Galaxy Fold 2: Samsung’s next-gen phone

Update 16 October 2019: According to a report by The Bell, the Galaxy Fold 2 – codenamed “Bloom” – might be released as early as April 2020.

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Fold predecessor earlier this year but had to delay the launch when several test devices malfunctioned or even broke.

According to The Bell, Samsung allegedly has no plans to delay the launch of its second next-gen foldable smartphone. If the source is to be believed, the Galaxy Fold 2 will go on sale a month after the Galaxy S11

Update 20 September 2019: Samsung has now moved onto the next phase in building up excitement around the rumored Galaxy Fold 2, teasing it as the ‘Galaxy W20.’

The phone reportedly opens and closes like a traditional flip phone with a 6.7-inch screen. Think of the Motorola of yore – instead of opening like a book.

Trusted leaker Ice Universe also claims that there would be a smaller touchscreen on the rear, which will turn on when the handset is flipped closed.

The Galaxy Note 10 launch might have been a success, sure; but Samsung still has a lot riding on its next foldable phone. The world is waiting with bated breath to see if Samsung will shoot itself in the foot again.

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2

Well, the wait is over.

Samsung Electronics submitted the patent documents on 14 August 2019. The designs were added to the European Union Intellection Property Office (EUIPO) and World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) databases on 26 August.

Do note that the designs were approved and added to the database in record time. It’s very unusual, it could take months for the designs to be approved by the EUIPO and WIPO.

The documents for the new Fold can be viewed here: Model A, Model B, and Model C. To visualize Samsung’s new foldable phone; Lets Go Digital designed a series of product renders, based on the patent sketches.

Model B is similar in design to the first Galaxy Fold. It has a modest front screen with wide edges. A triple-camera layout can be found on the rear as well.

The differences only become clear when you unfold the phone into its larger tablet format. However, the large notch on the current Fold has made way for a modest notch with two cameras.

The third patent (on which the 3D renders included in the article are based) shows a foldable device with an asymmetrical screen that folds outward. With this device, however, the notch is positioned in the center.

The folding line of this telephone is therefore not placed vertically, but horizontally. The phone ‘folds up’ into a narrow device, much like the PDA’s from the days of yore.

When will the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 arrive

Moreover, it’s possible that the patent request was sped up at Samsung’s request. The mere fact that the entire process was completed in just 12 days means we may just get the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 a lot sooner than initially expected.

If all goes according to plan, Samsung will reportedly release the Fold 2 early in 2020. We live in hope; never forget that the Galaxy Fold 1 was supposed to be released in April 2019 and yet here we are. Still waiting.

3D renders created by Let’s Go Digital.

Samsung’s foldable phone stumbling blocks

Unlike the first Galaxy Fold – which was designed to be a phone that folds into a tablet – the ultra-compact Galaxy Fold 2 will reportedly fold along the horizontal axis. Well played, Samsung.

This is welcome news, just ask any reporter who had to return their review model of the Galaxy Fold when debris and stray hinges caused the screen to malfunction.

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