Samsung debuts more compact foldable phone during Oscars ad

The brief advertisement shows off the device’s square folded shape, tiny notification panel on the exterior, and large widescreen display on the inside. — AP

Samsung Electronics Co on Feb 9 gave the world its first official look at the company’s upcoming, more compact foldable smartphone in a commercial that aired during the Academy Awards ceremony.

The brief advertisement shows off the device’s square folded shape, tiny notification panel on the exterior, and large widescreen display on the inside. Scheduled for a glitzy launch event on Feb 11 in San Francisco, the phone represents Samsung’s effort to "define a new era”, in the words of its new mobile chief Taemoon Roh. The device will be known as the Galaxy Z Flip, according to people familiar with Samsung’s plans, and Bloomberg News earlier reported that there’ll be a special edition in collaboration with fashion designer Thom Browne.