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Samsung wants to sell loads of foldable smartphones next year

By Yordan Ivanov

Updated: Dec 09, 2019, 2:37 AM

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Samsung Android

Samsung wants to sell loads of foldable smartphones next year

The Samsung Galaxy Fold

Foldable devices are far from mainstream products at the moment but Samsung has high hopes for the format and is betting heavily on its own devices. So much so that it has now set itself a pretty lofty sales goal for 2020.

Samsung is looking to sell six million foldables next year

ETNews claims Samsung is currently looking to sell around six million foldable smartphones next year. The company is already having discussions with its display division about manufacturing the required number of panels but could ultimately be forced to revise its internal goal if Samsung Display determines it can’t handle the necessary capacity.

Sales of the first-generation Galaxy Fold are reportedly on track to hit 500,000 units by the end of this year, meaning Samsung is looking to sell around twelve times the number of foldable smartphones in 2020, although this internal goal isn’t quite as ambitious as it could have been. According to sources familiar with the matter, Samsung was originally looking to sell a whopping 10 million foldable smartphones next year but ultimately decided to settle for six. It’s unclear why this decision was taken but it could have something to do with the issues the company faced earlier this year with its first foldable smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Fold

On an industry level, Samsung’s new sales estimates are still extremely aggressive. Market analysts believe foldable smartphone sales will sit somewhere between 3 and 5 million units next year, meaning Samsung could have a tough time reaching its goal. But in either case, the South Korean market will likely account for the vast majority of shipments. As things stand, Samsung is the only major smartphone manufacturer competing in the foldable market. Pretty soon it’ll face competition from Huawei but its device will probably be limited to the Chinese market at first, therefore leaving Motorola as the only direct competitor in the near future.

The Motorola Razr-like Galaxy Fold 2 is on the way

The Galaxy Fold will continue to represent Samsung’s primary foldable smartphone over the coming months but in early 2020 it’ll reportedly be joined by a new model that’ll compete more directly with the upcoming Motorola Razr.

Details are relatively scarce at the moment but Samsung is undecided on the size of the display. Initial rumors suggested a 6.7-inch panel was on the cards but certain people within the company are now pushing for a larger 8.1-inch alternative. After all, one of the primary benefits that come with foldable devices is the ability to carry around larger displays in compact formats.

The panel itself will, once again, be an OLED one but it might be covered in a thin layer of ultra-thin glass this time around that’ll improve durability. This will reportedly be paired with new in-display camera technology, something Samsung has never used on a phone before, that’ll remove the need for any sort of notch or punch hole. Powering the foldable is likely going to be Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 865 paired with a minimum of 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. This should also be accompanied by 5G network support as standard.

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 concept renders based on patents

Although Samsung is yet to comment on the matter, it’s reportedly planning a release in April. This would coincide with the first anniversary of the Galaxy Fold’s canceled launch and means an unveiling may take place in late February, perhaps at MWC 2020 in Barcelona or at the company’s standalone event a few days earlier where it’s expected to announce the Galaxy S11, Galaxy S11+, and Galaxy S11e.