Samsung Foldable Smartphones Can Expand Into Tablet, Tipped For Q3 Release

Samsung Electronics is well on its way to release a string of fold-out smartphones this year.

The company has reportedly been working on a foldable smartphones line-up since and now reports suggest that Samsung will have the fold-out devices ready for commercial launch by Q3 2017. 

The latest information comes courtesy news publication The Investor, which cites reliable sources.

"Samsung is expected to roll out more than 100,000 units of fold-out devices in the third quarter," revealed the publication. 

The site's sources also let on that the foldable Samsung handsets, which are anticipated to have outward facing panels upon folding, could be deployed as a tablet when unfolded. The fold-out smartphones will apparently be able to convert into an 18 cm tablet upon being unfolded.

The development of the fold-in Samsung smartphones - as opposed to the fold-out ones - is reportedly finished. The screen of the fold-in devices apparently get tucked in when folded.

Samsung reportedly finished the creation of these fold-in smartphone in August 2016. The company began the fold-out smartphone development in the same month. This process was made simpler for the company as it already had worked on fold-in devices and, therefore, the shift to fold-out technology was not major challenge per sources.

Why Samsung Has Fold-Out Smartphones In The Works

Even though Samsung developed fold-in technology for its devices, the company realized that users could potentially find it tough to unfold a smartphone every time they wished to use it. Therefore, the South Korean smartphone maker gravitated towards the more practical fold-out smartphone technology, which would simplify usage.

Benefits of A Foldable Smartphone

The arrival of a foldable smartphone - be it one deploying fold-in or fold-out technology - will usher in a new era for mobile devices. The inclusion of a foldable display would make smartphones portable and while they could be slightly thicker than current-gen smartphones, the handsets would be a delight for multimedia users. Imagine watching movies on a bigger screen or playing your favorite game on such a display!

Samsung's rival LG is also rumored to have a similar technology in the works, which it may deploy on its flexible OLED display. The technology being used by LG is believed to be far more advanced than that used by Samsung as the former has been working on the fold-out concept since the past two or three years.

The latest report also reveals that LG is also poised to manufacture over 100,000 foldable devices in Q4 2017.

LG, however, is reportedly not going to keep the fold-out technology to itself. Rumors have been rife that it may partner with Apple and Huawei on developing the foldable screen technology. 

A study from market research firm Strategy Analytics predicst that the foldable display market will appreciate from 2.7 million units in 2017 to 163 million units by 2022.

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Source: Samsung Foldable Smartphones Can Expand Into Tablet, Tipped For Q3 Release

Moto G5 Plus Smartphone hands-on images and specs leaks, Expected to be unveiled at MWC

The upcoming Moto G5 Plus leaks through an online marketplace in Romania, which reveals its specifications and expected release date. There was also some hands-on images as well as few renders, and it will also be the successor of the G4 Plus. There are reports that this new device can also be sold as Moto C. It is said that this device is allegedly coming in March, indicating that it may be announced at the MWC which is going to start late February.

According to the leaks, the Moto G5 Plus will come with a 5.5-inch 1080p touchscreen display and will be protected with Corning Gorilla Glass. There is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM and will also come with 32GB of built-in storage. It is not mentioned if it will come with the microSD card support or not. On the back, there is a 3,080 mAh battery to power the handset and will come with quick charging feature. It will also feature all the required sensors as well as the connectivity options.

It will run on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat and will also feature the fingerprint sensor on the front below the display screen. The model number mentioned is XT1685, and Moto G5 Plus is listed for RON 1,650 (approx $387 or 366 Euros) in Romania. The upcoming Moto X 2017 also looks similar to this leaked device from the bottom. Well, we need to wait and see what the Motorola has planned and unveil these devices officially.

Recently, Motorola Moto E3, E3 Power, Moto Z Force and few other devices were announced by Motorola. What do you think about this new leak? When can you expect the Moto G5 Plus to be unveiled? Do comment in the section below and stay tuned to PhoneRadar for more similar news and updates.

