Galaxy Fold Review: Samsung foldable phone lives and dies by its screen

I knew from the start that the Galaxy Fold, the world's first big folding phone at $ 1,980, would be something different, special. Feeling the screen open and shut was such a visceral action that seemed natural and right. And after watching videos and reading the news, writing emails on this massive 7.3-inch screen, you'll never want to go back to "just" a 6-inch screen. The promise – and the danger – of a foldable phone are real. And everything is in the screen, central fold or not.

We knew that there would be growing pains, but no one expected the screens on some critics' phones malfunction so quickly, or for Samsung postpone the April 26th sale date of The Fold for weeks – until June 13th for Buyers pre-order at AT & T – while he was investigating what was wrong. This is feared, because the incidents throw a veil over the Fold and the concept of collapsible phones in general. I was super excited to be one of the first in the world to try the Fold, but the fusion of the screen let all the air come out of the balloon.

Because the Galaxy Fold is so important as the first phone of this type and because of the alarming developments on the screen, I have taken the time to make this evaluation as thorough as possible to avoid any instinctive reaction . We all deserve better than that. I've been using the Fold every day for more than a week, regardless of the method used to even call (panting!). During the night, I performed two battery discharge tests, I scanned her screen from all angles and I typed until my hands hurt me.

Although Samsung's original production assessment unit never made me tremble so much, CNET will not accept the official assessment of the Until we fully tested a Galaxy Fold of final production. The fact that the fold has now suffered five screen attacks before even reaching the hands of customers worries me deeply.

The fact that Samsung missed quality control before releasing this device will stir memories of Turning off the Galaxy Note 7 battery. If critics had not detected the screen issues on the Fold, many disgruntled customers might have paid $ 2,000 for a device that gives more headaches than a glimpse of the future. And, of course, we have to wonder how this will affect other foldable phones, such as the Huawei Mate X and the (rumor) Foldable Razr motorcycle. The real collapsible revolution will stall a few years while waiting Corning curved glass?

I should mention that Samsung remembers all the revision units. Although it is likely that the company wants to limit the damage before other problems occur, the examiners have also been informed externally that we would have a limited period of examination. to 10 days before having to return the phones.

Read more: Galaxy Fold screen malfunction: all you need to know

After a week, I'm still divided on the crease. The world does not need foldable phones. We can get along without them. But we should want to them – not like the Fold is now, but how it could be. I hope that the first woes of Fold will not deter Samsung and others to try again. We already say that the brand is at work two other separate models. Maybe one of them will be the ticket.

Fold screen problems, while real, also prevent us from determining whether this device is working well or not. We must be able to let the drama settle in and really watch what the Fold has to offer. That's what I'm going to do.

Let's agree that the Galaxy Fold is a test device for developers and first users to buy, and for the rest of us, to think – then put that aside and delve into the details. Are you with me?

What the Galaxy Fold is the best at:

• On-screen display, such as reading and watching videos
• Opening and closing
• multitasking
• Being portable
• Attract people's attention

What the fold is not so good at:

• Protect the internal screen
• Typing, especially on the small outdoor screen
• Extended battery life
• Being at the water's edge
• Smooth scrolling

Why we care about the Galaxy Fold in the first place

The promise of a foldable phone is about the screen. More precisely, to give you an expansive, uninterrupted post it to watch videos, play games and keep reading, then put them in your pocket.

Companies have been making sketches and prototypes of folding phones for years, but the Galaxy Fold marks the first time that there is a critical mass of interest and technological know-how to make a commercial device. Samsung is not alone. Huawei Mate X and TCLThanks to its commitment to a pliable future, this new collapsible design is every day more real.

Even Google is on the alert, pledging support for Android so that its software switches from one orientation to another when you fold and unfold the screen. A little known company has sold the first folding phone, the Royole FlexPaibut Samsung Fold is the first "real" foldable phone for most people.

All foldable phones will start at a very high cost: the Fold 4G version starts at $ 1,980 and the Mate X starts at $ 2,600. Prices in the UK and Australia have not been announced yet, but USD 1,980 is converted to approximately GBP 1,500 or AU $ 2,750.

There may still be some issues to fix at the exit. But if Samsung and its rivals can solve the major problems that the Fold is currently experiencing and enough people end up demanding design, foldable phones have a chance to change the way users use their devices. A foldable phone could one day make the tablets obsolete.

Read more: Galaxy Fold "loss" could be the collapsible gain of Motorola X Rate and Mate X

7.3 inch screen of my Galaxy Fold: No breaks, but a bump

The Galaxy Fold has a small 4.6-inch screen that you can use when it's closed, but it's the 7.3-inch internal screen that makes up your real living space. If you get chemically reinforced Gorilla glass on the outside, this internal screen is plastic and not glass – because we do not have foldable glass again. This means that the screen is as soft and tender as a young shoot and just as easily mutilated.

