Samsung's Foldable Smartphone to Be Priced at Whopping KRW 2 Million: Report

While the tech world has been anticipating a foldable smartphone from Samsung for a long time, the South Korean giant is ultimately predicted to bring the unique hardware with an as high price as KRW 2 million (approximately Rs. 1,25,000). Some previous reports claimed that the smartphone will debut at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, while the next-generation Galaxy S-Series flagship, which would come as the Galaxy S10, is expected to arrive at CES 2019. The foldable smartphone is rumoured to arrive as the Galaxy X. Samsung Mobile CEO DJ Koh earlier this year stated in a media interview that the new hardware isn't just a gimmick. The company also privately previewed a prototype of the foldable model at CES back in January.

Citing market analysts, Korea Times reports that the supply for the components enabling the foldable design will begin in November, while the assembling process will be kicked off following the shipments of the components to make the handset ready for the launch. The predicted price of KRW 2 million is notably without subsidies from carriers. This means carrier partners could sell the new offering at a cheaper price but with their bundled plans.

It was previously reported that the foldable smartphone will come with a 7.3-inch display panel and will fold inwards as an outward folding model could come at a later stage. Adding to that, Kim Jang-yeol, Head of Research at Golden Bridge Investment, has revealed that when the device is folded, it shows a screen of 4.5 inches. Shinhan Financial analyst Park Hyung-woo has separately highlighted that the new device will feature two inside display panels, while one display panel will be available outside.

Samsung is reportedly in plans to show the prototype of its new development to US and European mobile carriers in private meetings during CES 2019 in Las Vegas. However, the device is expected to publicly debut as the Galaxy X at next year's MWC. It is also reported that Samsung is keen to safeguard the "world's first" title by launching the foldable smartphone ahead of the competition. Nevertheless, companies including Apple, Huawei, Motorola, and ZTE are also working on similar developments that we could see sometime after the arrival of Samsung's model.