Galaxy Z Fold 2 to offer customizable hinge colors, all options leaked

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 will feature customizable hinge colors, according to a new, surprisingly forthcoming leak from Samsung. More specifically, established industry insider Evan Blass, better known by his Twitter handle @evleaks, just shared an image revealing no fewer than four such hue options that Samsung intends to offer to prospective buyers of its latest foldable smartphone. What makes this leak somewhat unique is that it contains some clues to its original source – a Samsung B2B sales training manager based in Irving, Texas.

Which isn’t to say Samsung’s middle management is leaking unannounced product information; if anything, the fact Amy Montoya’s name wasn’t scrubbed from the image featured herein strongly suggests it was procured by a third party.

폴드 2 커스텀 힌지는 삼성닷컴 구매자에 한해서만 가능 https://t.co/JUbVzB66rr

— Sleepy Kuma (@Kuma_Sleepy) August 5, 2020

Samsung pioneering large-scale personalization

In any case, it appears future Galaxy Z Fold 2 owners will be able to choose among the following hinge colors: Platinum Silver, Rich Gold, Ruby Red, and Sapphire Blue. According to another industry insider from the Far East, the option of hand-picking one’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 hinge color will be exclusive to direct orders, i.e. those made via Samsung.com.

This added customizability was already on the cards last year; that is, Samsung considered it for the original Galaxy Fold but ultimately dropped the idea. A year later, it appears the company deems the logistical hassle of offering such level of personalization worth it. We should know more in just a few hours as the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is set to be officially announced at today’s Galaxy Unpacked which you can watch live free of charge. The product event is scheduled to start at 10 AM EST – that’s 4 PM in Central Europe and 10 PM PST.

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Galaxy A42 5G could feature Snapdragon 690, 5,000mAh battery

Samsung is working on various mid-range smartphones, including the Galaxy M51 and the Galaxy A42. Last month, we had exclusively reported about the existence of a 5G variant of the Galaxy A42. Two weeks ago, the phone’s battery capacity was also revealed. Now, the phone’s processor and memory specs have been leaked.

The Galaxy A42 5G (SM-A426B) appeared in Geekbench’s database earlier today. The smartphone seems to feature the Snapdragon 690 octa-core processor and 4GB RAM. The device also appears to be running Android 10. The Galaxy A42 scored 615 points in Geekbench’s single-core CPU test and 1,799 points in the multi-core test.

The name of the motherboard is ‘Lito,’ which is a codename for both Snapdragon 765G and Snapdragon 690. However, the Adreno 619 GPU that appears in the Galaxy A42’s processor has only be used in the Snapdragon 690 SoC that was recently launched. The new chipset is built using 8nm technology and supports mmWave 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, LPDDR4 RAM, and 120Hz refresh rate screens.

The Galaxy A42 5G’s battery has appeared in Safety Korea’s certification database, revealing a 5,000mAh capacity. The mid-range 5G smartphone is expected to be unveiled sometime next year with 128GB internal storage. It could launch in markets where 5G networks are present. It will be available in black, gray, and white colors.

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Android’s Nearby Share feature starts rolling out to Galaxy devices

Google has officially started rolling out the Nearby Share feature to some Android devices, including Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones and tablets. It is the successor to Android Beam and is quite similar to Samsung’s own Quick Share feature and Apple’s AirDrop feature. It will be available on Android devices from other brands soon.

Using Nearby Share, you will be able to share images, videos, documents, links, tweets, and much more with compatible devices nearby. The feature, which appears in Android’s share menu, needs Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to work. The Nearby Share feature is compatible with almost all devices running Android 6.0 or newer. Samsung’s Chromebooks will receive this feature as well.

Google started testing this feature in June 2020 and then started rolling it out to devices starting last month. However, it had a bit of a hiccup, but it should be rolling out to millions of smartphones and tablets over the next few weeks. It will automatically become available through a Google Play Service update in the background, so you don’t need to install any additional app or firmware update.

You can set your preferred visibility of Nearby Share to all, some, or stay hidden. This privacy feature will help you in avoiding obscene or unwanted files. Google says that it will try to bring Nearby Share to other platforms, including iOS, Mac, and Windows, in the future.

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Samsung could sell 500,000 units of Galaxy Z Fold 2 this year

The Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event hasn’t even started yet, but almost all the devices that are meant to be officially unveiled during the event have been fully leaked. Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Buds Live, and the Galaxy Watch 3 during its virtual launch event. Now, it is being reported that the South Korean firm could sell more Galaxy Z Fold 2 units than the original Galaxy Fold.

According to a new report from market tracker firm Counterpoint Research, Samsung could sell as many as 500,000 units of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 by the end of 2020. If the company manages to sell these many units of its new foldable smartphone, it would be a 100,000-unit jump from the Galaxy Fold from last year. The Galaxy Fold launch was delayed to September 2019, and it was eventually sold in 60 countries by the end of last year.

The South Korean firm had faced supply issues related to the screens and hinges last year, but it may not face similar issues this year. It means a steady supply chain and probably higher sales. The upcoming foldable phone is also expected to feature a sturdier body, larger outer and inner screens, faster processor, and better cameras. All of these factors could lead to higher sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 2.

Counterpoint Research also mentioned that it expects the Galaxy Note 20 to sell lower than the Galaxy Note 10. The market research firm said that Samsung could sell 8.5 million units of the Galaxy Note 20 series phones this year, which would be 500,000 units lower than the Galaxy Note 10 series in its debut year. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, 30 percent of consumers are expected to spend lower on their phones this year.

