Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 – a screen on the outside, or a clamshell camera phone?

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2
(Image credit: LetsGoDigital)

Can't get enough of crazy Samsung smartphone screens? Good, because here's two more: the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 is a camera phone that will either have a clamshell design, or a folding edge screen on the outside of the phone. 

Two different stories have come out recently regarding Samsung's next folding camera phone. 

LetsGoDigital reported on a Samsung patent, applied for at the end of 2017 and published on 28 May 2019, for a "Foldable electronic device including flexible display". Like the Galaxy Fold, it has a vertical spine and unfolds like a book.  

This buttonless phone would feature a full-screen edge display, akin to the Samsung Galaxy S and Note phones, with no side bar. The camera module is positioned at the top-left of the flexible screen using a punch-hole, making it functional in both folded and unfolded configurations.

 The big difference from the original Galaxy Fold, of course, is that the screen would be on the outside of the phone.

The clamshell design would be similar to Yanko Design's concept of a folding Motorola Razr 2019

The clamshell design would be similar to Yanko Design's concept of a folding Motorola Razr 2019 (Image credit: Yanko Design)

However, another folding Samsung design has been outed by ETnews (via Forbes). This would feature a clamshell design – which is to say that the spine would run horizontally, so the phone would unfold like a clamshell. 

Unlike the Galaxy Fold design (and the above design described by LetsGoDigital), which opens into a tablet-shaped form factor, having the phone open vertically means that it can maintain a much more compact body.

In other words, a clamshell would be a phone that folds down to become smaller, rather than the Galaxy Fold that folds out to become larger. According to the site, it would feature a 6.7-inch screen that possesses a 1-inch display for notifications while folded. 

The Fold may have been a complete disaster, but we'll give Samsung this – it's certainly exploring every possible option when it comes to folding and expanding camera phone screens.

Read more: 

The best camera phone in 2019
Samsung Galaxy Wrap: forget folding – Samsung tries a wraparound screen
Samsung Galaxy Roll: a roll-up phone display that can double your screen size

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James Artaius
Editor

The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-Photo: The Nikon MagazineDigital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.