Quite a bit of information has surfaced over the past couple of weeks ago, mostly pertaining to the upcoming Galaxy S21, the (unconfirmed) Note 21, as well as the next Galaxy Z Fold device. However, things appear to be pretty quiet on the Galaxy Z Flip 2—and now, we might know why.
According to Sammobile, the launch Galaxy Z Flip 2 has been delayed. The original Galaxy Z Flip was launched along with the Galaxy S20 in February of this year, but it appears that Samsung is postponing the launch to sometime later in the year, beyond Q1 2021.
On the other hand, the Galaxy S21 is still expected to launch at the beginning of 2021, so a possibility is that Samsung is moving the Z Flip 2 in order to keep the focus on Samsung’s S series—at least, during Q1. The lack of leaks and information on Samsung’s next clamshell smartphone also adds weight to the theory that Samsung is delaying the Z Flip 2.
But it may be worth the wait
However, it might be worth waiting for the Z Flip 2 before you rush out and get the original Z Flip—or even the Motorola Razr. Sammobile reports that the Galaxy Z Flip 2 will come with a 120Hz refresh rate on its display, which would tally with the current market trend of high refresh rate displays.
Of course, 120Hz refresh rates aren’t exactly new. Samsung has already introduced a high refresh rate display on a foldable phone recently, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, which uses a similar Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) that the Z Flip 2 is expected to feature.
The rumour was also confirmed by noted leakster Ice Universe, who shared via Weibo that the next Z Flip smartphone will have a 120Hz display, slimmer bezels, and a lower price tag than its predecessor. He also refers to the phone as the “Galaxy Z Flip 3”, which might be because Samsung considers the 5G edition of the Galaxy Z Flip to be the second iteration in the series.
It seems pretty likely, in any case. High refresh rates generally offer a better experience when browsing, or playing compatible mobile games. Battery consumption is certainly worse, but this can be offset with features like an adaptive refresh rate—or you can simply set your refresh rate at the conventional 60Hz.
For now, it looks like we won’t be seeing a new clamshell Z Flip phone at the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event, which will probably happen in January 2021. Instead, we might have to wait till Q2 2021—or beyond—for the Z Flip 2 (or 3).
