Samsung’s first foldable phone launch turned out to be an embarrassment for the company, which had to admit its original final Galaxy Fold design was a disaster. Even so, Samsung patched up the Fold, supposedly fixing the design issues that broke the screen during early tests. Now, the company is marching towards a new release date. Regardless of how the Galaxy Fold does in stores, Samsung isn’t giving up its dream to make more foldable handsets, and the company is now working on a new foldable design that could be genuinely appealing: A Galaxy Note 10-like device that folds into a square.
The Galaxy Note 10 is easily one of the best-looking handsets out there, as long as you love devices with big screens. Even the smaller model has a large 6.3-inch display, which means the phone is still quite large. But what if you could fold a 6.7-inch Galaxy Note 10+ in half?
Samsung is “secretly working” on such a device, Bloomberg reports, although the company has hardly kept anything secret when it comes to new flagship phones. The new foldable phone is due early next year and is supposed to be a premium phone that will be more affordable than the $1,980 Galaxy Fold.
The phone will reportedly feature a 6.7-inch screen with a hole-punch selfie camera at the top of the inner display, just like the Note 10. Samsung is said to be working with American designer Thom Browne on the device. On the outside, the phone will feature two cameras that face the rear when the phone is folded open. Also, from the way Bloomberg explained the design of the phone, there should be a secondary screen on the outside, similar to the one on the first-generation Galaxy Fold.
This new Galaxy device will be a mix of two concepts, including the large-screen Galaxy S or Note phones, and the rumored Motorola Razr foldable. Motorola is also developing its own clamshell foldable handset, looking to revive the iconic Razr series from the pre-iPhone era. That handset is supposed to launch by the end of this year, according to the most recent rumors.
Samsung’s 2020 foldable handset might be more affordable and thinner than the Galaxy Fold, but the handset should still be a premium device.
While the Galaxy Fold looks more like a tablet when opened, requiring plenty of Android and apps optimizations to maximize screen use, the next-gen foldable will reportedly behave just like a traditional phone. And this form factor might be more appealing to the masses than the first Fold model.
Bloomberg also explains that Samsung is testing the use of an Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) material for the main display inside the phone. This layer could be only 3% as thick as the glass used to protect the screens on conventional smartphones. That’s certainly the kind of exciting breakthrough we expect from foldable device makers. Hopefully, Samsung will execute it flawlessly this time around, to avoid any screen durability issues.