The number of Galaxy Fold bodies is up to five among the first reviewers. My exam unit is still 100% usable, without bumps or distortion, but if you examine it carefully, on the left side is a small divot. You can see it clearly in our review video.

It is likely that something vicious in my purse marked the screen when I opened the fold to complete an evaluation test while getting off a train. It almost looks like the half-moon of a fingernail. I do not even know when it happened, but it shows the fragility of this type of design.

Premium on the outside, cheap on the inside

It's the foldable screen inside that makes the Galaxy Fold so unusual, but the overall design of this device bears witness to its first-generation and unfinished status.

On the outside, it looks great and feels good when it is glued, thanks to the glossy glass surfaces, the bright color and the shiny and disguised hinge. Samsung had to go that route to justify the high price of the phone. A magnetic closure helps the Fold to feel well closed.

But when you open it, the interior looks and looks alike, with plastic glasses and a wide notch to match the plastic screen.

The plastic film that caused such a ruckus is only a problem. Two reviewers removed it (I thought about it myself), which immediately caused a malfunction of the screen. Samsung later said that it was not a protective screen, but an integral part of the phone's structure. It is difficult to say with a thin border between this protective layer and these plastic glasses: there is enough room to easily slide a fingernail or a tool to pull this film smoothly.

Another disadvantage is dust and lint that like to accumulate in this space. More disturbing perhaps, the small double openings between the screen and the hinge, one on one or the other of the posts when the fold is opened. You can see how something could happen.

On the other hand, opening and closing the Fold is great. The Fold is a phone that you have to understand physically: words and photos do not do justice. You must feel how much force you have to put in to close the device and open it again. To evaluate the fineness of this big hinge when the "wings" open and close. This is not difficult, but you must be willing and I like the little effort that Fold asks you for. And it slams when it closes! Extremely satisfactory.

It's not just me who thinks that. I've distributed the Galaxy Fold to colleagues, friends, strangers perfect to watch – even my parents in their eighties – and you can see their faces brighten the first time they fold and unfold. # 39; screen. It's an "aha!" moment. (My mother called the color of the screen "pure and bright".)

I adore being able to slip the Fold into the pocket of a leather jacket fitted to the short waist. When I have finished a session of use, I can simply close it in the blink of an eye and put it away.

Let's be realistic about the fold of the screen

Before the Galaxy Fold screens started to work, this concern about the phone's Infinity Flex plastic screen worried people the most. It was ugly, they said, while worrying about long-term wear and tear. Would the fold worsen? Would it bother him?

Yes, the crease is there, and it is very visible under some lighting for the simple and durable reason why folding phones have a folding screen in half. Until we find a material that cures fluidly by bending and bending, we will have to bear a certain amount of folds. Foldable screens with outward curves such as the Mate X and FlexPai also have an obvious edge. Your elbow too.

When I press the 7.3-inch screen when the fold is open, I can feel the hinge mechanism underneath, but I do not really feel it if I slip slightly. It does not interfere much with the few games I've played so far, and when I'm immersed in what I'm doing, like reading a screen or watching a video, everything else is erased. .

I would prefer not to have a crease, but for the moment, it is the slightest concern of the Fold screen.

The notch protrudes like a sore thumb

Although I like the look of Fold, some of its design elements are real headaches. First of all, there is this notch. It is about a cut of about 5 cm long on the right side of the screen 7.3 inches, housing two cameras and sensors.

I'll be honest with you, it seems pretty ridiculous and unnecessarily big. I understand that Samsung wanted to center the cameras, but when you illuminate the notch, you find that the lenses and the two sensors occupy far more space than necessary. When you play a video, the notch is a big, thick bump on the side. This never hinders the action of a scene, but I do not think it should be so big.

In some apps, such as YouTube and games such as Riptide Renegade, the screen inline with the notch is black to create wider bars on each side. You do not notice so much notch, but you do not get the experience in full screen.

If you hate it enough, you can artificially hide part of the screen with some display settings (View> Full Screen Applications> Advanced Settings> Hide Camera Cut). This will only make the telescope thicker.

The 4.6-inch Fold screen is too small and narrow

The collapsible phone from Samsung is big and narrow when it's closed, and the 4.6-inch outside screen gives the impression of floating in the middle of the body, surrounded on all sides by a pretty space empty. This design makes the screen feel smaller than it is. The alternative, I suppose, would be to have an even bigger screen, which could present some of its own challenges for formatting common applications.

