Samsung Electronics is out to bring foldables to the mainstream via releases of two types starting with a new clamshell design in cutting-edge glass display.

Premiering in San Francisco on Tuesday in local time, Galaxy Z Flip sports ultra-thin glass display that can unfold to a 6.7-inch screen with 22:9 aspect ratio, according to leaked images of the device circulating the internet.

The phone reportedly uses a special hinge design that allows the device to be locked at 70- and 110-degrees so it can be easily propped up on a table.

All the foldable phones currently available in the market use the flexible plastic cover. Galaxy Z Flip will be the world’s first foldable phone using a glass screen.

Industry experts predict the display’s quality would determine the foldable phone’s success. The company had to push back the launch of its first foldable phone Galaxy Fold, with a vertical book-fold design, for a few months after the screen of its review samples was damaged due to the fragile colorless polyimide film cover of the screen.

The ultra-thin glass can be folded into a sheet with a thickness of less than 0.1 millimeters. It is developed by Korea-based glass substrate maker Dowoo Insys Co. that is contracted to supply the flexible glass for the Galaxy Z Flip if initial supplies satisfy order requirements, according to industry sources. So far, Dowoo Insys is the sole glass screen supplier for the Galaxy Z Flip. Samsung Display Co., affiliate of Samsung Electronics, is the largest shareholder of the local glass maker with a 27.7 percent stake it aquired late last year.

Samsung Electronics reportedly has planned to make 500,000 units of Galaxy Z Flip in the first batch with an annual sales target set at 2.5 million units this year. Currently, Dowoo Insys is capable of producing 250,000 sheets of glass a month from two lines and it is testing three additional lines, which would push up its monthly output to more than 500,000 sheets.

An industry expert said many glass makers have tried making the ultra-thin glass but they have not been successful, suggesting that the Galaxy Z Flip’s success would allow the glass maker to lead the new market segments such as stretchable and rollable displays. Another expert tipped that global tech giants like Apple and Huawei have shown interest in adopting the glass.

But some warn that it is too early to paint rosy outlook. Sales of Motorola’s clamshell-design foldable phone Razr are so far disappointing after the device was damaged just after 27,000 folds and unfolds in CNet’s durability test. Samsung Galaxy Fold survived nearly 120,000 in the same test until CNet stopped due to a problem with the testing machine.

In addition to the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung Electronics will launch the 11th generation of flagship Galaxy S – the Galaxy S20 – at the Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event on Tuesday, along with others from special collaboration works.

The official Android Twitter account recently tweeted the Korean tech company’s unpack event, adding that “something exciting is just around the corner.” Fashion designer Thom Browne also released a teaser video of its collaborative project on the special Galaxy Z Flip package. The special package will be priced at around 3 million won ($2,500), double the price tag of a regular Galaxy Z Flip pack.

The smartphone giant is also readying to launch the follow-up of its first foldable phone Galaxy Fold this year. The new model is expected to come with an 8-inch screen, bigger than 6.3-inch of its predecessor.

Samsung Electronics reportedly aims to sell about 5 million units of foldable phones this year. Market experts anticipate its sales would easily exceed the target.

By Lee Seung-yoon and Cho Jeehyun

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]