- As the Galaxy Fold 2 release date approaches, more leaks trickle online, with a new report revealing new details about the foldable phone’s design.
- The new foldable handset will supposedly feature a much better design than the original foldable.
- A leaker says the handset will feature a generous screen in tablet mode, flanked by super-thin, uniform bezels, and featuring a hole-punch selfie cam.
The Galaxy Fold will be forever associated with the dawn of foldable devices. Samsung’s handset wasn’t technically the first foldable phone in the world, but it was the first such device coming from one of the main handset vendors. Not to mention that Samsung has been teasing foldable screens for several years, suggesting that the company will be at the forefront of this evolutionary wave for mobile devices. Unfortunately, the Galaxy Fold wasn’t a triumphant launch. The phone featured a couple of design issues that were serious enough for Samsung to delay the release date for five months. Early reviewers discovered the fragile foldable screen could be destroyed with ease, and Samsung had to go back to the drawing board and resolve the problems.
Samsung learned its first real-life foldable phone lessons rather well, and the Galaxy Z Flip that followed proved all that. The Z Flip had everything the Fold lacked, including better design, an actual glass display, improved durability, and a more affordable price tag. With that in mind, it’s likely the Fold 2 will be a better foldable phone in every way than its direct predecessor, and the newest leak seems to confirm it all.
Recent reports said that that the Fold 2 will feature the same ultra thing glass found on the Z Flip, but the glass isn’t sturdy enough to support S Pen use. The handset is also supposed to feature a punch-hole main display, similar to what’s available on traditional Galaxy flagships. Price-wise, the Galaxy Fold 2 should be slightly more affordable than the original, with Samsung rumored to sell a Fold 1 Lite version this summer that’s going to be even cheaper.
Well-known leaker Ice Universe has leaked several details about Samsung phones over the years, and many of them turned out to be very accurate. The Chinese insider apparently has access to Galaxy Fold 2 specs details, as he posted on Twitter ore information about the foldable phone’s design.
Galaxy Fold 2, 7.7”，it is estimated that Bezel is only 3.8mm, Hole 4.8mm.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) June 21, 2020
According to him, the handset will have a 7.7-inch main display, featuring a bezel that’s just 3.8mm thick. The camera hole supposedly measures 4.8mm in diameter.
Even without the durability issues that hindered its launch, the Galaxy Fold had a very annoying design. The foldable display featured a large notch on the right side, much bigger than we’d have anticipated. The whole point of a foldable phone is to offer users access to a much bigger screen whenever needed. Placing a thick partial bezel atop of that foldable screen does a considerable disservice to the whole concept.
The iPhone X popularized the notch, forcing every Android maker to respond to it. Apple’s design represents a compromise between design beauty and utility. The notch is required to house the selfie camera and the Face ID components. But a foldable handset that turns itself into a tablet doesn’t need the same sort of notch on the inside. You can very well use that compromise, especially considering the Fold has a secondary screen on the outside, as well as plenty of room for cameras.
Ice’s leak is hardly original, as we’ve already seen similar claims about the Fold 2’s design, but the leaker happens to provide more specific specs for the Fold 2 display. The concept Fold 2 image above shows us what the handset could look like, although the actual design of the handset has not been leaked. The renders above were created back when we thought the handset could sport a stylus.
If these leaks are accurate, then the Fold 2 will not have this design problem. In fact, the Fold 2 could probably lose the selfie cam placed on the interior as well. The device is still expected to rock an external display, and that’s where a selfie cam would serve most. Even with a hole-punch camera in place, the Fold 2’s display would look a lot better than the original Fold.
Regardless of what rumors say, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Fold 2 alongside the Note 20 series in early August, so we’ll soon find out whether all these leaks were accurate or not.
