In light of modest global sales recently, some observers say that smartphone innovation has hit a bottleneck, as new devices bear more iterative upgrades instead of groundbreaking features. Others even predict that the smartphone era may be coming to an end soon.

But with mobile technologies like 5G, AI, and AR maturing rapidly, users will be able to do even more with their smartphones soon. Instead of losing relevance, the next wave of technological innovation will make the smartphone more central to our lives than ever before. Whether it’s leveraging increased connectivity or harnessing next-generation mobile intelligence, a larger display will be key to accessing future smartphone experiences.

Despite current trends, we are still living in a world where the size of the smartphone display can only be as large as the device itself. At Samsung, we began to ask ourselves how we can overcome this limitation and expand the possibilities of what users can accomplish on the go.

The Shape of Things to Come

Smartphone displays can’t get any larger without compromising portability – this was the orthodoxy for a long time.

Instead of accepting the status quo, resolving the contradiction between screen size and portability and developing a new form factor became the central focus of our innovation efforts.

The recent unveiling of the Infinity Flex Display at SDC 2018 signaled the start of this new chapter. But building a foldable device was no mean feat. After the prototypes of the flexible display debuted at CES in 2011, it took another seven years to perfect the technology and deliver a truly meaningful experience to users. From developing new materials to overcoming mechanical challenges, the foldable screen demanded a total reconfiguration of the smartphone from inside out.

Preparing for the New Era

We expect to see a sea change in the smartphone form factor in the coming years. From rollable and stretchable devices to the devices that can fold in multiple ways are no longer beyond the realms of reality. Samsung is ready to usher in this future and create meaningful experiences for consumers that help them do more of what they love.

To build the new foldable device, we made significant investments to create a new material that completely changes the anatomy of the smartphone display. We also created a natural and durable folding experience that users can appreciate from the very first time they unfold the device and crafted an innovative mechanical technology that can withstand hundreds of thousands of folds. We also had to rethink the placements of the battery, cooling system, and camera so that they can be placed inside the slim body efficiently. Last but not least, we developed an intuitive UX to ensure apps can transition seamlessly between the smaller and larger displays. We are committed to continue pushing the limits of possibility and lead the mobile industry into a new era.

Smartphone innovation is at the cusp of the next major transformation. The arrival of the Infinity Flex Display is just the beginning. We will continue pushing the limits of possibility and shape the future as it unfolds.

This year’s Samsung Developer Conference (SDC18) is still more than a week away, but the excitement is already building for Samsung’s showcase of technologies that will help developers and creators build the software and services of tomorrow.

Held from November 7–8 in San Francisco, SDC18 offers a platform for developers and partners to unlock exciting business opportunities by utilising Samsung’s latest technology. The conference features a full slate of enlightening sessions, hosted by Samsung and tech industry leaders, that cover the latest advancements in AI, IoT and more. These engaging and informative lectures, panels and workshops offer attendees a first look at the company’s newest SDKs, partnerships and dev tools, and allow them to connect one-on-one with Samsung product experts and developers from across the industry.

Read on to learn more about some of the exciting sessions that will make SDC18 an event Where Now Meets Next.

Spotlight Session

The Spotlight Session headlining day two of SDC18 will cover some of the tech industry’s most interesting topics. Hear from thought leaders in gaming and AI as they discuss exciting news, and reveal their respective outlooks on the future.

Samsung will also share insights into its gaming strategy during the session, and spotlight innovations encompassing artificial intelligence, the S Pen, and much more. Speakers include Sarah Bond, Xbox/Microsoft’s Head of Global Gaming Partnerships and Development; Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Epic Games, the studio behind the wildly popular Fortnite; and John Hanke, Founder and CEO of Niantic Labs, makers of Pokémon Go.

Bixby

SDC18 features a variety of sessions that demonstrate how Samsung’s intelligence, Bixby, is shaping the landscape for AI platforms. Spanning lectures, panels and interactive activities, these sessions, including those listed below, offer attendees the insights they need to develop seamless user experiences for a wide range of devices and services.

• Bixby and the New Exponential Frontier of Intelligent Assistants

In this session, key business and technical leaders from the Bixby team will explain the ins and outs of the technology, outline Bixby’s vision for a new kind of open ecosystem for developers, and discuss how and why to get involved.

• Teaching Bixby Fundamentals: What You Need to Know

Learn how to access Bixby’s development tools, including Bixby SDK and IDE, to create a Bixby experience for your business and prepare it for launch within the Bixby ecosystem.

• Conquer the World with Bixby: Building for Multiple Languages and Locations

The world is filled with millions of devices and millions of users. In this session, you’ll learn how to expand your user base by offering experiences that work well on multiple devices and for multiple languages and locales, while maximising code reuse across experiences.

SmartThings

Last year at SDC, Samsung unveiled SmartThings, a new platform for connecting and controlling smart devices. This year, the company will discuss SmartThings’ latest enhancements, and demonstrate ways to implement the intuitive platform into more devices. Highlighted sessions include:

• SmartThings 101: New to SmartThings

This session will discuss topics such as which kinds of SmartThings API integrations can be built, as well as how to quickly create and integrate with the SmartThings API.

• Streamlining IoT Systems: SmartThings Cloud-to-Cloud Device Integration

This session will introduce a new Developer Workspace for integrating cloud-connected devices with SmartThings. The workspace will feature new APIs and tools that will streamline development and go-to-market processes. Devices that are integrated with SmartThings will be controlled by Bixby and other voice assistant platforms, as well as a full ecosystem of automation and service integrations.

