PASouth Korean electronics giant Samsung are said to be working on two brand new foldable phones.
Insiders who wish to remain anonymous told Bloomberg one of the devices currently being worked on will fold outwards, rather than inwards.
Samsung believes foldable smartphones will be the next big thing and are hoping to be the leaders in the market.
In April, the Galaxy Fold is set to be released and will cost $1980 (around £1520). It’s the first smartphone of its type on the market which is consumer ready, with Huawei, Motorola and others all set to release foldable devices later this year. It wowed audiences with its 4.6-inch screen unfolds to become a 7.3-inch tablet.
Samsung's foldable phone is here! 📱🙌
Posted by UNILAD Tech on Thursday, 21 February 2019
The outward folding phone is set to be unveiled later this year or next, and has been designed with an extra screen on the outside, as well as potentially incorporating an in-display fingerprint sensor.
It’s unclear whether the availability and price may put some people off buying foldable devices, but Samsung are investing time and energy into being one-step ahead of the game – if foldable phones are the next big thing.
Their biggest rivals, Apple are yet to announce whether they’re working on a foldable device.
A Goldman Sachs analyst predicted the Galaxy Fold would be the biggest challenge for Apple in the high-end luxury device market.
Analyst Rob Hall said in a note obtained by Business Insider:
In terms of competition for Apple we see the Fold as the main potential challenge in the ultra high-end with a compelling form factor that only Samsung’s foldable OLED technology can deliver in our opinion.
The phone stole the limelight from the other smartphones they announced at the company’s Unpacked event in February.
Samsung worked on the Galaxy Fold for eight years with Google, in order to adapt the Android operating system for a foldable screen.
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Matt Weston is a lover of electric cars, artificial intelligence and space. From Cornwall, he’s a UCLan graduate that still dreams of being a Formula One driver in the very near future. Previously work includes reporting for regional newspapers and freelance video for the International Business Times.