Samsung Commits to Foldable OLED Phones for 2018
Samsung is going all in for foldable OLED phones this year, as the company revealed in its latest earnings reports released on Wednesday, Jan. 31. The company also said that they are banking on not just folding phones, but also their smart voice assistant Bixby, to drive their growth for 2018.
Foldable phones, much less flexible OLED ones, are currently considered a novelty by even some of the most progressive phone makers today. Samsung, however, is looking to forge ahead in the field of flexible displays to distinguish itself some more from its rivals, as The Verge notes.
"In 2018, we will differentiate through development of cutting-edge products such as foldable OLED smartphones," Samsung said outright in its conference call for the fourth quarter of 2017, as quoted by ZDNet.
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It's a strong play from the company, but Samsung is also putting another ambitious plan into action as well. It is planning to take on Google, Amazon and Apple in the field of AI and smart devices with their own Bixby voice assistant, even as Bixby struggles to find widespread adoption.
Phones with seamless, flexible screens still have some ways to go, with even Samsung, a leader in display technology, admits that foldable displays still have some problems that are needed to be "overcome."
Even as it sets out to explore new phone designs, Samsung itself has been doing well with regard to their existing product lines. The company posted record profits last year, reporting an operating profit total of 53.65 trillion won in 2017. Total revenue topped all of Samsung previous years at 239.58 trillion won, as well.
Samsung expects its mobile devices to contribute to improved earnings in the early part of 2018, especially once the Galaxy S9 line of phones launches later this Feb. 25. The Galaxy unpacked event has been announced for later this month, and it will feature the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and its "reimagined" camera system.
