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Early review of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 leaves nothing hidden, gives most detailed look of the phone yet

By Georgi Zarkov

Published: Aug 25, 2020, 8:30 AM

6comments

Samsung

Early review of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 leaves nothing hidden, gives most detailed look of the phone yet

Samsung announced its second foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, during its Unpacked event on August 5 but beyond a quick demonstration of some of its features, the company didn’t get too much into what’s inside the device.

And while we were promised more information about the Galaxy Z Fold 2 on September 1, now, a week earlier, we’re getting pretty much everything we need. That’s thanks to a video review of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 that was spotted by SamMobile.

The video is in Chinese, but in the comments, you can find a pretty good summary of what the presenter is talking about. You can watch the video below:

Galaxy Z Fold 2 design

We’ve had a pretty good look at the design of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 already, but this video shows the device next to its predecessor, the Galaxy Fold, making it very easy to notice all the changes Samsung has made.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 on the left, Galaxy Fold on the right

Besides the changes in the displays, the overall appearance of the Z Fold 2 is distinctly different. The sides are flatter, the corners less rounded and overall, the Z Fold 2 looks like a proper smartphone when closed, unlike the original Fold with it tiny external display.

Unfortunately, the small gap between the panels when the phone is closed is still there, although the new design makes it appear smaller.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 specs and features

One major thing about the Z Fold 2 that wasn’t confirmed was the refresh rate of the internal display. According to the video, it is 120Hz as expected. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 865+ paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, no surprises here. Keeping the whole thing alive is a 4,500mAh battery and like all other recent Samsung flagships, the Z Fold 2 has reverse wireless charging.

Special attention was given to the speakers of the new Fold and how loud they are. The combination of good speakers and the large display should make for an excellent movie-watching experience. The only small drawback is the awkwardly positioned hole for the camera.

Speaking of cameras, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 likely won’t be Samsung’s best mobile camera despite the expected $2000 price tag. The reviewer states that all three cameras on the back are 12MP sensors, which for today’s standards is quite underwhelming.

But of course, this phone isn’t about the cameras, it’s about that giant folding display. And the video does a great job to highlight different use cases for the Galaxy Z Fold. The special user interface developed by Samsung allows for different app layouts depending on the angle of the fold and the rotation of the device.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 can serve as its own stand

The outside display shouldn’t be underestimated, however. Now that it’s as big as it should be, it dramatically improves the usability of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 as a whole. It can be used for gaming if you’re worried the internal display won’t be able to take the punishment, or for GPS navigation when driving. It can also serve as a viewfinder if you want to use the main cameras for selfies, which is something that the original Galaxy Fold couldn’t do.

It’s great to see all the work Samsung has put to refine the Galaxy Fold and make it into something that we’re sure many more people will want to have in their pockets.

After this video, pretty much the only unknown left about the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the exact price. And although we don’t expect any surprises, we won’t know for sure until Samsung announces it. Luckily, we’re just a week away from that.