After the Galaxy Fold, Samsung has two more foldable smartphones coming

Enlarge / The Galaxy Fold in many colors. (credit: Samsung)

It seems like many companies in the smartphone industry are moving toward developing foldable smartphones. There are two real devices so far: Samsung has announced the Galaxy Fold and Huawei is building the Mate X. Oppo is experimenting with a foldable prototype that looks like the Mate X; Motorola is planning an all-screen revival of the Moto Razr; and Xiaomi has teased a crazy prototype with two folds in the display. Even Corning is working on a flexible glass cover to someday protect all these devices from scratches.

With so many manufacturers trying out the foldable smartphone form factor, there are a number of implementation ideas. While Samsung already has the Galaxy Fold, a new report from Bloomberg claims that Samsung isn't putting all its eggs in one basket. The company is reportedly tackling three different foldable form factors.

Samsung's three foldable form factors

Of course, the furthest along in development is the Galaxy Fold, which has a foldable screen on the inside of the device when it is closed. It's basically a tablet that folds in half like a book. Since you can't see the big screen when the device is closed, Samsung added a second, smaller display to the outside of the device. There are also cameras on the front, inside, and back of the device. Until Corning gets its act together with flexible glass, these folding displays need a plastic cover, and the inside-display form factor has an advantage since, when closed, the display is protected from scratches.

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