Galaxy Fold: I'm almost sold

The Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone is a curious mix of old and new, while being full of irony.

It's new, because of the obvious folding display – a rather impressive and beautifully executed feat. But old, because of its choice of design and the size of its screen – the big 7.3-inch internal screen looks like a return to the company's tablets when this category used this size very often. And when it is folded, the 4.6-inch camera cover looks strangely like the analog-era handsets that we could find in more catalogs. old.

It's really ironic, because Samsung itself virtually ended the reign of both screen sizes with the introduction of its flagship success, the Galaxy Note, which allowed big screens to be bigger for smartphones . The receipt of the two screen sizes of the Galaxy Fold is outstanding and will be a determining factor for the company's next action plan.

Overall, the Galaxy Fold is a bold idea that has been very well executed by Samsung. The company continues its reign as the king of smartphone hardware and this new foldable phone reaffirms it. But by seeing and touching the device, it's obvious that Samsung is prioritizing the 7.3-inch folding screen as the "main event." This forced him to adapt to the design of the phone and the introduction of key components, such as camera modules, around the folding screen, which leaves a lot of room to improvement and focus.

I am sold on Samsung's hype months and would certainly buy it. But, that is, if it was cheaper than its price of $ 1,980.

The hinge and the protective cover are secure

It seems that Samsung has been hit hard by its critics. The bottom line here is that the hinges and the glass cover will no longer be a problem and the South Korean tech giant is considering months of sustainability anticipation.

The polymer cover is closely aligned to where the glasses surround the screen and I could not spot a slot that could fit into my nails to untangle the screen. The top and bottom hinges are only slightly modified, but are scratched between the two folded sides to make it a more rigid folding and unfolding experience. On the aesthetic side, little has changed since the evaluation units were shipped, but the sides of the unit look more in place when they are slightly ajar or bent. The examination units must have been designed in such a way that the folding and unfolding experience is a priority, but I think that consumers will not be concerned about increased rigidity, since there is no apparatus from the previous generation to compare.

The long term durability remains to be seen, but after spending more than one hour with the device, where I folded and unfolded it a hundred times – it is hard to resist – it is not a problem. there was no visible sign of malfunction.

The folding performance is excellent

Folding and unfolding the Galaxy Fold, for lack of a better expression, is pretty impressive. When unfolding the device, the hinge locks both sides in a perfect position of the tablet and the AMOLED screen of 7.3 inches is a beauty to behold. It fits perfectly in one hand, which allows me to take pictures of the camera with the other hand. It's like holding a Kindle or the old 7-inch tablets of the past, like the Nexus 7, but the glasses are thinner than before and the screen resolution is up to current standards.

Once folded, the two sides are connected by magnets below, which gives the impression of a heavy remote control or a handset to the old. He slipped very well down and out of the pockets of my pants in front and I feel that his weight and length will prevent him from falling.

There is a protrusion in the middle of the Infinity Flex extended display that is noticeable under lighting, but it is not as troublesome as the enlarged images of the area suggest. I have not noticed the protrusion when I watch videos or play games and the 7.3 inches is infinitely larger than any smartphone.

The Galaxy Fold is the perfect size for games; The device is heavier than your usual smartphone, but behaves exactly like a console controller, like a Nintendo switch. The screen is immersive because you can grab it naturally from both sides. The only minor drawback of the experience is that both sides are not offered in a free-locking hinge, like notebooks. When the sides are ajar, they are loosely locked at a certain angle. This is obviously done to protect the integrity of the foldable display screen. I guess the angle in which it is locked is the least stressful position for the display.

Continuity of application and use multi-tabs

The multi-tabs feature is now a fairly common feature on any smartphone. But with the decline of tablets, few of us really benefit on a big screen. The Galaxy Fold's 7.3-inch screen makes full use of the multiple tabs since it supports up to eight tabs, but four seemed optimal and large enough. Former tablet users who liked the big screen and the multi-tab combo will appreciate the big screen of Fold – it displays on the big screen but is much more portable than devices over 10 inches. I liked and used the Galaxy Tab 4 for its split screen features and several tabs and, despite the difference in size, the experience is almost identical, the Galaxy Fold being naturally closer to my face when I use it.

The continuity feature of the app is also fun, especially when you take pictures. You can take photos with one hand with the folded configuration with your best half, when you are on a date. When friends are present and wish to join the fray, you can unfold the phone while holding the camera application to take the group photo. When using multiple tabs, the "Main Tab" in the left corner automatically gets the preference to appear on the cover screen when it is folded.

