Samsung tipped to release a third Galaxy Z device this year that folds in two ways

Nikkei Asia has reported that Samsung plans to release three foldable smartphones this year, including new Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip handsets. However, it also claims that the South Korean has a dual-foldable smartphone in development that has a 16:9 or 18:9 aspect ratio.

According to the report, the mystery Galaxy Z device has two hinges and three segments instead of the single hinge and two segments that other Galaxy Z devices have. Incidentally, LetsGoDigital imagined such a device a few months ago, as you can see in the images above and below. The Dutch website based its renders on a patent that Samsung filed, but it has patented other foldable designs with two hinges, too. The patent on which LetsGoDigital based its renders also has a retractable keyboard, but Nikkei Asia did not mention this in its report.

Apparently, Samsung hopes to release its dual-hinged Galaxy Z foldable before 2022, although Nikkei Asia notes that the global electronic components shortage may prevent the company from doing so. Nonetheless, Samsung is striving to expand its foldable smartphone line to match the Galaxy Note series' popularity. There will be no new Galaxy Note smartphones this year, which leaves Samsung with a 10 million unit shortfall.

It remains to be seen if the Galaxy Z series can pick up the slack left behind by the Galaxy Note series, though. Samsung's foldable smartphones currently occupy a higher price point than the Galaxy Note 20 or Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, so it will be interesting to see how Samsung bridges that gap this year.

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