The New Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G Is Bigger & Better Than Ever

Credit: Samsung

We previously reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Fold when it came out in 2019, and back then, we thought it could become the future of the smartphone industry. Samsung has just launched the second generation, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, and while it still looks somewhat similar, everything’s just bigger and better than before.

Let’s start with the most obvious change on the front. Instead of the small 4.6″ front display, Samsung has now gotten rid of the chunky bezels and made it a 6.2″ Super AMOLED display. That’s 1.63x bigger than the original Galaxy Fold, and it’s pretty much on par with most smartphones out in the market right now.

Credit: Samsung

And when you unfold it into tablet mode, you’ll notice that the main internal display is also bigger. From the old 7.3″ screen, Samsung has reduced bezels by 27% and gotten rid of the notch at the top right that used to house the internal cameras.

Now, it’s an Infinity-O display with a punch hole for the camera, and it definitely looks much better for immersive content consumption. Not only that, but the screen also goes up to a peak brightness of 900nits and the QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED display supports an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

The Galaxy Fold isn’t the only foldable phone Samsung came out with though, the Z Flip came out earlier in 2020 and some features from it have been implemented in the Z Fold2.

Credit: Samsung

One example would be Flex mode. The Z Fold2’s hinge uses a dual CAM mechanism, similar to what’s in the Galaxy Z Flip, so that the device can stand easier and be used in Flex mode.

The Z Flip had the ability to be used while half-folded, with apps like the camera and more. The Z Fold2 builds on that, with group selfies now being possible and even an Auto Framing feature which sounds to be a godsend for vloggers and content creators.

While filming videos with either the front or rear cameras, the Z Fold2 will actually be able to track the subject and pan by either zooming in or out. When an additional subject comes into the frame, the phone will detect it and automatically zoom out to fit and focus on the additional subject.

Of course, screen continuity is still a thing. You can unfold the phone slightly to provide a base to put the phone down and consume content on the external screen, but once it’s folded past a certain angle, it automatically switches to the internal screen.

Credit: Samsung

All that folding might be a big problem if dust and dirt are introduced to the phone though, and there was a problem with it in the original Galaxy Fold. Samsung has addressed that previously though, and with the Z Fold2, the “sweeper technology” that was previously used in the Z Flip is also utilised here.

The sweeper technology uses elastic brush bristles in between the hinge housing and the front and rear to cover the gap and prevent dust and dirt from getting into the phone, while also being able to last for more than 200,000 folds.

Productivity is also a big aspect of this phone, with Samsung being the first to be able to run three split-screen apps at the same time. They call it the Multi-Active Window and it seems like it’ll be a pretty big deal for people who like to multitask. Features include being able to screenshot individual split-screen apps while drag and drop functionality will be available for text, photos and more between split-screen apps.

Credit: Samsung

This year’s Galaxy Z Fold2 5G will be available in Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze, but customers in select markets will be able to customise their phones by choosing between four different colours for the hinge: Metallic Silver, Metallic Gold, Metallic Red and Metallic Blue. It’s still unconfirmed if this will be available in Singapore.

Despite this more detailed unveiling of the Galaxy Z Fold2 and its capabilities, Samsung will only be announcing Singapore availability and local pricing later in September. Americans will be able to preorder the Galaxy Z Fold2 (US$1,999) from now, with the phone shipping on 18 September.

More information about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G is available on Samsung’s website.