Back when we still expected Samsung to christen its next mainstream high-end smartphone family Galaxy S11 and when we had no idea how the company's sophomore foldable effort would ultimately be branded, a credible Bloomberg report hinted at a "big camera overhaul" for both these highly anticipated devices.
Unsurprisingly, these are now widely rumored to include a much lower megapixel count for that rear camera system compared to the S20 Ultra, S20+, and even "regular" S20, as well as a slightly slower and older processor, a smaller battery, and weirdly enough, more internal storage space. Several trustworthy sources have mentioned a few of the key specifications of the Galaxy Z Flip, formerly known as Bloom, in recent reports, and now the generally reliable Ishan Agarwal can "confirm" many important things ahead of a probable February 11 announcement.
"Compact" display, familiar camera, big battery
Samsung's plan to replace the 7.3-inch horizontally folding screen of the first-gen Galaxy Fold with a smaller vertically folding panel on the Galaxy "Bloom" hasn't been the world's best-kept secret, but until recently, insiders and tipsters couldn't seem to agree on an exact size for the new display. All of a sudden, there's a consensus on the 6.7-inch diagonal of the Galaxy Z Flip's Dynamic AMOLED panel, which would make this bad boy larger than the 2019-revived Razr but a lot smaller than both the Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X.
First leaked hands-on pictures of Samsung's second foldable phone
In fact, Samsung reportedly fashioned the Galaxy Z Flip after a popular makeup accessory called a compact or pressed powder foundation to target young women, which would conflict with a new theory suggesting the phone could rock a double-folding design rather than going the single flip route.
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Either way, you should expect something a little easier to maneuver than the Galaxy Fold, with a tiny 1-inch secondary display on the outside for notifications and alerts, an almost surprisingly large battery under the hood, and good but not amazing cameras in tow.
We're apparently talking a 12MP main imaging sensor on the back (most likely, the same one found on S10 and Note 10-series devices), a single 10MP selfie shooter (which also sounds familiar), and either a 3,300 or 3,500mAh battery. That's a solid improvement over the initial rumor circling 3,000mAh capacity, and although it's no match for what Samsung has planned for the S20 lineup, it should deliver comparable endurance numbers to the more than decent regular S10 variant.
The price tag is not etched in stone just yet
While we wouldn't go so far as to call the Galaxy Z Flip the world's first affordable foldable, all signs point to Samsung planning to stay below the $1,000 mark. There are even rumors calling for a starting price of no more than $800, which seems dubious, especially if there's only one storage variant in the pipeline capable of accommodating no less than 256 gigs of data.
Speaking of variants, the Galaxy Z Flip could see daylight internationally in black and purple paint jobs only, while Korean carriers are expected to sell exclusive blue, red, and pink hues as well.
That sucks for anyone not residing in the homeland of the world's top smartphone vendor, but on the bright side, this rumored diversity probably also means Samsung is in better control of the production process this time around, avoiding the issues that plagued the Galaxy Fold for so long last year and targeting a much wider global release possibly scheduled for sometime next month.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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