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Samsung brings Galaxy A51 5G to the US this week

Four months ago, Samsung had announced that it will launch its Galaxy A series 5G smartphones in the US. In June, the company launched the Galaxy A71 5G in the country, and now, it has announced that the Galaxy A51 5G will be available in the US later this week.

The Galaxy A51 5G will be available in the US for $499.99. It can be purchased via Samsung and T-Mobile from August 7. Verizon will start selling the Galaxy A51 5G UW, which supports the carrier’s mmWave 5G network, from August 13. It will also be available through Metro, but the company has not revealed any release date yet. The mid-range 5G smartphone will be available in three colors: Prism Cube Black, Prism Cube White, Prism Cube Pink.

Galaxy A51 5G specs

The South Korean smartphone giant’s new 5G smartphone sports a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with Full HD+ resolution and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The phone runs Android 10 with One UI 2, and it comes equipped with the Exynos 980 processor (Snapdragon 765G in the Galaxy A51 5G UW), 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot.

The Galaxy A51 5G specs include a 32MP selfie camera on the front and a 48MP+12MP+5MP+5MP quad-camera setup on the rear. The 48MP sensor acts as the primary camera, while the 12MP sensor sits behind an ultrawide-angle lens. The two 5MP sensors are used for depth sensing and macro shots. The phone can record 4K videos as well.

In terms of connectivity, the upcoming mid-range smartphone features A-GPS, 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, a USB Type-C port, and a headphone jack. The Galaxy A51 5G is powered by a 4,500mAh battery and supports 15W fast charging. It also features an under-display optical fingerprint reader. If you want an even larger screen, you can have a look at the Galaxy A71 5G, which is priced at $599.99.

Galaxy A51 5G Review

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The one Galaxy Note 20 ‘downgrade’ I hope is real (it probably is)

The regular Galaxy Note 20, as the rumors have shown, will not make people happy. Except for the camera setup, the Galaxy Note 20 won’t have a lot of meaningful upgrades over the Galaxy Note 10. The Note 20 is expected to miss out on a 120Hz display and microSD slot and it’s even going to have an older version of Gorilla Glass protecting its screen.

That’s not all: While the Galaxy Note 10 used Gorilla Glass 6 on the back, the Galaxy Note 20 is said to be equipped with plastic, which is something we haven’t seen on a flagship Galaxy smartphone for a long, long time. But while I feel the Galaxy Note 20’s rumored asking price is a bit too much considering all the things it doesn’t have, I’m glad that plastic has made a comeback (no pun intended) to Samsung’s high-end phones.

Yes, I say high-end because the Galaxy Note 20 just doesn’t feel like a proper flagship – it’s got some specs that are poorer than even the base Galaxy S20 model. Still, I love that one of the ways Samsung has cut costs is switching to plastic for the rear panel.

Plastic’s not as premium as glass, but it doesn’t shatter upon impact

Glass backs are great for adding a premium feel to phones, but plastic backs are infinitely less worrisome to live with. The reason is simple: Plastic backs don’t crack if your phone falls to the ground without a case on. One already lives in constant fear of breaking their phone’s display, and a glass back makes things even worse, necessitating a case if you aren’t one of those ultra-careful people who never, ever drop their phones.

I’m not exactly careless, but there have been times when my phone has slipped out of my grasp, and the thought of having to spend money on getting the glass on the phone repaired means I always use flagship phones with a case. I don’t do that with mid-range and budget phones that I often use in order to review them, and it’s precisely because those tend to always have plastic rear panels.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Samsung will start using plastic for all of its flagship phones. Maybe the cheapest model in next year’s Galaxy S lineup and the Note 20’s successor, but otherwise, glass is most likely going to be Samsung’s material of choice for its top-of-the-line phones for the foreseeable future. And that means I won’t actually be getting any relief from phones covered by glass on both sides, because I don’t see myself ever buying the non-Plus or non-Ultra variant of any Galaxy flagship.

What do you think? Would you be okay with paying upwards of $900-1000 for a phone with a plastic back, or do you prefer the more premium feel that you get with glass? Let me know down in the comments!

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Take a look at Samsung’s upcoming convertible fast wireless charger

If an insane number of phones, tablets, and wearable devices wasn’t enough, Samsung is apparently preparing to introduce some new accessories as well in the near future. One of them, a convertible version of the 15W fast wireless charger stand Samsung launched last year, has now been leaked by @RolandQuandt, who released images of the new wireless charger showing it from every angle in addition to its retail box.

This particular charger — model number EP-N3300 — has a kickstand at the back so it can be used horizontally or vertically for increased convenience, but it’s a downgrade when it comes to the charging speed. Called Wireless Charger Convertible, the new charger will charge devices at 9W. That’s still technically ‘fast’ wireless charging, but it’s going to be slow compared to the existing charger. It seems to be yet another example of Samsung bringing products that feel more like sidegrades than upgrades, though the company will likely continue to sell both variants for some time.

The pricing for the Wireless Charger Convertible hasn’t been revealed, but that should change soon. The new charger is said to be launching alongside the Galaxy Note 20 series, so we can expect it to go on sale in late August. However, as is often the case with Samsung’s accessories, it’s possible you won’t be able to buy the Wireless Charger Convertible in every market, at least not initially.

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