Samsung may be quietly developing another foldable phone that looks like an old-school flip phone
- Samsung is developing another foldable phone with a 6.7-inch screen that will resemble an old-school flip phone, according to Bloomberg.
- The phone is also expected to be thinner and less expensive than the nearly $2,000 Galaxy Fold, which will be launching this month.
- Samsung is reportedly working on its second foldable phone after the Galaxy Fold faced a rocky launch, with the company delaying the phone's release for months after some reviewers said their units had broken.
- Huawei also recently delayed the release of its Mate X foldable phone, which is expected to debut this fall.
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Samsung hasn't launched the Galaxy Fold yet, but it's already working on another foldable phone that could launch early next year, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
The South Korean electronics giant is developing a foldable mobile device with a 6.7-inch screen that turns into a tiny, compact square when folded, the report says. The phone is expected to be thinner and less expensive than the nearly $2,000 Galaxy Fold, and Samsung is reportedly targeting fashion-minded shoppers rather than early tech adopters.
Samsung is reportedly working with designer Thom Browne on the phone's look and feel, and the device is expected to have a nostalgic appearance reminiscent of flip phones. That makes it sound a bit similar to what Motorola's approach could be like, as the company is expected to revive its iconic Razr flip phone from the early 2000s as a modern foldable phone, according to The Wall Street Journal.
It will also inherit the hole-punch-style camera cutout found on recent Samsung devices like the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy S10 for its inner display, the report says. There will reportedly be two cameras located on the outside of the device will serve as rear-facing cameras when the phone is open and selfie cameras when the device is shut.
Samsung did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
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Unlike the Galaxy Fold, Bloomberg says the new phone's inner display will have the same shape as a standard phone, which means developers won't have to optimize their apps to accommodate a different display aspect ratio.
Major smartphone makers such as Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi are all developing phones with bendable screens, but foldable phones have gotten off to a rocky start so far. Samsung had initially planned to release its much-anticipated Galaxy Fold in April, but it delayed the device's launch after a small number of reviewers experienced issues with the phone's screen. The company said in July that it would launch the Fold in September, and Korean news outlet Yonhap News reports that it's coming on September 6.
Huawei also delayed releasing its Mate X foldable phone after it was initially expected to debut in June. The Chinese tech giant, which is currently barred from working with American companies after being blacklisted by the US government in May, is now expected to launch the phone closer to the end of the year by November, as Tech Radar reported last month.