Motorola Razr 2 takes early lead as Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 set to drop big feature

The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 could come without the revamped S Pen set to debut with the Galaxy Note 20

Samsung Galaxy Fold
(Image credit: Samsung)

The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, or whatever the name ends up being for the Korean smartphone producer's next folding device, is hotly tipped to debut alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. It's set to improve on the original Samsung Galaxy Fold, which was plagued with hardware trouble, necessitating a relaunch. 

Although no official info has been released by Samsung, leaks have suggested the Fold 2 is being codenamed "Winner2" or "Win2" and will be released in separate 4G and 5G models. 

However, new information has come to light that could give its foldable rivals, such as the Motorola Razr 2 and Huawei Mate XS, an early lead as the next generation foldable race heats up. 

The big reason behind Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 launching with the Note 20 was thought by some to be a re-positioning of the Fold's function. It was rumoured to come with the Note 20's redesigned S Pen, acting as a fold-out phablet to allow the user more screen space to work with the stylus. 

News outlet SamMobile has seen a South Korean blog post claiming the Fold 2 will not arrive on shelves with the S Pen. Samsung is reportedly looking to make the Fold lighter than it was in 2019, and the S Pen will be dropped as a way to shed the weight.

Samsung Galaxy Fodl

The original Samsung Galaxy Fold

(Image credit: Future)

To us, that's some disappointing news. The S Pen inclusion was a way to provide the folding phone mechanic with real functionality, as an optional larger surface area is a great idea for phablets. Taking this away only decreases the Fold 2's functionality: why buy a folding phone if you're not going to make the most of it?

SamMobile also reports the phone will be coming in Astral Blue and Martian Green, two colour options announced, but never released, for the original Samsung Galaxy Fold. 

It's also slated to begin production in May, but whether this will be impacted by the ongoing global health crisis, causing it to miss its July deadline, no-one is sure. Stay tuned for all the Galaxy Fold 2 and Note 20 news as it breaks.

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Matt Evans

Matt Evans now works for T3.com sister brand TechRadar, covering all things relating to fitness and wellness. He came to T3.com as staff writer before moving on, and was previously on Men's Health, and slightly counterintuitively, a website devoted to the consumption of Scotch whiskey. In his free time, he could often be found with his nose in a book until he discovered the Kindle.