And just like that, only a few hours after we first caught wind that Samsung was planning to launch its next-generation Galaxy flagships next month, the company went ahead and made it official. Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020 is set for Feb. 11 in San Francisco at 11 a.m. Pacific.
There, of course we expect to see the Galaxy S11 family of smartphones. However, we also expect the Galaxy Fold 2 to make a debut. Rumors are swirling about a clamshell-style foldable that bends on a horizontal axis, like the upcoming Motorola Razr, rather than vertically down the middle, like the first-generation Galaxy Fold.
What's more, some sources have reported that Samsung's second stab at a foldable will be less costly than its first. How much less? The Galaxy Fold, which finally reached customers this fall after a lengthy delay to solve serious build quality gaffes, costs a whopping $1,980. Its successor could sell for as low as 1 million won, which translates to about $840.
We'd be just as surprised as you to see a folding phone release at such a low price. At the very least, we hope Samsung can build on the potential the Galaxy Fold clearly displayed, while avoiding those deal-breaking, first-generation pitfalls.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S11 has been appearing in more and more renders these days, so we have a clearer idea of what to expect on that front. Samsung's next bread-and-butter flagship could carry as many as five camera lenses on the back, in a rather peculiar square array.
On the other hand, for the front of the phone, rumors have pointed to a more iterative design that repeats the centered hole-punch cutout introduced on the Galaxy Note 10. And surprising no one, we fully expect Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 865 chipset — with its 5G modem in tow — to power the S11 range.
Funnily enough, while we'll have to wait a bit longer to see the Galaxy S11 in the flesh (or rather, the S20, as some sources have speculated it'll be named), there's a whole other line of Samsung smartphones debuting before the Unpacked event in February. Just two days ago, Samsung introduced cheaper Lite models of its Galaxy S10 and Note 10 flagships.
Those lower-cost handsets are being shown to the world for the very first time at CES 2020, and you can be sure to read our hands-on impressions in the coming days. Likewise, we'll be on the ground at Unpacked on Feb. 11 as well — so watch this space.
