[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics’ upcoming Galaxy S9 will be unveiled during the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona in February, its mobile chief confirmed on Jan. 9.

“The S9 will be unveiled at the MWC,” Koh Dong-jin, CEO of Samsung’s mobile communications division, told reporters at CES 2018 underway in Las Vegas. 

He didn’t elaborate on the launch schedule but hinted that the new phone could hit the market about a month after the official unveiling considering launch schedules of its preceding models.

Asked about the long-awaited foldable phone launch, Koh said it is too soon to announce a date.

“We are working hard on the foldable phone. We are preparing for an impeccable product that will dominate the market in the long run,” he said.

In September last year, the CEO said Samsung’s first foldable phone could hit the market in 2018, adding that a Note series model is in its roadmap. Some sources say Samsung plans to start production in November possibly for launch early next year.

In the meantime, Koh added Samsung is also working on an artificial intelligence speaker based on its Bixby AI assistant.

“Samsung is the only company that has both hardware and software capabilities. We may be a latecomer in the market but have full potential to lead the market,” he said.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)