GALAXY Z FOLD 2 : NEW GENERATION OF INNOVATION

 GALAXY Z FOLD 2

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 2 Will Fit In Your Pocket Better Than Last Year's Model Did © Provided by CNET Samsung has redesigned its Fold foldable, adding a large front screen to the second generation of the device. Samsung/Andrew Hoyle/CNET Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 2 resolves one of the biggest complaints about the first generation: the front display. The South Korean electronics giant on Wednesday -- at its first all-virtual Unpacked event -- unveiled the new version of its first foldable from last year. The device sports a screen that stretches across the front of the phone, giving it a flashier and more modern design. The Z Fold 2's cover screen is 6.2 inches diagonally, while the interior is 7.6 inches laid flat. Both are Samsung's nearly bezel-free Infinity-O display technology. And the interior foldable display uses the ultrathin glass similar to what's inside the Galaxy Z Flip. The first generation of the Fold had a 4.6-inch outer display and a 7.3-inch interior screen made of plastic. Samsung made the body thinner and minimized the gap between the screens, making it fit better in a pocket. The device's "dual intelligent battery" will last all day, Samsung said, and the phone now has 5G for the US model. It will be available on AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in the US. (5G models of the original Fold only launched in select markets like the UK.) The company also redesigned the Z Fold 2's hinge, giving it a more firm snap to place it flat. A new flex mode will let the device stay open at different angles, similar to the Z Flip. There's no S Pen stylus in the Z Fold 2, despite some rumors saying it would appear in the device. Click to expand UP NEXT How Black Girls Code is driving change in the tech industry Kimberly Bryant, founder of Black Girls Code, talks about diversity in tech and how her organization is teaching the next generation of computer scientists during a pandemic. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, Z Fold 2 and more announced in Unpacked event Today's top tech story is Samsung's Unpacked, which saw the unveiling of a handful of new devices, including two Galaxy Note 20 models, the Z Fold 2, Galaxy Buds Live and more. CISA director: Paper record key to keeping 2020 election secure Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, says a paper trail is one of the best risk management techniques against outside threats. UP NEXT The Z Fold 2 comes in two colors, mystic black and mystic bronze. Samsung didn't detail a sales date or price for the new device but said it will share more details on Sept. 1. Preorders will also begin that day. The company is hosting an event in lieu of attending the IFA electronics show in Germany. "Samsung is making a sizable commitment to foldables," CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood said. "Although a small category today, it is of high strategic importance." Samsung unveiled the device alongside the $999 Note 20 and $1,299 Note 20 Ultra at its event. It also introduced the new $170 Galaxy Buds Live earbuds, $649 Galaxy Tab S7 tablet and $399 Galaxy Watch 3. The Z Fold 2 and other devices come at a tough time for the mobile industry. Last year's new innovations of 5G and foldable screens were supposed to get cheaper and more readily available in 2020, giving consumers a reason to upgrade. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic has been battering phone sales as consumers opt to save their money or spend it on PCs and other work-from-home supplies. Millions of Americans are out of work amid a recession, more than 700,000 people have died worldwide and countries around the globe continue to battle unending infections. © Samsung/Andrew Hoyle/CNET In the second quarter, Apple was the only smartphone vendor that saw its shipments grow, according to Canalys. Samsung, despite launching its new Galaxy S20 lineup in March, saw the biggest year-over-year drop of the world's top five phone makers. Its 30% decline allowed Huawei to leapfrog it to become the world's biggest smartphone vendor for the first time, the analyst firm said. It was the first time in nine years that a company other than Samsung or Apple shipped the most phones . "This is a remarkable result that few people would have predicted a year ago," Canalys senior analyst Ben Stanton noted. "If it wasn't for COVID-19, it wouldn't have happened. Huawei has taken full advantage of the Chinese economic recovery to reignite its smartphone business." It's unlikely the new Fold or Note 20 will help it fend off Huawei. The devices are the most expensive phone lineups that Samsung offers, and the foldable in particular could be a tough sell for consumers who are guarding their wallets. Last year's Fold, which started at $1,980, wasn't meant to go mainstream or attract a