Samsung’s original Galaxy Z Flip, previously seen, went on sale on February 14 at a starting price of $ 1,380.
Juan Garzón / CNET
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5G, a variant of its foldable cover packed with next-generation cellular capabilities, will launch on August 7. But that additional performance will cost you $ 1,450.
A 4G version of Galaxy Z Flip it went on sale for $ 1,380 on February 14, about a month before the coronavirus pandemic caused blockades in the United States. That device, Samsung’s second foldable after last year Galaxy Fold, features a similar design to the updated Motorola Razr. The Z Flip, like the Razr, is essentially a high-tech flip phone, with a flexible 6.7-inch interior screen and a small exterior notification panel. The Z Flip also has a glass display, the first for the folding market.
The Z Flip 5G will eventually be sold through AT&T, T-Mobile, Samsung.com and Amazon, and is now available for preorder at Best Buy. At AT&T, the device will only be able to connect to the operator’s lowband and midband 5G networks, which currently make up the majority of its 5G footprint. Similarly, you will only be able to take advantage of similar 5G bands on T-Mobile.
However, the phone will not be able to use the fastest millimeter wave 5G that is available in parts of 35 cities for AT&T and six cities for T-Mobile.
In addition to 5G support, the new Z Flip 5G will also run on Qualcomm’s updated Snapdragon 865 Plus processor and comes in two new colors, a “Mystic Gray” and a “Mystic Bronze”.
Samsung says the new phone will also feature an “opaque finish that is soft to the touch and minimizes fingerprints.”
In the US, the original Z Flip was only 4G and was sold by AT&T and Sprint, the latter of which has been acquired by T-Mobile. The initial Galaxy Z Flip started at $ 1,380. It sold out almost immediately and was delayed for weeks.
Most companies don’t even have one folding phone, but Samsung now has three in its line.
Along with a 5G version of the Flip, it is expected to present the second generation of its Fold, which expands from a phone to a tablet, on its digital event unpacked on August 5. The company delayed the launch of its first Fold, which started at $ 1,980, by five months from April 2019 to September of that year after some reporters found display flaws in their review units. This year, Round 2 is expected to launch with what could be called the Galaxy Fold 2 or Galaxy Z Fold 2. The new device would build on what Samsung learned from last year’s disaster.
Samsung’s new products come at a difficult time. 2020 was supposed to be a strong year for the phone industry, as innovations like 5G and folding screens got people buying again. Instead, financial struggles and concerns about COVID-19 will limit the number of devices companies can make and how many phones people will buy. Even once the worst of the pandemic has passed behind the US and other countries, the global economy will likely continue to struggle.
Instead of holding a press event in person, Samsung will host an unpacked digital event at 7am PT (10am ET) on August 5 to present its new devices. The plan follows similar movements by companies like Apple, which has changed its online events during the pandemic. Samsung, for the first time, “will broadcast live from South Korea,” a spokesman said.
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