Not to be outdone by its rivals, Samsung reportedly started the development of a follow up to its Galaxy Fold smartphone last year. After another durability debacle earlier in 2019, the South Korean tech group seems intent to push foldable smartphone technology to the masses. Last month a post on Chinese social media quickly draw attention at what appeared to be a functional prototype of the rumoured Galaxy Fold 2. Nonetheless, during a closed-door presentation at CES 2020, company CEO DJ Koh confirmed its next lineup of flagship handsets: The Galaxy Bloom, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra.

The report comes from GSMArena, which likewise noted that this is not the first time Samsung held clandestine meetings with its partners, select consumers, and mobile service providers. First up on the agenda was the Galaxy Bloom.

What many speculated to be the Galaxy Fold 2 was actually assigned a different name. According to insiders, this clamshell folder will be marketed to women of a particular age bracket as a premium fashionable mobile phone.

Galaxy S20 series and next generation foldable phone.
February 11, San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/6x6UP6Rj9k

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) January 5, 2020

Additional information from sources reveals Samsung apparently got the inspiration from a Lancome compact. An interesting feature aside from the clamshell form factor is the material protecting its screen. The Substrate used by the Galaxy Fold was prone to scratches and creases after some time.

This time, the engineers will be applying a layer of ultra-thin flexible glass as a more durable solution than plastic. This technology was hinted back in October 2019 but is finally seeing a commercial application.

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Bloom #Bloom #Galaxy #Samsung #Unpacked #Unpacked2020 #S20 #S20Plus #S20Ultra pic.twitter.com/8ejpm3bZhs

— Bound Here By Evil! (@Da_Show_Stopper) January 10, 2020

The Galaxy Bloom will have two versions available at launch: 4G and 5G. Although the specifications were not provided, Samsung claims the new foldable handset is capable of shooting 8K videos. Meanwhile, Koh finally puts the debate to rest as he pointed out that the Galaxy S11 series will be renamed Galaxy S20 in line with the new decade.

CES 2020 is about to wrap up, but there are still some announcements that might take people by surprise. The Galaxy Bloom, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra, are Samsung upcoming flagship models launching next month. Consumers can expect to see more stunning reveals from the South Korean electronics brand at this year's MWC conference.

Samsung plans to outsource production to China
Samsung leads the global smartphone market with a 23 percent share AFP / Jung Yeon-je