When folded, the Fold looks a bit like a rocker phone or an old chocolate bar phone, which makes it convenient to make calls. It is less convenient to launch the camera by pressing the power button twice or unlocking the phone when it is folded. These buttons are on the second camel hump when the fold is closed. You must rely on a layer to support them. This leads to inaccuracy.

The Fold gets one of my favorite new features from Samsung, Wireless PowerShare. This allows you to charge another device that you have put on the back. This went well for smaller accessories such as wireless Galaxy Buds. But the S10 Plus, a phone wider than the Fold, had to be located the same way, otherwise it would slip.

When the Fold is completely closed, there is an air gap – the opening closest to the hinge of the Galaxy Fold where the two halves meet does not touch each other completely. Honestly, it is smaller than I feared and, even if it is noticeable, it does not stand out. I could easily slip into a credit card. Then I slipped into another. The fold remained bent, mainly because of the tension created by the magnets.

The fold hinge moves smoothly, but a large mechanism also makes the width of the "wings" of the phone very narrow. Closed, it looks like a sandwich. On the right side, there is a volume rocker and a power button, and the fingerprint reader also serves as a Bixby button. I accidentally pressed him several times.

There is no headphone jack, which is ok if you use the free connection Galaxy buds Wireless headphones delivered in the box, but bad if you prefer to use a wired headset. The Fold is not water resistant, so you must be careful not to drown your investment.

As for the real activities of a phone, namely the applications, the most compact configuration is a bit more difficult. Although the folded phone's screen is much smaller than any phone you're used to, you can still access all your installed apps. Samsung preloads a large clock widget, which you can use to access your clock app (convenient for setting an alarm), and you can edit this widget if you wish.

There is also the Google search bar and a space for three application icons. You can create folders, which helps you put more on the page. Of course, there are several home screens that allow you to quickly access your applications. It's also easy to invoke the Applications pane by swiping from the bottom up, as you would on other phones.

The font size and icons are both miniaturized, which gives the impression of returning to the time when we were all looking at the screens of our phones to search and browse applications. As I tried to respond to tweets and messages as I traveled, it became increasingly clear that this screen and its virtual keyboard were too small to be useful. I can almost accurately tap when I'm still, but once I started walking or getting hit by a train or bus, the errors became illegible.

It might be easier to tap the 4.6-inch screen if the Samsung keyboard supports tracing. I could go to Gboard, the virtual keyboard I prefer, but I would lose the split screen keyboard when I open the folder. I've gone through the settings and it does not seem like you can use different inputs on the front and inside screens in the same way that you can set different screens.

My solution was to use voice input, but Samsung's default software only changed my words. I could disable it in the settings, which amounted to the Google voice input, my preference from the beginning. It helped a lot.

I have smaller fingers, so it was difficult for me, but it is certain that you will have trouble if you have bigger hands. I'm certainly counting on Google Voice or Bixby to do things like making a phone call, finding opening hours, or turning Wi-Fi on or off.

The only thing I will say, is that the Fold is easy to use with one hand when it is folded, especially if all you want to do is follow the navigation on the maps or take a quick photo.

& # 39; App Continuity & # 39; works as advertised

When you open the Fold, any application open to the outside also deploys inside. This is called App Continuity, and it's something that Samsung and Google have worked on together to make sure the Fold does not experience any lag.

It works as expected and without delay. But if you want the inside screen application to follow you to the smallest outside, you need to select those applications in the display settings. That's because you may not want all apps to hide your heels. You can decide that for most applications, closing the phone means closing what you are doing.

At the moment, WhatsApp, Microsoft, Spotify, Amazon Prime Video, Samsung and Google have all been optimized to use the design. If the application does not support application continuity, it still works, but you will need to resize the application in full screen. Otherwise you will see black bars on each side.

As soon as you start typing, you will notice that Samsung divides the keyboard to make it more comfortable on a bigger screen. I had my hands still tense on the screen and I felt tired, but I had never felt like dropping the crease and I still loved it as much as to tap on a smaller screen.

I'm not the biggest fan of the Samsung keyboard world, and it's annoying not being able to draw a keyboard in split-screen mode. I'm sure third-party virtual key replacements will take up the challenge.

Multitasking: using three apps at once is an art

Multitasking is one of the main selling points of Fold. Being able to use up to three applications at the same time is, after all, one of the advantages of using a larger screen. But multi-active windows, as they are called, are complicated and a little confusing, so support me and I will do my best to explain it to you.

