Samsung made an announcement last year regarding its plans to launch its first foldable handset, initially dubbed the Samsung Galaxy X. The South Korean tech giant is expected to deliver smartphones with flexible displays, given that the company has been known for its innovations in screen panel technology, particularly in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. While there is no confirmed release date for the Galaxy X, recent reports hint that the device could arrive earlier than expected, possibly in late 2018.

As reported by Business Insider, Samsung mentioned about the production of flexible displays, which is targeted to commence this year, during its 2017 financial report meeting earlier this week. For the tech experts, it is intriguing that the company is planning to develop bendable screen panels when there are no flexible Galaxy smartphones expected to arrive in the coming months. With this, it is speculated that the target production of flexible displays is intended for the Samsung Galaxy X, and if there will be no delay in the process, the handset could be ready for release before the year ends.

The Samsung Galaxy X is believed to sport a much bigger display panel compared with the previous premium handsets from the company. The size of the screen could be as huge as a regular widescreen tablet. Of course, the huge display can be folded inwards and outwards like a notepad, making the Galaxy X look smaller. Because of the device's foldable nature, it will no longer need a screen protector as the display panel is unexposed when the Galaxy X is folded inwards.

Samsung said that the Galaxy X will come from the company's Note series, possibly succeeding the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. This is in spite of the previous rumors that the successor of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 smartphones will be called the Galaxy X. As for the price of the foldable handset, it is expected to be much more expensive than the Note 8, which costs around $950, due to its foldable screen technology.