On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

Rumours involving a foldable smartphone from Samsung have been swirling around for what feels like an age, but 2018 might be the year when the company delivers on the promise, at least according to Samsung mobile business head DJ Koh.

In an interview with CNBC, Koh says "it's time to deliver" on the promise of a foldable device, since surveys conducted by the company reveal customers are interested in such a device. However actual details are hard to come by, outside of a hint the device might be unveiled at the November 2018 Samsung Developer Conference.

"You can use most of the uses... on foldable status. But when you need to browse or see something, then you may need to unfold it. But even unfolded, what kind of benefit does that give compared to the tablet? If the unfolded experience is the same as the tablet, why would they (consumers) buy it?," Koh tells CNBC. "So every device, every feature, every innovation should have a meaningful message to our end customer. So when the end customer uses it, (they think) "wow, this is the reason Samsung made it.""

With an official wireless charging solution for the AirPods still awaiting release, customers can get a Kickstarter-backed option with the PowerPod Case, a Qi charging case for the AirPods case.

On September 2017 Apple announced a Qi-compatible AirPods case-- something that, a year later, is still to actually materialise. Enter the PowerPod case, a silicon case for the AirPods case promising an end for cable-based charging. It has a Lightning plug on the bottom connected to a Qi charging coil on the front, and allows charging on any Qi-enabled charging pad.

Samsung is not the only company with an 8K TV at IFA 2018-- rival LG is also in the game, with a stand housing an 88-inch 7680 x 4320 OLED set promising "unmatched contrast ratio and true blacks."

“LG’s first 8K OLED TV is the pinnacle of technological achievement and the next evolutionary step in display technology,” the company says. “4K OLED played a major role in reshaping TV industry and LG is confident that 8K OLED will do the same.”

The company had already presented an 8K TV at CES 2018, if in the form of a prototype shown only to select guests. The TV has 33 million light-emitting pixels (or x4 the amount of a UHD 4K set), and LG claims it offers brightness levels comparable to LCD backlights thanks to the addition of proprietary technologies.

According to IDC, Q2 2018 global wearable shipments total 27.9 million units, a 5.5% Y-o-Y increase, while revenues are up by 8.3% Y-o-Y to $4.8 billion, thanks to the popularity of smartwatches with high price tags.

However, the mature markets-- namely N. America, W. Europe and Japan-- are not the ones behind the growth, since the 3 regions see a decline of -6.3% Y-o-Y. This is due to a decline in basic wristbands "substantial" enough to not be offset by smartwatch growth. On the other hand, emerging markets (CEE, MEA, Asia/Pacific, L. America) are on the up, thanks to high demand for basic wristbands.

"The decline in mature markets is by no means worrisome as these markets are in the midst of transitioning to more sophisticated wearables," the analyst says. "While the previous generation of wearables was focused on providing descriptive feedback like step counts, the current and upcoming generations are far more capable and are well on track to becoming prescriptive and diagnostic tools. Surrounding these smarter wearables is a constellation of technologies and service providers that includes app developers, telcos, component makers, healthcare institutions and more-- each poised for growth in the coming years."