Pixel 2 release this week - The FIVE things Google must fix on its new smartphone

Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL - Leaked photos, concept images, and renders Wed, July 5, 2017 Google is hard at work on the sequel to its first in-house flagship smartphone – the Pixel.

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High-resolution render of the Google Pixel 2 XL, published by AndroidPolice

In just a few days time Google will lift the lid on its next generation Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2.

These new devices will be revealed to the world at a major event next Wednesday, October 4, and they look set to feature a host of improvements over their predecessors.

Google's original Pixel was well received by fans but rival manufactures have raised the bar considerably, with many now producing devices with faster processors, better screens and improved cameras.

The Pixel 2 and its larger XL sibling are likely to see some boosts to performance and specs but here's five things we think they need if they have any chance of beating the current crop of phones from Apple, Samsung and LG.

GOOGLE

Ahead of the Google Pixel 2 release date here's five things it needs to be a successMAKE IT WATERPROOF

Almost every flagship phone that has launched over the past year feature water resistant designs.

The latest iPhone, Galaxy S8/Note 8 and Xperia XZ1 all include a casing that can cope with getting wet and even some mid-range devices, such as Samsung's Galaxy A5, offer this feature.

Google's original Pixel won't cope well if it gets a soaking and this is something Google desperately needs to fix.

Water damage is one of the most common ways people break their smartphones so included some form of resistance is now vital in any flagship.

ADD WIRELESS CHARGING

Google's current Pixel does support fast charging which means users can get seven hours of usage after just 15 minutes attached to a plug.

Fast charging is a very popular feature but we'd like to see Google go one step further and include wireless charging.

Samsung has had this feature on its phones for a while and with Apple now including wireless charging on its new iPhone 8 and iPhone X it's likely more bars, restaurants and shops will make this hassle-free technology available.

To make the Pixel charge in this way, Google would need to ditch the aluminium rear case as this isn't compatible with wireless charging.

A glass design would be need to be incorporated and we'll have to wait until Wednesday to see if Google has decided this charging technology is worth including.

APPLE

Apple's iPhone 8 now features wireless chargingGIVE USERS AN EDGE-TO-EDGE SCREEN AND MORE DESIGN CHOICES

The Pixel was only launched last year but it is already looking very dated.

LG, Samsung and Apple have all revealed new devices this year that feature edge-to-edge screens - which make phones with big bezels look like they are stuck firmly in the past.

Going edge-to-edge not only improves the viewing experience but also means you get a much bigger display in a device that's physically smaller.

Another thing that would improve the Pixel's desirability is more colour options.

The Pixel is currently only availble in Black or White which some may think is a liitle boring.

HTC, who is rumoured to be making one of the Pixel2 devices, has just launched its new U11 which features numerous colours including a stunning red and very shiny blue.

Let's hope some of that colour rubs off on the Pixel.

GOOGLE

The Pixel need to follow its rivals by ditching the bezels

HTC

More colours like those found on HTC's U11 would be welcomedIT NEEDS A DUAL-LENS CAMERA

Google's camera won a host of awards and receivced one of the highest scores ever from the DxOMark test.

However, the Pixel didn't include a dual-lens camera - something most of its rivals, including the much cheaper OnePlus 5, now have.

Including a double camera on the rear of the phone allows users to zoom and add DSLR-style effects to images.

Samsung's latest Galaxy Note 8 even lets owners change the amount of blur in background after the picture is taken.

It's clever stuff and means you can now take incredible professional looking images using the device in your pocket.

Google has created some clever software which mimics what a dual-lens camera can do, but it's not as good as having the real thing.

GOOGLE

A dual-lens camera would help improve image quality on the Pixel 2KEEP THE HEADPHONE PORT

Apple did it, HTC have done it and now rumours are rife that Google is riding its new smartphone of the headphone port.

Although many haven't had an issue with this socket disappearing from their phones it can still be hugely irritating, especially if you want to charge the phone and listen to music at the same time.

There's also the problem for anyone who has just treated themselves to a new pair of wired headphones as they won't connect without using an adaptor.

With wireless headphones becoming more popular we can understand why manufactures are ditching this port as it frees up space inside for other technology.

But we still think giving consumers access to the standard headphone socket is something Google Pixel fans would no doubt appreciate.

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Source: Pixel 2 release this week - The FIVE things Google must fix on its new smartphone

The iPhone X's High Demand And Production Delays Might Push Its Release To 2018

If you are one of those people who is stashing up their cash to buy the new iPhone X, you can expect to wait for a while before you can actually get your hands on it. The iPhone X has a beautiful display and has a facial recognition system that are the marquee feature of the device. 

