SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Yonhap) – Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to release a new foldable clamshell smartphone in February before its flagship Galaxy S11 smartphone is released next year, industry sources said on Sunday.
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The South Korean tech giant is currently in talks with the country’s three mobile operators to launch its second foldable smartphone here, with the aim of putting it on sale in February, sources said.
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Samsung Electronics will host an Unpacked event in the United States in mid-February, where it will provide more details on its new foldable phone, they added. The foldable model will be immediately available for sale.
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Samsung Electronics declined to comment on the release schedule for the new model.
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Earlier this year, Samsung released the Galaxy Fold, which has a 7.3-inch screen that users can fold like a book.
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The new smartphone should have a 6.7-inch screen and becomes almost square when folded.
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Compared to the Galaxy Fold, which sold for around $ 2,000, the new foldable version will be available for around $ 1,000, sources said.
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Samsung’s rush to release the model in early 2020 can be explained by the fact that other global brands, including Motorola and Huawei, are expected to release similar models early next year.
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The South Korean tech giant is currently planning to sell 6 million units of foldable models in 2020.
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The name of Samsung’s new clamshell smartphone has yet to be decided. Samsung also plans to release a second generation Galaxy Fold in late 2020.
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While the new foldable smartphone will work on the fourth generation LTE (Long Term Evolution) network, the Galaxy S11 will only be available for the fifth generation network. There are also rumors that Samsung may adopt a new name for its next flagship, like the Galaxy 20, to mark the New Year.
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