Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G could launch before Unpacked event

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Samsung's 5G-ready clamshell foldable is coming into focus — and it's right around the corner

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip has been our favorite foldable to launch thus far, and lately we've heard a new version with 5G is right around the corner. Thanks to a post from Samsung China, via TechRadar, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G's reveal is coming into focus.

The phone maker has reportedly shared a graphic on Weibo, a Chinese social networking site, mentioning the phone's name next to a July 22 date (though the link is unavailable without an account). Included is the text, "The new trend. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G, July 22. New colors are scheduled. Stay tuned."

The significance of that date isn't clear from the poster — it could be an early reveal for the Chinese market, or when pre-orders go live in that region. But either way, it seems that the Galaxy Z Flip 5G will officially break cover in some fashion the middle of this week, perhaps with a bronze hue in tow.

Now, we already suspected this phone was around the corner. After all, Samsung's Unpacked 2020 mobile event, where the company has already confirmed it will announce "five power devices," is penned for August 5. However, the proximity of these two dates has us scratching our heads.

(Image credit: Samsung via TechRadar)

Of course, the Galaxy Z Flip 5G won't be the lone star of the show at Unpacked. The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra will finally appear in the flesh, and we expect the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 to do the same, perhaps with a new name — the Galaxy Z Fold 2. It seems Samsung will brand "Galaxy Z" as its ultra high-end or foldable line going forward.

Compared to those devices, the Galaxy Z Flip 5G will be less of a new generation of Samsung's clamshell foldable, and more of a patch on the existing model, which only supports 4G LTE networks. To enable 5G support, the Z Flip 5G will get an all-new system-on-chip — believed to be Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865+ — while the rest of the device, from its ultra-thin glass-shrouded display to its dual-lens rear cameras, are expected to stay unchanged.

The original Galaxy Z Flip cost $1,380 when it launched earlier this year, but we don't quite know how expensive Samsung plans to make the 5G variant. That could all depend on whether or not the phone maker intends to keep the existing model around. If it does, that creates space for the Galaxy Z Flip 5G to enter at an even higher price for more discerning users who want to make sure they have a 5G-ready phone for the years ahead.

We won't have to wait long to have our answers, though. July 22 is merely two days away, and whatever we don't hear on the Z Flip 5G then, you can be sure we'll learn on August 5.

Adam Ismail

Adam Ismail is a staff writer at Jalopnik and previously worked on Tom's Guide covering smartphones, car tech and gaming. His love for all things mobile began with the original Motorola Droid; since then he’s owned a variety of Android and iOS-powered handsets, refusing to stay loyal to one platform. His work has also appeared on Digital Trends and GTPlanet. When he’s not fiddling with the latest devices, he’s at an indie pop show, recording a podcast or playing Sega Dreamcast.