© Apple

However, be prepared to struggle to get your hands on one as several analysts are suggesting that Apple is facing production delays. The burgeoning demand for the iPhone X and shortages in supply may leave a lot of customers waiting until 2018. 

According to USA Today, the high number of orders on October 27th will force a few customers to wait until February or March next year. It might be hard for you to accept that a phone that costs INR 89,000 would have such a high demand, however, pre-order numbers and demand forecasts are suggesting the contrary. 

© Apple

"We believe slow carrier promotions and relatively modest feature upgrades to the 8 are shifting demand to the X, which is a positive for Apple," said Instinet analyst Jeffrey Kvaal, explaining the phone's popularity.

The iPhone X uses OLED panels for their displays and there are only a handful of suppliers, globally, that can produce and meet Apple's demand. Hence, yield issues make bulk orders a difficult task and are the main reason behind the delays. 

© Apple

Apple normally sells at least 75 million iPhones globally in the holiday quarter and the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus is expected to make most of those sale numbers. Analysts believe that only 10-12 million iPhone X units are expected to be available on launch day and won't be enough to meet the demand. 

Due to the high demand and constraints in the supply chain, you can expect people to buy the iPhone X early and sell it at a higher price for customers who cannot wait until February 2018. 

Source: The iPhone X's High Demand And Production Delays Might Push Its Release To 2018

Apple iPhone X price, features, specs and release date: How will iPhone X's Face ID work?

Apple's 10th anniversary iPhone, the iPhone X, was announced on 12 September at the Steve Jobs Theatre at Apple Park, the tech giant's new San Francisco headquarters. 

It brings a whole range of new features to Apple's flagship device a decade after Jobs launched the original, multi-touch iPhone.

iPhone X latest news

29/09/2017: How will iPhone X's Face ID work?

Apple has released a video explaining how its FaceID identification platform will work, revealing it uses neural networks to resist spoofing attempts. However, it would seem even Apple can't explain exactly how the technology works, according to the BBC.

Because it's been designed to prevent people that are not the owner from breaking into the phone, its behaviour "can be observed but the underlying process remains opaque," the BBC explained.

Although it will be able to tell the difference between its rightful owner trying to unlock the device and someone wearing a mask that closely resembles them, it will never be able to reveal how it came to the conclusion the disguised individual wasn't the person who set up Face ID.

"The developers of these kinds of systems have some level of insight into what is happening but can't really create a narrative answer for why, in a specific case, a specific action is selected," Rob Wortham, an artificial intelligence researcher at the University of Bath told the broadcaster.

"With neural networks there's nothing in there to hang on to - even if you can inspect what's going on inside the black box, you are none the wiser after doing so. There's no machinery to enable you to trace what decisions led to the outputs."

However, Apple does explain very roughly how it identifies the facial features of the face trying to unlock the device, shining 30,000 invisible infrared dots on it in a randomised way (which will vary from device to device). The information is then turned into an encrypted mathematical formulation and then compared to the data gleaned from the owner's face, which is stored in a secure compartment of the iPhone.

It's this final part that uses Apple-developed neural networks that cannot be hacked or changed, or in fact, explained by Apple.

Facial recognition has come under quite a lot of scrutiny in the past, with people claiming it's not as secure as fingerprint recognition, for example. However, Apple launching the video so far ahead of the iPhone X's launch date will hopefully go some way to allay those worries.

25/09/2017: iPhone X launch could cause iPhone 8 sales to nosedive

The iPhone 8 launched on Friday and it seems sales may be a bit lacklustre compared to previous iPhone sales on launch weekend as people wait for the iPhone X to become available later in the year.

Instead of massive queues for the latest iPhone to land, Apple Store staff were instead left a little disappointed by demand for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which were both available to pre-order from September 15th. The Metro explained the queues outside Apple stores around the country were shorter than they had been for any other device launch in recent years.

This is because the new flagship, the higher-specced iPhone X, won't come out until November, although some analysts have anticipated that may need to be pushed back because some of the parts to make the edge-to-edge display are in short supply.

Apple is yet to comment on sales of the iPhone 8 on its launch weekend and as is the case in the past, it's unlikely to reveal how many devices have shipped until much later down the line. Even then, we don't expect them to be particularly accurate.

