Samsung Galaxy Fold 'review': The future is (almost) here

Where Apple decided to use the tenth anniversary of the iPhone to finally bring the device upwardly to par with the contest (adding an AMOLED display and reducing the atrociously large bezels the iPhone had e'er had earlier the iPhone Ten), Samsung went on a different tangent altogether. The Galaxy S10 is an impressive flagship and a substantial upgrade from its predecessor, but Samsung had something more heady to prove off.

Yes, Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy Fold, the foldable smartphone it has been working on for almost five years. Every bit a Samsung fan site, it would be an understatement to say anybody here at SamMobile was excited, primarily because someone was finally addressing the lack of innovation in the smartphone industry and Samsung itself was getting back in course. And, well, because the Korean giant'southward foldable telephone wasfinallyhere after years of rumors.

Sadly, information technology'southward been a rough few days for the Milky way Fold, with reports of the screen breaking for some reviewers. Most cases of the screen breaking have been because of user mistake — reviewers tried to remove the protective film that covers the foldable display, fifty-fifty though Samsung warns of the film's importance on the packaging. The warnings aren't enough, even so. The Fold is too not protected well enough against grit, and so Samsung has recalled the review units and decided to delay the launch.

Our unit, thankfully, had no issues, and this "review" is based on our experience with the product Samsung put in reviewers' easily ahead of the retail launch. We say review with quotes considering information technology'southward unclear in what course and with what improvements the Fold will come back. In that location'south a chance it might even be discontinued if Samsung decides the hardware needs a major revision, so we'll have an updated review later this year based on what ultimately happens.

Galaxy Fold review: Design

I could probably run out of adjectives when describing how crawly it feels the first time you fold this thing. Thanks to the strong magnets on either side of the device, it snaps close like those flip phones of old. And it's as satisfying to unfold; the main 7.3-inch Infinity Flex AMOLED display unfurls and snaps fully open up with a clicking sound.

A circuitous swivel with multiple interlocking gears at the center of the device makes this folding and unfolding possible – the Fold is rated for 200,000 folds, or 100 folds every mean solar day for five years (hither'south someone folding and unfolding it a thousand times live on video). You lot can't see the swivel, but you lot tin feel how solid it is every time you fold or unfold the Galaxy Fold. And it all feels highly premium equally well.

The Fold is rather thick in the folded country, but I didn't notice information technology to be too uncomfortable to keep in my pockets, as it's long just non very broad. Of course, your mileage will vary. Those wearing tight jeans may have trouble walking effectually with the Fold in their pocket. There's besides the fact that in that location's a pocket-sized gap between the two halves of the device when it'south folded, and then you'll accept to make certain you don't absentmindedly put it in a pocket with something like keys or coins already in there. Or, you know, sit with it in your back pocket.

However, the biggest business organization, as confirmed by Samsung, is the dust and minor debris that you find in the real world. There are small openings effectually the swivel through which dust or something similar textile lint (from your pockets) could enter so society itself under the display. Whether Samsung will be able to hands shut upwardly those openings remains to exist seen. As it stands, the Fold would need plenty of babying, then perhaps it's a good thing the company has decided to filibuster its release.

The Galaxy Fold doesn't support 3.5 mm headphone jacks, but since Samsung bundles free Galaxy Buds, this didn't actually concern me. What does concern me is that at that place's no notification LED on a $2000 phone. I empathise why the Galaxy S10 doesn't have it, but Samsung could accept easily added a notification LED next to the cover brandish. Also an consequence is the fingerprint sensor.

The fingerprint sensor is separate from the ability button and is placed too depression in both phone and tablet way. It doesn't aid that the fingerprint sensor likewise doubles upwards as the Bixby key, then there were a few instances where I ended up long pressing the button by fault and firing up Bixby Voice. And since there's no iris sensor on the Fold, I used facial recognition for unlocking information technology, and that thankfully works pretty well nigh of the fourth dimension.

Galaxy Fold displays

Samsung has equipped the Fold with a four.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel for when you want to use the device every bit a phone. I used the embrace display quite a fleck during my time with the Fold, and information technology'south quite handy for apace checking out your notifications, scanning for new content in apps, and, of form, making phone calls. That'due south virtually it, though. You tin utilise it for everything you tin do on a regular phone, merely the screen size is just as well small for it to be an intuitive experience.

Typing is especially hard because the cover display is then narrow, and while I got used to it later on a point, not everyone volition be able to practice so, especially with fatty fingers. Only so the cover display was never meant to be the star of the testify. That's the seven.three-inch display that you get when you unfold the Galaxy Fold, so allow'southward go ahead and talk well-nigh that, shall nosotros?

One time the reality that your phone just turned into a tablet sets in, y'all're greeted by a vii.3-inch Infinity Flex AMOLED display that'southward made of plastic, because glass isn't bendable just yet. It'south not oft that y'all go such a big AMOLED brandish in a pocket-sized device, and that in itself is something that impressed me every time I unfolded the Fold. And this AMOLED panel is every bit skillful as Samsung'due south flagship telephone displays. It simply doesn't get equally bright, only at 800 nits elevation brightness, it's much higher than whatsoever dedicated tablet display.

