Despite the currently indefinite delay of the Samsung Galaxy Fold ‘s release, the Korean tech giant is reportedly working on another foldable phone — this time, with a clamshell design. That means the phone would be vertically folded, with the top folding down over the bottom, SamMobile reported Tuesday, citing a story from Korea’s ET News.
Samsung was forced to delay the launch of its first foldable phone. It had initially planned to launch the Galaxy Fold in April, but review units suffered from problems including bubbling under the screen and displays breaking.
Prior to the delay, Samsung was said to be working on two additional foldable phones, with one of them now rumored to be a clamshell design with a 6.7-inch display. That phone would also have a 1-inch screen on the front to display notifications while the device is folded.
The report said it could launch in 2020.
According to a previous report in Mar., Samsung is also planning to launch a third foldable phone that folds away from the user like the Huawei Mate X — which was likewise delayed earlier this month.
The $2,600 Mate X was delayed from its summer launch in part to improve the quality of the foldable screen. Huawei’s Mate X will reportedly be launched by September.
Last week, Samsung reportedly denied rumors that the Galaxy Fold would be released in July, leaving the Korean tech giant’s foldable phone launch date still up in the air.
AT&T has sent cancellation notices to those who preordered the Galaxy Fold, citing Samsung’s delay in releasing the device. Customers who preordered the Fold will receive a $100 AT&T promotional credit. This followed Best Buy canceling Galaxy Fold preorders in May due to Samsung not providing a new release date.