Skip to main content

Samsung plans two more folding smartphones, and one could be out this year

Samsung Galaxy Fold behind a glass case at Mobile World Congress
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Samsung is working hard to ensure that not only does the folding smartphone become a success, but also that there are plenty of models for us to choose from. The Galaxy Fold is the first device of its type for Samsung, and the company is apparently working on an additional two folding smartphones, one of which may be out before the end of the year. The news comes from anonymous sources speaking to Bloomberg, and soon after the Galaxy Fold’s announcement in February.

Samsung’s next folding smartphone is likely to look different to the Galaxy Fold, and take on a vertical folding shape, which may be something like the Motorola Razr folding smartphone concepts we’ve seen. The vertical folding smartphone may also have a screen on the outside, but this design has not been finalized according to the Bloomberg report, and its inclusion may depend on the response to the Galaxy Fold.

Recommended Videos

A screen on the outside of the device is likely to be considered an essential by owners though, as without it, the phone would have to be opened to see notifications or the time, or to perform other quick actions. This device may be revealed in late 2019, or early 2020. After this, it’s claimed Samsung has another foldable smartphone to launch, and it’s one with an “out folding” screen.

Adopting this design would see Samsung follow in Huawei’s footsteps, as the Mate X’s screen folds outward too. Sources told Bloomberg the outward folding smartphone is at prototype stage now, and due to not having an external screen, it will be thinner than the 17mm thick Galaxy Fold. Other possible features include an in-display fingerprint sensor for future folding smartphones.

Samsung has been working on folding smartphone and screen projects for nearly eight years. It beat rival Huawei to being first to announce a modern folding smartphone, after revealing the Galaxy Fold on February 20. However, the phone has remained under cover since then, with no public reports on what the device is like to use. The $1,980 Galaxy Fold will be released on April 26. Huawei’s Mate X — which has been considerably less elusive — was shown at MWC 2019 a week after the Galaxy Fold and will be out before the end of the summer.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Samsung is starting to lose the foldable race
The cover screen on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.

Hot on the heels of its Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung has launched its next generation of foldables with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. These new foldables are packed with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and plenty of RAM, they have powerful camera systems, and they come in a variety of colors.

But in its sixth year of leading the foldable market, Samsung seems to be losing some momentum. After all, the new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 have pretty minimal differences from their predecessors, especially in the case of the Flip.

Read more
One of this year’s most promising smartphones may have been delayed
A person holding the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra.

Fans of the Huawei Mate 60 may have to wait much longer before getting their hands on the Mate 70. According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, Huawei has delayed the launch of the Mate 70 series due to issues with getting its in-house processor working with its new platform process. Both adaptations are delayed, so the current release schedule is being pushed to the mid-to-late fourth quarter, so likely sometime in November or December.

The text is translated from Chinese, so it’s a little hard to parse, but to give you some context, Huawei launched the Mate 60 Pro with a 7nm 5G-capable Kirin 9000s chipset, along with SK Hynix RAM. This was a surprise because some of the components included in the device shouldn’t have been available to Huawei to use due to sanctions. It’s not clear how Huawei got around this problem at the time, but what we do know is that the Huawei Mate 70 should come running a more powerful Kirin 9100 chipset.

Read more
Samsung’s next folding phone may feature a massive redesign
A person holding the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and showing the hinge.

Samsung recently announced the Galaxy Z Fold 6, but there are rumors of another foldable release before the year ends called the "Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim." A reliable leaker, Ice Universe, now suggests the new phone will feature a cover screen with the same aspect ratio as the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

If true, it would mean a wider, more normal-looking cover screen than the regular Galaxy Z Fold 6. This could potentially represent a significant redesign for Samsung's foldable phones.

Read more