Samsung is one of many tech brands set to release large-screen foldable devices in 2023, but the brand is looking to leapfrog the competition by offering a screen larger than all others when in its folded stateaccording to NotebookCheck.
The Korean brand has been at the forefront of the foldable market since 2019, when it released its original Galaxy Fold, which features a flexible 7.3-inch tablet-sized interior display. After several generations of tweaking additions, like water resistance, an S Pen stylus, and fast charging, Samsung has decided its next innovation is about going bigger.
The company should use 17.3-inch OLED screens from its own subsidiary Samsung Display, which will fold to a diagonal of 13.3 inches when folded. Using its own components will certainly bring down the price of Samsung’s next large-screen foldable device, the publication adds.
Other brands set to release behemoth foldable devices in 2023 include HP, which will unveil its first 17-inch foldable laptop with an LG-made screen that converts to an 11-inch device when folded. This device will be a direct competitor to Samsung’s device since they are scheduled to release around the same time.
The Elec claims that Samsung had planned to release its 17.3-inch device in 2022. However, the device has been degraded for unknown reasons.
Tough competition
Had this foldable device been released this year, it would have been competing with foldable laptops such as the ASUS ZenBook 17 Fold and ThinkPad X1 Fold Gen 2. The Asus ZenBook 17 Fold in particular is a step behind the proposed specs of the Samsung foldable. with a BOE-supplied 17-inch display that folds into a 12.6-inch device. The ThinkPad X1 Fold Gen 2 has a 16.3-inch OLED display that folds into a 12-inch device.
Some clues suggest thatthere is not yet a great demand for large-screen foldable devices. All in all, they are still quite expensive. ASUS notably ordered 10,000 flexible OLED panels from BOE and HP ordered the same amount from LG, according to The Elec.
After signaling the launch of its device, Samsung reportedly increased its orders for flexible OLED panels from 6 million to 8.5 million.