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Source: Moto G5 Plus Smartphone hands-on images and specs leaks, Expected to be unveiled at MWC

Galaxy S8 release date leaked and jacked

A report this week suggests that the Samsung Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone is well on its way. After an introduction in part at Mobile World Congress 2017 at the tail end of February, the next Galaxy smartphone would be released soon thereafter. If the device sticks with the schedule laid out by this report, it'd match those of the previous couple of smartphones before the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Heading back to the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy S6 scheduling for the Galaxy S smartphone line would put the device closer to the release of Apple's next flagship. At this point we'd be surprised if anyone was still debating between the two, but there it is. The war between Samsung and Apple seems to be forever unending.

SEE: Galaxy S8 detailed leaked in top-end renders

The Samsung Galaxy S8 has been tipped to be coming in a bit later than the schedule inflicted by the Samsung Galaxy S7. As mentioned by Android Authority, it would make sense for Samsung to spend some extra time on quality assurance checks for the next Galaxy S smartphone given the calamity that was the Galaxy Note 7.

With the Samsung Galaxy S8 comes the response to the call of the iPhone's most recent ditching of the headphone jack. If Samsung keeps the headphone jack, there's a far greater chance that the rest of the smartphone universe would keep their jacks too. If Samsung gets rid of the headphone jack, the rest of the Android smartphone world would quite likely follow suit.

Word from Korean business newspaper The Investor, an anonymous tip from an industry insider says Samsung's release date for the Galaxy S8 will come during the third week of April. If we see one more smartphone without a headphone jack before then, I swear, I'll cry tears made of pure concentrated acid. Cross your fingers that April 18th will come with even more features on the Galaxy S8 than were released on the Galaxy S7 – not less!

Source: Galaxy S8 release date leaked and jacked

Samsung targets to sell 60 million units of Galaxy S8 smartphone, report says

Samsung targets to sell 60 million units of Galaxy S8 smartphone, report says

Samsung Galaxy S8 is still a few months away from being released but surprisingly the company is already targeting to sell around 60 million units of Galaxy S8's around the world market. Can you believe it? However, it doesn't matter what we believe or not but the truth is the South Korean tech giant Samsung requested its partners to supply raw material of the Galaxy S8 targeting around 60 million shipment goal, according to a close industry source.

The Korean Herald

Well, South Korea's largest English newspapers called "The Korea Herald" published a report that an investor on the condition of remaining anonymous told that "The tech giant has requested its partners to supply (parts) based on the tech giant's 60 million shipment goal." He also said Samsung has affirmed that the release plan has been put off to mid-April, a month later than the standard March release.

60 million units

I think setting a 60 million units' target is a giant number compared with its previous two generations as the Galaxy S6 and S7 which sold apparently 45 and 48 million of units around the world in 2015 and 2016. However, if we look back to the selling record Samsung's S series smartphone then the record shows that the highest number of mobiles Samsung sold was in 2013 with its Galaxy S4 though its previous version Galaxy S3 sold 65 million units in 2012.

According to the industry source, we can guess that this year Samsung has a huge ambition around its upcoming flagship Galaxy S8 as the sours said that "As the release date of the S8 has been postponed to mid-April, Samsung seems to have set a more ambitious goal than before to make up for the loss caused by the Note model, which has so far led Samsung's smartphone business every first quarter."

There is no doubt that Samsung Galaxy S8 has something magical to blow the consumer's mind, therefore, the South Korean company is confident to take the challenge with a huge number, though last year they had a nightmare with its Galaxy Note 7 series.

However, we are looking forward to the event where Samsung Galaxy S8 is supposed to be launched in April.

Source: Samsung targets to sell 60 million units of Galaxy S8 smartphone, report says

First Nokia-branded Android smartphone aims for Chinese market

First Nokia-branded Android smartphone aims for Chinese market

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January 8, 2017 —HMD Global (HMD), the Finnish technology company formed in May of 2016 to develop phones under the Nokia platform, announced via press release on the company's website the launch of its new smartphone, the Nokia 6. The phone, which will be available only in the Chinese market, is the first Nokia-branded smartphone running on Google's Android platform. While Nokia was once the most popular mobile phone producer, it has struggled in recent years and was subsequently purchased by Microsoft in a costly $7.2-billion deal. That deal, geared towards revamping the company's mobile department in an attempt to close the gap between itself and Apple and Android in the highly competitive

