Late last year, ZTE took to the stage to unveil its first smartphone featuring a foldable display. While that was considered to be an industry first move by ZTE, little did the world know that Samsung could have claimed the fame back in 2015 or 2016, had they rolled out a leaked device what appears to be a cancelled foldable smartphone. Yes, somebody in China has got access to a Samsung prototype unit with a foldable display and it seems to have reached pretty close to the production stage.
A Chinese Twitter user has uploaded pictures of a Samsung device with the model name of SM-G929F. The tipster says that the device was nicknamed the Project V. The smartphone appears to be pretty identical to the erstwhile Galaxy Note 5 with thick bezels upfront when in the folded state. However, when unfolded, one could see the other half of display with equally thick bezels. The architecture is pretty similar to the ZTE Axon M, albeit a bit thicker. There’s a thick hinge visible to the side, holding the other half of the display.
Apart from the display, the device seemed to be constructed using premium materials in a similar fashion to the Galaxy Note 5. Judging by the looks of the interface, the unit appears to be running on Samsung’s TouchWiz UI on top of Android Lollipop. The primary display panel appears to be thicker, which suggests that Samsung was planning a huge battery to achieve a day’s stamina despite powering two high-resolution display panels.
Now you wouldn’t have to be a rocket scientist to guess why Samsung pulled the plug off on the project — it could have been primarily due to astronomical costs that could have resulted in losses for the South Korean behemoth. Also, there could have been a possibility that the idea of a smartphone with two folding displays might not be able to deliver the perfect experience that Samsung was aiming for.
While this leaked device could be most possibly a prank, don’t lose heart yet. The market is ripe with rumours of Samsung planning a big unveil of a flagship smartphone that will sport a bending display. All we can do is keep our finger crossed and wait.
Disclaimer: The above report is completely based on online rumours and leaks from the respective sources. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Deccan Chronicle and/or other staff and contributors to this site.
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