Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone - pros and cons

At the presentation of Samsung Galaxy Unpacked on February 20, 2019, something happened that irrevocably transformed the phone niche. Samsung showed users a hybrid smartphone Samsung Galaxy Fold, the advantages and disadvantages of which are discussed in this article. The device can be both a smartphone and a tablet PC, depending on the wishes of the owner.

Positioning

It is worth recalling that at the end of last year, and then at CES 2019, the Chinese firm Royole showed off the unique FlexPai bending phone that folds in half. The device, despite the fact that it turned out to be unusual and unfinished, excited the minds of users, because the future came along with it.

At that moment, most experts were surprised, because for about 5 years there were opinions, if not allegations, about the bending phone from Samsung, and here, as ironic as it may be, the titanium from Korea overtook the young brand. Following rumors about the presentation of the flexible Galaxy Fold, Xiaomi also announced that it also wants to showcase its own achievements in the near future - Xiaomi Mi Flex.

It seemed that the manufacturers were again trying to "feed" users with unrealistic dreams, but no. On February 20, 2019, before the Galaxy Unpack 2019 event itself, Samsung demonstrated a workable, almost high-quality, new and advanced Galaxy Fold. Of course, the device turned out to be incredible, and will be discussed in more detail below.

Samsung Galaxy Fold review

Demonstration Galaxy S10 from Samsung did not start with an advanced series. The hero of the event gave primacy to the folding Galaxy Fold, which for a long time was safely hidden from the media and retained its position as a kind of ghostly gadget in the phone niche.

Appearance

Galaxy Fold is made up of two identical panels connected to each other by a hidden hinge mechanism. Due to this solution, the device can be bent in any direction. It looks like a book in design, and the phone transforms into a tablet PC in the same way.

Samsung uses high quality materials such as metal and glass. This has a positive effect on its design.

Employees of the company have announced so far only four colors of the device. All the colors of the folding phone have a few striking names:

1. Martian green;
2. Black space;
3. Astro blue;
4. Space silver.

The minimalist Samsung logo is engraved on the spine of the device.

Display

Samsung's Galaxy Fold has two displays, which are 4.6 and 7.3-inches, respectively. The former uses Super AMOLED technology, and the latter uses Dynamic AMOLED. The format of the more practical panel is 1960x840 px, and the larger one is 2152x1536 px. Consequently, the saturation of the pixels of the latter reaches a value of 362 dpi. Both panels are HDR compatible.

Until it is implemented formally, Samsung representatives do not share information.According to the manufacturer, the Infinity Flex Display uses an ultra-thin polymer material (plastic) that uses an innovative adhesive that was developed by the brand to laminate multiple layers of the screen, allowing it to be folded multiple times.

Samsung also had to reduce the thickness of its own flexible panel. To achieve this, the developers have reduced the size of the polarizing layer by 45%.

Now it is clear that the panel hidden inside the device, the diagonal of which is 7.3 inches, is protected by plastic materials, not glass.

Control

When Samsung's Galaxy Fold is folded, the phone has a relatively small touch-screen type that can be controlled with one hand. It's very comfortable. The fingerprint sensor is located on the side, so when the user picks up the device, the thumb immediately touches the sensor - there is no need to look for the edge of the phone to find the sensor.

The internal Dynamic AMOLED display is really exciting, it is very comfortable to work with it, whatever the user does not do - even on the Internet, even when viewing pictures or videos, or even when editing text files and spreadsheets. Everything is equally clear, colorful and pleasing to the eye. In particular, the massive QWERTY keyboard should be highlighted, because typing on it is a sheer pleasure.

The buttons of the virtual keyboard are large and comfortable, which will be a kind of balm for the soul of those users who have long been tired of missing keys when typing on their own phone. Such dimensions make it possible to conveniently use the device even for owners of very large palms.

Multitasking

While clarity of control is in the first place when working with the Galaxy Fold in phone mode, when opening a "book" in tablet mode, users get really excellent multitasking.

The gadget makes it possible to synchronously use three programs - the display is divided into 3 independent parts (one large and two slightly smaller in size), for which different content is displayed.

For example, in one "tab" the user communicates in the messenger, in the second he searches for the necessary information in Google, and in the third he watches videos from YouTube.

The good news from Samsung is that software developers are already working hard to optimize their own software for such displays. For example, Microsoft Office, Facebook, WhatsApp and some other applications are already 100% adapted for this new product.

Another interesting feature of the flexible phone is the perfect fusion of the large and compact displays. All data that the user works with is immediately transferred between the displays during the opening or closing of the device. The procedure for changing the active screen goes smoothly, without braking or lags.

Well, it will not be superfluous to say in connection with multitasking about the ability to synchronously restore the battery and Galaxy Fold, and any other device from its battery. The device supports both conventional and wireless charging methods, and therefore users are given the opportunity to perfectly combine both.

Performance

With a flexible phone, the situation is fascinating. Of course, Snapdragon's premium 855 chip in a cutting-edge device doesn't impress anyone. The peculiarity is that the Galaxy Fold for the European market will also be equipped with a Qualcomm processor, rather than the branded Exynos 9820 that comes with the entire Galaxy S10 line for the European market. Therefore, if the user wants Samsung on the Snapdragon 855 architecture, then the Galaxy Fold is worth a look.

There is only one modification - the user gets 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of ROM, respectively. Internal storage will not be excessive because the flexible phone from Samsung lacks a flash storage slot. Integrated 512 GB - everything that will be at the mercy of the owner of this expensive gadget.

Cameras

The top novelty from Samsung cannot upset users with poor functions.The new Galaxy Fold is no exception, and its photographic capabilities are beyond praise. First of all, it should be noted that there are many cameras in the new product. At the back is the main unit, which consists of 3 modules:

1. 12 MP sensor with optical type stabilization and an aperture within 1.5-2.4.
2. 12 MP sensor with a telephoto lens, 2.4 aperture and optical image stabilization with support for double zoom.
3. 16 MP sensor with 2.2 wide-angle aperture.

In addition, above the small display used in telephone mode, there is a 10 MP front camera with an aperture of 2.2, and after opening the "book" an additional 10 MP block with an aperture of 2.2 and support for an auxiliary matrix of 8 MP (aperture - 1.9) with depth sensor.

Interface

The OS is Android 9.0 Pie. Samsung has changed the software and named it One UI. This is the branded shell of the company.

Autonomy

The battery is made of two parts, the total volume is 4,380 mAh. It supports fast charging, which, like the new Galaxy S10 line, uses the proven Adaptive Fast Charging technology.

Sound and video

The sound capabilities of the Fold phone guarantee high-quality stereo speakers from AKG, and therefore, while listening to tracks, watching movies and playing games on this device, the user can enjoy great deep sound.

By the way, about games and films. The phone copes well with playing any graphic files - the image is rich, perfectly detailed, and the power of the device is enough to work even with the most heavy programs and games. If the user wants an immersive experience, then the Galaxy Fold is a great choice.

Specifications

Advantages and disadvantages

• Unique shapes;
• 2 displays;
• High quality cameras;
• Productive filling;
• Ease of use.

• Cost.

Release date and how much does it cost?

As expected by experts, the folding Galaxy smartphone will be available much later than the rest of the models that were announced at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2019 show. The model will be on sale on April 26, 2019 at an average price of 130,000 rubles.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that, based on the above information, Samsung's Galaxy Fold is an innovative and thoughtful step in the creation of phones. Of course, the device will find its own buyer, despite the high price. In general, it makes sense to advise the device for detailed information.

Galaxy Fold on video: