At a recent developer conference in California, Samsung threw back the curtain on a brand-new concept phone that could serve as a successor to the Galaxy Fold.
The short clip depicts a smartphone that folds in on itself vertically, like the clamshell handsets of old. Samsung demonstrates how this phone might also function when half-open: a video playing in full-screen mode when open slides into the upper portion of the display as the phone gradually closes, leaving the lower portion free for playback options or (presumably) multitasking.
After the PR nightmare that was the Galaxy Fold, you might expect Samsung to be reconsidering its stance on bendable display technology, but no: the Korean firm is reportedly hoping to create a more compact smartphone that, according to head of R&D Hyesoon Jeong, “changes the way you use your phone.”
Obviously, this same rhetoric littered the ground at the time of the original Galaxy Fold announcement, but as of now, there’s not much around to substantiate it. A recent batch of patents filed by Samsung gave us a good idea of just how whacky some of its folding phone concepts are, however, so we’re pleased that the firm at least chose to show off the most normal of the bunch.
It’s also worth pointing out that the news comes after Motorola officially confirmed the existence of its reimagined Razr phone . It too uses the clamshell form factor, with a bending display; the difference is that Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 2 concept is very much a modern phone, where the Razr takes its design cues from the original handsets.
Aside from reiterating its focus on the foldable line of phones it aims to make available, Samsung also took the opportunity to discuss some upcoming software improvements. The Bixby Marketplace continues to expand for interested developers, and One UI - the new operating system for Samsung phones and tablets - has received a major update as well.
In addition, we caught a glimpse of some exciting new hardware, including a Galaxy Home Mini smart speaker and a few new Galaxy ultrabooks.
As you’d imagine, specs, availability and pricing for the new phone are a mystery. We’ll be updating this page as soon as we have more information on this concept Galaxy Fold 2, however, so check back soon.