20/09/2017: 40% of Apple fans won't use Face ID for Apple Pay

Almost half of iPhone users won't make payments using Face ID, a report by Juniper Research has revealed. The research firm explained 74% of iPhone owners would prefer to use their fingerprint to authenticate transactions, while 64% are more likely to opt for voice recognition methods.

The reason for this could be that iPhone users are more accustomed to using their fingerprint to verify their identity rather than having to look at their phone's screen. Although voice recognition isn't available natively on the iPhone for use with Apple Pay, it is supported by some third party apps.

Juniper Research questioned 500 smartphone users in the UK and the same number in the US about their attitude towards making contactless payments. Although the number of people using contactless technologies to buy things rose by 12% in the UK, 32% of non-contactless payment users are concerned about the security of technology, perhaps slowing down adoption in the future.

Only 26% of those not currently using contactless payments think they might start using Apple Pay and other contactless services such as Samsung Pay and Apple Pay in future.

"Transaction security is a key barrier for mobile financial services adoption," remarked research author James Moar. "Addressing these concerns will bring many consumers to the point where they will consider using such services."

15/09/2017: Apple's iPhone X Face ID will only recognise one face

If you were hoping to share an iPhone X between family members or colleagues, it seems only one person will be able to unlock it using FaceID, which could certainly cause a family/employment rift.

A number of sources asked Apple about the technology at the launch on Wednesday and whether it will support multiple faces. However, the company explained it will only support one face when the device launches toward the end of the year.

Although this makes sense if you're using your phone for business and you need to keep information secured against unauthorised use, it could cause problems if someone else needs to access your device, obviously with your permission.

Apple's previous security feature, TouchID, supported a number of fingerprints, allowing the user to scan up to five digits to unlock the device (because you may use the phone in different positions according to what you're doing on the device), but as you only have one face, it does make sense for only one face to be recognised.

For those who wish to share access to their iPhone X with others, they can add a backup passcode and shared users can just use that instead.

14/09/2017: Apple explains away Craig Federighi's Face ID misfortune

When Apple launched the iPhone X's Face ID feature on stage earlier this week, the facial recognition feature appeared to malfunction - but Apple says it's not so.

Executive Craig Federighi ran into some trouble when attempting to demonstrate how easily and efficiently the new Face ID works on Tuesday. While trying to unlock the phone on stage, the device refused to recognise his face, prompting him to enter the passcode.

Apple has since claimed that this glitch came from a large number of its own employees trying to use the phone backstage, which led to the phone trying to authenticate each person handling the device.

Since none of these people were Craig Federighi, the phone locked up and required a passcode for entry.

"People were handling the device for stage demo ahead of time," an Apple spokesperson told Yahoo (via the Guardian - the quote isn't currently on Yahoo's story), "and didn't realise Face ID was trying to authenticate their face.

"After failing a number of times, because they weren't Craig, the iPhone did what it was designed to do, which was to require his passcode. Face ID worked as it was designed to."

However, while Federighi successfully demoed Face ID with a backup phone, the failure might still create concern for those planning on purchasing the iPhone X, due to the likelihood of accidental lockouts this suggests.

12/09/2017: Apple launches iPhone 10 as well as iPhone 8 and 8 Plus

Apple has finally taken the wraps off the new iPhone X, confirming details that have been widely rumoured for months.

The biggest change is the new edge-to-edge OLED Super Retina Display. Measuring 5.8in, with a resolution of 2436 x 1125 and a pixel density of 458ppi, the display is the first OLED panel the company has ever used. As with the iPhone 8, the display features TrueTone and HDR technology. 

Like the iPhone 8, it has a glass back, which allows it to also take advantage of wireless charging. The two front and rear glass panels are banded with stainless steel, and the iPhone X will be available in space grey and silver.

As the screen now takes up the entire surface area of the phone, the home button has been completely eliminated and with it, the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Instead, the iPhone X is unlocked with facial recognition, which Apple is dubbing 'Face ID'. The iPhone X uses machine learning to recognise your face, and Apple claims that it will work even in the dark.

Any apps that currently work with Touch ID will work with Face ID, including Apple Pay and third-party software.

The iPhone X will also support 'animoji' - animated emojis that uses AR technology to map your face and transpose your movements to certain Emoji, creating stickers and animated voice messages Naturally, the company has also partnered with Snapchat to optimise masks and filters for the iPhone X's new AR capabilities.

The iPhone X uses the same camera technology as the iPhone 8 Plus - a dual-camera setup with a telephoto and wide-angle lens. The main improvements are the addition of dual OIS for both cameras and quad-LED True Tone flash, but the software features of the iPhone 8 are also supported, including the new portrait lighting mode, which is also available on the front-facing camera.

