Summer is here and there are a lot of phones expected to hit the scene over the next couple of months. None will be more high-profile than the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series.
Expected to be announced during an online-only event in August that could also see the Galaxy Tab S7 make its debut, the next iteration of the Note ‘phablet’ will be a powerful, likely very beautiful, phone that will once again showcase the S Pen’s best features. But it’s not the Samsung phone I have my eye on.
That coveted prize instead goes to the Galaxy Fold 2 – another phone we’re expecting to see at the next Unpacked event.
The original Galaxy Fold was the first truly mass-market foldable device and even though it was bad in many ways, it got me excited about the foldable future. Which is why I can’t contain my excitement about a second-gen product that could fix the original’s wrongs.
There are a few obvious areas Samsung needs to improve with the Fold 2. Most importantly it needs to be much stronger, both in terms of the display and the overall build. Last year’s launch saw the Fold delayed by months due to issues with the display and it seems like those quirks have never completely gone away. I have confidence Samsung can right these wrongs, mostly because we’ve seen little go wrong with the Galaxy Z Flip – the brand’s second foldable device.
Galaxy Fold
Price must also come into it. The entry point will need to be far lower if foldable devices are going to get any sort of mainstream attention. Rumours have suggested the Fold 2 won’t be quite as pricey as the $2000 original and considering Samsung has had an extra year with the tech that does make sense.
But what am I most excited about is just using a foldable phone again – and one that hopefully is it a bit more polished. There was enough unique, enough interesting and enough new about the original Fold to help me forget the issues and just enjoy using it. Folding it out when I wanted to read, or watch a video, and keep it closed to quickly answer a call.
Related: Best phone 2020
I also have a feeling that the Note series isn’t quite what it was. These used to be Samsung’s phones that teased what was coming next in the more commercially-friendly ‘S’ line of the following year, though it now seems like it’s the other way around and the Note simply gets the features trickled down the flagship S phone. It doesn’t even have the unique size advantage it once did as all Samsung phones are now giant.
S Pen aside, Samsung is going to have to do a lot to make the Galaxy Note 20 a better overall phone that the excellent Galaxy S20 Plus and that’s why the Fold 2 takes the crown as my most anticipated release from the rumoured August
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
