The Samsung Galaxy Fold has yet to be seen in stores after the company indefinitely postponed its originally scheduled April release date due to various issues with the phone’s display. However, a new report from Samsung’s home country of South Korea suggests that the tech giant is working on at least two upcoming foldable phones, including the device that might be known as the Galaxy Fold 2.
Citing a Korean-language report from ETNews , BGR wrote that the possible follow-up to the ill-fated Galaxy Fold appears to be a device that folds vertically, with a form factor reminiscent of older clamshell phones and a display size of 6.7 inches. While the original Galaxy Fold was designed to be a cross between a smartphone and a tablet, the phone’s rumored successor is expected to focus on “portability,” and to this end, is said to be capable of folding inward. A separate report from Tom’s Guide compared the purported Samsung foldable’s design to Motorola’s upcoming reboot of its popular Razr series from the mid-2000s.
Further details on this device were scant, but BGR noted that the so-called “Galaxy Fold 2” is rumored to arrive sometime next year. The outlet also cautioned that such reports should be “taken with a grain of salt” as the Galaxy Fold has not yet gotten a firm release date as of this writing.
Samsung exec says Galaxy Fold is ‘ready’ for launch with ‘most’ display issues fixed https://t.co/ziyfr9IR3r by @nexusben pic.twitter.com/s09l4abxm3
— 9to5Google (@9to5Google) June 19, 2019
Despite the relative lack of information on the original Galaxy Fold’s updated release timeline, the new report from ETNews suggests that foldable smartphones are still a top priority for Samsung as far as the company’s broader plans for the future are concerned, BGR added. Reportedly, Samsung is planning to launch the upcoming phones as part of a “new product family” and hopes that the handsets could revitalize a smartphone market that has often been described as “stagnant” and saturated due to the plethora of devices that tend to look the same while having similar sets of basic specifications and special features.
As for the original Samsung Galaxy Fold, recent reports have suggested that the device might be close to rolling out. Last week, The Inquisitr reported that Samsung Display vice president Kim Seong-cheol said at an event in South Korea that most of the Galaxy Fold’s display problems “have been ironed out,” further teasing that the phone is “ready to hit the market.” The executive declined to go into specifics but hinted that the Galaxy Fold will “receive a lot of attention” once it is finally ready for release.