Samsung Galaxy Z Flip rumors: Everything we know so far [Video]

Damien Wilde | Feb 5 2020 - 2:30 pm PT

Last year Samsung was able to keep a lid on the Galaxy Fold until the final hours before the Unpacked 2019 event. This time around we know quite a bit more on the rumor front ahead of the launch of the Galaxy Z Flip — the firms second-generation foldable.

When you look at the first Unpacked 2020 event of the year, there really is a lot to dissect and — sadly — not a lot left to learn. Although if you held off spending almost $2000 on the Galaxy Fold before the various kinks and quite well-publicized issues surfaced, then you may be pretty interested and intrigued as to what the Galaxy Z Flip may bring to the table.

For most OEMs, you would probably expect a completely separate launch event with serious time dedicated to the refreshed folding form factor. Samsung isn’t like most OEMs though. Instead, the Galaxy Z Flip will make up a portion of a wider Galaxy S20 series launch — which we also happen to know a great deal about already.

The good news is that we’ve sifted through the rumors, speculation, tidbits, and more to ensure that you have everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Given what we know ahead of the event — just like last year’s Galaxy Fold — it could actually be the Unpacked 2020 showstopper.

Design and device features

Samsung actually dropped huge hints on this updated form factor way back at its Developer Conference in late 2019. However, the South Korean firm showcased how OneUI would handle the vertical folding form factor rather than the upcoming hardware itself. This did set alarm bells ringing as rumors were rife that we’d see an updated Galaxy foldable in early 2020.

The Motorola Razr might have just beat the Z Flip to market, but this still looks like the clamshell design to beat at this early stage of 2020. Hopefully, Samsung has learnt from the mistakes of the Fold and has ensured that the Galaxy Z Flip will come bursting out of the gate far more rugged and capable of withstanding basic everyday wear and tear.

When folded, the Galaxy Z Flip will have a familiar footprint to the old Gameboy Advance SP. It has a wide-body and short torso — which is arguably why this new form factor will be popular. Unfolded it will have a far more familiar “smartphone” look. The tall 6.7-inch display is expected to have a 22:9 aspect ratio and will feature a central punch-hole notch like the Galaxy S20 and Note 10 series. We are expecting an FHD+ display with 2636 by 1080 pixel resolution.

At the front, there will also be a secondary display that probably won’t be useful for a great deal as it will measure in at 1.06-inches. This tiny display will probably just display the time, date, battery level, and may even double as a micro viewfinder for closed-shell selfies — although we’re not sure at this stage. The hinge on the Galaxy Z Flip is rumored to lock at 70 and 110-degrees too, making it ideal for placing on a surface for video calling and even taking selfies.

Thanks to a recent hands-on video leak, we’ve had a good look at just what the unfolding process will look like. We think that it looks far more elegant than the Moto Razr, which appears to have some quality control issues. It is also expected to be pretty chunky at between 15.4mm and 17.3mm thick when folded. When unfolded it will be between 6.9mm and 7.2mm thick.

Models

Unlike the Galaxy S20 series, rumors suggest just one model of the Galaxy Z Flip and no 5G variant. You’ll have to settle for 4G speeds.

Galaxy Z Flip specs rumors

If you are expecting the very latest internals, then you may leave a little disappointed. The Galaxy Z Flip will rely on the now six-month-old Snapdragon 855+ chipset. Make no mistakes though, this is still a very capable flagship-tier chip that will no doubt run Android 10 in the OneUI 2.0 flavor wonderfully. It’s also likely that Samsung opted for the 855+ over the 865 to help keep costs down and, hopefully, enhance battery life.

The Galaxy Z Flip will also come with 8GB of RAM, which cannot be increased. Combine that with 256GB of superfast UFS 3.0 storage and you should have an excellent everyday experience. It’s worth noting that you won’t be able to expand storage via microSD card on the Z Flip.

Given the form factor, a massive battery simply isn’t going to be viable. The rumors point to a 3,300mAh two-piece battery being found inside the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. One cell will measure in at 900mAh in one half, with a 2,400mAh cell in the other. It will support wireless charging, reverse wireless charging and 15W wired charging.

Camera

Some would have been hoping that the Galaxy Z Flip would come with Samsung’s new 108-megapixel main sensor. Instead, it is set to come with a dual 12-megapixel camera setup with a main wide lens and ultra-wide-angle lens — no telephoto option.

The punch-hole notch is expected to come packing the 10-megapixel Sony IMX 374 sensor, which we’re also told will come in the Galaxy S20 series. That does mean that 4K 60fps video recording will not be possible on any of the early-2020 Samsung releases.

Having the ability to lock the display at between 70 and 110-degrees should mean that using the Z Flip camera hands-free during video calls on Duo and Skype should be a breeze. As you’d expect with any other Samsung phone, it should still offer some impressive photo-taking capabilities.

Colors

Rumors suggest that you’ll be able to pick the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip in four colors: black, gold, silver, and purple. Leaks have given us a glimpse at the black and the purple version — with the purple having a series of tones and will look different in various lighting conditions. We would hope that the other colors offer a similar tone shift which has become a Samsung staple in recent years.

Galaxy Z Flip pricing rumors

The Galaxy Fold came with an eye-watering $1,980 in the United States. We don’t yet have US pricing for the Galaxy Z Flip but the rumors strongly suggest a close to $1,500 price-tag according to XDA’s Max Weinbach — who has been responsible for an avalanche of S20 and Z Flip information in the build-up to the official launch event.

Got updated prices for S20 and Z Flip in the UK:

S20 5G: £899
S20+ 5G: £999
S20 Ultra 5G: £1199
Z Flip: £1299

Keep in mind these could change.

— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) February 2, 2020

UK pricing has the Galaxy Z Flip retailing for £1,300, which with the current post-Brexit exchange rate could be around $1690. We would expect that to be closer to $1,500 in North America, as often converted UK pricing tends to be substantially higher.

Release date and availability

Unpacked 2020 is set for February 11, 2020. That means we’ll likely see the Galaxy S20 series and Galaxy Z Flip unveiled together alongside some other accessories before a launch date within the weeks proceeding. Early rumors hint at a February 14th launch but this may only be in selected regions and with selected carriers.

Stay tuned!

We’ll keep this post updated with all the rumors as we near the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip alongside the Galaxy S20 series at Unpacked 2020, but until then, keep it locked to the 9to5Google home page for all the latest Samsung Galaxy developments!