Samsung is announcing new details for its next foldable Android phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 2. The main pieces of news are the price and release date: $1,999.99 in the US.
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. Fans of high refresh rate displays will be pleased with the Z Fold 2’s new 120Hz refresh rate on the inner display. Just like we saw on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Samsung is employing a variable refresh rate with the Galaxy Z Fold 2, dropping its display down to as little as 10Hz when possible to preserve battery life. Meanwhile, the cover display remains at a constant 60Hz.
The interior screen has been upgraded on a number of fronts. Most importantly, it now uses Samsung’s Ultra Thin Glass (UTG), just as the Z Flip folding phone did. It appears to be 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 offering a one-time screen replacement within the phone’s warranty period, at a reduced rate of $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 That’s been replaced by a small single hole punch for the selfie camera.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 than it does on phones. That’s because the original Fold suffered from “jelly scroll,” where one side of the screen refreshed noticeably slower than the other.
After the screens, the next most important component of the Z Fold 2 is the hinge. Samsung has been iterating on the hinge ever since the very first Galaxy Fold review units were revealed to be fragile. 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.
All of that effort has been put into a device with specs that are not too different from Samsung’s other flagship Android phones. It has a 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 will support both sub-6 and mmWave variants of 5G. The phone is unlocked with a fingerprint sensor, mounted on the side.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 launches on September 18th for $1999.99, with availability both unlocked and through AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon in the U.S. Elsewhere, carrier availability will of course vary, but interestingly, all variants of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865+ processor.
Pre-orders for the Z Fold 2 go live September 2nd, with Samsung’s usual high trade-in offers in effect. Owners of previous foldables like the Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Z Flip will be eligible for especially high incentives of up to $800 off.