The design needs to be fine-tuned

As for the Galaxy Fold, the folding experience has been top priority above all, and it shows. The polymer sheath is an excellent example of improved design. The satisfaction of touching the screen of the device is slightly lower than that of using the glazed surface of a conventional smartphone.

Another design problem is the dual camera that is placed in the upper right corner of the front screen when the device is unfolded. The lenses of the camera are placed horizontally on a telescope inwardly in the shape of a small bar that ends up devouring the screen on the left and the right half of the bar is empty. This empty space can be explained by the triple camera placed at the back, so I suppose that the design of the printed circuit board forced this aesthetic. But Samsung introduced the "punch-in-hole" design and the phones without the bezel, giving the aesthetics of the Galaxy Fold design an outdated appearance at times.

The device is also quite thick. Although it is obvious when it is folded, this is true even when it is unfolded.

He feels so heavy. According to official specifications, the device weighs 276 grams; everything is really there. Much of this weight can be explained by dividing the batteries into two additional circuits needed for the electronic connection on both sides. I can not help but wonder how long the Fold's battery will last with all these additional requirements and this needs to be tested.

The price has to go down … and he can

The reasons why the Galaxy Fold is expensive are manifold, but the main reason is really the flexible billboard. For conventional smartphones, it is usually screens, SoCs, and camera modules, taken together, because most flagship phones today have a triple camera, which are the most expensive components. But other parts of the Galaxy Fold, such as the octa-core processor, are not the reason why the collapsible device costs $ 500 to $ 1,000 more than the current flagship models. Even the most complex printed circuit board, the two batteries or the memory would not add as much cost to the final price.

I also doubt that the factory rate of return of the Samsung Infinity Flex Display currently meets the usual high standards of the company, which also explains why the display has exacerbated prices.

The other factor is the volume. The South Korean technology giant was initially set to sell one million Galaxy Fold units this year before postponing the deployment from April to September. This would have created an ideal foundation for a second generation launch through better cost control, sufficient feedback from the consumer and new know-how gained during the production process.

We will have to see how the initial receipt is made for the Galaxy Fold, which may sell fewer lots. Samsung has many strengths in terms of cash, distribution and brand power to overcome these setbacks and its recovery of Fold shows its determination to go forward. Flexible screen yields should also increase over time, especially for commercially-tested AMOLED plastics. These different factors combined mean that a lower price is certainly possible for future iterations of Samsung's foldable smartphones.

The evolution must continue

The Galaxy Fold is really a Samsung phone at the base. What I mean by that, is that its first launch in April was reminiscent of the reception received by the Galaxy Note. It's been mocked Omnia and the first Galaxy S has been called copier by his rival Apple. At the launch of the Galaxy S3, these jibes really stopped. The first Galaxy Note was not treated smoothly either, but the Galaxy Note 2 was a success that placed the Note brand in the flagship product category and the series was originally behind the making of big screens.

And like its other products, the Galaxy Fold is not going too crazy. It remains practical. It is probably for this reason that Samsung has opted for the "tested" range of 7 and 4-inch screens to differentiate it from its 6-inch smartphones. The user-friendliness remains high for the Galaxy Fold. But what's new outside the fold factor?

This brings us to the question of UX applications or dedicated only for the Galaxy Fold – there is really not much. And while the 4.7-inch cover is reminiscent of memories reminiscent of the first iPhone or Galaxy S, I think it will be used disproportionately less than the main folding screen. As pointed out Larry Dignan, editor of ZDNet, the Galaxy Fold is a device capable of doing a little bit of everything, but may have trouble finding use cases.

I think that's an issue that Samsung is still asking with the launch of the Galaxy Fold. That said, I would not like to lose the display of the cover and just have a "folding shelf", that the device is about to be at the moment. The South Korean technology giant still has many inherited features, such as the S-Pen, which will go perfectly with the concept of folding device.

The company also indicated that it wanted to deploy many form factors. A Galaxy Fold and a Galaxy Fold Plus would not bother me, which Samsung has developed with its S and Note series. Not only for the bragging rights, but for a lot of tested features and the huge portability gain that the fold factor brings me trying to acquire the Galaxy Fold. That is, if only $ 500 has been shaved off its price.

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