Okay, then what near that crease that has been hyped up in all the coverage about the Milky way Fold? Well, it'due south not noticeable if you look at the device caput on, just see it at an bending and the pucker volition take hold of your middle; same goes for when there's likewise much light around you. It won't disturb you as much equally you lot might think, though. A crease is going to be unavoidable with foldable displays, then what matters is just how much of a distraction information technology will be, and you'll end noticing the Fold'southward crease after a while.

And when considering the possibilities a foldable device gives you lot, that crease becomes even less of a concern. Even so, while the 4:3 aspect ratio of the main display is great for browsing, it doesn't lend itself well to watching videos. Yous will encounter blackness bars at the tiptop and bottom, and worse still, the notch comes in the fashion of the already pocket-size viewing expanse for videos when you hold the Fold in landscape mode.

Possibly a vertical notch would have been better, but and then it would mess upwardly the large amount of time you'll spend holding the Fold in portrait orientation. The notch could certainly take been narrower — there seems to exist a lot of wasted space in there, with the light and other sensors pretty wide apart for some reason.

Galaxy Fold software

The Galaxy Fold runs Android Pie with I UI i.2 out of the box. One UI i.two is newer than One UI ane.1 that you detect on the Galaxy S10 and other Galaxy phones launched with Android Pie out of the box, but you won't see any noticeable difference if you lot've already used a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S9 with Pie. I've been using I UI since early January, then I was instantly at dwelling house on the Fold when I started using it.

First, let'southward talk well-nigh what is arguably the master highlight of the software feel on the Galaxy Fold: App Continuity. Basically, any app that you are using on the cover display will expand to fit the 7.3-inch internal display when you unfold the device. Samsung has shown off some examples of this already, like with Google Maps, and it does work well with many apps, including the browser.

But not all apps support App Continuity. For such apps, the Fold shows you blackness confined at the left and right side, and you take to relaunch these apps to brand them work properly on the big screen. Also, past default, App Continuity doesn't piece of work the contrary mode. Apps open up on the master display volition not adjust and show up on the cover brandish when y'all fold the device, and you accept to manually enable information technology on an app-to-app basis.

There are besides some issues with apps similar Facebook and Instagram in general. Samsung tells u.s. the Milky way Fold is the best product for Facebook and Instagram, just both apps, for some reason, blow up images to fit the entire screen, hiding things similar the comment field that you meet below photos as yous roll through your feed. Images in Instagram stories, meanwhile, cross the edge of the screen and are partially cut out.

If someone has added a poll or text at the bottom of their Instagram story, you won't exist able to read it. I love that yous can see large images in Instagram on the Fold by default, just missing out on content and needing to coil to admission the comment section ruins the experience. I'm sure Samsung and Instagram volition set this quickly as they worked together for the dedicated Instagram fashion for the Galaxy S10 camera, but it's something that should have been a non-consequence from the start.

But most apps run fine when fired upwards in tablet mode, even if they don't all offer any special reward on a bigger screen. And if you're a gaming fan, y'all'll find no issues whatsoever, as game developers are always leading the way when information technology comes to adopting new course factors and new OS features. The embrace display is as well small for shooting and other games where you accept to take multiple fingers on the display to hit various buttons, only it'southward fine for the occasional tour of Temple Run and gesture-based games.

Multitasking freaks volition honey the three-app Multi Window. Yous can have up to iii apps simultaneously and freely resize their windows and motion them effectually. You open one app, then swipe in from the right to access a menu with all your app shortcuts and drag an app out and then repeat information technology for the third app. And it's too slap-up to blazon on the vii.3-inch display. The Samsung keyboard splits between the middle like it would on a regular tablet, and it was surprisingly easy to get used to.

Samsung has worked together with Google on the software for its foldable smartphone, merely that doesn't mean the feel is as good as it can exist. Nonetheless, most bug merely seem to stem from the fact that developers haven't had the fourth dimension to update their apps to play well with the Galaxy Fold. Things should get better one time it's released for consumers and software updates should also meliorate things, peculiarly small issues and limitations, like the fact that there's no choice to set the same wallpaper on the cover and main brandish with one tap — each must exist ready separately.

Galaxy Fold cameras

The Milky way Fold comes with no less than six cameras. Don't be fooled past the number, though. Samsung is using the same sensors here that you find on the Galaxy S10+. In that location's iii rear cameras that you apply in both folded and unfolded country: a 12MP F1.5 primary camera, a 16MP F2.two ultra-broad photographic camera, and a 12MP F2.4 telephoto camera. In tablet fashion, you tin can take selfies and make video calls using the 10MP + 8MP dual camera setup, and when folded, there's a unmarried 10MP sensor for those tasks.

