Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 release date, price, specs and leaks
The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 is expected to be the true successor of the Samsung Galaxy Fold. The first Fold was released last year to mixed reviews, although it remains one of Samsung’s most innovative phones to date.
This year, Samsung has already brought us a more accomplished folding phone model in the form of the Galaxy Z Flip, but we’re also expecting a direct sequel to the Fold in a few months.
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This would keep the original book-fold design, but hopefully would also have some major upgrades compared to the first generation. It’ll still likely be a very expensive phone, but hopefully this time Samsung can prove it’s worth the money with new features and a better build quality.
Here’s everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, including its possible price, release date and specs.
According to a series of tweets about Galaxy Fold 2 specs from Ross Young, there will be a slight price cut for the new foldable. Young estimates the price will be between $1,780 and $1,980, with $1,880 to $1,895 likely being the price Samsung settles on.
Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 screen size
The first-generation Fold has two displays: a 4.6-inch one on the front, and one across the interior that’s 7.3 inches when unfolded. The front display will be an “Infinity V-Display”, says Max Weinbach, which is the official name Samsung gives to its water-drop notch designs. Weinbach originally said that the Fold 2 would be a little larger when opened up, measuring 8 inches across. It will also be made of Samsung’s “ultra-thin glass” that it debuted on the Z Flip. The name is slightly misleading, as the UTG material is actually a glass core coated in plastic, but it should mean it’s still a bit tougher than the Galaxy Fold’s display. ETNews backed up that claim, reporting that the Galaxy Fold 2’s display will measure 8 inches across, compared to the 7.3 inch span of the first model. However, the same story claims Samsung expects to make the device lighter by about 1.5 ounces, which would appear to be at odds with the size increase
As for the front display that you’ll use when the Galaxy Fold 2 is folded up, it’s going to be larger than the 4.6-inch screen on the original foldable. That’s according to Display Supply Chain Consultant founder Ross Young who tweeted that the new front display will be 6.23 inches with a 2267 x 819 resolution.Young also forecasts a more moderate increase to the inside display — 7.59 inches, with a 2213 x 1689-pixel resolution. Even better, the Galaxy Fold 2 sounds like it’s going to adopt one of the best features of the Galaxy S20 lineup and feature an interior screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. (The exterior preview screen will stick with the more conventional 60Hz rate.)
Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 cameras
The original Fold was no slouch when it came to camera hardware, since it had six total camera sensors around its body: a 12MP wide-angle sensor, a 16MP ultra-wide sensor and a 12MP telephoto sensor on the back, a 10MP camera on the front and a 10MP main and 8MP depth sensor duo on the inside. All of these produced good photos, but nothing class-leading.There’s a good chance the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 could see a notable improvement to its cameras, however. Max Weinbach claims that the Fold 2 will use the Galaxy S20 Plus’ camera array, which would be a 12MP main sensor, a 3x optical zoom 64MP telephoto sensor, a 12MP ultrawide sensor and a time-of-flight camera to aid the others. Ross Young tweeted similar camera specs, adding that those lenses are likely to have dual optical image stabilization.That already sounds pretty good, but we’ve also heard rumors of the Fold 2 using Samsung’s enormous 108MP camera, which appeared on the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Samsung tends to use 10MP sensors for its phones’ front-facing cameras, which is exactly what it used on the original Fold. So until we hear anything different, that’s what we’ll assume will appear on the Fold 2 also. What we have heard rumored is that this camera will appear in a punch-hole that will avoid taking up as much space on the display as the notch did. Max Weinbach says it’s even possible the front sensor will be a sub-display camera, hidden under the panel unless you’re using it.
The aesthetics are somewhat irrelevant compared to the main design area that most people will care about: can it withstand normal use without breaking apart like the ill-fated first version of the original Fold?
Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 performance
The Galaxy Fold used a Snapdragon 855 system-on-chip, and as you would expect, the Galaxy Fold 2 will use the most recent chip in the same series, the Snapdragon 865. That’s at least according to Max Weinbach, but he’s got a proven track record of accurate leaks, so that helps back up our educated guesses.
Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 5G
After debuting a completely 5G-ready range with the S20, we expect Samsung to offer 5G on the Fold 2 as it did on the original Fold. This is exactly what Max Weinbach has said too, so there’s little doubt there will be at least a 5G-compatible Fold 2 model you can select.
Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 battery and charging
After using a 4,380 mAh battery on the first Fold, we hope that Samsung finds room to squeeze in a little more capacity on the Fold 2. With an even larger display, it’ll need all the power it can get.
What we definitely want to see improved is the charging speed. The Galaxy Fold charged at a mediocre 15W, but the Fold 2 really ought to make use of Samsung’s new 25W and 45W charging protocols. However, there are competing rumors.
Some say that the Fold 2 will stick with 15W charging, while others say the upgrade to 25W and above will be happening after all. We might be able to disarm the former rumors with the fact that before we knew its actual name, the Galaxy Z Flip, which does use 15W charging, was thought to be called the Galaxy Fold 2. Even so, we may need to prepare to be disappointed with the charging ability of the Fold 2.
The Fold could wirelessly charge too, and use Samsung’s “PowerShare” reverse wireless charging to give that power back to a compatible accessory. We’d expect this feature to come to the Fold 2 also, but we hope that Samsung manages to up the wattage of both of these for more rapid charging when away from a power cable.
Galaxy Fold 2 S-Pen
According to leaker Max Weinbach, the Note 20 won’t be the only phone using Samsung’s stylus. Including an S-Pen with the Fold 2 makes a lot of sense considering the size of its display makes it ideal for note taking or drawing. If Samsung brings across the features for the S-Pen it debuted on the Galaxy Note 10, then the Fold 2 will be able to add remote selfies and air gestures to its box of tricks, which could make it the most versatile foldable we’ve seen so far.
