Samsung Electronics Co. said on Tuesday it plans to launch a collapsible smartphone next year under its Galaxy Note brand.
Koh Dong-jin, chairman of Samsung Electronics’ mobile business, said the company is eyeing 2018 to launch a smartphone with a flexible display. But he said there are several obstacles he has to overcome, leaving room to push for release if those problems are not solved.
“As head of the business, I can say that our current target is next year,” he told reporters. “When we can overcome some problems safely, we will launch the product.”
When Samsung launches its first folding phone has been a constant question in the market since Samsung first introduced a flexible screen prototype called Youm in 2013. For at least the past two years, there have been rumors that Samsung is close to showing your first smartphones that can be folded.
Koh also said the company is working with the maker of Harman car systems to develop a speaker with artificial intelligence so users can talk to play music and perform other tasks. Samsung acquired the Stamford, Connecticut-based company last year as part of its plans to expand into the emerging auto-market.
Amazon and Google already have those speakers always voice-controlled in the market, while Apple’s Homepod is scheduled to go on sale later this year. It is unclear whether the Samsung-controlled voice loudspeaker, which will likely use the voice assistant of South Korean company Bixby, will be revealed. Koh did not say when it will hit the market.
The comments were made at Samsung’s press conference to announce the Galaxy Note 8 smartphone to local media, just hours before Apple announced its 10th anniversary iPhone models.
Samsung’s mobile president said that the market’s response to note 8 exceeded his expectations even though his price was more expensive than the past models and even as the brand’s reputation Note had a success from its previous model, spontaneously heated or caught fire.
Samsung received more than half a million pre-orders for 650,000 units for note 8 in South Korea prior to its Friday launch, Koh said. Note 8 has been the most expensive smartphone Samsung has released. Its price starts at 1.1 million won ($ 969) in South Korea and 930 in the United States.
