Samsung has revealed another new foldable smartphone at its annual developer conference. The smartphone has yet to be named by the Korean corporation, but strongly resembles a traditional flip phone, due to its foldable display which enables the device to be neatly folded in half.

Teaser presentation

This was very much a teaser presentation, with details rather thin on the ground. Samsung provided a minimal amount of information on the device, and gave no indication when it might be made available. There was also no word on whether this was a significant improvement in technology from the Samsung Galaxy Fold device released last year, nor of any of the potential hardware involved.

Comments were instead limited to claims from Samsung executives. “This brand-new form factor that we’re now exploring will not only easily fit in your pocket, but it also changes the way you use your phone,” Hyesoon Jeong, head of Samsung’s framework R&D group, stated during a presentation.

More compact

Samsung envisages that the foldable smartphone technology involved in this nameless device will become more compact than previous releases, enabling an evolution to new device form factors. “As a pioneer in the foldable category, we understand that every innovative form factor requires an equally innovative user experience,” explained Jeong.

It does seem, though, that the new device will benefit from Samsung’s efforts in updating its One UI effort with Android. The Korean manufacturer has been diligently working on improving its Android user interface over the last 12 months, with a second generation One UI 2 expected in the next few months.

Samsung has made various claims for its user interface, but not too many solid details are known at the time of writing. But what is clear is that it appears to be a refined version of the changes that the company instigated with the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 generation, both of which were released earlier this year.

Slick video

While tangible details may have been conspicuous by their absence, Samsung did present a slick video, displaying the clamshell foldable design to attendees. While no name was attached to this device, it is widely anticipated that it will represent the future of the Samsung Galaxy Fold range.

Indeed, the video demonstrated the concept transitioning from the design associated with the original Fold handset, to a new design featuring what could be described as a ‘hamburger’ fold. The previous generation featured what has been described as a ‘hot dog’ fold, across the center line of the device, whereas the new approach will see the Galaxy Fold being folded from top-to-bottom.

Alongside this major revelation, Samsung also detailed further improvements to its Bixby personal assistant. While Samsung has certainly experienced its fair share of the difficulties with the Galaxy Fold, it seems from this information that the Korean consumer electronics giant remains fully committed to the clamshell concept.