I can’t tell if the folks working on Samsung’s foldable phones have a sense of irony, if they’re superstitious, a mix of the two, or maybe none of the above. Think back to around late March, early April of last year. Back when the South Korea-based smartphone giant had whipped anticipation for the foldable phone it was poised to release soon to a fever pitch. Samsung was reportedly using “Winner” as a code name for the handset which turned out to be the original Galaxy Fold — the one that was so fragile that many reviewers’ units broke within days of receiving them. The one that cost almost $2,000, and the launch of which had to be delayed until later in the year so that all the kinks that should have been addressed early on could be worked out. The phone, in other words, that very much was not a “winner,” not straightaway at least.
Fast forward to now in 2020, at a moment when Samsung is pressing forward undaunted with plans to release a number of new foldable handsets this year. Handsets like the Galaxy Z Flip, a clamshell device along the lines of the 2020 Motorola Razr that should be part of Samsung’s February 11 Unpacked event. Meanwhile, a fresh clue has also emerged that yet another major foldable release from Samsung is coming soon.
A new report has uncovered the code name being used for this as-yet-unannounced device (via GalaxyClub). It seems Samsung is going with “Winner2” — a name that all but declares itself as the follow-up to last year’s OG Galaxy Fold (code-named “Winner”).
Among the rumors and key details already emerging about this device, which will presumably launch soon after the Galaxy Z Flip’s formal reveal is out of the way, includes the fact that there would be both an LTE-only and a 5G variant. That stands in contrast to something like the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which is tipped to be getting 5G support in every market.
As we noted in recent days, this new device that’s being informally referred to as the Galaxy Fold 2, is also expected to feature an 8-inch display as well as S Pen support. Per leaker Max Weinbach, it would also come with ultra-thin but more scratch-resistant glass. All of which is to say — it certainly sounds like Samsung is planning to try again with a major foldable release along the lines of last year’s Galaxy Fold soon. And maybe, as the code name suggests, this one might just be closer to being regarded as a winner.
