Samsung is reportedly bringing back the classic flip phone design with a new foldable device

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

The Samsung Galaxy Fold.

• Samsung is said to be developing a new kind of foldable smartphone that takes inspiration from classic flip phone designs, and folds down the middle of the screen to become more compact when not in use.
• The device supposedly has a 6.7-inch screen when unfolded, and has a one-inch screen on the exterior to show basic information without having to unfold the device.
• It's the opposite idea of current foldable smartphones like Samsung's delayed Galaxy Fold or Huawei's Mate X, which fold outward like a book.
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Samsung is supposedly working on new foldable smartphone with a classic flip phone design, according to South Korean news outlet ET News, which has been reliable in the past.

The aim is to offer a traditional smartphone design with a large screen, like the one in your hand or pocket right now, that can be folded to become more compact when not in use.

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Samsung's supposed compact foldable smartphone is said to have a large, 6.7-inch screen when unfolded and will fold down the middle of the screen, like a flip phone. The new foldable smartphone is said to be about the size of the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G when unfolded. Folding it in half would, well, halve the size of the new device when you're not using it.

There will also be a small, one-inch display on the exterior of the device to display basic information, like notifications.

Foldable smartphones, like Samsung's Galaxy Fold and Huawei's Mate X, offer a somewhat opposite experience. They come with a more-or-less typical smartphone design that can be folded outward, like a book, to reveal a tablet-sized screen.

Samsung and its Galaxy Fold foldable smartphone have been mired with issues that led to the delay of the phone's release. Some reviewers experienced issues with the very thing that sets the Galaxy Fold apart: its folding screen, with some reviewers reporting their units screen started malfunctioning randomly, or when a protective layer that wasn't designed to be removed was, indeed, removed.