Source: First Nokia-branded Android smartphone aims for Chinese market

HMD Global announces the Nokia 6; its first Android Smartphone for the Chinese Market

While this year's Consumer Electronics Show is just about wrapping up, HMD Global has decided to unveil some rather exciting news – its first Nokia-branded Android smartphone. The company has issued a press release and promotional footage of the Nokia 6, giving us the first sneak peak of what HMD Global has been working on since they acquired the exclusive brand licensing rights from Nokia. There's only one catch – the smartphone will be launched only in China.

HMD Global cites the strategic importance of launching in the Chinese market given the potential growth of smartphone users expected in 2017. Furthermore, the company is banking heavily on the Nokia brand to bring success. They expect consumers to latch on to the premium build quality expected of a Nokia-branded phone and have also priced the device competitively within the Chinese market.

A new Nokia 6 smartphone is seen in this handout image released by HMD to Reuters on January 7, 2017. HMD/Handout via Reuters.

The device features a 5.5″ FHD screen with a layer of 2.5D Gorilla Glass. Internally, the smartphone is running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor with an X6 LTE modem, 4GBs of RAM, and 64GBs of storage. There are also dual amplifiers on the device which are coupled with Dolby Atmos audio technology. The rear camera is a 16MP sensor with phase detection auto-focus (PDAF) and an f/2.0 aperture lens, while the front facing camera is a 8MP sensor. Finally, the phone is running on Android Nougat, which HMD Global states is "the latest version" so we'll have to assume that it is on Android 7.1.

Further details regarding the device can be gleaned from the promotional video posted on Nokia's website. We can't say much about the build quality until we can actually hold the smartphone with our own two hands, but we did notice that the device features a micro-USB port (clearly visible at 00:35 in the video) rather than a USB Type-C port as we've grown accustomed to lately. But given the fact that this device is a Chinese-exclusive, it makes sense for HMD Global to opt for the older USB port. In addition, it appears the phone will feature capacitive navigation buttons rather than on-screen buttons, while the physical home button doubles up as the fingerprint scanner.

HMD Global will be selling the device through its exclusive online retail partner, JD.com, for 1699 CNY sometime "in early 2017". This converts to approximately 250 USD, though we are unlikely to see the device priced exactly like this if, or when, it launches internationally.

We do hope that HMD Global eventually brings this device, or hopefully a device with better specifications, to other markets. Although many of us Android enthusiasts here at XDA have questions regarding whether or not HMD Global will commit to frequent updates or will not get in the way of development, there are also many people eager to see the revival of the Nokia brand and the design quality that has been missing in their absence.

Source: HMD Global announces the Nokia 6; its first Android Smartphone for the Chinese Market

Huawei planning their own take on a Project Tango smartphone

Lenovo was the first manufacturer to actually release a Tango smartphone to the public with their Phab2 Pro, but it was only a matter of time before we started to see other companies try to get in on the action. Huawei has announced that they're stepping up to bat with their own augmented reality Tango device in the pipeline.

That's pretty much where the good news ends, unfortunately. Huawei is leaving everyone hanging by not announcing anything at all about the device, including specs, a name, a price, or a release date. It's supposed to be released in the "near future" but that's pretty vague when we're talking about brand new tech like this.

Tango is hopefully going to take off soon, and now that more manufacturers are dedicating time and resources to it, things are looking bright. It's still not exactly a booming market, especially compared to virtual reality devices, but there's still plenty of time and room to keep growing.

For everything else that's happened at CES this year, check out our full coverage.

source: Android Authority

Born in southern Alabama, Jared spends his working time selling phones and his spare time writing about them. The Android enthusiasm started with the original Motorola Droid and an unhealthy obsession with fixing things that aren't broken. This accidentally led to being the go-to guy for anything more complicated than a toaster, which he considers more of a curse than a blessing. Jared is enrolled in online classes at the University of Phoenix, and spends his spare time on video games and listening to music.

Source: Huawei planning their own take on a Project Tango smartphone