The Galaxy Z Flip has been in the hands of buyers for barely two days and already there are rumours about Samsung’s next foldable.
Popular Samsung-heavy smartphone leaker Ice Universe tweeted about the next Galaxy Fold, presumably one that will continue the tablet that folds down into a phone – rather than the Z Flip’s strictly flip phone aesthetic.
According to a Korean source, the successor of the Galaxy Fold, codenamed “Champ,” ill use Samsung’s “Under Display Camera” technology for the first time. This is the technology we have been waiting for a long time. It is expected to be released in July. bye, Hole, bye, Notch!
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) February 17, 2020
As you can see, he claims the Galaxy Fold 2 will be the first Samsung phone to use an under display camera. If it turns out to be true, it could end up being the first to market from any company as we haven’t seen one yet.
But Chinese rivals like Vivo and Oppo are keen to beat South Korean Samsung to the line.
Under display cameras theoretically successfully negate the need for a notch or cut out camera hole in smartphone displays, one of the main design trends of the past three years popularised by the iPhone X. The new tech is very hard to pull off it seems, but once companies have mastered it you can be sure they will become mainstream.
Fellow Samsung leaker extraordinaire Max Weinbach tweeted a similar claim about Samsung’s Fold 2 shortly after Ice Universe:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: codename Champ. Will likely use Ultra Thin Glass. Could be the first phone with under display camera. 7.7″ Infinity Flex Display. Likely launching around July. Should be around the same time as the Note20.
— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) February 17, 2020
Perhaps Samsung is considering putting the tech in the Fold 2 first so that it has a less tough time justifying the device’s sky high price. As Weinbach floats, it could mean the first ‘normal’ Samsung phone to get it is the Note 20.
Putting under display cameras in a phone everyone expects to be expensive already might be a good way for Samsung to be first to market, before waiting to let the tech trickle down to its other phones.
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Author: Henry Burrell, Phones Editor
Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.