Hardware-wise, the iPhone X also uses the A11 Bionic chip, and promises 2 hours longer battery life than the iPhone 7. 

As predicted, the iPhone X is the most expensive iPhone ever, retailing for $999. It will be available for pre-order starting October 27, available in stores on November 3. 

UK release date

The iPhone 10 comes out on 3 November. There were plenty of rumours of supply chain delays in the months preceding the device's unveiling, and it looks like they were true. While the iPhone 8 comes out on 22 September, roughly the usual time an iPhone comes out, the iPhone 10 won't follow for another six weeks. However, it is available for pre-order on 27 October.

Price

Even for Apple the iPhone X costs a pretty penny. At £999 for the 64GB model, the iPhone X is the most expensive smartphone Apple - or probably most major smartphone vendors - has ever produced.

Specs and hardware

A new six-core A11 Bionic chip with 64-bit architecture (up from last year's four-core A10) powers most of the iPhone X's capabilities. It has 30% faster graphics than the A10, and runs 70% faster, according to Apple.

When it comes to storage, the iPhone X comes in only two sizes - 64GB and 256GB.

Display

The iPhone 10's 5.8in screen is Apple's first to cover the entire front of the phone, which has a glass front OLED multi-touch display on the front, and a glass back as well - pretty sleek, but also pretty breakable, though it is toughened glass.

Its Super Retina HD display helps the Face ID feature (more on which below), while it boasts a 2436x1125-pixel resolution at 458 ppi. The screen includes 3D Touch, which allows you to execute different commands by pressing the screen with varying degrees of pressure.

Crucially, this edge-toedge display leaves no room for the home button, meaning Touch ID is no more.

Battery

Apple reckons the iPhone X lasts up to two hours longer than the iPhone 7, which itself lasted an impressive 13 hours in our review.

Camera

The iPhone X's 12MP camera is the same - on the surface - as the iPhone 7's, but boasts a lot more in terms of its software capabilities. Both larger and faster, this camera can measure depth with the TrueDepth sensor - key to the X's Face ID feature. There's also two of them, one front-facing and one rear-facing, both of course using optical image stabilisation.

Digital zoom on the lenses offers 10x zoom on photos and 6x for videos. The front-facing camera also offers a Portait Lighting feature using the 3D TrueDepth sensor. 

It's faster than ever before, too, recording 4K video at 60fps and slo-mo videos in 1080p at 240fps.

Features

Face ID

The A11 chip's integrated neural engine powers the iPhone X's Face ID feature, which replaces Apple's Touch ID fingerprint sensor of yore.

This facial recognition capability has been trained on one billion photos (and on rubber masks to distinguish between real and fake faces) to be able to recognise a user quickly and easily. Apple claims this means Face ID is so secure the chances of it being fooled are one in one million, compared to Touch ID's one in 50,000.

Animoji/AR

In a lighthearted move, Apple has made use of the camera's augmented reality technology to map your facial movements to various animals emoji, 

The iPhone X will also support 'animoji' - animated emojis that uses AR technology to map your face and transpose your movements to certain Emoji, creating stickers and animated voice messages Naturally, the company has also partnered with Snapchat to optimise masks and filters for the iPhone X's new AR capabilities.

Wireless charging

This feature isn't exclusive to the iPhone X, but Apple's AirPower pad allows you to charge your iPhone 8, X or Apple Watch 3 without the tangly mess of attaching a cable. 

Colours

The iPhone X is available in Silver and Space Gray on launch.

Source: Apple iPhone X price, features, specs and release date: How will iPhone X's Face ID work?

Essential has probably sold around 5,000 Essential Phones since its release

More than a month after its initial release, the Essential Phone has only sold 5,000 units. That's not good.

Just like every year, 2017 has brought the release of a lot of new phones — most of them very good. You've got your heavy-hitters like the Galaxy Note 8 and LG V30, but then there's the market oddity that is the Essential Phone. The very first product from Andy Rubin's new startup was officially launched on August 17, and since then, it's being reported that a mere 5,000 units of the Essential Phone have been sold.

In the smartphone world, 5,000 units sold in more than a month's time is nothing. BayStreet Research came up with this number by tracking shipments of the Essential Phone across the United States, and when BayStreet asked Essential for a comment on their findings, they didn't receive any sort of response.

To put things into perspective, Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 saw 650,000 preorders in South Korea in just five days. Compared to the Essential Phone's reported 5,000 units for more than a month, that's not a great start at all.

