'Galaxy F': First look into Samsung’s first-ever foldable device

Screengrabs from the Samsung Developer Conference event show the Galaxy F in smartphone and tablet forms.

If Samsung Electronics' goal was to get people talking, they were very successful at it, as a lot of people sure didn't fold back.

After practically a year of speculation, the South Korean tech giant finally unveiled its first-ever foldable device, the Galaxy F, at the Samsung Developer Conference late on Wednesday.

And while indeed an event for developers - Bixby, artificial intelligence and the likes were technically the reason why they were gathered in San Francisco - the real highlight of the event was the Galaxy F.

After almost an hour-and-a-half into the keynote, Justin Denison, Samsung's senior vice-president of mobile product marketing, finally ended the speculation. "Today, we're taking our innovation in mobile to the next level... our vision for a new generation of smartphones," he said, before presenting a video teasing the device. "I give you the future of mobile display technology, the Infinity Flex Display."

Then, the big reveal: he pulled the Galaxy F from his coat pocket and showed it to the world... for all of barely a minute.

While being presented, the lights were dimmed with only the Galaxy F's displays shining through. Apparently, that was all Samsung wanted us to know - for now.

"I'd get in trouble if I showed you everything today, so we've disguised the elements of the design," Denison said. "But trust me, there's a device inside here - and it is stunning."

The Infinity Flex Display, he added, represents an "entirely new mobile platform.

While no specifications were discussed, BGR reported that after the keynote, Samsung revealed some of it, especially on its screen: the outer display (folded) is 4.58 inches, while its inner unfolded screen is 7.3 inches - the sides of which are also slightly curved.

And to add more to the guessing game, the release of the Galaxy F was listed as 'arriving soon'.

- alvin@khaleejtimes.com