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Samsung's working on a Motorola Razr-like foldable phone

By Joshua Swingle

Published: Sep 03, 2019, 7:17 AM

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Samsung Android

Samsung's working on a Motorola Razr-like foldable phone

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 concept renders

The Galaxy Fold is now just weeks away but it seems Samsung is already preparing another foldable smartphone that’ll introduce a totally new design. Its release, however, depends largely on the success of Samsung’s first offering.

Samsung's second foldable could look like a flip phone

According to Bloomberg, the South Korean giant is developing a new foldable with a 6.7-inch display that shrinks into a square when folded inwards like the upcoming Motorola Razr. This will feature a small punch hole for the selfie camera much like the Galaxy Note 10 which will be paired with a dual-camera setup that sits on the outside of the phone. The latter will face the rear when opened and the front when folded shut.

The majority of people currently interested in foldable smartphones are tech fans. Because of this, Samsung is reportedly collaborating with American design Thom Browne on the device to help broaden its appeal and attract consumers that are more interested in fashion and luxury. One person familiar with the matter also suggests Samsung’s next foldable will be more affordable and noticeably thinner than the Galaxy Fold. To help achieve this the company is reportedly testing Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) for the 6.7-inch display although the phone’s reliability is the main priority.

Early Samsung patents showing off the new format

Samsung’s second-generation foldable will reportedly launch in early 2020 if everything goes to plan, perhaps alongside the Galaxy S11 series. The phone’s release is yet to be greenlit, though. That’s because it may depend largely on the success of the Galaxy Fold after its launch later this month.

It’s unclear at this stage what internal hardware Samsung has planned for the phone but Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 865 paired with 5G support seems very likely. This should be paired with Android 10 straight out of the box and Samsung’s One UI 2.0 update which recently leaked. Also, due to the second-generation model’s typical aspect ratio, apps should work perfectly in their native form rather than requiring extensive reworks as is the case with the Galaxy Fold.

When will the original Galaxy Fold be released? What does it offer?

Months after discovering serious design flaws and subsequently delaying the Galaxy Fold’s launch indefinitely, Samsung finally seems to be preparing for device shipments. The South Korean giant recently opened up registrations in a handful of countries including the US but is yet to confirm the exact release date. According to tipster Evan Blass, though, the launch will take place on Friday, September 27.

Samsung’s first foldable, for those of you that aren’t aware, features a 7.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED display which supports HDR10+ content and a 2152 x 1536p resolution. This is paired with a compact 4.6-inch, 21:9 Super AMOLED panel that boasts a 1680 x 720p resolution.

The Galaxy Fold’s premium $1980 price tag is unsurprisingly paired with a long list of premium internal hardware. Specifically, the device is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 coupled with 12GB of RAM and an impressive 512GB of internal storage. But unlike most of Samsung’s other smartphones, microSD expansion isn’t supported.

The unrevised Galaxy Fold

In regards to the camera department, the Galaxy Fold is equipped with a total of six cameras. Three of these sit vertically on the rear and are identical to the Galaxy S10’s rear sensor. This means there’s a primary 12-megapixel camera accompanied by a 12-megapixel telephoto snapper that supports 2x zoom and a 16-megapixel one coupled with an ultra-wide-angle lens. All of this is joined by a 10-megapixel selfie snapper and 8-megapixel depth sensor that sit inside the display’s corner notch and another 10-megapixel camera which sits above the exterior display.