Earlier in February, Samsung's rumored foldable smartphone dubbed the Galaxy X had received a trademark in South Korea. Close on the heels of this comes news that premium foldable smartphones from the company is in the final stages of development.

According to a report from ETNews, both Samsung Display and Samsung Electronics are in the final development stages for the foldable handset. It will reportedly produce the prototype of the device in Q3 this year.

"Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display have set a goal of releasing prototype of foldable Smartphone in this third quarter in order to verify quality of foldable Smartphone by producing thousands of prototypes. They are going to test quality and performance of these prototypes internally and check responses from markets in advance by supplying them to their major customers such as mobile network providers," notes the publication.

Even as Samsung is focusing on the production, panel manufacturers in China are reportedly speeding the development process for foldable display prototypes as well.

When Will Mass Production Begin?

Reportedly, once these porotypes from the company clear the benchmarks for performance and quality, as well as are able to generate consumer interest and market demand, both Samsung Display and Samsung Electronics will apparently look to mass produce the handsets officially.

It is believed that the mass production will begin in 2018, considering that the prototypes get introduced in Q3 this year.

The "Luxurious" Foldable Smartphone

The flexible smartphone from Samsung is expected to be created from top-end materials and will be a luxurious handset.

Samsung is apparently looking to market the handset as a premium device and is optimistic that the novel technology will give it an edge over rivals. Samsung will supposedly manufacture thousands of units of the prototype. It will then distribute these to network operators for assessment and testing. Based on the feedback it receives during this stage, it will contemplate whether the introduction of the foldable handset to the consumer market in large quantities is commercially viable or not.

Samsung apparently showed off the prototype of the foldable handset to a select few at the MWC 2017 as rumored.

This is not the first time rumors of Samsung beginning production of a foldable smartphone have emerged online. Earlier in February, it was reported that the company would kick off foldable smartphone production in Q4 this year.

Another rumor pitted the fold-out device's release at Q3 2017 and suggested that the device will resemble a tablet on expanding.

Hoping to create a sensation, the makers of this foldable smartphone will supposedly give the handset an elegant and a "pleasing to the eye" look. It is rumored that the device will be 5 inches in size when folded and 8 inches when unfurled.

The whole idea of this foldable device is that it will be in a compact state when folded, but when unfurled it will allow users to view movies and browsing in a comfortable manner.