsung’s foldable phone could arrive next March (Update: Very steep price)

Update, November 12, 2018 (11:45AM EST): There are two new bits of information that leaked today regarding Samsung’s upcoming foldable smartphone. Along with the information detailed below, it’s possible Samsung could launch its foldable phone under the Galaxy F series, which makes sense if you image “F” standing for “fold.”

While that bit of info is interesting, you might want to sit down for this next rumor. Apparently, Samsung might release the first Galaxy F model for 2 million won (~$1,770). If this is true, the Galaxy F would be one of the most — if not the most — expensive smartphones Samsung has ever made.

Since the price of the device is expected to be so high, Samsung is reportedly limiting production of the Galaxy F phone to only 1 million units, at least at first. That seems like a smart move.

Original Article, November 12, 2018 (04:18AM EST): Samsung is reportedly planning to launch its foldable phone in March next year. According to ETNews, the company will begin testing the phone on LTE networks in Korea in January with a view to releasing the phone in the country two months later.

Though the article only mentions Korea, it wouldn’t be surprising if Samsung released the phone in other countries around the same time. Samsung generally releases flagship devices in many markets simultaneously.

The report also states that the phone will not support 5G because only a few countries are expected to be 5G-ready when it releases the phone. However, Samsung is tipped to release a 5G variant of the Galaxy S10 around the same time as the folding phone, which would suggest the move isn’t purely about 5G market availability.

The folding phone is rumored to be an expensive beast (possibly costing upwards of $1,500), and as 5G tech will cost more to implement than 4G LTE, perhaps this is a luxury Samsung doesn’t wish to add to an already costly product.

ETNews does say that Samsung is considering introducing a 5G version of the foldable phone in the second half of the year in some markets, though.

The information in the report fits in with comments from Samsung Mobile Chief DJ Koh who recently confirmed the company will launch the foldable phone in the first half of 2019. He also said Samsung is set to manufacture over 1 million units of the device and could make more if the market demands it.

This is far more than the 630,000 units of the Galaxy Note Edge Samsung is thought to have sold when it released the phone back in 2015. This was the first phone from Samsung that had a curved edge display.

Samsung unveiled the first details of its foldable phone last week at the Samsung Developer Conference. The company said the phone will have two displays: a 4.5-inch 840 x 2152 outer display and a foldable 7.3-inch 1536 x 2152 inner display. It will also have a UI that allows users to use up to three apps at once on the main screen and switch seamlessly between using apps on the outer screen and on the inner screen.

Next up: Samsung foldable phone – all the rumors in one place