- The Galaxy Fold 2 release date has reportedly been delayed to September or October, as Samsung is dealing with development delays.
- The Z Fold 2 might not even be unveiled during the Galaxy Note 20 launch event that Samsung scheduled for August 5th.
- The Fold 2 software hasn’t been finalized, and carrier testing of the handset hasn’t started.
The Galaxy Fold line seems cursed at this point, as the second-gen model is also expected to see some significant delays. But this time around, it might not be as bad as with the original Samsung foldable handset. The Galaxy Fold was partially unveiled in late 2018 when the Korean giant introduced the new screen type and user interface for foldable handsets. The Galaxy Fold was unveiled in full in mid-February 2019, and it should have been launched in late April. Reviewers who got early access to the foldable found that the screen was incredibly fragile and could be destroyed with ease. Two problems were identified, and Samsung had to redesign the display to prevent debris from getting inside the handset and avoid having users attempt to remove the outer layer of the screen that looked a lot like a disposable screen protector back in April. Samsung launched the Fold in late September last year, and the Galaxy Fold 2 is now rumored to arrive in September or October.
The Fold 2, which is rumored to be called Z Fold 2, was supposed to be unveiled on August 5th, during Samsung’s online-only Unpacked press conference. However, that might not be the case considering what Max Weinbach’s new tweets. The prominent Samsung leaker said that Fold 2 isn’t happening at the press event and that it’s “absolutely no surprise.”
Fold 2 isn't happening at Unpacked.
— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) July 11, 2020
“This is absolutely no surprise,” he followed up. “The software isn’t even close to ready for a September launch, and there is very few mentions of anything hardware-wise. It’s likely been delayed a bunch, and that’s why.”
Weinbach added that Samsung could tease the handset at the end of the show with the date of a September launch. “At this point, it’s not launching until at least October.”
“I looked into it a bit more,” Weinbach explained in a different tweet. “Galaxy Store only shows user testing for the Note 20 and Flip 5G. I do see carrier testing for the Fold 2, which looks like it just got put in. There’s no way they can have it announced with 0 information about it.”
“During carrier testing, carriers decide if they are going to support it, carry it, or even want it. A carrier could want it, have it go through testing and fail, then not carry it because it didn’t pass their tests,” he said.
Smartphone makers need to get carrier approval before moving forward with launch plans, and the same goes for Samsung. Comparatively, “the S series goes through testing in early January for an early March launch.” Applying the same logic to the Fold 2 and considering the current state of affairs, the Fold 2 announcement could drop in September ahead of an October release date.
That said, things aren’t necessarily as bad as last year’s Fold. Development and testing may have been significantly impacted by the ongoing health crisis. The novel coronavirus hindered all of this year’s events, whether they’re in the tech world or elsewhere. Product development was hurt as well, and the Z Fold 2 is just another victim.
If anything, the Z Fold 2 is rumored to be a lot more exciting than the first-gen model. The phone will have a notch-less display covered by Ultra-Thin Glass like the Galaxy Z Flip. The external screen is also expected to be much bigger than on the first Fold, and the handset will feature premium components and support 5G connectivity. But, as expected, it will still be more expensive than traditional handsets.
