A third Samsung foldable phone could be on the way, according to fresh report

It may not have had much luck with the temperamental, faulty Samsung Galaxy Fold, but that isn't stopping Samsung's ambitions in the bendy-phone race. A new report suggests it has not one, but three foldable phones in the works.

It's worth taking with a pinch of salt as the source (DigiTimes), doesn't always hit the target with its leaked information. But it cites supply chain sources which claim that Samsung's alleged clamshell touchscreen smartphone is real.

That's not necessarily news to us – but things get more interesting based on its supposed release schedule.

A folding timetable

We already knew that Samsung is intending to get a second foldable smartphone into consumers hands before its rival Huawei is capable of delivering its first, the Huawei Mate X.

However, the Mate X release is imminent, and the source here suggests Samsung's clamshell phone is due out next year. With initial reports pointing to the clamshell phone being that second device, and that now being suggested by the DigiTimes report to be further away than anticipated, that adds further weight to the possibility of their being another, as-yet-unknown foldable handset coming in the near future from Samsung.

With smartphone design having plateaued in recent years, the foldable market is seen as the next genuinely groundbreaking step for the industry to take. At the very least, this new report points to Samsung ramping up its interest ahead of next year's MWC 2020 showcase.

Or, if we're lucky, we could see the device launch alongside the Galaxy Note 10 on August 7 – that is, if Samsung doesn't re-release the Galaxy Fold then.