Samsung reportedly to release square foldable smartphone next year

Without even officially releasing its first foldable phone, Samsung is reportedly planning to unveil a second foldable device next year.

Bloomberg reports that the luxury foldable device will collapse into a “compact-sized square.”

The device will reportedly feature a 6.7-inch inner display that shrinks to a pocket-sized square when folded inwards like a clamshell.

While the next foldable device is tipped to still be a luxury smartphone, it’s expected to be priced much lower than this year’s Galaxy Fold, sources familiar with the matter indicated. Currently, the Fold, which still hasn’t released, is priced at $1,980 USD (about $2,628 CAD).

American designer Thom Browne is partnering with Samsung to design the phone. The goal is to “appeal to a broader range of consumers” that are interested in fashion, status and luxury instead of just phone specs.

It has also been reported that the phone features a hole-punch selfie camera on the top of the inner display, similar to Samsung’s recently released Note 10. There is also expected to be two cameras that “face the rear when the phone is open or the front when it’s flipped closed,” Bloomberg indicated.

Samsung did not comment on whether this phone actually exists, says Bloomberg.

More recently, SamMobile indicated a rumour that Samsung was going to release a revamped Galaxy Fold that features 256GB of storage. It’s possible that this square foldable phone is the same device SamMobile’s report cites.

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold has experienced a rough few months. The phone was initially scheduled to drop in the first half of 2019 in the U.S. and then this summer in Canada.

The foldable smartphone’s release was pushed back due to design issues with early review units related to debris getting stuck behind the device’s foldable display.

Source: Bloomberg