Images from the Chinese microblogging site Weibo shows images of Samsung’s next foldable phone, the new Samsung Galaxy Fold 2.

Samsung presented the first version of Galaxy Fold at a developer conference in San Jose at the end of October. The company’s first foldable phone was more of a concept phone. This type of phone is foldable in the middle whereby the height halves similar to the old clamshell design. Hence, a foldable phone fits in almost any pocket. Other phone manufacturers like Motorola has already launched foldable phones. For example, the Motorola Razr has a foldable, albeit pricey model.

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 has the cameras hole centred in the upper part of the screen according to the leaked images. Most analysts believe that the screen measures in the 6.7-6.9 inch range. There’s also a smaller, squared screen on the outside.

Two cameras and a selfie

There are two rear cameras with the main one having a resolution of 108 GB and 5x optical zoom. Two rear cameras might appear a bit limited when modern smartphones boast four or sometimes even five cameras. However, Samsung needs to keep the price of Fold 2 down in order to be able to sell it.

How does a foldable phone work?

The objective with a foldable phone is to make the screen larger for improved user experience. Folding a screen requires technical innovation since today's smartphones weren't meant to be foldable. Samsung's technical solution hinges on two screens. The outer screen utilises the standard smartphone format. The second, inner screen becomes visible once the phone is unfolded. It has a wider aspect ratio similar to a tablet.

Android already supports foldable designs. The app used on the smaller outer screen also runs on the larger one. Popular apps like Messenger and Facebook that support foldable phones render well. However, there are still many apps that have solely been designed and developed for the tall and relatively narrow smartphone format and therefore don't render well for wider screens. More information is available on the Android Developer site.

Release date and pricing

Rumours indicate that Fold 2 will be presented together with Samsung S20 on the 18th of February 2020.  

The Korean analyst Choi Bo-young forecasts a price of 1 million Won according to The Korea Herald, which converts to NZD $1,299 exclusive of GST. Thus, Samsung has managed to cut the price of the Samsung Galaxy Fold almost in half. This price point is much lower than Motorola Razr’s foldable phone and also significantly lower than the original Galaxy Fold's RRP price of $3,399 in New Zealand.