huge number of buyers. For Samsung, it was a way to show what was possible with its display technology -- and gain bragging rights by introducing one of the world's first foldable phones . But instead of boasting, Samsung faced problems ahead of the Fold's launch. The company delayed the launch of its first Fold, by five months from April 2019 to September, after some journalists found screen defects in their review units. Samsung followed up with its Flip in February, its second foldable but its first to use glass instead of plastic. The device was Samsung's do-over, and its clamshell design proved to be popular with buyers. A 4G version of the Galaxy Z Flip went on sale for $1,380 on Feb. 14, and Samsung introduced a $1,450 5G model ahead of Unpacked. "After releasing two foldable devices and listening to user feedback on the most requested upgrades and new features, Samsung delivers the Galaxy Z Fold 2 with meaningful innovations that offer users an enhanced refinements and foldable user experience," Samsung said Wednesday in a statement. Video: Samsung Tab S7+ wants to be your work-from-home tablet (CNET) Click to expand UP NEXT How Black Girls Code is driving change in the tech industry Kimberly Bryant, founder of Black Girls Code, talks about diversity in tech and how her organization is teaching the next generation of computer scientists during a pandemic. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, Z Fold 2 and more announced in Unpacked event Today's top tech story is Samsung's Unpacked, which saw the unveiling of a handful of new devices, including two Galaxy Note 20 models, the Z Fold 2, Galaxy Buds Live and more. CISA director: Paper record key to keeping 2020 election secure Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, says a paper trail is one of the best risk management techniques against outside threats. UP NEXT Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 Shown Off In Leaked Hands-on Video Frequent leaker Ben Geskin just posted a quick hands-on video with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. The device looks great and appears to be a real step-up from the original Galaxy Fold. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 won’t see a full launch until September. If you’re excited about the full launch for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, you’ll need to wait about a month for it. However, Ben Geskin just posted a brief hands-on video that shows the device opening and closing. It also gives a good idea of how much bigger the outer display is as compared to the Galaxy Fold. Check out the leaked video below. #GalaxyZFold2 pic.Twitter.Com/j5IAX41WRV — Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) August 7, 2020 Unfortunately, the sound-less clip is quite short, and Geskin doesn’t turn the phone around so we can see the back. Regardless, it does give you an idea of what opening and closing the device will be like. From the video, it appears the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is sturdier in this process as compared to the Galaxy Fold. We’ll need to get one ourselves to confirm that, though. Related: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: Everything you need to know The outer display also looks so much better on this device than it did on the Galaxy Fold. While it still looks thinner than a “normal” smartphone, it at least doesn’t look tiny. The only bad news the leaked video depicts is the very prominent crease down the middle of the device when in its opened state. We had hoped Samsung would have figured out a way to make this a bit more subdued with the second-generation of the Fold series, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Samsung will officially launch the Galaxy Z Fold 2 on September 1. That’s when we’ll learn all the specs, the price, availability, and more. It’s also when pre-orders will begin. Mark your calendar! In the meantime, you can express your intent to buy one here. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 Is Samsung’s Big Promise That It Can Fix Its Foldable Future Filed under: Mobile Tech Samsung The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is Samsung’s big promise that it can fix its foldable future New, 28 comments Samsung commits to 5G and foldables as the future By Chaim Gartenberg@cgartenberg Aug 6, 2020, 12:28pm EDT Share this story Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share All sharing options Share All sharing options for: The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is Samsung’s big promise that it can fix its foldable future Linkedin Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email Image: Samsung Samsung’s first look at the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 2 during its Unpacked event seemed to spend more time focusing on how the new model fixes the flaws of the original rather than emphasizing whatever will make the foldable