Everything we think we know about Samsung’s next foldable phone

Samsung’s next Unpacked event, where the company is expected to announce its next flagship phones, is taking place on February 11th, and the rumor mill has already given us a pretty good idea what to expect. A followup to the Galaxy S10 series (apparently called the Galaxy S20) seems like a lock. But rumors also point toward Samsung introducing its second folding-screen phone at the same event, one that might look very different from the troubled Galaxy Fold. The new phone apparently folds up flip phone-style, similar to the new Motorola Razr coming out on February 6th.

It’s a phone we’ve had on our radar for some time now, as Bloomberg reported last March that Samsung was working on a clamshell-style foldable, and Samsung itself officially teased a clamshell foldable concept last October. But it seems as if a real, vertically-folding phone from Samsung might actually be revealed at Unpacked.

There have been a lot of rumors about this new phone, apparently called the Galaxy Z Flip, and we’ve collected everything we can find about it right here.

The Galaxy Z Flip may be a new type of foldable for Samsung

The Galaxy Fold was a tablet-sized thing that folded into a phone, but the Galaxy Z Flip looks to be a phone-sized thing that can get even smaller. You can get a decent idea looking at the alleged pictures of the Z Flip, posted to Weibo, that we’ve included in this post. The Z Flip looks like most other smartphones when unfolded, but seems to fold up into a small square in a way that reminds me of a closed-up Game Boy Advance SP.

Otherwise, the Z Flip seems to be going for a similar vibe as Motorola’s new Razr foldable, which is also a normal-sized phone that folds up into something smaller. Though you can see in the picture below that the Razr has a chin, even when folded, while rumored photos of the Z Flip seem to suggest its two halves may close more symmetrically.

The Z Flip’s screen might be glass, not plastic

The first version of the Galaxy Fold was infamous for its unreliable plastic screen, which broke within days for many reviewers (including here at The Verge), forcing the company to delay the Fold and redesign it. The Razr hasn’t been released yet, so we don’t know if its screen will have similar issues, but Motorola has already warned that “bumps and lumps” on the screen are “normal.” The Z Flip, however, is rumored to have a glass screen, and maybe that could help it avoid some of the inconsistencies in the plastic screens of the Fold and Razr.

Phone leaker Ice Universe claimed in December that the Z Flip would have a glass screen:

Leaker Max Weinbach also said something similar earlier this month, adding there might be an extra plastic layer to provide additional protection for the screen.

Weinbach has also shared an apparent brand name for the glass: “Samsung Ultra Thin Glass.” And that’s not actually the first time we’ve seen that brand name, as last year, Samsung applied for trademarks in Europe for “Samsung Ultra Thin Glass.” But there’s also a report that Samsung’s partnered with German glass manufacturer Schott, which has been developing an ultra-thin glass process for several years, originally for companies that used it to cover their phones’ fingerprint sensors.

The phone will probably be called the Galaxy Z Flip

The Galaxy Z Flip name appeared on a certification on an Indonesian government website, as reported on by SamMobile, which seems to lend weight to that being the official name. Weinbach has been calling the phone the Z Flip since January 14th, when he reportedly heard that would be the name of the phone.

In early January, however, a blurry photo surfaced from Korean outlet Ajunews that suggested the phone might be called the Bloom. That name and the blurry image were apparently shown off at closed-door meetings at CES, where the Bloom was reportedly said to be designed for female customers in their 20s and made to resemble a foundation compact box from French cosmetics brand Lancome. And the Bloom name itself was apparently supposed to invoke the image of a flower opening and closing. But we think Bloom is less likely to be the phone’s actual name given the Indonesian certification and Weinbach’s use of Z Flip.

The Z Flip may have a bigger screen than the Razr, a Snapdragon 855+, and dual cameras

The phone’s OLED display will apparently be 6.7 inches diagonal, according to leaker Ishan Agarwal, which would make it bigger than the Razr’s 6.2-inch display.

And in the rumored pictures of the phone at the top of this post, you might have noticed a small display on the Z Flip when it’s closed:

It looks as if you’ll be able to see the time on that display, and the small screen could also show you charging speeds, battery info, and be used as a viewfinder for the rear camera, according to Weinbach. However, the Z Flip’s front screen looks much smaller than the Razr’s 2.7-inch front-facing OLED display.

The Z Flip may use a Snapdragon 855+ chip, says Weinbach, which offers higher peak clock speeds and a 15 percent GPU performance improvement over the non-plus Snapdragon 855 and a flagship-tier processor. The upcoming Motorola Razr has a midrange Snapdragon 710, by comparison.

Weinbach also reports that the Z Flip may have dual 12-megapixel back cameras, one wide and one ultra-wide, and that hole-punch front camera you see in photos may contain 10 megapixels, according to Ishan Agarwal. And Ajunews reported the Z Flip might be the first phone to be able to record 8K video, though it’s not clear at what quality.

The Z Flip may also have a 3,300mAh battery and support 15-watt fast charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging, according to Weinbach, meaning you could be able to charge your Galaxy Buds just by placing them on the phone. (Though I’m curious which side of the phone might actually do the charging.) Weinbach also says the Z Flip may have a capacitive fingerprint sensor on its side.

It doesn’t seem likely that the Z Flip will support 5G, as FCC filings spotted by PhoneScoop for a Samsung phone that could be the Z Flip don’t indicate the phone will support any US 5G bands. However, Samsung has recently turned non-5G phones into 5G phones by adding a separate 5G modem, like it did with the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G, so there’s always the chance Samsung could do something similar with the Z Flip. And Ajunews reported in early January that a 5G version of the Z Flip may be released in South Korea, so perhaps Samsung does have plans for a 5G-enabled Z Flip at some point.

And, based on the rumored photos, it doesn’t look as if the Z Flip will have a headphone jack.

The Z Flip’s hinge might make it great for video calls

In October, Samsung showed off a clever way it might use the crease in the middle of a clamshell-style foldable’s screen as a dividing line to split the screen into two parts and push content just to the top screen.

And Weinbach says the Z Flip will actually be able to do something like what Samsung teased, as it might be able to lock at 90 degrees so you can use the bottom half of the phone to support the top half.

That hinge also may also hold the screen in position at any angle, according to Weinbach. I think this sounds very cool — I could see how the self-supporting hinge could be a really useful way to let you take video calls without having to hold up your phone, for example.

The Z Flip could be the cheapest folding phone yet, but it may still be expensive

The Z Flip might be a pricey $1,400 with a “likely” launch date of February 14th, according to one source who spoke with Max Weinbach. That source apparently told him that the phone may be an AT&T timed exclusive but also could be available in an unlocked model.

That rumored price, if true, would be expensive, but it would make the Z Flip cheaper than the $1,499 Motorola Razr and much cheaper than the $1,980 Galaxy Fold.