Samsung Preps Second Foldable Phone After Galaxy Fold’s Successful Launch

Samsung is said to be working on the next-gen foldable smartphone device unofficially called the Galaxy Fold 2, reports say.

Korean tech giant Samsung was famously humiliated months ago for releasing the first Galaxy Fold device to major problems that rendered it unuseable. Several tech reviewers said their review units got broken within two days of use, even if they didn't do anything wrong with the device.

Samsung quickly responded by recalling the review units. It then spent months looking for solutions to problems like broken displays, unexplained bumps on the screen, and dirt and debris making their way through the openings at the top and bottom of the $1,980 device's hinges.

Months after its first release, Samsung was able to redesign the Galaxy Fold to make it more durable and more resistant to dirt and breakage. Several reports reveal that there is high demand for the limited-edition device, causing it to go out of stock in different countries.

A new Galaxy Fold

Previous reports said that a second-gen Galaxy Fold will be released if the first model becomes successful. Now that it has, Samsung is already preparing the second-gen Galaxy Fold device to be released sometime next year, Korean news site The Bell reported (via BGR ).

This new device is codenamed “Bloom” and will have a different display size compared to the first Galaxy Fold smartphone. It might use ultra thin glass (UTG) as display cover in lieu of the transparent PI (polyimide) used on the Galaxy Fold, Korean news site ETNews reported (as per GSM Arena ).

The new device is expected to come in a clamshell design reminiscent of the Motorola Razr, and will have a display that measures 6.7 inches.

A new glass cover

Samsung apparently wanted to deal with the problems that resulted from using PI and planned to use UTG instead. The use of UTG, which is not much thicker than a strand of human hair at 0.1mm, is expected to give the upcoming foldable device a better look compared to its older siibling. UTG is also more scratch-resistant, but it is more prone to shattering compared to PI.

In industry insider told ETNews that the UTG will be sourced from SCHOTT AG. It will be treated using a proprietary process from DOWOO INSYS, which is about four to five years ahead of the competition.