Samsung launched its second folding phone – the Galaxy Z Flip – on 11 February, but what of the update to Samsung’s first folding phone, the Galaxy Fold?
Rumours have started appearing more and more regularly about an update to the Galaxy Fold – which we think might be called either the Galaxy Z Fold or Galaxy Fold 2. It’s also been referred to as Project Champ and Winner 2, so there are plenty of monikers in play and there could be a number of different versions. We believe the Fold 2 will have the model number SM-F916.
Here’s what we’ve heard about the Galaxy Fold 2 so far.
Release date and price
- Rumoured mid-year 2020 launch
- Suggestion of July or August launch, September availability
- Might be a little cheaper than original Fold
The Galaxy Fold was originally unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2019, but the Fold 2 is expected to appear now that the S20 family and Z Flip have been launched, with Q2 being suggested. We’ve seen July dates suggested and it’s also been suggested it will launch along with the Note 20 series in August 2020, with availability from September.
As for the pricing, guide pricing has been suggested as $1780-1980, looking to make it a little cheaper than the original Fold. There has also been talk of a Fold e and Fold Special Edition, priced around $1100, which might present and entry-level offering rather than the premium we’re expecting from the Fold 2.
Design
- Comes with S Pen
- Stainless steel frame, ceramic option
- Might come with a brown colour option
We’re expecting Samsung to stick to the book-style vertical fold like the original Galaxy Fold. Given the larger design of this phone-cum-tablet, there would perhaps be space to integrate the S Pen, said to be included on this new version. One leak has gone as far as saying that the Fold 2 will basically be the Note 20 Ultra, we’re guessing because of its positioning and S Pen inclusion.
No Galaxy Note Ultra model, but the Galaxy Fold 2 will be your Ultra. #GalaxyNote
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) May 11, 2020
Rumours from Max Weinbach suggest that there will be a stainless steel and ceramic version, we’re assuming that there will be regular aluminium and glass versions too, just to keep the price under control. It’s said to come in blue, silver, gold, pink and black colours, although we’ve seen more recent leaks saying that it will come in black or brown colours. We suspect it will be copper or bronze rather than dirty brown.
With the suggestion that the awkward notch of the original Galaxy Fold might be replaced with an in-display camera, the design could be cleaner than the current version.
Talk of an entry-level Fold e model has hinted at a model with no external display to reduce the price.
Display and hardware
- Infinity-V 7.7-inch AMOLED display with UTG expected
- 4.6-inch AMOLED Full HD+ external display?
- Snapdragon 865 + 5G?
Early reports suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 might come with an 8-inch display; since then we’ve seen mention of a 7.7-inch display, both bigger than the original 7.2-inch. The 7.7-inch size has been mentioned several times, along with the Infinity-V name. With 120Hz on the Galaxy S20 series, it makes sense for this display to be 120Hz too.
When Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip, one of the interesting points was that Samsung has used what it is calling Ultra Thin Glass to protect the display. This is still flexible, but should be more resistant to damage than plastic, although it appears that it’s still covered with a plastic layer on the top. It makes perfect sense for this to appear on the Galaxy Fold 2.
There’s been little talk of the external display, one of the negatives of the original Fold. The suggestion of a 6.4-inch display that fills the exterior will be welcomed, adding to the usability of this phone when it’s closed. Talk of a Fold e might mean there’s a model with no external display too.
On the hardware front there have been no leaks. We’d expect Samsung to use flagship-grade hardware, perhaps Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 and keep this as a 5G phone. It’s though that the Fold 2 will start at 256GB storage with 512GB as an option.
Cameras
- Similar camera load-out as Galaxy S20+
- Under display front camera
The original Galaxy Fold had a lot of cameras, but it’s clear that Samsung needs to reduce the front camera notch in the display. There’s been the suggestion that Samsung could use an under-display camera on the Fold 2, or failing that, a punch hole camera like the S20 family.
A reliable leaker has suggested that the Fold 2 will have the same rear camera setup as the Galaxy S20+. That would see a 12-megapixel main camera, 64-megapixel 30x zoom camera and 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, along with a DepthVision sensor. We’ve subsequently seen a tweak to these figures, suggesting a 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera instead.
More Galaxy Fold 2 Leaks:
Camera – The main camera consists of a triple camera configuration with 12MP/16MP/64MP lenses with dual optical image stabilization vs. last year at 12/12/16MPs.— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) April 27, 2020
Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 rumours: What’s happened so far?
