If recent reports are to be believed, Huawei may launch the first foldable handset well ahead of Samsung’s plans on the same technology. The talk is that Huawei has joined the race to launch the first foldable smartphones, and have set a target beat Samsung to the punch.

According to some media reports, it is believed that Samsung is preparing to launch a foldable smartphone in the first half of 2019 to mark the 10th anniversary of its Galaxy models. And now, a Nikkei Asian Review report, citing analysts and industry sources, says that Huawei plans to demonstrate its technological capability and attract the industry’s attention with its own foldable smartphones.

Huawei has reportedly partnered with homegrown panel supplier BOE Technology Group to provide flexible organic LED display to be used on the foldable smartphones, the Japanese news organisation’s report states. Notably, BOE, which is heavily subsidized by the government, is the world’s leading large-panel maker for TV screens, and it is aggressively venturing into producing OLED displays, a market dominated by Samsung.

Even at this stage and with the timelines being thrown around by the rumours, there is no official confirmation about Huawei’s foldable smartphones or their pricing. As per a report by FirstPost Tech2, Samsung’s foldable phone is expected to be very expensive, possibly owing to the use of a flexible OLED panel and the incorporation of a larger battery.