For years, it has been apparent that Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. was working on a foldable smartphone, and the company recently confirmed plans to launch the device, code-named the Galaxy X, in 2018. But a recent discovery suggests the launch date could be even closer than originally thought.

LetsGoDigital reported Monday that the latest clue to an upcoming launch date comes from Samsung itself, which has added a support page for the Galaxy X on its South Korean site.

No specifications are given for the Galaxy X on the support page, but the holding page is a strong indicator that the launch is weeks rather than months away. The support page displays a model number of SM-G888N0, with the “N0” indicating the model will be restricted to the South Korean market.  

Although Samsung may be ahead of its competitors in this niche market, it isn’t the only tech giant to set its sights on the foldable smartphone market, with reports emerging that Apple Inc., LG Corp., Oppo Electronics Corp. and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. are all working on similar devices.

A launch date for the Galaxy X is still unknown at this stage, but the company will not want it to conflict with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 launch, expected to take place ahead of Mobile World Congress on Feb. 25. So although the Galaxy X could launch as early as next month, the obvious date would be at the annual Consumer Electronics Show that kicks off on Jan. 9 in Las Vegas.   

Samsung Galaxy S9

While a possible launch date nears for the Galaxy X, reports are also emerging thick and fast of what will and won’t feature in the upcoming Galaxy S9.

The Galaxy S9 is expected to get the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, a dual rear-facing camera that can shoot video at 1,000 frames per second and it will retain the fingerprint scanner on the back rather than the rumored embedded scanner in the display.

The latest reports, however, suggest the Galaxy S9 will also be lacking a 3D facial mapping feature, similar to Apple’s Face ID that launched on the iPhone X. Reports suggest the Galaxy S9 will see improvements for its facial recognition feature and its iris scanner, which was hacked using a photo, but the advanced technology needed for a Face ID-like feature will only be possible for the Note9.

Another report suggested the company is also working on a Galaxy S9 Mini, measuring less than five inches, but will also have a curved, bezel-less display.

All in all, the reports indicate that Samsung will be off to a very busy start in 2018.

Image: leejeongsoo; Pixabay