Rumors about Samsung’s foldable phone prototype, code-named Project Valley, have swirled for years. They have subsequently been overtaken by talk of a phone known as the Galaxy X — believed to be the folding phone Samsung’s working on for release — which is likely to have evolved from Project Valley. What did the prototype look like? A set of images may have revealed everything.
A series of pictures said to be of the SM-G929F, or Project V, were posted on Twitter, showing a phone with two screens hinged in the center. It’s reminiscent of ZTE’s Axon M, the only foldable phone to so far make it on sale. It’s clear the phone pictured in the leaks is an older model, as the design ignores Samsung’s most recent trends, and is more based on Galaxy phones seen several years ago.
Both the Twitter user and Slaskleaks, which also posted the pictures, call Project V canceled. However, it was never clear the phone was going to go on sale or was anything more than a prototype used for development. What can we learn from the Project V pictures? Only the Android home screens are showing, spread across the two screens, rather than having to swipe left or right to reveal them. No video or app content is displayed, so it’s not known how Samsung intended to handle the dual-screen aspect of Project V’s app use.
The body of the phone is thick, and made even more so by the folding second screen, which operates like a folio case — hinged at the side so it can be flipped open or closed. It appears Project V could be used as a single-screen device, with the screen presumably folded around the back.
It’s not an attractive phone, and even in 2016 when Samsung may have been actively working on Project V, it wouldn’t have attracted many admiring glances. It’s also considerably less Space Age-looking than the concept device (seen to the right) often shown as an example of what Project Valley may have looked like. There’s still a chance the Galaxy X may end up being closer to the concept.
Project Valley may have been canceled, or at least the prototype retired, but we’re still expecting Samsung to release a folding or bendable phone in the future. It’s known under several names, including Galaxy X, and the $2,000 device may arrive in 2019.
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