Samsung Develops Second Foldable Device

With a high-end product that is said to fold inward like a classic flip phone, Samsung Electronics Co. is reportedly gearing up to unveil a second foldable device in 2020. The company is at work on a product that has a 6.7-inch inner display that becomes a pocketable square, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed sources.

Unnamed sources cited in the report also noted that the company is aiming to make its second bendable device thinner as well as more affordable than the Galaxy Fold this year. The company is also working with Thom Browne, an American designer, on the foldable phone. It is reportedly looking to appeal to a wider consumer base that encompasses those who are more interested in status and fashion as well as luxury rather than the technical aspects of a device.

According to the report, the company would not comment on the development of devices that were unannounced.

Foldable devices, as it stands, have reportedly had a difficult start. Royole Corp. reportedly left reviewers not impressed with FlexPai, while Huawei Technologies Co. needed to delay the Mate X. At the same time, Samsung reportedly had a design defect that made it push back the release of the Galaxy Fold.

“I’m intrigued to see if a manufacturer can deliver a clamshell design that takes the current smartphone footprint and lets you fold in half like a wallet in a similar manner to mobile phones of yesterday such as the iconic Motorola Razr,” CCS Insight Analyst Ben Wood said per the report. “That’s what the world is probably waiting for.”

In separate news, Samsung smartphone shipments rose in Q2 2019 thanks to retail sales of its mid-level models. However, sales of the flagship Galaxy S10 fell year over year in Q2, leading to a 42 percent drop in profit compared to the same period last year, despite the fact that revenue for Samsung’s mobile division rose 8 percent.