Galaxy Fold 2 Clamshell Phone Could Be A Mixed Bag

News about the first Galaxy Fold has seemingly died down a bit, which is probably good since that means no tragic fate has fallen on the $2,000 phones. That could boost Samsung's confidence in pushing through with its plans to flood the market with such foldable phones with flexible displays. It's next one, however, could be a hard sell, at least if these leaks about the Galaxy Fold 2 are right on the mark.

Motorola definitely beat Samsung to the punch in launching a clamshell phone with a foldable screen. Samsung, however, could still steal Motorola's thunder, especially with news about its intended pricing. While the new Motorola Razr is already cheaper than the Galaxy Fold at $1,500, the Galaxy Fold 2 will reportedly undercut it by selling for 1 million KRW, roughly $845.

That definitely makes the Galaxy Fold 2 a more tempting alternative but that price cut will have its repercussions. The phone is expected to have two batteries and one of them has been revealed to be a tiny 900 mAh pack. The other battery is believed to have a different capacity but, considering the smaller size of a clamshell phone, the total might still be far less than your regular smartphone.

These disappointing details could actually be in line with Samsung's plans for foldable phones in the next two years. According to Korean media, it wants to sell as much as 6 million foldable devices in 2020 and 20 million in 2021. And the only way for it to do that is to make such foldable phones a mass-market commodity, mostly by dragging the prices down.

That, in turn, could force Samsung to cut corners, if not in quality then in features. An $845 phone with a foldable display will need some way to offset the cost of the expensive screen. It will be interesting to see, however, how Samsung will sell such a fragile component to the masses.