Update, July 20, 2020 (1:37 AM ET): We’ve updated our Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 rumor hub with a new teaser all but confirming the arrival of a new foldable device. Read on for all the latest!
Original article: The original Samsung Galaxy Fold certainly made waves — both good and bad — which has led to a fair amount of interest and rumors around the Galaxy Fold 2. For all the good things about the original Fold, its shocking price tag kept most from being interested in picking up the device. Add in a very rocky launch, and it’s easy to understand why buyers may have been apprehensive at first.
Samsung has had time to sort out those issues with the upcoming Galaxy Fold 2. The firm has now shown the ability to make a rather exceptional foldable phone with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, and the early sales success of said device has demonstrated that people are willing to buy a folding phone. In fact, there are even rumors that Samsung could rebrand the Fold 2 as the Galaxy Z Fold 2 to piggyback on the Flip’s success.
We’re going to take a look at all of the Galaxy Fold 2 (or Galaxy Z Fold 2) rumors we’ve heard so far. We will update this page as new rumors emerge. Make sure to check back often to see the latest developments from Samsung’s second-generation foldable phone.
Galaxy Fold 2 or Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2?
Samsung tends to be reasonably predictable with its naming conventions, so we started out this rumor cycle confident that the next device in the Fold line would be called the Galaxy Fold 2. However, there is now evidence to suggest it could instead land as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2.
While Galaxy Z Fold 2 is certainly more of a mouthful than Galaxy Fold 2, Samsung might feel the need to associate the Fold with the Galaxy Z Flip for marketing reasons. The Galaxy Fold’s launch was, to put it lightly, a total disaster, while the Galaxy Z Flip’s launch went smoothly. It makes perfect sense that Samsung could want to push away from the Galaxy Fold brand by slightly altering it to tie it in with the Galaxy Z Flip brand.
As far as a release date goes, Samsung did reveal a window for the device in its financial report. The company cited a “new foldable” coming in the second half of the year. Considering the original Samsung Galaxy Fold launched in the second half of 2019 (September 6, 2019, to be specific), it would stand to reason that the follow-up would come around the same time.
For what it’s worth, display industry insider Ross Young originally claimed that the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 would launch alongside the Galaxy Note 20 series in August. However, more recent claims from other leakers suggest that is not happening.
Unfortunately, when the phone launches and when you’ll actually be able to get one may not happen close together. Rumors suggest that the phone is behind schedule, so it may be another situation where Samsung shows us the foldable during a big event but then tells us we’ll be able to actually buy it later.
Samsung published a teaser to its Twitter channels on July 19, effectively confirming the announcement of a foldable device at Unpacked. Captioned with “A new look unfolds” and sporting that shade of Mystic Bronze we first saw on the Galaxy Note 20 leaks, the teaser suggests a butterfly-like foldable.
A new look unfolds.
05.08.2020 pic.twitter.com/OHaF4zCy2C— Samsung UK (@SamsungUK) July 19, 2020
While this doesn’t directly confirm that we’ll see the Galaxy Z Fold 2 at Unpacked, it almost certainly suggests that a foldable phone will be unveiled at the event early next month.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 design
As far as the design of the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, we’d expect an overall similar form factor to the original Samsung Galaxy Fold, with a few notable exceptions.
First, the Galaxy Fold 2 is tipped to drop the large camera notch for a more familiar solution. It’s purely speculation at this point, but it’s likely Samsung wasn’t happy with the unbecoming look of that design. Either way, we can expect to see a punch-hole camera in the upcoming phone, which some users might consider an improvement over the original Fold’s design. For what it’s worth, sometimes-reliable leaker Ice Universe backs up this claim.
Recent rumors suggest the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 could feature 7.7-inch internal AMOLED foldable display on the inside and a 6.23-inch non-foldable AMOLED display on the outside. Those are both larger dimensions than we saw on the original Fold (7.3-inch and 4.6-inch respectively). In the case of the smaller outside display, this rumor suggests Samsung could offer a more “normal” screen for when the Galaxy Fold 2 isn’t unfolded.
Rumors also suggest the interior display could feature ultra-thin glass (UTG), which would theoretically make the display stronger than the plastic one we saw on the original release of the Galaxy Fold.
