Samsung to Unveil Foldable Smartphone in November
10 September, 2018
Samsung plans to unveil the world's first foldable smartphone at a Developer Conference on Nov. 7-8 in San Francisco, California, where the Korean electronics giant will also showcase its latest artificial intelligence speaker and other core products.
Samsung's strategy now is to be the first to roll out innovative products that grab the attention of global consumers.
Koh Dong-jin, the head of Samsung's mobile division, will appear on stage to demonstrate the latest devices in an event copied from Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference and Google's I/O.
The product at the center is the foldable smartphone, which is due for release next year. It will come with a separate monitor on its face and can be folded like a diary.
Samsung seems hell-bent of beating Huawei, which has vowed to unveil its own foldable smartphone in November.
Koh Dong-jin, the head of Samsung's mobile division, gives a speech at the company's Developer Conference in San Francisco, California in November last year. /Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Samsung plans to reveal more details about the AI speaker, Galaxy Home, which was first shown at the Galaxy Note 9 showcase last month. It was developed jointly with sound systems manufacturer Harman, which the Korean conglomerate acquired in 2016.
It is expected to come with a price tag of US$399, in contrast to pricing strategies of Google and Amazon, which try to lead the relevant market with more affordable products priced below $100.
Samsung also aims to open its Bixby AI program in order to facilitate sharing with other businesses that produce household appliances.
A Samsung staffer said, "Already, around 800 companies use Bixby on their products, and the number should rise further after we unveil the proprietary software in November."
Samsung hopes to catch up with Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant. The Samsung staffer said, "We plan to radically expand markets by forming tie-ups with Uber, Starbucks and other global companies."
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