is the folding screen the future of the smartphone?

For a little over a decade, smartphones follow one another and look alike, marked by the original iPhone. If the format of the giant touch screen does not have to prove anything, it seduces consumers less than before, as evidenced by the latest market results. To deal with this problem, Samsung is taking the risk of launching a brand new category of products: that of foldable smartphones.

To know more : Samsung Galaxy Fold: discover with us the world's first folding smartphone!

Marketed on May 3 at the crazy price of 2020 euros, the Galaxy Fold is, schematically, a tablet capable of folding in half to fit in a pocket. A format that science fiction lovers know without a doubt. Some feel a technological revolution coming, others are much more skeptical. What is it really ? While waiting for our complete test, discover the Galaxy Fold under all the seams in our complete grip, in preview.

A confusing concept of simplicity

If there is one thing that the world of high-tech has taught us, it is that we must be wary of what we call the "V1". Each first generation is full of defects and is intended more for guinea pigs (the early adopters) to millions of users.

Strangely, it's not the feeling that leaves us the Galaxy Fold. Despite its slightly thick design when folded (17 mm) and its weight higher than that of other smartphones (263 g), the mobile is extremely well finished.
In fact, it seems perfectly suited to everyday use and could become our main smartphone from May 3, the day of its marketing.
The brand has extremely well cared for his copy and offers an impressive V1. Special mention for its narrow size when folded (62.9 mm). No smartphone marries the contours of a hand as well.

When open, the Galaxy Fold is only 6.9 mm thick which makes it great to use. One has the impression of holding a mini-tablet, fully screen edge to edge (provided to close the eyes on the imposing notch at the top right of the screen).
Sincerely, we get done very quickly. We hold the camera with one hand and manipulate it with the other, which in the end becomes very natural. One wonders almost if the name "collapsible smartphone" is not wrong and if Samsung would not have done better to communicate on the name of "tablet foldable".

Anyway, the effect "wow" plays out full. Do not be fooled by photos that show a smartphone too thick, it's not at all that we feel, it's not at all disturbing. To watch videos, read the press, browse the web or play, the Galaxy Fold offers new perspectives unimaginable just six months ago.

In the box of the Galaxy Fold, there is a shell in Kevlar. If it is (clearly) not the most beautiful in the world, it has the merit of being inserted, to withdraw easily and to protect the mobile.

Two screens rather than one

Samsung's approach is very different from that of Huawei, who also showed a collapsible smartphone dubbed Mate X in February. The Galaxy Fold's 7.3-inch screen folds back on itself, protecting it from possible scratches once in the pocket. Covered with plastic (and a removable plastic film over it), he would logically have been subject to a lot of damage if he bent over the outside. Once closed, the Galaxy Fold is protected at the front and back by Gorilla Glbad 6, in which there is a tiny screen 4.6 inches, lying on the height.

What is it used for? Hard to tell you right now. Apart from viewing our notifications or quickly browsing Instagram, it was only a small utility during our first hours of testing. Writing with is not far from an impossible task given the very small size of the keys on his keyboard. As soon as possible, we prefer to unfold the Galaxy Fold. On the other hand, when it will be necessary to be discreet in the public transport, we will be pleased undoubtedly of the presence of this mini-screen.

Question that you all ask … Do you see the fold in the middle of the Galaxy Fold screen? The answer is yes. It would have been impossible to do otherwise given the technology currently used. When you look at the camera in front and the screen is on, the fold disappears. On the other hand, as soon as you shift a little or the screen is off, you can see it completely. This one is nevertheless very fine and does not really disturb.
The future will tell us, in a few days-weeks, if this fold is forgotten or if he kills by itself the magic of folding. We tried to watch videos on YouTube and Netflix on a couch and at first glance the fold was not a problem.

What is the Galaxy Fold screen technically worth? We will answer this question within a few hours when the 01net.com lab has pbaded it under his probe.

Outstanding software

Here again, it's a great surprise. During the presentation of the Galaxy Fold, we found the demonstration of Samsung a little laborious. Desomais, let's do our mea culpa, the software of the Galaxy Fold adapts ideally to its hybrid format and demonstrates a beautiful simplicity of handling.
Dragging from the right of the screen to the left reveals an application selector that allows us to grab an icon and drag it to a corner of the screen. As a result, you can open 2 or 3 applications simultaneously, just like on a real tablet. Moreover, on this point, the interface is very similar to that of iOS on the iPad.

The model we have in testing is not yet running under the final version of Samsung's operating system. For example, it is currently impossible to change the screen background of the Home screen with the application Samsung Themes.

Do third-party applications fit the Galaxy Fold? Yes … for the most part. If web browsers, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, SFR Press, etc. are perfectly suited to the tablet format as soon as you open the device, others, like Messenger, do not support the functions of "continuity".
At the screen change, they must close and re-open to change size. There will certainly be updates. In others like Snapchat or Instagram, the photos you receive are resized to 4: 3. Result, we lose a lot of information.

Another observation, when you close the Galaxy Fold, the mobile goes to sleep. To force an application to return to the small screen, you will have to activate this option manually in the display settings.

The performance of a Galaxy S10 … foldable

This is rare enough to emphasize, Samsung does not put at all before the technical characteristics of its new smartphone. In fact, the Galaxy Fold has all of a Galaxy S10 performance edition. 12 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, Wi-Fi 6, 4G of category 20, bilateral wireless charging, even triple camera module … The list of specifications is impressive.
On the other hand, it has Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 processor, which is usually exclusive to American Galaxy. Its battery of 4380 mAh should be, hopefully, very enduring. Our tests will reveal it in a few days.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Fold does not have all of a Galaxy S10. Goodbye IP68 waterproofing, jack, micro SD expansion and dual SIM. Samsung replaces these last two elements with an eSIM (as on the latest iPhone) and Galaxy Buds headphones, offered in the Fold box. That's the least for 2020 euros.

Straight to a revolution?

Is the Galaxy Fold the first building of a technological revolution? This grip suggests that this may well be the case. In the coming days, we will talk about mobile in many ways, thanks to more advanced tests. In a couple of weeks, we will deliver our full test of the Galaxy Fold, the first collapsible smartphone ever tested by 01net.com.

At present, the Galaxy Fold manages to amaze lovers of new technologies that we are. We can not wait to see what the foldable trend will give you and make it live. In the meantime, we have a first wish, that prices fall to allow as many people to experience this renewal of smartphones …