Samsung Galaxy S and Note series being the company’s bread and butter, the Galaxy Fold is the main course and dessert all rolled into one. It has shown the industry’s latest technology while exploring a new mobile computing paradigm. The folding screen allows the Galaxy Fold to transform from pocketable phone to readable tablet. In so doing, it seeks to usher in a new age.
A Smartphone has been a thing for people for more than 10 years, and tablets are nearly reaching decade, each has advantages that differ from the other. Phones are smaller and more portable, while the added real estate of a tablet allows for a richer visual experience.
Foldables came to bridge this division and offer something that offers features of smartphone and tablets in one device.
The race to bring a true folding device on the market has been between Samsung and Huawei. A “true folding device” is a phone with a screen that bends thus folding upon itself one way or the other enough to change the overall shape.
Huawei’s Mate X screen is entirely on the outside, the Samsung Galaxy Fold’s main display is hidden within. You open it like a book to use the larger screen.
The phone is shipped by Samsung unfolded and you’re encouraged to turn it on and see the screen before anything else. The square(ish)-shaped display fires up brilliantly and holds your gaze. It’s only after your eyes have feasted on the bendy AMOLED that you begin to notice other aspects of the hardware.
For someone who has ever used a Galaxy S or Galaxy Note phone, it’s natural feel at home with the design of the edges. The silver-colored metal is curved and comfortable. The power/Bixby button, volume toggle, and thumbprint reader are positioned on the right edge — both when the phone is open and closed. You’ll find the SIM card tray located on the left edge and the USB-C port tucked into the bottom edge, but no headphone jack even though this is a huge piece of hardware.
The hinge is clearly over-engineered to withstand thousands upon thousands of open-and-close actions.
It measures 160.9 by 62.8 by 15.7mm closed, or 160.9 by 117.9 by 6.9mm open, and weighs 276g. That’s 100g more than most other phones. It’s made of a combination of materials, including metal, glass, and plastic. Samsung packed a lot in there, and nothing about the phone comes across as cheap.
The Fold version feels more significant, stronger, legitimate. It’s clearly over-engineered to withstand thousands upon thousands of open-and-close actions.
It’s not IP rated, Samsung warns against dropping it, Samsung is offering a one-time screen replacement for $149 during the first year of ownership in order to put owners at ease
Samsung’s Galaxy Fold SM-F900F specifications and features: this is a 7,3″ (185.4mm) device with a QXGA 1536 x 2152 screen resolution. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 soc with a Single Core 2.84 GHz & Triple-Core 2.42GHz & Quad Core 1.8 GHz configuration. Memory is 12GB, with the device offering 512GB internal storage and of external memory.
The Galaxy Fold features Accelerometer, Barometer, Optical Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, and Geomagnatic Sensor. Notable features include Samsung Pay (NFC). The device measures Unfolded: 160.9 x 117.9 x 6.9 mm Folded: 160.9 x 62.9 x 15.5 mm and weighs 263g.
It stretches 7.3 inches across the diagonal, with 2,153 vertical pixels and 1,536 horizontal pixels. The display has a unique aspect ratio of 4.2:3. The Dynamic AMOLED is incredibly bright, clear, and punchy. Samsung pushes the colors a bit. Even so, the dynamic range is excellent, blacks are grim-reaper dark, and photos, videos, and more look fantastic on it.
A seam is visible in the center of the screen when the display itself is off. Your thumb will feel it as it glides over the surface. The seam completely vanishes visually, only on a few screens that were a single solid color revealed it.
There’s the notch in the upper right corner. It contains the user-facing cameras and sensors. Samsung used the screen space to the left of the notch to contain the status bar for notifications, signal, battery, etc. the notch quickly disappears in your sight.
A raised ridge circles the entire display. Samsung says this is one of the changes it made, as the ridge is a bit thicker than on the original. There is a small-cap piece that protects the exposed portion of the screen at the seam where it bends. The top layer of the display appears to be a screen protector to some initial users. The screen comes across as more tucked in and safeguarded.
The sheer size and brilliance of the screen simply draw the attention of your eyes in. It’s the screen that causes many passersby to give it a look. Most people haven’t seen this form factor and it will take some time probably years for it to become something people experience on a daily basis.
The cover display offers a full smartphone experience, complete with an always-on display, app dock, search bar, and so on. You can easily respond to incoming messages or emails, use the camera, make calls, control music, open apps, and do all the normal things you expect with a modern device.