flagship great. In putting so much effort into convincing customers that this time it got things right, Samsung revealed just how badly it needs foldable phones to work. At the end of the event, Samsung Electronics global executive SVP Federico Casalegno said that “going forward, 5G and foldables will be the major pillars of Samsung’s future.” For that to happen, they can’t be fragile. In a world where first-generation products are often plagued by issues — be it poor battery on the first LTE phones, oversized video game consoles, or the original iPhone’s nonexistent third-party apps — the original Galaxy Fold stood out as a particularly problematic freshman attempt. The original launch had to be delayed for months after multiple review units (including The Verge’s) outright failed. And even when the $1,980 smartphone did launch after a reinforcing redesign, it was with plentiful warnings about handling the delicate plastic display gently, with Samsung advising customers to avoid even tapping the screen too hard. The phone also was still at risk from debris, which could make its way inside the hinges and damage the screen from the back. That’s all before getting into the actual issues with the Fold’s functionality as a phone: the original Fold featured a tiny 4.6-inch external display that made it uncomfortable to use as a regular smartphone. There was a giant notch that took up an entire corner of the display. And a “jelly-scrolling” effect that was disappointing to see on a phone this expensive. The good news is that Samsung is promising to address nearly every single one of these issues on the Galaxy Z Fold 2, to the point where it took the time from its Unpacked event to call out the various reviewers who had cited these issues, to show off the fixes it’s made. Samsung played videos from Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) commenting on the plastic nature of the original Fold’s display (Brownlee’s comment that “glass doesn’t fold” gets rebutted by Samsung’s ultra-thin glass). Another series of clips from Brownlee and The Verge’s own Dieter Bohn were used to show the progression of the hinge design from the Fold to the Z Flip to the Z Fold 2. And in what might have been the most shocking thing of all, Samsung showed a clip from JerryRigEverything pouring dirt and gravel over the phone — so it could highlight the new brushes that (in theory) will prevent that issue. The display is no longer a dangerously easy-to-break sheet of plastic but the same ultra-thin glass technology that Samsung debuted with the Galaxy Z Flip earlier this year, which promises more durability. Although for protection, the glass component here is still covered with a plastic cover, which can pick up nicks. Despite this upgrade, it’s still much more fragile than the hardened Gorilla Glass most of us are used to on regular smartphones. Samsung has also redesigned the hinge in the Z Fold 2. It’s able to stay in place at a wider range of angles, allowing it to be propped up on a desk. It employs stronger force to keep the phone open when its unfolded, and it features additional springs to allow for a smoother opening experience. Samsung’s also using a similar “sweeper” technology that it debuted with the Z Flip to brush out any dust or dirt. The new system actually makes several improvements on the Z Flip’s method to account for the even smaller hinge, with shorter fibers and adjustments to the elasticity of the brushes to ensure that everything works the same despite the smaller size. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 also promises to be a better phone. The outside screen is now a full-size 6.2-inch panel, although it’s likely still quite narrow, so that diagonal measurement may not be the best indication of how it feels to use. The notches on the main display have been tossed out in exchange for diminutive hole-punch cameras, and the display technology has been improved to offer 120Hz refresh rates (although the word is still out on the jelly scroll.) It’s a message focused on selling customers a phone based on the things that it isn’t — too small, too awkward, too prone to breaking — rather than the things that it is. It also puts a lot of pressure on the upcoming Z Fold 2. Samsung has made the idea of this phone being its fixed foldable its defining characteristic, which is a lot of weight to put on a single device. Customers could forgive the first Fold for having issues as a first-generation piece of hardware. The second time around, there’s far less room for error. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the Z Fold 2 — information that will presumably come when Samsung is ready to show off the phone more fully on September 1st. But with the emphasis on getting right what it had gotten wrong last time, Samsung is renewing its commitment to foldable phones as the future. And maybe the Z Fold 2 is the phone to prove that’s even possible.