Samsung’s cancelled ‘Project V’ foldable phone surfaces online

Thomas McMullan Read more June 18, 2018

Samsung has reportedly been working on its foldable Galaxy X smartphone for a few years, with the experimental handset allegedly shown behind closed doors to a handful of journalists at this year’s CES. We don’t yet know what shape that handset will take, but a newly surfaced set of images show that the Galaxy X won’t be Samsung’s first foray into fordable technology.

Samsung’s cancelled ‘Project V’ foldable phone surfaces online

A Chinese Twitter user has posted pictures of a handset for the ‘Project V’, which Samsung worked a few years ago. At the time, the Korean manufacturer chose to scrap the project, but one of the prototypes seemingly lives on in what looks to be a hardware shop in China.

The model number on the phone is SM-G929F. Knowing that the numbers for the Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S7 were SM-G925x and SM-G930x respectively, we can pinpoint the ‘Project V’ as happening somewhere between those two devices – roughly 2015-2016. It’s also worth noting that the date on the home screen is also Tuesday 7 January; a combination of day of the week and date which lines up with 2014’s calendar.

The handset itself looks like two phones sandwiched together, reminiscent of the ZTE Axon M. Like that device, one half of the phone is noticeably bulkier than the other, with a thin hinge connecting the two. The Galaxy X is reported to use experimental foldable screen technology, whereas the cancelled ‘Project V’ looks centred on more a traditional display – albeit with two of them.

Samsung is tipped to release the long-gestating Galaxy X next year, with the company aiming to be the first to market with a truly foldable smartphone screen. Reports suggest a record might also be broken with the handset’s price, which is rumoured to be as much as £1,365 (2 million won) – a figure that makes the iPhone X’s £999 seem positively affordable.