• What’s New in the SmartThings Platform?

The SmartThings ecosystem has seen tremendous growth since its renewed launch last year. This session will cover what’s new with the platform, and discuss incorporating support for new services and devices.

Gaming

Two years ago, at SDC 2016, Samsung launched its Galaxy GameDev program, which offers developers the support they need to bring their games to life. This year, Samsung is renewing its commitment to empowering developers’ creativity by introducing a slew of new SDKs and tools. A series of fun technical sessions will demonstrate how to utilise these technologies to optimise games for Galaxy devices. Notable sessions include:

• Galaxy: Outstanding GameDev Platform

This session will examine Galaxy GameDev partnerships with some of the biggest names in mobile games, and preview soon-to-be-released tools and a new SDK.

• Fortnite Behind the Story: Road to Android and Vulkan Collaboration with Galaxy GameDev

Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Samsung and Epic Games optimised the global-phenomenon game’s performance for Galaxy devices.

And Much More

Also included among the dozens of sessions in SDC18’s jam-packed lineup are presentations that will introduce enhancements to fan-favourite apps such as Samsung Health, as well as Samsung DeX, AR Emoji, Bixby Vision, Samsung Knox, and the Tizen OS. Notable sessions include:

• Do What Your Phone Can’t With Samsung DeX

Samsung DeX allows you to turn virtually any place into a workplace by letting you use your phone to power a PC-like experience. In addition to sharing updates on how to optimise apps for Samsung DeX, this session will include a demonstration of how the new Linux on DeX helps developers work more flexibly.

• Technical Aspects of Galaxy Watch App Development

This session will discuss key aspects of Galaxy Watch app development, with a focus on the Tizen 4.0 Wearable SDK. Attendees will learn how to develop a best-in-show Galaxy Watch app from concept to design and development, and explore exciting use cases for Galaxy Watch users.

• Samsung AR Emoji Studio: Create and Market New Avatars

The combination of AR and emojis has changed the way people communicate and express themselves digitally. In this session, attendees can check out Samsung’s new Avatar Studio and its features and tools, and learn how to publish new 3D avatars in the Galaxy Apps store.

Additional details on these and other SDC18 sessions may be found here. For more information on this year’s conference, including registration details, please visit SDC18’s official website. And don’t forget to follow @samsung_dev on Twitter and keep an eye on the hashtag “#SDC18” for the latest news and updates.

LONDON, UK – September 27, 2018 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd has unveiled the initial roster of keynote speakers for Samsung Developer Conference 2018 (SDC18), where thousands of the world’s most prominent developers and creators will come together to explore today’s technology and work towards building the software and services of tomorrow.

DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics, will open SDC18 by discussing Samsung’s vision for the future of technology, and how the company is continually innovating to deliver the best customer experience. “At Samsung, we remain committed to enriching our open hardware, software and services ecosystems, empowering partners and developers to create new, intelligent and unimagined experiences for consumers,” said DJ Koh. “As a part of this commitment, we are excited to announce at SDC18 new developments and tools across AI and IoT that will usher in the next generation of connectivity.”

Among the full lineup of speakers, SDC18 will feature special keynotes from Samsung executives at the forefront of software and services innovation:

Eui-Suk Chung is EVP and Head of Software and AI, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung. A passionate technologist, Eui-Suk will talk about how the company’s ecosystem enables developers to create seamless experiences for consumers. He will also reveal how new tools and capabilities will help developers bring their creative ideas to life and scale them across billions of devices.

Dag Kittlaus, CEO of Viv Labs, will be joined on stage by the company’s CTO, Adam Cheyer. Together, they will outline Samsung’s delivery on its strategy to make Bixby more ubiquitous, personal, natural and open. They will share how Bixby has grown to become a next-generation, intelligent assistant platform, built for developers from the ground up. Lastly, they will unveil new Bixby tools that give developers the ability to infuse intelligence across a full spectrum of Samsung devices.

Jaeyeon Jung is VP and Head of Service Security Technologies Group at Samsung, where she oversees the IoT cloud, identity service, and other security-critical services. During the keynote, Jaeyeon will discuss SmartThings’ progress since the ecosystem integration was announced in 2017, including how it has become more secure, scalable and accessible – revealing how it will continue to expand in 2019.

SDC18 will be jam-packed with learning, inspiration and special activities with Samsung experts, partners and thought leaders at the cutting edge of the world’s most innovative technologies and industries, from AI and IoT to health, AR/VR and security solutions. More enthusiastic spokespeople and industry leaders to join in SDC18 will be shared in coming weeks.

Stay tuned for more exciting speaker announcements in the coming weeks. For more information about Samsung Developer Conference 2018, please visit http://sdc.developer.samsung.com/. Further information can also be found on Twitter (@samsung_dev) and using the hashtag #SDC18.

To sign-up for this year’s conference, visit http://sdc.developer.samsung.com/registration/ to register for your place.

About Samsung Developer Conference

SDC brings together thousands of developers and creators to explore today’s tech and visualise what’s possible in the future. The two-day conference will feature exciting keynote announcements, technical sessions and valuable networking time. Plus, Samsung product teams and technology partners will showcase the latest tech advances and tools.

The event will take place from November 7 – 8, 2018 in Moscone West in San Francisco, California, U.S.