Samsung could launch Mate X-like foldable phone in September: Report

While the exact launch date for Samsung's next foldable phone has yet to be decided, the report claims the company has already begun mass producing the "outward" folding phone.

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Samsung has plans to launch a “wide range of foldable smartphones” in the market, one of which will be a device similar to Huawei’s Mate X.

The original Galaxy Fold hasn’t hit stores yet, and Samsung is already planning to launch a new foldable phone later this year. According to a report from Korea’s The Investor, the South Korean major has plans to launch a “wide range of foldable smartphones” in the market, one of which will be a device similar to Huawei’s Mate X.

While the exact launch date for Samsung’s next foldable phone has yet to be decided, the report claims the company has already begun mass producing the “outward” folding phone. It’s being speculated that the phone will be out in September. Huawei’s Mate X will reportedly be launched in September as well, after being delayed earlier this month.

A separate report from ET News claims Samsung has produced a prototype of the outward folding phone last year but decided to push launch an infolding device instead. The world’s largest smartphone maker plans to release both infolding and outward folding phones as well as clamshell phones, which open and close vertically, as early as 2020.

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When Samsung announced the $2000 Galaxy Fold in February, there was a lot of hype surrounding the foldable phone. The device was set for release on April 26 but reviewers and YouTubers, who had given the review unit, reported a range of issues. The company then decided to pull the device and has repeatedly delayed the release date.

Like Samsung, Huawei isn’t sure about the Mate X’s durability and sturdiness. Perhaps why the company announced that it is delaying the release of the $2600 foldable phone. Back at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Huawei announced that the Mate X would go on sale in June. However, after seeing the negative response received to the troubled launch of the Galaxy Fold, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Huawei said that it has adopted a more “cautious” approach.

Despite many initial promises made by both Samsung and Huawei, it looks like foldable phones aren’t ready for prime time yet.