So, what's the cause for the Essential Phone's weak sales? Although we can't say with absolute certainty because every person has different buying habits, we can safely narrow it down to a handful of possibilities.

For starters, if you want to buy the Essential Phone in the United States, the only carrier you can get it from is Sprint. If that isn't your carrier of choice, you'll need to pay the full $699 asking price upfront. Carrier exclusivity is never helpful for increasing sales numbers as much as possible, and that point is further reinforced when you limit your phone to the least popular major carrier in the country.

If you want to sell a lot of phones, don't limit yourself to the country's weakest carrier

Along with its limited availability, the Essential Phone really isn't a complete product. Between unfinished software and numerous camera issues, the phone doesn't perfectly justify its $700 asking price. The premium materials used for its construction are something to behold, but when you're advertising a phone as having all of the "essentials" that everybody needs and don't include a headphone jack, you're looking at a tough sell.

Andy Rubin has reiterated numerous times that the Essential Phone is just the beginning for a host of other products that will make up Essential's ecosystem, and while that may be true, 5,000 units sold in a month's time isn't the best way to kick things off.

How much longer do we wait for Essential to figure it out?

Source: Essential has probably sold around 5,000 Essential Phones since its release

Weakening 'smartphone effect' may mean peak in Asia's trade performance

HONG KONG: The rush to upgrade smartphones may be ebbing, prompting economists to dial back the outlook for Asian exporters.

Early indications, including signs of disappointing orders, point to a mixed reaction to the latest iPhones, hurting the share prices of Apple Inc's Asia-based suppliers. Given that smartphone improvements help power demand for electronics components from supply-chain powerhouses such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, a weaker upgrade cycle would have macro-economic implications too.

The weakening "smartphone effect" is not the only reason economists are sensing a peak in this year's better-than-expected trade performance in Asia. Other threats include forecasts that China's economy is slowing again and the shift by some developed-world central banks away from years of extraordinarily easy money.

"It feels like we are toward the tail end of the upswing at a time, ominously, that the other key driver of Asian exports - China - is showin g signs of resuming its economic slowdown," said Rob Subbaraman, chief economist for Asia ex-Japan at Nomura Holdings Inc in Singapore.

The smartphone cycle and firmer Chinese growth were among reasons Asia defied predictions of trade wars, deflation and tepid demand to instead see increased exports of everything from cosmetics to semiconductors. In the year-to-date through August, the region's exports have been the strongest in dollar terms since 2011, according to economists at Morgan Stanley.

There is no precise measure of the impact of smartphone production on Asian trade, but economists say it's sizable. Take South Korea: Exports of semiconductors jumped 57% in August to a record US$8.8bil, owing to the release of new phones and increases in DRAM capacities. That was about 18.6% of the country's total exports for the month.

Signs of Cooling

There are other signs that Asia's trade recovery is starting to cool. China's year-to-date exports are up 7.6%, but growth slowed to 5.6% in August and imports are showing signs of consolidating. And some analysts say South Korea's impressive export growth rates could soften in coming months as a weak performance in 2016 is no longer the base for comparison.

Slipping activity at major Asian ports, including hubs such as Busan and Shenzhen, are among indications that a recovery in the global container trade may have peaked, according to economists at Bloomberg Intelligence.

A new Asian trade tracker from Goldman Sachs also registered slower export momentum in August, and a broad deceleration across sectors, with the exception of semiconductors. Imports are also weakening. A recent moderation in commodity prices has played a part, Goldman said in the report.

Other Drivers

To be sure, few are predicting trade will slump, particularly in the near term. Klaus Baader, chief Asia-Pacific economist at Societe Generale SA, says Asia's trade recovery goes beyond sma rtphones and China. New drivers will include an expected acceleration in business investment, especially in electronics and software, which would have knock-on consequences for Asian manufacturers, Baader said.

"There is a lot more to the Asian electronics trade than just the iPhone," he said.

Exports from Japan will remain strong through the next six months or so, but economic momentum may slow as global interest rates start to rise, said Hiroaki Muto, chief economist at Tokai Tokyo Research Center. "The second half of next year may be a bit dangerous," Muto said.

Some of the gloss on Asia's export performance is bound to come off as volumes in 2018 are compared to the stellar performance in 2017, the World Trade Organization warned last week. It upgraded its estimate for growth in global merchandise trade volume this year to 3.6% from 2.4%, due in large part to Asia's robust performance.

