We previously reported a few weeks back that photos of a new clamshell foldable smartphone allegedly made by Samsung was leaked online on Chinese social media. A recent rumour suggests that the company may be launching the new foldable phone ahead of its upcoming Galaxy S11 flagship next year.
According to a report by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, industry sources stated that Samsung’s clamshell foldable phone is slated for release in February 2020 during an Unpacked event held in the United States. They also added that the new foldable phone will be priced around the mid-US$1000 (~RM4100) range, which is cheaper than the current Samsung Galaxy Fold that is currently retailing at RM8388. It’s worth pointing out that the news agency stated that the phone will run on 4G LTE, unlike the new S11 series which will support 5G connectivity.
Yonhap suggests that Samsung is rushing for the new foldable smartphone’s release in response to competitors such as Huawei and Motorola who are also planning to release similar foldable phones early next year. It is reported that the South Korean tech company is aiming to sell 6 million units of foldable models in 2020, and is also planning to introduce a second generation of the Galaxy Fold later in that year.
It’s not known if the clamshell foldable smartphone will be an independent brand from the Galaxy Fold series, and a name has not yet been officially decided. Samsung declined to comment when reached out by Yonhap regarding the new foldable phone and its scheduled release date.
(Source: Yonhap News Agency // Images: IceUniverse.)
