While most of us are waiting to learn when the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 will arrive, some lucky individuals have already had the chance to review it.
Samsung's new foldable has appeared in an extensive video from a Chinese YouTube channel (via SamMobile), detailing the device's features and flush with beauty shots from every angle.
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One of the first things you notice in this video is the Galaxy Z Fold 2's boxier design, which includes flatter edges and sharper corners. The bezels encircling that vast 7.6-inch screen after it's unfolded are a bit slimmer as well, and of course there's the benefit of an Infinity-O-type front-facing camera cutout replacing that strange side notch arrangement from the first-generation Galaxy Fold.
Of course, the exterior display is also far larger than on the original Galaxy Fold, now extending all the way to the edges of the phone's footprint. The tiny out-facing screen relative to the size of the phone was one of our biggest complaints about Samsung's first foldable, and the difference is truly night and day.
The use of ultra-thin glass on this new iteration replaces the plastic sheet covering the interior panel on the original Fold, and it looks just as sturdy here as it did on the Galaxy Z Flip. There's no unsightly orange peel effect, and the screen is pretty much blemish free, save for the slight crease that follows the hinge — though that's really only obvious from certain angles.
Speaking of the Z Flip, some of that phone's tricks — like its special video interface for vlogs, where the top panel remains propped up so you can record yourself without needing to hold the device — appear in the new Fold as well. That's thanks to the new hinge on the Galaxy Z Fold 2, which can stay in place at any angle and wasn't present on Samsung's first foldable.
The video review delves into the camera interface as well, showing the 10x maximum zoom power available to the device's 12-megapixel telephoto lens. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 actually utilizes a trio of 12MP sensors, comprising wide, ultrawide and telephoto cameras, unlike the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 lines, which employ different hardware and can collect far more megapixels per shot.
As a consequence, the Fold 2 can't pull off the 50x or 100x "Space Zoom" Samsung has advertised on its Ultra flagships, though the Fold series is less focused on photography than Samsung's conventional handsets, and that kind of absurd zoom power is rarely useful in most situations anyway.
Overall, from this video the Galaxy Z Fold 2 looks like it builds upon the foundation of its predecessor, yet is much more well-rounded, with many of those first-generation qualms stamped out or addressed.
Although we still don't know how much the new Fold will cost or when it will start shipping, we do know it'll be available for pre-order beginning September 1. Samsung's also expected to reveal more details about the phone at that time. Stay tuned for our impressions once we finally get the device in hand.
