What we know ahead of big reveal of Samsung’s latest folding phone


11 Feb 2020

Image: © Andrei/Stock.adobe.com

Samsung is set to debut its latest incarnation of a folding phone that acts more like a flip phone from days gone by.

Samsung is expected to unveil a range of new flagship smartphones tonight (11 February), including its latest foldable handset. The South Korean tech giant has already confirmed the new folding phone – likely to be named the Galaxy Z Flip – in a TV advert shown during the Oscars on Sunday night (9 February).

It is expected to be announced alongside the next generation of the company’s Galaxy S range of smartphones. The Z Flip will be Samsung’s second foldable screen-based phone, following the release of the Galaxy Fold last year.

What we can expect

That device was made up of two screens: one on the front of the device like a traditional smartphone, and another larger, folding screen that opened out from inside the device.

However, its launch was initially delayed after early testers reported issues with the Fold’s screen. In contrast, the Z Flip folds vertically in a similar fashion to ‘flip phones’, such as the Motorola Razr, which were popular in the early 2000s.

In the teaser advert, the new device was also shown to have a small display on its outside casing for displaying notifications when the screen is closed. The live event will likely see the new foldable appear alongside Samsung’s new flagship phone range.

Those new devices are expected to include upgrades to the cameras found on last year’s Galaxy S10 range. Improvements to battery life, storage and device speed are also likely.

Since the roll-out of 5G networks began last year, Samsung has established itself as the market leader for the network, with a number of 5G-ready devices launched during 2019. As a result, many predict at least some of the new phones unveiled will also come with support for 5G.

Samsung’s Unpacked live event starts at 7pm UTC.

– PA Media