Galaxy X: Samsung’s First Foldable Smartphone Might Be A Bit Underwhelming, New Sketches Suggest

The Samsung Galaxy X is probably the South Korean tech giant’s most hyped smartphone to date. Long-rumored, but still yet-to-be-announced, the cryptic and mysterious mobile device could very well be the next game-changer in the smartphone industry.

There’s no denying that expectations are incredibly high for the Galaxy X. The device, after all, has been in the making for years, and speculations all point to a smartphone that could very well change the industry, much like the first Galaxy Note, a smartphone widely regarded as the device which started the phablet revolution.

If recent patents about the Galaxy X are any indication, the actual iteration of Samsung’s foldable phone concept might be a bit underwhelming. As noted in a recent report from Lets Go Digital, the Samsung Galaxy X is only capable of folding inwards like a clamshell phone, and only one panel of the device would really be movable.

The publication referenced sketches that the South Korean tech giant submitted recently to the Korean Intellectual Property Office. While Samsung did not specifically state that the smartphone in the sketch was the Galaxy X, the company did give the device a pretty literal name: Flexible Electronic Device.

Based on what could be seen from the actual sketches, the Galaxy X would be a device that folds inwards, much like the classic clamshell phones of the past. Overall, the device, in itself, would consist of one full-screen touchscreen display, which, when viewed by a user, would appear like two screens.

What is particularly interesting from the sketches was that only one of the panels would be flexible, as noted in an Android Community report.

Apart from this, the sketches also suggest that due to the hinge and the overall design of the device, the folded Galaxy X’s design would echo some design bits from machines like the Microsoft Surface Book. Thus, according to the sketches from Samsung, at least, the Galaxy X might end up with a notable gap in the area where its panels fold in.

The release date of the Galaxy X remains unknown, though speculations are high that the device might be unveiled early next year, possibly during the 2018 Mobile World Congress. The device is also expected to see a limited release sometime next year in South Korea.

[Featured Image by Junko Kimura/Getty Images]