SAN FRANCISCO, March 7 ― Having created a buzz on February 20 when it revealed its first foldable smartphone, dubbed the Galaxy Fold, Samsung is already working on other similar models, Bloomberg reports.
Two other models are reportedly under development at the South Korean monolith. One is said to have a foldable screen on the outside of the smartphone, while the other has a vertical opening with a second screen inside.
For the moment, Samsung is thought to be working on various prototypes and might reveal models ready for market by the end of 2019. Bloomberg reports that these phones will also have an in-display fingerprint scanner, as featured in the Galaxy S10.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold has a sizeable 7.3-inch screen once it is unfolded like a book, and a “small” 4.6-inch screen when folded. It's on sale from the end of April at a starting price of US$1,980 (RM8,099) in the US, and it's exected to launch in Europe later this year.
Foldable screens seem to be the new major trend of 2019 in the mobile phone industry, as following Samsung, Huawei's Mate X was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress. The Mate X is expected to be launched this year at a price of €2,299. It differs from the Galaxy Fold in that its large 8-inch screen is on the outside rather than the inside of the device.
Other major smartphone manufacturers such as Oppo, TCL and Xiaomi have said that they are also working on folding handsets. ― AFP-Relaxnews
