
Samsung Galaxy fans know that the company releases its upgrades in the month of February every year. The South Korean company is hosting its ‘Galaxy Unpacked 2019’ in San Francisco on February 20, and speculation is rife that the company’s next-generation flagship device – the Galaxy S10 – will be officially launched. But what’s more? Are we going to see the foldable phone there? Will Samsung announce the availability of the Galaxy Home smart speaker?
Here’s what to expect from the event, from the Galaxy S10 to perhaps even a foldable smartphone.
Given that it’s the 10th anniversary of the Galaxy S series, reports suggest that the Galaxy S10 will look drastically different from the Galaxy S9. Some believe that the budget model would be called the Galaxy S10 Lite, and will be modeled on Apple’s iPhone XR. All three regular Galaxy S10 models will go on sale in March, while the fourth model with 5G connectivity may hit the market in the Spring.
The Galaxy S10 will be the star of the show, but we might also see the official unveiling of a foldable smartphone. Samsung first showed a prototype of the foldable smartphone during its annual developer conference in November, but did not show a finished device.
The foldable smartphone has been delayed and Samsung knows it very well. Even the competition is increasing with Huawei and other Chinese companies planning to launch foldable smartphones in 2019. Meanwhile, a small startup named Royole is already selling a foldable smartphone in China.
If the WSJ report is to be believed, Samsung may also announce the long-awaited foldable smartphone in San Francisco. The Journal claims that Samsung has reportedly told its partners that the foldable phone may hit retail shelves in April, though a date or name have yet to get finalised. The Korean major is evidently considering names including “Fold”, “Galaxy Fold” and “Galaxy F”. The phone is rumoured to cost in the vicinity of $1500.
Samsung could also make some time for the Galaxy Home, its first ever smart speaker. The Bixby-powered smart speaker is directly pitched against Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod. Samsung announced the Galaxy Home speaker during its Galaxy Note 9 Unpacked event in August last year, but the company didn’t announce neither the price nor its release date.
We suspect Samsung is going to use the Galaxy S10 launch event to shed more light on the Galaxy Home smart speaker, perhaps alongside an affordable model for the masses. The Galaxy Home is speculated to be priced in the range of $350.