Samsung announces the Galaxy Z Fold 2 with full screen display, customizable hinge, UTG
The Samsung Galaxy Fold will be remembered for giving birth to the consumer-ready foldable smartphone category. The phone was massively hyped leading up to its launch, for good reason too, but it met with an unfortunate set of events that forced Samsung to take the product back to the drawing board. Samsung returned with some improvements, and the Galaxy Fold took off from there. Samsung then experimented with another foldable form factor through the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, which continued to capture everyone’s attention. Samsung now has two good products to learn from, and they are back again in the foldable segment with its latest offering. Meet the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, Samsung’s latest foldable flagship.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 XDA Forums
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: Specifications
| Specification | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 |
|---|---|
| Dimensions & Weight |
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| Display |
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| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus |
| RAM & Storage | 12GB LPDDR5 + 256GB |
| Battery & Charging |
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| Fingerprint sensor | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner |
| Rear Camera |
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| Front Camera |
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| Other Features |
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| Android Version | Android 10 with One UI |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: Design
The design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is an iteration over the Galaxy Fold design, and this is immediately noticeable. On the inner display, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 removes the large notch and replaces it with a single hole punch centered in the top right half. The bezels on the inner display are also thinner than on the Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip. On the outer display, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 features a display that fills up one full part of the phone, instead of the previous small display with huge bezels.
On the front, as mentioned, there is a new all-screen display. It is now a full-screen 6.23-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 2,260 x 816 pixels. This is a very tall 25:9 aspect ratio. In the top center of the display, there is a small hole punch housing the 10MP selfie camera. The larger display is expected to bring in much-needed utility to the phone in its closed state.
The main display has now been increased from 7.2-inches to 7.59-inches with a resolution of 2,208 x 1,768 pixels. Instead of using a thin polymer layer like the Galaxy Fold, Samsung has opted to use Ultra Thin Glass. This is a great improvement over the previous Galaxy Fold. Samsung also replaced the long notch housing the two selfie cameras and a few sensors with under-display sensors and a single hole punch housing a 10MP selfie camera. The end result is a much cleaner and more immersive experience on both the inner and outer display.
Just like the current Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will have a bit of a gap when folded. This isn’t a bad thing, though. This gap is needed for Samsung’s Ultra Thin Glass to fold over without breaking. The gap also makes the phone easier to open. If it were closed fully flush, it would also be harder to open than other flip/foldable phones. The build materials on the phone include the typical glass and metal sandwich, albeit adapted for use on the foldable form factor of course with the hinge.
The hinge will be sharing the same Flex Mode feature like the Galaxy Z Flip. This means you’ll be able to open it between a 90° and 120° angle and the display will be able to stay in place. You will be able to use this to help record videos or whatever other use cases you may think of.
The Galaxy Z Flip will come in two main colors: Mystic Bronze and Mystic Black. Both colors use a soft-touch matte texture on the back glass. There will also be a limited edition Thom Browne edition. Thom Browne, a fashion designer based out of New York City, partnered with Samsung to design a Galaxy Z Flip and is partnering again for the Galaxy Z Fold 2. The Thom Browne Galaxy Z Fold 2 bundle should come with custom-designed pair of Galaxy Buds Live, a Galaxy Watch 3, and a custom case.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a fingerprint scanner, though it no longer exists under the display. Instead, it is a capacitive fingerprint scanner placed on the side of the phone and doubling up as the power button. The volume rockers are positioned above the power button. There is no Bixby button, which hasn’t been present since the past few Samsung flagships.
As a highlight, Samsung will be letting you customize the hinge color on the Galaxy Z Fold 2. This ability will be exclusive to Samsung.com only and is likely to be further restricted by regions. On Samsung.com, you can either op for the original, matching Mystic Bronze or Mystic Black hinge colors. Or if you want to customize, you can opt for a Ruby Red, Rich Gold, Platinum Silver, or Sapphire Blue hinge on the Mystic Bronze or Mystic Black body.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: Display
The display on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is very different from the Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip in terms of actual size, aspect ratio, and the layer over the OLED. Samsung is employing a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with support for HDR10+ and 120hz. It will use an LTPO backplane for an adaptive refresh rate between 1hz and 120hz, depending on what you are doing.
The display will be layered in Samsung’s “Ultra Thin Glass”. This is basically a very thin glass layer that can bend. The Galaxy Z Flip was the first device with Ultra Thin Glass, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the second. Samsung also changed the display structure a bit. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a new UMC (under-metal cushion), along with a thicker PL (protective layer). This protective layer isn’t the Ultra Thin Glass but instead a polymer layer on top of that. The new display stack goes from PL, UTG, display panel, to UMC.
The front display will be a 6.23-inch HD+ Super AMOLED display. This will be a full-screen display, so very minimal bezel on the front. It will support HDR10+ but will only have a 60hz refresh rate.
All around, there are a bunch of fantastic improvements over the original Galaxy Fold.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: Camera
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 camera setup is very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20 but not exactly the same. It has a rear 12MP wide camera with a 1.8μm pixel size, 2PD OIS, with an aperture of f/1.8. The ultra-wide camera is a 12MP sensor with a pixel size of 1.12μm with an aperture of f/2.2. The most interesting sensor is actually the telephoto. That’s because it isn’t the 64MP found in the Galaxy S20 or Galaxy Note 20. Instead, Samsung is using a 12MP with a pixel size of 1.0μm and an aperture of f/2.2. This means no Space Zoom, so 10x zoom at most, and no 8K video recording.
The two front-facing cameras (i.e. one on the outer display and one on the inner display) are the same. They are both 10MP sensors with a 1.22μm pixel size and f/2.2 apertures. Both cameras will support 4K 30fps and 4K 60fps recording at 16:9 and 21:9 aspect ratios. Other than that, expect the same selfie camera experience as the Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S20, and Galaxy Note 20.
Other Specifications
As with every phone, the specifications are important. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is no exception, and Samsung has ensured that the phone qualifies for being called a flagship. The SoC in the phone is the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus, so you are getting the best set of specifications possible for this year. There is also 12GB LPDDR5 RAM onboard, and 256GB UFS storage. The total storage is down from what was offered on the original Galaxy Fold, but this is likely to let the phone maintain its price point.
Samsung is also packing in a 4500mAh battery for good measure, going along with a dual battery setup as they did on the original Galaxy Fold. The phone also supports wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, and 25W wired charging.
Software – OneUI with Android 10
The software on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will be basically stock One UI 2.1 based on Android 10. It will have all the same software features as present on previous Samsung flagships.
Something else Samsung has done is add a new sensor to track the angle the phone is folded at. Since it can free lock into any angle between 90° and 180°, the phone needs to know which angle it’s at to be able to adapt the software to fit. Developers will be able to use a Samsung SDK to integrate this mode into their applications.
What are your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2? Let us know in the comments below!
This is a developing story – check back for further updates…
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