Samsung Galaxy X Smartphone Patent Is Another Step Toward Foldable Phone

South Korean tech giant Samsung moved closer to making its Project Valley a reality by obtaining a Galaxy X smartphone trademark. The trademark is for a foldable smartphone which Samsung plans to release in the third and fourth quarters of 2017. Since the patents granted were for SM-X9000-Galaxy X1 and SM-X9050 Galaxy X1+, the likely commercial names of the two foldable smartphones would be Galaxy X1 and X1+.

Wider Adoption In 2018

GSM Arena reports that if there would be a wider adoption of the Galaxy X foldable phone in 2018, LG might come up with a similar device showing how far it has developed its own foldable display technology. However, unlike the old flip phones which bend inward with the help of hinges, Galaxy X smartphone would feature a bendable screen that folds outward. The public would have a glimpse of the foldable phone when the Seoul-based electronics giant unveils the Galaxy Note 8 phablet at the IFA Electronics Trade show in Berlin, Germany, in September.

Hardware Development Completed

In 2016, Koh Dong-jin, mobile chief and president of Samsung Electronics, said the company had completed the hardware development of the Galaxy X smartphone. However, it was still assessing the perfect time to launch the bendable phone expected to revolutionize the market. Patently Apple reports that Samsung plans to initially manufacture over 100,000 units of the bendable smartphone which would measure about 7 inches when unfolded.

According to Ubergizmo, Samsung filed the trademark for the Galaxy X smartphone at KIPRIS, the intellectual property office in South Korea. The patent is different from Samsung smartphones with flexible displays but is fixed in design and shape. However, for the upcoming Galaxy X smartphone, the device could be folded and unfolded. However, Patently Apple writes that Samsung is not ready to produce in massive quantity the foldable smartphone before February 2018.