Samsung’s ninth generation of the Note – confusingly called the Galaxy Note 20 – may be getting all the attention, but the company isn’t neglecting its foldable flagship either. The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 will, according to a new report from South Korea, be bigger and smoother, but at least one frequent fan wish won’t be granted.
Let’s start with the good news though. While the original unfolded device had a 7.3in tablet display, the Galaxy Fold 2 will be going bigger, stretching to 7.7in when open. This 2,213 x 1,689 screen will also be a whole lot smoother, with Samsung bringing the 120Hz refresh rate from the Galaxy S20 series over.
Perhaps more excitingly, Samsung has managed to make the front screen larger when the Fold 2 is closed. While the original Galaxy Fold’s front display was a small 4.6in window, the newer version gets upped to 6.23in according to the report, and that means there’s going to be less dead space framing your screen. Sadly this front 2267x819 screen will only be 60Hz, but you can’t have everything. Or more accurately, you can’t have everything if you don’t want to spend well over $2,000.
Speaking of not being able to have everything, the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 also won’t be getting S Pen support. Another Korean report explains that Samsung looked into the possibility of bringing the S Pen to the Fold 2, but quickly realised that the ultra-thin glass necessary to make a screen fold is nowhere near strong enough to withstand enthusiastic stylus doodling.
For comparison’s sake, the glass used on the Galaxy Fold 2 is 0.03mm thick, whilst the regular Gorilla Glass 6 that copes with the S Pen on the Galaxy Note 10 is 0.4-1.3mm thick. Given the problems Samsung had with easily damaged screens on the first-generation Galaxy Fold, it’s perhaps understandable the company didn’t want to arm buyers with a pointy stick to poke the next generation.
Understandable, but still disappointing. The 7.7in screen of the unfolded Galaxy Fold 2 would be the perfect canvas for note taking and drawings if it weren’t so damned fragile. For now, if you want that kind of creativity, you’ll just have to settle for the considerably less portable Samsung Galaxy Tab S6.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 is due to be unveiled at Samsung’s next Unpacked event, rumored to be held on August 5.
What will the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 look like? The video below shows a fresh take:
