Samsung has unveiled its first foldable phone, which the company called the “future of mobile display technology”.
The new device features a full touchscreen display which can then be unfolded to reveal what the company calls an Infinity Flex Display, a second, foldable 7.3in AMOLED screen that can show up to three apps at once.
Samsung’s Justin Denison, however, did say it would be “ready to start mass production in the coming months” and called the new display technology the “biggest leap forward in the last decade”.
Google, the maker of the Android operating system Samsung uses on its smartphones and tablets, appeared alongside Samsung at the event to confirm it would update its software to support the new device type.
“We are excited to work with developers on this new platform to create new value for our customers. We cannot wait to see where the technology and collaboration takes us.”
We just announced support for foldables at #AndroidDevSummit, a new form factor coming next year from Android partners.
Android apps run seamlessly as the device folds, achieving this form factor’s chief feature: screen continuity. pic.twitter.com/NAfOmCOY26
— Android Developers (@AndroidDev) November 7, 2018
The developer conference keynote was also used to unveil a new version of Samsung’s mobile interface, called One UI.
It includes a more minimal design and sees the most relevant content on screen moved to the bottom half of the display, which Samsung says will make its devices easier to use one-handed.