Here are all the rumours and leaks that have appeared so far.
12 May 2020: Rumours suggest a brown colour for the Fold
SamMobile has suggested that the Fold 2 will be available in black and brown colours.
11 May 2020: Rumours of a cheaper Galaxy Fold model continue to circulate
We first heard that Samsung would be selling a Fold Special Edition at $1099 from Ross Young, now Max Weinberg is talking about another $1100 Galaxy Fold, which could be very much the same thing – a way for Samsung to sell older components to clear out stock before the full Fold 2 refresh.
There’s a rumor, and keep in mind this is a rumor, Samsung will be releasing a Galaxy Fold e for $1100.
They are also working releasing 3 folds. Two with plastic, one with UTG. Could explain the Winner2 vs Champ codenames.— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) May 11, 2020
28 April 2020: New Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 leaks suggest new cameras and lower pricing
More leaks have emerged suggesting that the Fold 2 will have superior cameras to its predecessor, as well as a slightly cut-down price.
27 April 2020: Prices are suggested for the new Galaxy Fold
There’s a lot of leaks coming from Ross Young on Twitter, including a suggestion of the price.
More Galaxy Fold 2 Leaks:
Price – Between $1780 and $1980. Since they are looking to boost volumes, we think it will be priced around $100 less than last year at $1880-$1895 despite a bigger/better front and main display, a higher resolution camera, the S-Pen and 5G.— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) April 27, 2020
26 March 2020: New renders show what the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 could look like
Having seen one set of speculative renders, we now have another set, giving us an idea of what the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 might look like.
17 February 2020: Concept images give us an idea of what the Fold 2 might look like
Ben Geskin has drawn up concept images based on rumours giving us a picture of what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2.
Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 – Concept based on leaks
Main Display: 7.7″ QXGA+ 120Hz AMOLED
Cover Display: 6.4″ FHD+ Super AMOLED
10MP Selfie Camera (Cover + Front)
12MP Wide + 12MP Ultra Wide + 64MP Telephoto + DepthVision Camera
Snapdragon 865 + 5G pic.twitter.com/u6CwOYJOKf— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) February 17, 2020
17 February 2020: Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 could feature under-display camera
Korean sources have suggested that Samsung is going to be using under-display camera technology in the forthcoming Galaxy Fold 2, while a reliable Samsung leaker provided a range of potential detials.
Galaxy Fold 2: front cover is infinity V display. Main is either hole punch or under display camera. New form of SPen. S20+ camera setup. Ceramic and stainless steel. Will come in Blue, Silver, Gold, Pink, Black.
— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) February 17, 2020
5 February 2020: Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 codename revealed as Winner 2, confirms direct replacement for Fold
A leak suggests that the next Galaxy Fold is codenamed Winner 2 and that it will be a direct replacement for the Galaxy Fold.
29 January 2020: A couple of display details appear for Galaxy Fold 2
A couple of details drop into a conversation from Ross Young, founder of DisplaySearch, on Twitter.
Ultra-thin glass (UTG) from Schott is their best hope then. First on Galaxy Z Flip. Then on Galaxy Fold 2 which is now known as Project Champ and should come mid-year. It will fold out to 7.7” but will be quite a bit more expensive than the more portable clamshells…
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) January 29, 2020
27 January 2020: Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 could feature 108MP camera, 5G and S Pen support, launch in Q2
Details about the Fold 2 shared by Max Weinbach on Twitter, giving us some of the first information about the Fold update.
I just got word that Samsung will likely be launching the true Galaxy Fold successor in Q2 of this year.
If I’ve conglomerates all the different reports correctly, it should have an 8″ display, 108MP camera, ultra thin glass, SPen, Snapdragon 865 and 5G.— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) January 24, 2020
6 December 2019: Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 could come with 108-megapixel camera
Bloomberg reported a handful of specs for the Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy Fold – including that it could have a 108-megapixel sensor.
18 October 2019: Samsung has a new plan for the screen for Galaxy Fold 2
Samsung is said to be planning to use ultra thin glass as protection for folding phones.
6 October 2019: Samsung patents reveal folding phone with S Pen
LetsGoDigital uncovered a Samsung patent relating to folding phone and S Pen, suggesting that an updated Galaxy Fold could support the S Pen, a little like a Note replacement.
26 June 2019: Second-gen Samsung foldable to have S Pen and 8-inch display
A report from Korean news site The Elec, suggested that a second-gen Galaxy Fold would add support for the S Pen and have a larger display.