Galaxy Fold screens start rolling out of Asan factory

Samsung Display has begun mass producing the foldable displays for its highly-anticipated Galaxy Fold smartphone, the company announced Wednesday.

The company said it celebrated the first successful shipment of the foldable device display at its factory in Asan, South Chungcheong, on Tuesday. It did not disclose details on production capacity.

Samsung Electronics is expected to start selling its first commercial foldable smartphone globally on April 26 for $1,980. A 5G version will be released in Korea in mid-May.

The Galaxy Fold features a 7.3-inch display which can be folded into a phone with a 4.6-inch screen. The device made headlines around the world when it was unveiled in San Francisco ahead of MWC 2019 in February.

The foldable screen is built with a new polymer layer that makes the display flexible and tough, as it is around 50 percent thinner than the typical smartphone display, the company said in a statement.

“The foldable display is an aggregate product of our company’s long-term concentrated efforts into research, development and manufacturing,” said Samsung Display CEO Lee Dong-hoon to employees during the celebration.

“We need to continue our technological innovation by continuing to produce differentiated products that other companies can’t rival.”

Samsung’s panel-making affiliate was the first in the world to produce flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for smartphones in 2013. The Korean tech giant has since used the panels in a range of smartphones including models with curved edges.

Samsung’s major Chinese competitor Huawei is also expected to release its own foldable phone, the Mate X, later this year. The company is using OLED panels from Chinese supplier BOE.

The Korean tech giant’s domestic rival LG has instead focused on building its market share in large-sized OLED panels for televisions.

BY KO JUN-TAE [ko.juntae@joongang.co.kr]