Samsung has unleashed more information for its next foldable Android phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 2. The new phone comes at a hefty price tag of UGX 7.4m ($1,999.99) before taxes. Available for ordering at Samsung’s website. With such a price tag, Samsung is positioning the Z Fold 2 as a “luxury” device
. Unproven or not, Samsung is committed to foldables.
Samsung’s entire strategy with the Z Fold 2 is to convince potential buyers that it has overcome the design problems of the first Fold with a glass screen, stronger hinge, and better protection against debris. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is technically the third iteration of Samsung’s folding design, and even more technically it is Samsung’s fourth iteration of its hinge mechanism.
Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 Displays
Speaking of upgrades, the most visible one is the new bigger display on the outside: the display you see when the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is closed is now much bigger than on the original Fold. The “cover display” now measures 6.2 inches diagonally, taking up nearly the entire front of the device. Although that sounds like a very big screen, it’s likely very narrow; the pixel dimensions are 2260 x 816. So though it looks much more impressive than before, we’ll need to wait to use it to see if it’s more usable.
Galaxy Z Fold 2’s interior screen has been upgraded in several ways. Most importantly, it now uses Samsung’s Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG), just as the Z Flip folding phone did. Samsung says that it is much more durable than the plastic screen from the original Fold. Samsung is also preinstalling a plastic screen protector over the UTG, so it may still have a bit of a plasticky feel and could pick up dings from your fingernail.
Samsung is also informing users about how they will use the screen by putting up a couple of warnings and care instructions for the Z Fold 2 to hopefully keep users from damaging it. It’s also offering a one-time screen replacement for $149.
Aside from improved durability, the Z Fold 2’s big screen improvements are twofold. First, the 7.6-inch display no longer has a huge notched cutout for multiple cameras. That’s been replaced by a small single hole punch for the selfie camera. Second, it has a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz. A high refresh rate could make a bigger impact on the overall experience on the Z Fold 2.
Hinge revamped
There have been several iterations on the hinge ever since the very first Galaxy Fold review units which were exposed as fragile by most tech reviewers. This device’s hinge has four cams to increase rigidity through the entire unfolding process so that the Z Fold 2 can support half the screen sitting upright for certain software features like watching video.
New elastic “sweeper” brushes have been used in the Galaxy Z Fold 2 — much like the brushes on some vacuum cleaners — to keep dirt and debris from getting into the hinge mechanism and damaging the screen from behind. Samsung says there’s also more reinforcement behind the display for strength and stability.
The Specs
The tech specs of the Galaxy z Fold 2 specs that are not too different from Samsung’s other flagship Android phones. It has a the world leading Snapdragon 865 Plus processor, 256GB of storage, and 12GB of RAM. It supports wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, fast charging, and has a 4,500mAh battery. It also has 5G support. The phone is unlocked with a fingerprint sensor, mounted on the side. Samsung also claims that the stereo speakers are good enough to keep you from reaching for a separate Bluetooth speaker, but that’s likely to be hyperbole.
High quality Selfie Cameras
The Galaxy Z Fold 2’s camera system is somewhat less impressive than what you can get on a Galaxy S20 or Galaxy Note 20. It has the usual array of wide, ultrawide, and telephoto cameras on the back, but all three have 12-megapixel sensors. There are two selfie cameras — one for the cover screen and one for the main display — and each is 10 megapixels.
If you’re taking selfies, the best way to do it will be to unfold the device and use the main cameras along with the cover display for your viewfinder. That’s one of several Fold-specific software enhancements Samsung is touting.
Multitasking with the Galaxy Z Fold 2
If there is one thing the Galaxy Z Fold 2 owners will enjoy will be Samsung’s dual or tri-paned interface for multitasking. Running ontop of Android 10, you can save apps in pairs (or triplets) so they’ll open together. And when you take a screenshot of a multi-paned interface, each app’s screenshot will be stored separately. It will also still support the feature that maintains continuity between the outer and inner displays when you open the phone.
Samsung says more apps will support tablet layouts on the Z Fold 2, including apps from both Microsoft and Google. It has even put specific settings in to make it easier to switch between DPI settings. That means you can choose between phone layouts that are just bigger and tablet layouts that are shrunk down smaller, basically.
Overall, the aesthetic of the Z Fold 2 is a small improvement over last year’s model, with more squared-off edges and a “haze” finish on the back that’s matte instead of glossy.
