Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold2 smartphone will be unveiled globally on Tuesday at an online event. Courtesy Samsung
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold2 smartphone will be unveiled globally on Tuesday at an online event. Courtesy Samsung
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold2 smartphone will be unveiled globally on Tuesday at an online event. Courtesy Samsung
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold2 smartphone will be unveiled globally on Tuesday at an online event. Courtesy Samsung

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold2 smartphone could cost £1,799


Alkesh Sharma
  • English
  • Arabic

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold2 foldable phone, which will be launched globally on Tuesday, could cost as much as £1,799 ($2,400 / Dh8,815).

The price of the new phone was briefly displayed on the company’s UK website, before it was removed.

The leak, which was first reported by the Android Authority website, said the phone will be cheaper in the US, where it is expected to cost about £1,423.

The listing also showed that the Fold2 has just one storage variant, 256 gigabytes, and comes in two colours – bronze and black.

When folded, it has a 15.7-centimetre display that extends to 19.3cm when unfolded.

Samsung released a teaser video of the Z Fold2 on August 5 when it unveiled phones in its Note20 series. The company has yet to reveal a launch date for the new foldable phone in the UAE.

"We will announce it soon, sometime in September ... we believe in [the] foldable category and are very committed to it," Osman Albora, senior director of Samsung Gulf Electronics' mobile division told The National last week.

The UAE is an important market for handset manufacturers due to its high level of smartphone use. A November 2018 YouGov survey found that nine in 10 respondents in the UAE own a smartphone, with 70 per cent of those without a device planning to buy one.

Courtesy Android Authority
Courtesy Android Authority

“Our premium foldable devices are very well-accepted in this region … they have won a good following. We expect the same response for the new device,” said Mr Albora.

The South Korean consumer electronics company spent about eight years developing the first foldable smartphone, Galaxy Fold, which was launched in the UAE in October last year.

Samsung was forced to postpone a global release in April 2019 after reviewers reported screen problems within days of use.

Samsung said it sold between 400,000 and 500,000 units of the Galaxy Fold last year. It had a launch price of more than Dh7,200 and an 18.5cm screen that folded into a more compact device.

After this, Samsung launched the cheaper Galaxy Z Flip in February this year. The phone cost Dh5,499 and was sold out in the UAE on the first day.

Samsung's upcoming third foldable phone Galaxy Z Fold2. Courtesy Samsung
Samsung's upcoming third foldable phone Galaxy Z Fold2. Courtesy Samsung

The Galaxy Z Flip is a compact, palm-sized device when folded, but its screen size nearly doubles to 17cm when opened.

Following Samsung's launches, rival companies such as Huawei and Lenovo have also released their own foldable phone models.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The BIO

Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.

Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.

Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.

Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

While you're here
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
%3Cp%3ECory%20Sandhagen%20v%20Umar%20Nurmagomedov%0D%3Cbr%3ENick%20Diaz%20v%20Vicente%20Luque%0D%3Cbr%3EMichael%20Chiesa%20v%20Tony%20Ferguson%0D%3Cbr%3EDeiveson%20Figueiredo%20v%20Marlon%20Vera%0D%3Cbr%3EMackenzie%20Dern%20v%20Loopy%20Godinez%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETickets%20for%20the%20August%203%20Fight%20Night%2C%20held%20in%20partnership%20with%20the%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20went%20on%20sale%20earlier%20this%20month%2C%20through%20www.etihadarena.ae%20and%20www.ticketmaster.ae.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors

Transmission: two-speed

Power: 671hp

Torque: 849Nm

Range: 456km

Price: from Dh437,900 

On sale: now

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE Team Emirates

Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)