Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 Release Date, News, and Rumors

The Samsung Galaxy Fold was a niche device at its best, which meant the phone would not be targeted for the masses. However, the phone would give us a very good idea of what to expect from the future, particularly from Samsung. While the company has pushed the envelope with regards to display quality for a few years now, the Galaxy Fold is still considered a work in progress due to the fact that it divides a large screen into two.

Issues surfaced about problems with the durability of the device, while there were reports that the initial batches of the Galaxy Fold suffered from design-related issues, Samsung decided to halt the sales of the device and relaunch it later under the year with the relevant fixes. Even then, the phone barely flew away from the shelves, and we believe the pricing had a big part to play in that.

The company also launched the Galaxy Z Flip earlier this year, which was officially its second foldable display smartphone. However, this is a clamshell phone, and doesn’t carry the same form factor as the Galaxy Fold. However, the Z Flip was largely believed to be the Galaxy Fold successor, though we learnt soon enough that it’s not.

At the same time, we’ve also heard a fair bit about the company preparing for the launch of an improved version of the original Galaxy Fold, named the Galaxy Fold 2. While the phone is likely a few months away from launch, we have learned a fair bit about the phone so far. So let’s take a look at what we know about the second iteration foldable display flagship by Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 Release Date, News, and Rumors

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 News

While Samsung hasn’t officially given out any word about the Galaxy Fold 2, some leaks have managed to creep through. As we’ll discuss throughout the course of the article, details about the phone have leaked on multiple occasions, and we can get a good idea of what the Korean manufacturer is planning for the Galaxy Fold successor.

A recent report mentioned that the Galaxy Fold 2 was officially codenamed “Winner 2” which pretty much confirms that it is indeed the successor to the Galaxy Fold from 2019.

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 Release Date

The Galaxy Fold 2 could be launched sometime during the next few months, but multiple sources have mentioned so far that the phone could be revealed by July. Other reports suggest that the Fold 2 will be unveiled alongside the Galaxy Note 20, which is also expected to launch around August or September this year.

While the two phones may not be launched together after all, Samsung could be willing to have them both alongside in the market considering that they’re planning to serve different niches. However, if both phones come with the S Pen stylus as rumors have claimed, this may prove to be a tricky decision by the company.

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 Rumors

Size & Design

There have been conflicting reports on what the Galaxy Fold 2 design will end up on considering that it’s still early days. However, multiple sources have mentioned that the Galaxy Fold 2 will use a new construction method, particularly for the display.

SamMobile claims that the company will reportedly use both transparent polyimide and Ultra-Thin Glass or UTG for the Fold 2. Transparent Polyimide was used with the original Galaxy Fold, while UTG was used on the more recent Galaxy Z Flip. The outcome of this could be that the Galaxy Fold 2 will be thinner than its predecessor, although actual dimensions are not quite out yet.

There are other concerns with the use of UTG on smartphone screens, particularly with regard to durability. These screens are believed to be relatively weaker compared to Transparent Polyimide, so the fact that Samsung is looking to combine both is interesting.

It has been rumored that the Galaxy Fold 2 will come with a Ceramic option in addition to the standard colors. This will include Blue, Silver, Gold, Pink, Black as per leakster @MaxWinebach on Twitter.

Display

While there was talk of the Galaxy Fold 2 using a display as big as 8 inches on the Galaxy Fold 2, multiple reports that followed indicated that Samsung has settled with a 7.7-inch display panel which will reportedly be known as the Infinity V display. Additionally, the display will reportedly have a refresh rate of 120 Hz, which should put it on par with all the top flagships available in the market. The display resolution will be fixed at QXGA+ as per recent reports.

There’s also talk of a secondary display of at least 6.4-inches on the outside of this foldable flagship. The external display will reportedly be an AMOLED panel with a Full HD+ resolution. The display tech on the Galaxy Fold 2 could be significantly enhanced if rumors of an under-display front camera materialize.

Although there have also been reports of the Galaxy Fold 2 sporting an 8-inch display panel, it’s unlikely that this will materialize given that we’ve since encountered multiple reports that reaffirmed the aforementioned 7.7-inch Super AMOLED display panel.

Camera

Multiple reports have mentioned that the Galaxy Fold 2 will come with the same cameras as the recently launched Galaxy S20+. This should mean a 64MP primary sensor (telephoto) accompanied by two 12MP cameras (wide and ultrawide) and a TOF 3D or DepthVision sensor.

Subsequent reports mentioned that the phone could also end up with a triple camera setup consisting of a 64MP primary sensor, a 16MP sensor, and a 12MP sensor. The phone will also reportedly come with dual optical image stabilization underneath, which should make it a serious contender for one of the best camera phones of the year.

We have also heard about the Galaxy Fold 2 potentially using a 108MP primary camera sensor like on the galaxy s20 Ultra, but we recommend taking this with a grain of salt for the time being.

As for the selfie camera, there’s every chance of the company going with an under-display front camera. However, it’s just as likely that the company will use a hole-punch camera like its more recent flagships.

