Reports: Samsung Plans to Launch 3 Foldable Smartphones in 2021

Reports coming from The Elec alleges that Samsung will launch three foldable smartphones in 2021 and the report is based off information from OLED research firm UBI Research, which claims that Samsung is busy working on three types of foldable OLED panels.

The first foldable smartphone, which is expected to be the Galaxy Z Flip 2, reportedly has a 6.7-inch internal screen and a 3-inch external display. While the original Galaxy Z Flip also has a 6.7-inch internal display, its external display is just 1.1 inches.

The Galaxy Z Flip 2, which would use a clamshell design like the original Galaxy Z Flip, will use the same camera housing design as its predecessor.

Secondly, Samsung is believed to be preparing the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which would have a 7-inch internal display and a 4-inch external screen – the latter of which is significantly smaller than the 6.2-inch external display of the Z Fold 2.

The Z Fold 3 would have a number of improvements over its predecessor, however, including an under-panel camera, stylus support, and improvements to the power efficiency of the screen.

To enable stylus support, Samsung is expected to use ultra-thin glass technology which has a thickness of 60 or 100 micrometres, as opposed to the 30-micrometre displays used on the current Samsung foldable smartphones.

This is because 30mm displays cannot deal with the pressure of a stylus.

Finally, Samsung is expected to launch a budget entry into the foldable smartphone market – the Galaxy Z Fold Lite.

This smartphone would use a display with the same dimensions of the Z Fold 3 but would be missing some of its features – such as stylus support.

According to the report, the Galaxy Z Fold Lite will launch in the first quarter of next year, while the other two foldable smartphones will launch in the third quarter of the same year.