Samsung will unveil a foldable phone this year, the company's CEO DJ Koh told CNBC, addressing rumors of such a device that have been brewing for years.
"It's time to deliver," Koh told CNBC, but didn't reveal details about how such a device would work. He said the development process is "nearly concluded."
Rather than working with a hinge, like traditional flip phones, the screen itself would fold, CNBC noted.
"You can use most of the uses ... on foldable status," Koh said at the IFA electronics show in Berlin last week, according to CNBC. "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?
"So every device, every feature, every innovation should have a meaningful message to our end customer. So when the end customer uses it, (they think) 'wow, this is the reason Samsung made it'."
More details about the device could be revealed the Samsung Developer Conference in November in San Francisco.
The company's first prototype of a bendable screen was unveiled in 2012, according to The Verge. An ad released in 2014 featuring a concept for a foldable screen fueled further speculation. The smartphone would reportedly fold in half like a wallet and unfold to the size of a tablet.
Companies including Lenovo, Microsoft and LG also are working on foldable screen technology, The Verge said.
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