Samsung tipped to shake-up smartphones with a baffling ‘world first’ this year
SAMSUNG is rumoured to be working on a triple foldable phone, which would be the first of its kind on the market.
It comes just days after Apple was reported to be working on its first foldable iPhone, which the company has not yet commented on.
According to a well known tipster Revengnus, the Korean phone company is aiming to launch the handset sometime this year.
Revegnus, under the X handle @Tech_Reve, tweeted: “Rumors are circulating that Samsung will add a triple fold to its lineup this year.
“With Huawei almost certain to release a triple fold in the second quarter of this year, from Samsung’s perspective, it cannot afford to miss out on the title of ‘world’s first’.”
It’s unclear what the mechanics of a triple fold phone will look like in practice.
Chinese smartphone rival Huawei is reportedly planning on unveiling its three-way foldable device by March 2024, TrendForce reported late last year, citing industry insiders.
It’s unclear how concrete Huawei’s timetable is, as it was initially reported to be launching its triple fold phone in 2023.
But if it holds true, Samsung will have to push out its own triple fold phone in the coming weeks.
Bold with the Fold
Analysis by Millie Turner, Technology & Science Reporter at The Sun.
While some saw the foldable phone as a gimmick, it’s clear the concept isn’t going away.
And it makes total sense – what else was supposed to happen when phone screens got bigger and pockets remained the same size?
Even for die-hard iPhone fans, recent iterations of the Samsung Flip and Fold smartphones had heads turning.
It was the first Android-based device that looked like it had the potential to bring iOS lovers to the ‘dark side’ – according to iPhone owners themselves.
The nostalgic, pocketable, Samsung Galaxy Flip spoke to iPhone users in a way Android devices simply hadn’t before.
Social media was flooded with iOS users hailing the chic 90s vibe the Flip was giving off – and the notebook element boasted by the Fold.
It’s likely this that has driven Apple to table its own plans for a foldable iPhone, and what has fueled Samsung and Huawei do be even more daring with their next handsets.
Samsung has long been experimenting with more ambitious foldable concepts for years, including its Galaxy Z Flip prototype with a 360degree hinge.
But the company already has a pretty packed launch schedule, with a new standard foldable lineup going on sale in August.
Just how much Samsung wants to claim the ‘world first’ title remains to be seen.
A brief timeline of the Samsung Galaxy Fold
The foldable gadget had a rocky start to life...
- On May 12 2011, South Korea’s Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology annonced that some of its researchers had created a folding smartphone prototype
- On May 2 2012, Samsung filed a patent application for its folding smart phone design
- In May 2013, Samsung tried to patent its folding phone screen idea
- In November 2013, Samsung announced that it would be bringing folding display devices to the market
- In spring 2016, Samsung was finally working on what we now refer to as the Galaxy Fold
- In October 2018, Samsung finally confirmed that its foldable phone was on the way
- On February 20 2019, Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy Fold with a staggering £1,900 price tag
- On April 15 2019, Samsung started letting high profile technology journalists use the phone but by April 17 lots of them were already complaining about the screen breaking or not working
- On April 22 2019, Samsung had to announce that it was postponing the Samsung Galaxy Fold’s release so that it could address and fix ongoing issues with the folding screen
- On September 6, 2019, Samsung started selling the Galaxy Fold in the UK
- A year later, the company release a follow-up, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2