While the camera viewfinder is cute to see on the 7.3-inch AMOLED panel, the image quality on the Galaxy Fold cameras is the same equally the Galaxy S10+, so you lot should cheque out our S10+ review for an in-depth camera assay. In short, yous can accept first-class photos in all but the toughest of lighting atmospheric condition, with the ultra-wide camera coming in very handy. You as well have features similar Super Tedious-mo videos, AR Emoji and Alive Focus at your command.

The Fold tin't, notwithstanding, offer the kind of sharpness you lot see in low-light photos from some Huawei phones and the Google Pixel devices, and in that location's no Bright Nighttime/Night fashion feature to assist you lot in really nighttime situations. It also lacks a dedicated Instagram mode unlike the S10, but we're guessing all of those will be added later on with a software update.

Milky way Fold performance and battery life

With a Snapdragon 855 and 12GB of RAM powering the Galaxy Fold, it shouldn't surprise you to hear that operation on the device was excellent throughout, with no stutter or lag in a week of use. I was also impressed by the battery life. This is the first time in many years that SamMobile has received a Galaxy flagship with a Snapdragon bit since Samsung launches the Exynos model in Europe, and information technology made me wonder what Samsung has washed with its latest Exynos chip.

The Snapdragon 855 performs nifty while likewise being an energy saver. I could hands cross six hours of screen time with plenty of use in tablet mode on the first total charge, and battery life has been consistently proficient. That said, a larger battery would have been nice to accept. The Fold has a 4380 mAh battery chapters, which is just 380 mAh higher than the Galaxy S10+ and isn't enough for long bouts of heavy usage, especially when you're on the motility.

And information technology's sorry that the Fold, like the non-5G Galaxy S10s, comes with the same old 15W fast charging speeds, non the 25W super fast charging that the Galaxy S10 5G and fifty-fifty the mid-range Galaxy A70 and Milky way A80 offer. Even the 5G Galaxy Fold is listed with 15W charging while having a slightly smaller battery than the LTE variant. It'southward a major point of contention for a device so costly, fifty-fifty if the cost is pretty attractive considering the rest of the package.

Wireless charging fans don't demand to worry, thankfully. The Galaxy Fold supports fast wireless charging and can accuse other devices wirelessly through the Wireless PowerShare feature that debuted on the Galaxy S10 lineup. And no, wireless charging does not work when the device is unfolded, in case you lot were wondering.

Galaxy Fold sound

With stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos back up, you'd retrieve the Galaxy Fold has the same audio chops every bit the Galaxy S10. Well, that'south not the case. That's because the Fold gets two dedicated speakers for audio, and a dissever earpiece for calls higher up the embrace display on the outside. The Galaxy S10 (and every other Galaxy phone with stereo speakers) uses the earpiece every bit the second speaker of the stereo setup. It's loud, but the Fold's audio output is louder. The speakers also sound fantastic, making the Fold an excellent media device when coupled with that foldable AMOLED brandish.

Here's an odd affair nearly how the Fold handles calls, though. If you get a call when you lot're using the 7.three-inch display, you can reply the call, but it's still the earpiece above the cover display that gets activated. This is probably a small-scale oversight that Samsung forgot to address while designing the experience of switching between the main and cover displays, and information technology came across as a funny issues rather than something yous would complain nearly.

Galaxy Fold verdict

There's no dubiety that the Milky way Fold shows united states of america the future of mobile devices, where we could have a tablet masquerading as a phone in our pockets. However, it's not perfect at the moment, and Samsung has delayed the launch in lodge to fix the problems with the Fold. We believe Samsung was and so focused on the complexities of folding a display and putting it in the hands of consumers that it lost sight of the basics and overall quality command somewhere along the style.

Just ane thing is for sure: Equally long-time Samsung fans, we're very proud to see what the visitor is capable of. The first foldable phone really is effectually the corner. This is the existent matter, and no affair how long it takes Samsung to patch it up and put it back on sale, the Galaxy Fold will always be an impressive production, peculiarly every bit a first-generation device.

The software is ready, barring a few issues that software and app updates could easily ready, and the hardware is almost ready. Should y'all order one once it's dorsum on auction? Non if yous can't chance $2,000/€2,000. If you tin can and are groovy on beingness early adopters of a technical achievement like the Fold, sure, why non? We loved our time with the Milky way Fold and it's too bad we tin't keep it any longer, but we'll surely be waiting with baited breath for its (hopefully) eventual render.

Go along an centre out on SamMobile for more on the Galaxy Fold in the coming weeks and an updated review when it goes on auction again. We are too working on a video review that nosotros will add to this review in the adjacent couple of days.

Pros	Cons
Foldable display feels straight from the future, splendid AMOLED panels exterior and within	Embrace display is a bit too small
Stunning, premium design	Notch on master display should have been smaller
Solid folding and unfolding mechanism	No notification LED
Excellent operation	Software has kinks that need to be ironed out
Software that takes reward of the form factor	Inconvenient fingerprint sensor placement
Great cameras	No 25W fast charging like Galaxy S10 5G
Long-lasting bombardment	Samsung should accept better tested the basics for dust protection
Fantastic stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, Galaxy Buds included in box

Source: https://www.sammobile.com/samsung/galaxy-fold/review

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