A few days ago it was announced that at the upcoming MWC 2017 Samsung will show its customers and partners a prototype foldable smartphone . And its test production will start at the end of the year.
According to sources, Samsung plans to begin trial production of its first foldable smartphone in the fourth quarter of 2017. But its mass production will start no earlier than the second half of 2018. The reason for that - the problems associated with the production of colorless flexible polyimide film . It will be used instead of the glass substrate for flexible display of the new smartphone. Prior to starting mass production Samsung flexible smartphone should make sure that the polyimide film meets the requirements of the company to the reliability and quality of the components.
Technical characteristics of the first foldable smartphone Samsung are not yet known. It is expected that it will work not only in the smartphone mode, but in tablet mode (when display unfolded ).