In the past year, an increasing number of brands have introduced foldable smartphones, expanding the options available to consumers. Adding to this trend, there is a recent rumor indicating that Sony is planning to join the foldable phone market with its own clamshell device.

The rumor originated from a forum post in South Korea, although the details provided are somewhat unclear. According to the source, Sony is expected to release a next-generation, top-of-the-line clamshell foldable smartphone as part of the niche Xperia Compact series.

According to reports, the rumored device is said to lack a cover screen, which is unusual considering that most vertically folding phones introduced thus far incorporate some form of secondary screen.

Unfortunately, there is no additional information available regarding the specifications. Therefore, we will need to exercise patience and wait to see if Sony truly intends to revive the Xperia Compact series as a clamshell foldable device.

However, since it’s going to be a part of the Xperia Compact series, we can expect it to be smaller than the standard 6-inch smartphone size, making it even more pocketable than the already highly portable clamshell foldables from Samsung, Oppo, and others.

As for specifications, since it’s going to be a high-end phone, it should be powered by the latest and greatest Qualcomm chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but that is if the phone is released this year.