Reliable leaker 'confirms' Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G release date

4comments
Reliable leaker 'confirms' Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G release date
UPDATE: If you needed further confirmation Samsung is indeed inching closer to the commercial rollout of the highly anticipated Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G, this arrives in the form of a Chinese regulatory visit today.


While there's no standard window of time between Tenaa approvals and official smartphone releases, most products tend to go on sale a few weeks after scoring this mandatory regional certification, so the "ev-leaked" timeline detailed below certainly seems to ring true. For what it's worth, Samsung reportedly already confirmed a China-only launch event for September 9, so the foldable device may not simultaneously hit stores around the world. Of course, it remains to be seen how many units the company will be able to initially ship by individual markets.


Not that we needed them, but Tenaa's records also include a number of real-life images showcasing the Mystic Black Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G flavor from all angles. Our original story follows below.

##

Unlike the Galaxy Note 20 duo, Galaxy Watch 3, and Galaxy Buds Live and much like the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+, Samsung's newest foldable device is not up for grabs yet. Furthermore, the company stayed completely silent on the pricing and availability of the undoubtedly imminent Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G during its big virtual Unpacked event last week, leaving us wondering if we should sell one or both kidneys in anticipation of the versatile handset's release.

While mobile tech leaking legend Evan Blass has no fresh inside information to share on the potential retail cost of the 5G-enabled Z Fold 2 today, the commercial timeline is completely out of the bag now, with a pre-order start tipped for September 2 and "open sales" expected to kick off on September 18.

If the latter date sounds familiar, that might be because it was already rumored by Korean media a couple of weeks ago. Of course, we're pretty sure Blass has intel pertaining to the US market, so it's essentially etched in stone that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G will be released simultaneously at least in these two key regions in a little over a month.

Recommended Stories
Although that seems like a fairly lengthy wait, you have to consider how delicate the Z Fold 2 5G mass-production process must be. After all, we're definitely not talking about your everyday flagship phone here, with an ultra-thin layer of glass protecting a beautiful primary 7.6-inch foldable Dynamic AMOLED display supporting 120Hz refresh rate technology and a large 6.23-inch Super AMOLED screen residing on the other side of that along with virtually no bezels and three 12MP cameras.

Nevertheless, Samsung is reportedly gunning for a 500,000 sales total by the end of 2020 alone, which is a score that can only be achieved with relatively wide global availability and a solid supply chain. For what it's worth, AT&T, T-Mobile, and yes, even Verizon are all expected to sell the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G directly in addition to Samsung itself, strongly suggesting initial supply will not be quite as tight as once predicted.

Obviously, it's better to be safe than sorry, so if you plan on buying the foldable Snapdragon 865+ powerhouse with 4,500mAh battery capacity, it's best to be ready to place a pre-order as early as September 2. If you can afford to spend the $2,000 or so Samsung is expected to charge for an unlocked Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G, that is. 

Recommended Stories

Loading Comments...
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless