UPDATED 13:11 EST / JANUARY 10 2019

EMERGING TECH

Report: Samsung will unveil foldable and Galaxy S10 phones on Feb. 20

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s next-generation mobile devices are right around the corner.

The phone maker today revealed that its annual Unpacked product event will take place on Feb. 20 in San Francisco. According to a Wall Street Journal report that coincided with the news, Samsung will use the conference to unveil its buzzed-about foldable handset. The sources who spoke with the publication said that the company also plans to debut the equally anticipated 10th anniversary Galaxy S10 smartphones.

A lot of details have been leaked about the upcoming phone lineup. Samsung is said to be preparing to introduce three Galaxy S10 models that are expected to feature 5.8-inch, 6.1-inch and 6.4-inch displays. The camera count is said to range from three to five depending on the phone.

A fourth, supersized model dubbed “Beyond X” will reportedly join the lineup sometime in the spring. Rumor has it that the device will sport a 6.7-inch display, six cameras and support for high-speed 5G connectivity.

In comparison, relatively little is known about Samsung’s foldable device. The company held an event in November where it briefly demonstrated a prototype version (pictured) on a darkened stage. The prototype featured a 7.3-inch, 1536-by-2152-pixel OLED screen that could be folded in half like a book. In this mode, the device switches to a 4.58-inch secondary “cover display” on its exterior.

The handset will ship with a new interface called One UI that Samsung has developed to provide a cleaner, less cluttered navigation experience. But there’s no official word on exactly when the device will launch. Recent leaks from South Korea suggest that it will hit the market in March alongside the Beyond X phone at a price of more than $1,700.

Samsung is staking a lot on its foldable handset and the Galaxy S10 series. The company’s bottom line has taken a hit from the slowing demand for mobile devices, which caused an estimated 6 percent decline in total worldwide phone shipments during the third quarter. A few other phone makers are also betting on foldable handsets in their efforts to rekindle consumer enthusiasm.

Image: Samsung

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