Samsung 2018 Latest News & Update: Tech Giant May Use Hinges For Galaxy X's Foldable Display

The anticipation for Samsung's next big thing, a foldable phone tagged as the Galaxy X, is increasing and it looks like the technology is almost perfected. But there is one concern - its durability. If speculations are to be believed, Samsung may have just solved that.

Rumors about foldable phones have been going around in the past years, being shown through concept images and videos. Samsung, as one of the most innovative tech companies, is expected to develop one but stayed mum about it.

However, last Jan. 31, they have seemingly broken their silence through a blog post and said that they will produce innovative smartphones with foldable OLED displays, 5G connectivity, and an advanced personal assistant, Bixby.

Prior to their announcement on their blog, Samsung initiated a private meeting with select clients during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 held at Las Vegas, Nevada, United States from Jan. 9 to Jan. 12.

In the session, they said to have "unveiled both infolding and outfolding phones," which also means Samsung has already two types of foldable phones seemingly ready to be released.

The infolding phone, according to a source by The Investor, has a "more drastic curvature rate" than the outfolding phone. And because the outfolding phone requires a more advanced technology, the company is reportedly going ahead with the infolding type first and will be followed by the outfolding type.

Regardless of what comes out first, questions about the foldable phones' durability need to be addressed, particularly on how it would manage to keep itself from being deformed due to a damaged flexible display. And Samsung may have already thought of a solution for this.

A patent filed by Samsung at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIP) details about an electronic device with a flexible display. In order to address excessive deformation, Samsung would be using a couple of hinges "arranged between the first part and the second part." These hinges would be used to allow the first and the second parts of the foldable display to move freely whenever the user folds the phone.

By the looks of it, the hinges would likely be used in the infolding type. If Samsung perfects this technology, it would most probably be stretched to the outfolding type.

As for the release date, the foldable Galaxy X would possibly be available in early 2019, with production expected to start in November this year.