Galaxy Z Fold 3 – Unofficially Official
Since September 18 of last year, when the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 was released, there has been rampant speculation about when the next model would appear and what it might look like. Endless numbers of articles about what might and might not be featured in the new device and dozens of ‘renderings’ have speculated about what such a device might look like, but despite the ‘leaks’, influencer whispers, and supposed conversations with suppliers, there has been no comment from Samsung as to when the Fold 3 might be announced or what it might contain. Of course, Samsung enjoys the speculation, as it drives consumer interest in the potential product, and probably allows a few hints to be dropped here and there to keep interest alive, but only yesterday was something actually revealed about the next generation foldable that can be considered fact.
The FCC requires certification for every device sold in the US that produce radio waves, and while that sounds a bit limited it does include both devices that intentionally produce radio frequency energy (smartphones, IoT, power adapters, etc.) and those that produce same ‘unintentionally’, such as digital cameras. This makes certification for a device such as a foldable smartphone a given, and the FCC is required to publish a notification for every device that it certifies, which just recently included the US variants of the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3. While this does not guarantee that the release of such a device is imminent, it is a good indicator that Samsung is preparing the device for release and it gives some clarity to what the device might feature.
The FCC documentation shows that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 supports eleven 5G bands, 15 4G bands, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, NFC, and both Qi and 15W fast charging, but of most importance the certification does confirm that the device supports the S-Pen, which would make it the first foldable to do so and more directly comparable to the Galaxy Note flagship series.. This gives rise to further speculation about whether the Galaxy Note smartphone series will be abandon by Samsung going forward, but still does not clarify Samsung’s stance in the near-term on the Note. As Note sales have been relatively weak over the last few years and foldables contain larger than normal premiums, logic says that the Note’s days are numbered, but as to when that model might be terminated, we can only guess, although the S-Pen support for the Fold 3 is another pin in the Note Voodoo doll.
The FCC requires certification for every device sold in the US that produce radio waves, and while that sounds a bit limited it does include both devices that intentionally produce radio frequency energy (smartphones, IoT, power adapters, etc.) and those that produce same ‘unintentionally’, such as digital cameras. This makes certification for a device such as a foldable smartphone a given, and the FCC is required to publish a notification for every device that it certifies, which just recently included the US variants of the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3. While this does not guarantee that the release of such a device is imminent, it is a good indicator that Samsung is preparing the device for release and it gives some clarity to what the device might feature.
The FCC documentation shows that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 supports eleven 5G bands, 15 4G bands, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, NFC, and both Qi and 15W fast charging, but of most importance the certification does confirm that the device supports the S-Pen, which would make it the first foldable to do so and more directly comparable to the Galaxy Note flagship series.. This gives rise to further speculation about whether the Galaxy Note smartphone series will be abandon by Samsung going forward, but still does not clarify Samsung’s stance in the near-term on the Note. As Note sales have been relatively weak over the last few years and foldables contain larger than normal premiums, logic says that the Note’s days are numbered, but as to when that model might be terminated, we can only guess, although the S-Pen support for the Fold 3 is another pin in the Note Voodoo doll.
We do note that making a foldable device applicable to a pen is not a simple task and while the touch component is bendable, the pressure of the pen on the foldable screen could damage the display. While the FCC only confirms the inclusion of the S-Pen support and not details on how the device implements that support, much has been said about Samsung’s adoption of UTG (Ultra-thin Glass) for this device.
This would offer protection to the display and lessen the impact of the pressure of the pen, however the pen itself is not expected to be stored in the body of the device, as it is in the Galaxy Note series, as the device is more sensitive to dirt and moisture than a static display might be and we note that some of the early problems that Samsung had with foldables had to do with dust and dirt getting into the phone and causing problems with the hinge and eventually the display. While we have yet to receive an invitation from Samsung, we do expect the Fold 3 to be announced at the Samsung Unpacked event on August 3 given yesterday’s FCC certification, at which point we will see if the other highly speculated features, such as the under-display camera made their way into the new device.
This would offer protection to the display and lessen the impact of the pressure of the pen, however the pen itself is not expected to be stored in the body of the device, as it is in the Galaxy Note series, as the device is more sensitive to dirt and moisture than a static display might be and we note that some of the early problems that Samsung had with foldables had to do with dust and dirt getting into the phone and causing problems with the hinge and eventually the display. While we have yet to receive an invitation from Samsung, we do expect the Fold 3 to be announced at the Samsung Unpacked event on August 3 given yesterday’s FCC certification, at which point we will see if the other highly speculated features, such as the under-display camera made their way into the new device.
RSS Feed