Would you shell out more than $ 1,999 for a smartphone? Samsung hopes a lot of people will.
The latest device from the South Korean smartphone maker, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, is the most expensive smartphone in Samsung’s current lineup and will go on sale on September 18, the company said on Tuesday. The foldable smartphone will be available for pre-order starting on September 2.
The Z Fold 2, first introduced in August, is Samsung’s newest device with a foldable display: it has a 6.2-inch front screen and a 7.6-inch internal screen when the device is unfolded. The company is promoting its “ultra-thin glass” and upgrades to the hinge mechanism between the two displays that it claims will make the phone more durable.
Samsung is also adding new VIP perks to help make the Z Fold 2’s high price tag a little more palatable, giving customers who buy the phone access to Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as various golf and country clubs around the world. United States.
Samsung’s first version of the folding smartphone, the $ 1,980 Galaxy Fold, was delayed for several months last year after early reviews noted that it was constantly flickering and the folding screen breaking too easily. The phone was finally launched last fall.
“We listened carefully to user feedback to ensure we were making significant improvements to the hardware, while also developing new innovations to improve the user experience,” said TM Roh, president and head of mobile communications at Samsung, in a statement on Tuesday.
The Z Fold 2’s glass display is a step up from the original flexible display that Samsung released with the Galaxy Fold and the plastic displays of previous folding devices, such as Motorola’s much-maligned RAZR. It also has more screen space overall – the first Galaxy Fold had a 4.6-inch front screen and a 7.3-inch screen when open.
The folding screens on the Z Fold 2 will be combined with software features introduced in previous models that Samsung says allow users to multitask more efficiently. This includes the ability to have multiple applications – or multiple files from the same application – open simultaneously. Users can, for example, have a video in one half of the folded screen while scrolling through email in the other half. They can also drag and drop text between various open applications. Google’s Android operating system , which is used by all Samsung smartphones, has adapted much of its functionality to foldable devices.
The display on the front of the device also adds new camera capabilities, such as the ability to view a photo someone is taking of you. A new feature that allows the Z Fold 2 to record videos hands-free while set up on a flat surface appears to target popular short-form video apps like TikTok, and Samsung says it’s for users “joining the last dance. social or show your culinary skills.
Not all apps will immediately optimize for the folding screen, although several popular apps like YouTube and Outlook will, thanks to partnerships with Google and Microsoft. Samsung says it is working with app developers to ensure more services can be fitted to the flexible display. The original Galaxy Fold also required applications to be adapted to its screen, and Samsung said at the time that it had worked with Android developers to “optimize hundreds of applications for the device.”
The company also offers “one-time device protection.” If the foldable smartphone screen is damaged within one year of purchase, the customer can purchase a replacement screen for $ 149.
Samsung hopes that the Z Fold 2, along with its new Note 20 series and other devices it introduced last month, will be enough to propel it back to the top of the global smartphone market, a distinction it lost to its Chinese rival Huawei a early this year.