Samsung Galaxy X: Alleged Project Valley Leak Shows Prototype Unit, Snapdragon 821 And Wireless Charging
The Samsung Galaxy X is arguably the South Korean tech giant’s most unique upcoming smartphone. Long rumored, yet still unconfirmed, the device, allegedly codenamed Project Valley, is speculated to debut as the first foldable smartphone that would be available for consumers. Details about the device have been pretty elusive so far, especially with interest in the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 escalating as the flagship phablet’s release date nears. While Samsung appears to be successful in keeping the details of Project Valley secret, an alleged image of a prototype Galaxy X unit has emerged, and needless to say, it is quite interesting.
The image, published by Dutch tech-themed publication TechTastic, showed a Samsung smartphone that is quite unlike any of the South Korean tech giant’s handsets that are currently available on the market. According to the TechTastic report, the unnamed smartphone in the image is a device with the model number SM-G929 and is a Project Valley prototype handset. While the validity of the image itself could not be confirmed, it is pertinent to note that the device’s model number, SM-G929, is not designated for any past or existing Samsung smartphones on the market. Thus, while unconfirmed, the recent leak might be the first real image that the mobile community has of the Galaxy X.
The design of the device in the leaked image is quite unlike anything that Samsung had released in recent years. While the overall appearance of the smartphone is very similar to the recently released Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+, the absence of front-facing sensors and two prominent lugs at the top of the device is extremely interesting. According to a TechRadar report, the lack of cameras and other sensors in the front of the device is due to the Galaxy X’s foldable design. Thus, all the sensors that would traditionally be placed on the front panel of the smartphone would be at the Galaxy X’s rear instead.
The purpose of the two lugs at the upper left and right side of the smartphone in the leaked image remains unknown, though speculation is high that the pieces are likely there to enable the top end of the device to clip to the bottom. From what could be determined from the leaked image, the two lugs are made of a different material than the front border of the smartphone. Thus, there is a pretty good chance that the two small parts do play a role in the smartphone’s transformation.
Apart from the design of the handset itself, the Dutch report has also teased some specs and features of the upcoming foldable device. According to the publication, the Samsung Galaxy X would be launched with a Snapdragon 821 processor, which, interestingly, is a flagship-grade SoC from last year. While unconfirmed, Samsung might have selected the SD 821 chip in order to avoid inflating the Galaxy X’s price too much. Of course, the SD 821 SoC mentioned in the TechTastic report might simply be in the smartphone because the prototype device was created last year.
The leak also mentioned that the Galaxy X would be launched with wireless charging features. Considering the design of the device, with an OLED front and rear panel, the feature does make sense. Unfortunately, wireless charging is the only feature that was mentioned in the Project Valley leak. The RAM of the device, the size of the battery, and the resolution of the handset’s display remain unknown.
A prototype Galaxy X unit is predicted to be revealed sometime this year, with rumors stating that the highly anticipated handset would make an appearance during the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 launch. While a sample unit might indeed be unveiled soon, speculation is high that the foldable smartphone would not be ready for mass-production until late 2018 or early 2019.
[Featured Image by extradryrain/Shutterstock]