We also expect the side-mounted fingerprint scanner to make a return on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, as an in-display sensor would likely make things too difficult and Samsung wouldn’t likely go all-in on facial recognition.
According to SamMobile, the Galaxy Fold 2 will be available in both black and brown color options. There’s no word yet on a silver color option like we saw on the original Galaxy Fold.
Rumored Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 display specs
Since the main selling point of the Galaxy Fold 2 will be the displays, it’s not surprising that a bulk of the leaks we’ve seen are related to either the internal or external displays.
As previously mentioned, we expect the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 might feature a 7.7-inch internal AMOLED foldable display on the inside and a 6.23-inch non-foldable AMOLED display on the outside.
So far, rumors point to the internal display of the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 possibly having a 2,213 x 1,689 resolution and the external display having a 2,267 x 819 resolution. Those would both be higher resolutions than we saw on the original Fold.
The most exciting aspect of the internal display, though, is the rumored 120Hz refresh rate. That high refresh rate could really improve the performance of the display and could end up being one of the device’s biggest selling points. Whether for gaming or general usage, a 120Hz display is easily one of the most substantial upgrades a phone’s screen can get, so the prospect of having it on a screen that’s well over 7-inches is exciting.
However, the external display is likely to have a normal 60Hz refresh rate.
Internal specs and features
As one might expect from a high-end 2020 smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 is tipped to feature 5G connectivity. With mobile data clearly moving toward the speed and performance offered by 5G, it seems all but necessary for Samsung to include it with its latest foldable.
The camera specs for the upcoming Galaxy Fold 2 have also leaked, and it appears that the device could feature the same camera system as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. That means it could come with a 12MP wide-angle sensor, a 64MP telephoto lens, a 12MP ultra-wide shooter, and a VGA time-of-flight sensor. In terms of smartphone cameras, those aren’t the best specs you can find, but it’s a solid array of lenses that’s versatile for a variety of photography purposes.
Interestingly, an early report suggested the Galaxy Fold 2 could come with a Snapdragon 855 chipset instead of the new 865. Since Samsung started development on the phone several months ago, it’s possible the company didn’t have access to the latest chip before it needed to finalize its plans.
Rumors point to the Galaxy Fold 2 having some interesting specs. It might not be the total flagship experience you would expect.
However, it’s also possible Samsung could add in the Snapdragon 865 ahead of the official Fold 2 release. Since the phone would practically need to be 5G-ready for it to stand with other 2020 flagships, it would make way more sense for the Galaxy Fold 2 to come with a 5G-ready chipset rather than attach a 5G modem to last year’s processor. We’ll need to wait and see, though.
It looks like the Galaxy Fold 2 also passed through the 3C certification body website, revealing what could be 25W charging speeds. This would be faster than the original Fold, which topped out at 15W charging. It’s still not quite as fast as 45W charging seen on the likes of the Galaxy Note 10 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra, but we’re looking at a smaller battery here.
Other rumors suggest there could be two batteries in the Fold 2 with a combined capacity of 4,365mAh. That seems to be pretty big, but with all the displays and other things going on with the Galaxy Z Fold 2, it will be interesting to see how a battery that size holds up.
Finally, it seems that the Galaxy Fold 2 might not support the S Pen. Allegedly, this is due to the UTG being too delicate to support the high-pressure taps of a stylus.
Galaxy Z Fold 2: Price and availability
Rumors of the Galaxy Fold 2 price could have buyers feeling a little skittish. According to Ross Young, the device will sell for between $1,780 and $1,980. That means it’ll sell within the same range as the original Samsung Galaxy Fold.
That high price was one of the Fold’s biggest detriments: buyers just didn’t seem to feel comfortable shelling out close to $2,000 for a yet-unproven technology. If the Galaxy Fold 2 does end up at the $1,780 price point, that will make it $200 less than the original, which is certainly better, but still more expensive than most flagship phones on the market.
It’s tough to say in which countries the company will choose to release the Galaxy Fold 2. It’s a niche device that doesn’t have the same level of appeal as a phone from the Note or S line. However, we’d expect the phone to launch in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, and India since those are the countries in which Samsung released the original Fold.
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