OK so straight out the gate I'm going to say this is purely speculation on my part - we haven't yet seen any concrete evidence to say that Samsung is launching the rumoured Galaxy X gaming smartphone inside 2018, let alone August specifically.

But please hear me out. There is, I think, at least some logic behind the idea if you start putting together snippets of other details we've heard in recent weeks.

To start with, let's clear one or two things up to ensure there's absolutely no confusion whatsoever.

Samsung Galaxy X vs Samsung Galaxy F - What Gives?

The Samsung Galaxy X has been rumoured to be in development for a VERY long time - as in, it was being talked about when I first became a tech journalist about seven years ago and the discussion has never really stopped. For a good chunk of that period it has also been pegged for imminent release, year-on-year, and has so far never materialised.

The Galaxy X has also always been rumoured as Samsung's folding and flexible OLED smartphone.

Samsung's been pretty open for many years that it is researching and developing flexible OLED technology that would allow new and innovative folding form factors, and it's been long established that this would eventually manifest in a commercially released device.

However, very recently it emerged that although a folding and flexible OLED phone would still be on the cards - likely for launch in 2019 as an expensive, limited edition "test-bed", possibly even only available inside South Korea - this would actually be called the Galaxy F, while the Galaxy X would, in fact, be a dedicated gaming smartphone.

Whether this was always the plan, or if it's a recent internal switcheroo in naming by Samsung (ie: the Galaxy X WAS the folding OLED phone until someone had the bright idea to call it the Galaxy F and shift the Galaxy X moniker to another project), remains unclear.

Regardless, this is the situation we find ourselves in now; the information seems to come from pretty reliable sources and we think it's accurate:

• The Samsung Galaxy X will be a gaming smartphone
• The Samsung Galaxy F will be a folding and flexible OLED smartphone

So, moving on from that baseline - what's next?

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Launch August 9, Plus Samsung Event August 30

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is launching on August 9 - that's tomorrow at time of writing. We know this as Samsung sent out invitations a while back.

However, Samsung also has an event it has issued invitations for on August 30, in Berlin, which will take place around the beginning of the IFA 2018 expo in that very German city.

Now here's the kicker.

Very robust reports indicate that Samsung has secured a deal with the publisher of popular online game Fortnite.

Fortnite is coming to Android, you see, and Samsung has ensured that for the first month of the game's release on Android it'll be an exclusive to Samsung devices, specifically the Galaxy Note 9, with which the Fortnite for Android launch will coincide.

There will be special packages where consumers can pre-order the Galaxy Note 9 and get Fortnite with a bundle of in-game goodies.

However, there are also some additional rumours on top, which look pretty credible, saying that Samsung may have secured an additional two months of exclusivity for Fortnite on Android, meaning it would essentially have a monopoly for the entire Autumn/Fall quarter of 2018.

Samsung Galaxy X Gaming Phone & Fortnite Exclusivity

You may now see where all this is going.

I have a strong suspicion that Samsung may be wishing to capitalise on two things.

First, the capabilities of its gaming phone.

Second, the period of Fortnite exclusivity.

For that reason, I believe Samsung will launch the Galaxy X gaming smartphone at its event on August 30.

I reckon its quite likely that multiple Samsung phones will have access to Fortnite, including the current Galaxy S9 series.

However, Samsung will probably hope to leverage the gaming aspects of the Galaxy X and how it can benefit players with this specific game.

Depending on pricing, it also may make a more appealing prospect to the younger gaming crowd that Fortnite seems to have attracted.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 series is NOT cheap, and the Galaxy Note 9 is similarly tipped to be priced around £800-£1000 depending on what storage model you pick.

We've no guarantees the Galaxy X will be more affordably priced, but it would certainly make sense if it was.