Expectations for tighter monetary policy in the US and Eur ope along with China's push to rein in credit growth will weigh on trade growth in 2018, the WTO said. Geopolitical risks such as tensions with North Korea and trade disputes between the U.S. and its large trading partners could also derail the Asia trade story.

That all points to reason for caution, said Nomura's Subbaraman. "Enjoy the party but stay close to the door' is my mantra," he said. - Bloomberg

Source: Weakening 'smartphone effect' may mean peak in Asia's trade performance

Razer developing gaming smartphone for release by the end of year

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Razer has announced it will be bringing a dedicated gaming smartphone to the market by 2018.

Appearing on CNBC's Managing Asia, CEO and co-founder Min-Liang Tan outlined the company's plans for growing in China. Localisation, software, and the virtual credit system zGold all have a role to play, but Tan placed particular emphasis on the burgeoning mobile market.

"Mobile gaming is getting massive everywhere - US, Europe, China - and we hope to have products to serve the mobile gamer everywhere in the world," he said.

"One of the most hotly rumored things about Razer is that we're coming up with a mobile device. And I can say that we are coming up with a mobile device specifically geared toward gamers and entertainment.

"We're hoping to have it come... by the end of the year, so that's something we're working on," said Tan.

The news follows on from Razer's recent filing to go public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Tan didn't give an exact figure of how much the firm was hoping to raise with an IPO next month, but reports have suggested it could be anywhere between $3 billion and $5 billion.

He said: "We would love to have that war chest to allow us to invest in R&D. We are known to have disrupted many industries."

Razer's move into the mobile market has been a long time coming since it bought out Ouya in July 2015. While the acquisition ignored hardware, Razer swallowed up the employees, software assets, online store, branding, and catalogue of around 1,500 games.

Additionally Razer acquired Nextbit, the team behind the cloud powered Robin Android smartphone, in January of this year.

Tan said: "The way that we do things is that we want to find the best talent and bring them in. We want to learn how make products that we don't necessarily have the engineering talent for at the point in time. So Nextbit was our move in terms of getting great talent. These were some of the founding team members of Android at Google, because we wanted to get a lot more engineering talent from a mobile gaming perspective.

"Ouya was the same thing. We wanted to get from a game store perspective to understand, what else can we do for mobile gaming? And that's what we want to do, bring the best together, look at new categories or industries that we can disrupt."

Source: Razer developing gaming smartphone for release by the end of year

Foldable Samsung Galaxy smartphone receives certification in South Korea; expected to release in 2019

Home > News > Foldable Samsung Galaxy smartphone receives certification in South Korea; expected to release in 2019 Here's yet another proof of Samsung Foldable Galaxy smartphone being real.

Samsung's foldable smartphone has been talked about for some time now. According to a new report, a Samsung phone with the model number SM-G888N0 has received its certification from the National Radio Research Agency (NRRA) in South Korea. However, it is rumored that the smartphone will be called the Samsung Galaxy X aka the foldable smartphone post its launch.

It has been widely rumored that Samsung has been working on the Galaxy X1 and Galaxy X1 Plus foldable smartphones. Considering the smartphones have been certified for use by NRRA, we can expect them to launch anytime soon. According to a report in PocketNow the phone will only arrive in 2019. The device is expected to enter the prototyping phase in "this quarter". This is contradictory to recent reports where Koh Dong-jin, president of the mobile business at Samsung Electronics, said that the company is setting its eyes on 2018 to release a smartphone with a bendable display. He further added that the company aims to launch a foldable smartphone next year under its 'Galaxy Note' brand.

Apart from that, the smartphone has received Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi Alliance certification. From what we know from the renders leaked so far, the Galaxy X is expected to come with "flexible" or "secondary" display. According to the patent, the secondary display turns on when the smartphone is folded. The phone will have a bendable section right in the middle, allowing users to hold the device like a flip phone. The smartphone is said to feature a physical home button up front. ALSO READ: Samsung's foldable Galaxy X smartphone receives Bluetooth certification

The earliest rumors suggested that the phone would come with Bluetooth 5.0 and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on Wi-Fi Alliance and Bluetooth SIG. However, we suggest you take the listing with a pinch of salt, considering that Samsung might rethink its decision of including an outdated OS  and specifications in its first foldable smartphone. The smartphone will be launched in two variants; Galaxy X and Galaxy X1 under the codename Project Valley.

Published: September 24, 2017 2:17 PM IST | Updated: September 24, 2017 2:17 PM IST
Source: Foldable Samsung Galaxy smartphone receives certification in South Korea; expected to release in 2019