UPDATED 22:09 EDT / SEPTEMBER 03 2019

EMERGING TECH

What Galaxy Fold problems? Samsung may be developing a new folding smartphone

Despite failing to bring its Galaxy Fold to market following design flaws, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is reported to be developing a second folding phone at a more affordable price.

The claims comes from Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with the matter as saying the new foldable phone will have a 6.7-inch inner display that “shrinks to a pocketable square when it’s folded inward like a clamshell.” Clamshell phones such as the Motorola Startac were popular in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The report said the new device will be more affordable and thinner than the Galaxy Fold, but the launch of the device may depend on how well the Fold performs after it’s finally launched. The tentative launch date for the devices is currently early 2020, and if it goes ahead, it could be launched alongside the Galaxy S11 in February. The Fold was launched alongside the Galaxy S10 in February.

Other details of the phone include it having a hole-punch selfie camera, the same design used on Samsung’s Galaxy S and Note range, with cameras on the outside that will face the rear when the phone is open or the front when it’s closed.

If no one can doubt Samsung’s ingenuity in developing new phones, delivering on the foldable technology is another matter. The drama around the Galaxy Fold started in April when units sent to tech reviewers started breaking after two days of use.

After initially denying problems, Samsung first delayed the launch date April 22 before claiming in May that it had fixed the issues and the phone would go on sale in June. It once again claimed in July that it had fixed the issues and that the Galaxy Fold would go on sale in September.

A September date has not been confirmed, but reports suggest Samsung may set Sept. 27 as the release date at the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin later this week.

Samsung has not been alone in struggling with the tech required to bring a foldable phone to market. Huawei Electronics Co. Ltd. was forced to delay the launch of its rival Mate X Aug. 15.

Photo: Samsung

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