Leaked Galaxy Z Fold 2 wallpapers tip it won't fulfill a major foldable phone promise

Publish date: 2024-05-30
The OG Samsung Galaxy Fold has a puny 4.6" HD display on the outside which is only good for answering a call or checking the weather (no offense, iPhone SE 2020 lovers). The Galaxy Z Fold 2, however, with just a few of its rumored new features, rights all the OG Fold's wrongs, and may become the best foldable phone when it is announced on August 5 during Samsung's Unpacked event.We are talking about specs and usability here, at least on paper. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is expected to sport a larger 6.23-inch outside screen with much thinner bezels than on the Fold. The internal display with Ultra-thin Glass (UTG) cover clocks at 7.7-inches compared to the 7.3-inches found on the original unit, and is expected to carry a 120Hz refresh rate.The sheer diagonal growth of the external screen - from the pathetic 4.6" to 6.23" - adds incomparable amount of value to the Galaxy Z Fold 2. With just this (admittedly belated) move, Samsung increases the usability of the Fold 2 to the nine, as no longer would its owners have to use the hinge and open the screen every time they need to do something more than a quick notification/weather/time check.Need a larger screen for a long reading session, working on docs side by side, playing games, or simply watching videos? Just then you can pop open the screen, and we found this way to fulfill the foldable phone promises much better during our Huawei Mate Xs review. 

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 display specs would still be too squarish for YouTube

What won't be fulfilled, however, judging by the leaked Z Fold 2 wallpapers below, is the promise of foldable phones to be a joy for binge-watchers. Most YouTube clips are still in the 16:9 aspect ratio, whereas the resolution of the wallpapers strongly suggests a more squarish aspect ratio for the internal Galaxy Z Fold 2 display than on the original Fold. 

While not as bordering on the square as the 2480 x 2200 pixels resolution of the Mate Xs, the Z Fold 2 would still show the vast majority of videos with thick black strips of nothingness above and below. Zooming the video won't help, too, as then the aspect ratio gets distorted, as we found out in the Huawei Mate Xs review. 

Long story short, while the Z Fold 2 is shaping up to be great for browsing or reading on, watching videos or gaming may not be all those actions are cracked up to be when you hear "a 7.7" display diagonal." 

Still, the wallpapers maybe rotating to span several home screens, and the ones meant for a display half are just 970 pixels, so the aspect ratio may be further from a square than these leaked backgrounds suggest. Nevertheless, looking at the leaked renders, the Galaxy Fold 2 may still be a long way from the best form factor for video-binging.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.

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