Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 will be called 'Bloom'

Secret CES meeting appears to disclose key details about new folding smartphone

The next Samsung Galaxy Fold could adopt a different method of folding to the original (Weibo)

The next folding smartphone released by Samsung will be called the Galaxy Bloom, according to leaked images.

The successor to the beleaguered Galaxy Fold is not expected to be unveiled until later this year, though key details appear to have been revealed at a secretive meeting at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week.

The South Korean electronics giant shared slides of the unreleased device with industry partners, Korean news outlet Ajunews reported, with one showing a pink phone with a flower on the screen.

Samsung is intending to market the device to female customers and modelled the clamshell design on a makeup compact, according to the outlet.

The same report also claimed that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S11 will be called the Galaxy S20.

Samsung does not comment on rumours surrounding unreleased devices but teased a new foldable concept at its developer conference last year.

Samsung Mobile's head of framework R&D, Hyesoon Jeong, suggested it would be much smaller than the existing Galaxy Fold.

"This brand-new form factor that we're now exploring will not only easily fit in your pocket, but it also changes the way you use your phone," she said at the time.

The new folding phone will feature a clamshell design, unlike the original Galaxy Fold which folded out like a book (Weibo)

Previous leaks of the new folding smartphone indicate the radical redesign will measure 6.7 inches when unfolded.

Images published to the Chinese social media site Weibo last month showed a prototype device with a design reminiscent of classic flip phones.

The original Galaxy Fold was beset with design flaws that forced Samsung to delay its launch by several months, though it has since successfully launched.