Samsung launched its Galaxy Fold last year, and infamously had problems with the device which pushed back the launch date. It followed up with a second foldable smartphone, but the Galaxy Z Flip has taken the aesthetic in a different direction, with a sleek and chic clamshell form factor in a selection of bold colours. But fans of the more 'serious' Fold can rest easy. The Z Flip is a sister product, not a replacement, and the Fold 2 is still on the way. It's likely to have fewer design flaws than Fold v1. A lower price as well? Erm… maybe.
There's a lot of pressure on the Fold 2 to remove the bad smell of its predecessor with a more durable and affordable phone – precisely what Huawei is trying with the Mate Xs, which could launch next week.
We hadn't previously heard much about the Galaxy Fold 2 aside from a code name that popped up earlier this month. We also know that a 5G model could be in the works – a natural move given Samsung's support for 5G. This new Fold 2 leak is a bit more exciting though. If true, it will see Samsung first to market with this type of in-screen camera technology, which could help make it the best foldable phone to date.
According to reputable and prolific Twitter leaker, Ice Universe, a source close to the company has revealed that the Galaxy Fold 2 will feature an under display camera, making the front-facing camera notch a relic of the past.
The first time we saw this technology being implemented was last year when both Oppo and Xiaomi unveiled their prototypes of under-display selfie cameras. At the time, Oppo VP Brian Shen said that the camera quality couldn't match that of "normal cameras" adding "there's bound to be some loss in optical quality." Although just a few weeks later, the company took to social media to say that its under-display selfie camera "rivals current smartphones in the market today." So somewhat of a drastic turnaround.
Despite that, nobody has yet put an in-screen or under-screen camera in a product you can actually buy. So Samsung could be the first smartphone manufacturer to pull it off if they get the Galaxy Fold 2 into shops before Chinese rivals steal their thunder (again). The Ice Universe leak/rumour suggests that Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 will launch this summer – July, specifically – which is not that far away.
The obvious concern is that Samsung screwed up the Galaxy Fold launch in its rush to market with the first foldable phone.
The Galaxy Z Flip has only been out in the wild for less than a week, and at this point, we're all waiting to see if Samsung has managed to avoid making the same mistakes as it did with the Fold. The company needs a win to restore consumer confidence in its foldables.
Source: Twitter via Pocket-lint