Other features

While the original Galaxy Fold didn’t have an S Pen, it is suggested that the successor may have enough space on its exterior to house a S Pen stylus. It is said that this stylus will come with a bunch of advanced features on board, something that we’re eagerly looking forward to.

It goes without saying that the Galaxy Fold 2 will sport the octa-core Snapdragon 865 chipset underneath, which should provide no major upgrades from the galaxy s20 lineup. This is also expected to be featured on the Galaxy Note 10 successor. The addition of SD865 also means that the Fold 2 will support 5G by default. This makes more sense when we consider the fact that the original Galaxy Fold was available in a 5G variant when it was launched in September 2019.

Leaks further mention that the Galaxy Fold 2 will be packing 512GB of non-expandable internal storage accompanied by 12GB of RAM, just like its predecessor. Given that these specs are pretty impressive to begin with, we don’t see why Samsung would see the need to change it with the 2020 refresh. The 2019 Galaxy Fold also came with support for UFS 3.0 on board, so it’s likely going to feature on the successor.

The Galaxy Fold used a side-mounted fingerprint scanner to keep the panel clear of buttons and sensors. There has been talk of the company using an optical under-display fingerprint scanner with the Fold 2. This would make a great deal of sense given that Samsung’s most recent flagships including the galaxy s20 Ultra also have similar technology in place.

The Galaxy Fold 2 is likely to come with a USB C port much like its predecessor. This also means we’ll probably not see the 3.5mm headphone jack either, which is absent from Samsung’s new flagships. It was also missing from the 2019 Galaxy Fold. Considering the format that the phone uses, this is understandable.

As for charging and battery, the original Galaxy Fold was packing a 4,380 mAh battery. Given that the Fold 2 is expected to be significantly bigger, we expect Samsung to add a larger battery unit underneath.

Charging speeds shouldn’t be a problem either, and it’s very likely that the phone will support USB Power Delivery 2.0 for rapid charging speeds. It should also be compatible with Samsung’s 15W fast wireless chargers as well as the 25W and 45W wired charging, much like the galaxy s20 lineup.

On the other hand, there are reports that mention the Galaxy Fold 2 will only support standard 15W charging like its predecessor. We’re hoping this isn’t the case, as a device as big as this certainly needs rapid charging abilities.

Subsequent reports have since mentioned that the company may not use an in-display fingerprint scanner, which leads us to believe that the company will stick to a side-mounted sensor as the predecessor.

Android 10 or Android 11?

Given that the Galaxy Fold 2 will likely launch around September or October, there’s a slim chance that the phone will come with Google’s newest Android 11 operating system by default.

However, considering the fact that the phone is likely being tested with Android 10 right now, Samsung may stick to this Android version and then eventually send an update to Android 11. The Galaxy Fold launched with Android 9 Pie by default and was updated to Android 10 earlier this year.

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 Price

Understandably, there’s no detailed info on what the Galaxy Fold 2 will cost. However, early insider reports have suggested that the phone may cost more than the Galaxy Z Flip, which wasn’t too cheap to begin with. While this doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence about the Galaxy Fold 2 right now, we’re hoping Samsung will eventually prove these initial reports wrong.

What we don’t know so far

Despite getting a vague launch timeframe of mid-2020, there’s really no clarification on when the phone will hit the markets. While there could be some weight to reports that talk of the Fold 2 and the Note 20 launching together, we’re taking it with a pinch of salt for the time being.

Battery capacity remains a mystery right now as well, especially since Samsung currently has multiple battery capacities available on its devices. So while we would like to see a massive battery somewhere around the 5,000 mAh mark, Samsung may choose not to make any changes in this area given the bulk it could potentially add to the device.

As we’ve briefly discussed above, the camera sensors on the Galaxy Fold 2 could be entirely different from what is rumored right now. There’s also some confusion with regard to the front camera on the new flagship, and it’s seeming more and more unlikely that there will be an under-display camera for selfies. The obvious challenges associated with the technology haven’t yet been eliminated, so let’s just put this under wishful thinking.

The S Pen stylus could be a good call for a device that offers a combined display real estate of 7.7-inches. However, the fact that Samsung has so far marketed the S Pen as a Note exclusive stylus may lead to some confusion among prospective customers. This could be a likely scenario considering the fact that the Galaxy Note 20 and the Fold 2 are expected to arrive at around the same time. It will be interesting to see where the S Pen stylus will be housed on the flagship.

Water resistance remains a big question mark as well. The 2019 Galaxy Fold lacked any form of water resistance, but with the company rumored to use the S Pen, it may be forced to implement the feature. This also makes some sense considering the fact that the Galaxy Note 10 lineup from last year has IP68 certified water/dust resistance.

As we’ve mentioned repeatedly so far, it’s still early days for the Galaxy Fold 2. It’s still very likely that the phone may never see the day or is pushed indefinitely owing to last minute problems. It’s really hard to get excited for a phone that’s months away. But when we consider the features that the Galaxy Fold 2 is rumored to bring to the table, it’s hard not to get excited.