Samsung hints at folding smartphone

Rumours suggest an unveiling at Samsung Developer Conference in November

Samsung has indicated that its long-trailed plans for a smartphone with a foldable display could be about to become a reality.

DJ Koh, president of mobile communications at Samsung, made the claim in a statement to CNBC, telling the US news network that it was "time to deliver". Koh claimed that Samsung's market research suggested that there was a genuine demand in the market for such a device.

At the IFA trade show last week, Koh said that there had to be a compelling reason for customers to want a device with a foldable screen.

"You can use most of the uses... on foldable status. But when you need to browse or see something, then you may need to unfold it. But even unfolded, what kind of benefit does that give compared to the tablet? If the unfolded experience is the same as the tablet, why would they (consumers) buy it?"

There is some suggestion that we could see a working prototype at Samsung's Developer Conference in November, but there's nothing to suggest that we'll be anywhere near a release date by then, let alone a price.

The news comes in addition to promises from Samsung to bring more cutting edge features to mid-range handsets, in an attempt to appeal to the value-conscious millennial demographic.

Chinese phone Huawei is also rumoured to be working on a foldable smartphone, with insiders saying that the Chinese company is willing to release a less advanced device than Samsung in order to get to market first.

We had thought that perhaps we'd be seeing that device at IFA, rather than the Mate 20 Lite, which is launches in the UK tomorrow.

Earlier this year, ZTE tried to lay claim to the title with the Axom M (above), but that has two separate screens with a huge bezel between them, folds outwards exposing both screens to smashing and is incredibly ugly.