Most of the time, you open an application as you normally would, by tapping the icon on your Home screen, selecting it from your Recent tab, or swiping from the bottom to the top to perform a selection in the application bar. Now, say you want to chat with someone while you watch YouTube videos. You slide your finger from the right side of the screen (where the outline display is on other Galaxy phones) and launch an application that way.

You'll notice that opening the second app diverts the first one to the left so that the second one can be loaded as a tall, narrow panel. Then, if you add a third application (in the same way that you add a second one), the secondary panel splits in half to make room for the third panel. You can slightly resize these windows, close them and drag them to reposition them with the help of blue "handles" at the top of the application. For example, if you want your third application to become your main window, you can drag it to that position.

I immediately noticed that the more applications you open, the smaller the font was. So, you may not want to use all three at the same time all the time. But if you want to quickly open the calculator while you are reading an article, you do not have to stop what you are doing to change focus. You can also put the phone in landscape mode to change the orientation, which makes the windows wider and shorter.

To load an application into the main window, drag up to access the applications panel. To open an application on one of the other windows, you scroll to the applications pane on the right and launch an application this way. Another tip: You can also create your multi-window screen by dragging the icons from the Recent tab.

All I have just described is in a perfect world, but there are limits. You will never have the opportunity to open certain applications as secondary or tertiary panels, and that really fears you. I hope that Samsung will work with the best application developers to make it happen.

Interestingly, I noticed that some applications might open not as a panel, but as a pop-up window (see my tweet embedded above). In this case, I opened Netflix to start a download, then Google Drive to search for a file in the meantime. I was waiting for Drive to open as a panel and I was surprised to see it as a window in a window, much like the image-in-picture view that lets you see Navigating Google Maps as a thumbnail while focusing entirely on something else. I developed the pop-up window and moved it with the help of the same "handles".

Speaking of the Netflix download (two episodes of the British spy drama Traitors), the image did not fill the screen naturally and I did not see a command on the screen to enlarge it – it was enough black bars in up and down. Samsung will definitely want to work with Netflix on formatting because this arrangement is not ideal. You can force the application to expand if you browse the display settings, but this does not change anything in Netflix.

The six cameras of the Fold are as efficient as on the S10 Plus

The Galaxy Fold has six cameras: three in the back, one in the front and two in the inside:

• 10 megapixel camera for fast shooting and selfies (outdoor screen)
• 10 megapixel camera (indoor screen)
• 8 megapixel RGB depth sensor (indoor display)
• 12 megapixel main camera (support)
• 16 megapixel ultra wide angle (support)
• 12 megapixel telephoto (support)

Although you can take photos with the 4.6-inch screen, Samsung expects you to use the unfolded flap to take most of the photos, as you can better adjust the blur and settings. I do not like to hold a screen the size of a tablet to take my pictures. I do not care about these people (sorry, people). Now I have become one of those people.

Taking photos while the flip is closed is possible, but not great, because it's hard to know if your photo is sharp and it's much harder to move tiny sliders for shooting with real focus (portrait ). But if you honestly take a quick shot or you do not want to draw attention to yourself by unfolding the fold, then all is well. You can share the photo immediately or open the folder for fine tuning.

It is much easier to take selfies from the closed position than from the open position. It's also more private: you do not have everyone and his dog watching you check your teeth on your 7.3-inch screen.

Since Samsung uses exactly the same cameras on the Galaxy Fold as on the Galaxy S10 Plus (and the S10 5G), you get high quality photos.

I am intrigued by the 8 megapixel depth detection camera inside because it will be basically used for selfies, not for RA experiments in front of you (otherwise it would be at the back). Maybe if Samsung magically activates the secure unlocking of the face using the depth-sensing camera, this would be a way to open the crease before unlocking it. It could be used to check online payments. Until then, the fingerprint reader is fast and easy to use, open or closed. I will go into this in more detail below.

Lifetime and battery performance, but scrolling can become strange

Samsung promises to run its batteries all day long with a power source of 4,380 mAh (divided into two batteries, one on each side).

As always, the time you have depends on your use of the phone. Lors de mes tests, le Fold est certainement passé du matin au soir, mais je devais le rebrancher à la fin de la journée. Le Fold durera plus longtemps que s'il est utilisé ouvert, pour la simple raison que l'écran plus grand demande plus de puissance.

Cela était évident dans le test de la batterie de drain vidéo en boucle de CNET en mode avion. Ouvert, le Fold a duré 16 heures au premier passage et 17 heures au second. Comparez cela au Galaxy S10 Plus, qui a fonctionné 21 heures avec le même test.

Le Galaxy Fold utilise le même processeur Snapdragon 855 que les téléphones Galaxy S10, et je suis heureux de pouvoir annoncer que les résultats des tests comparatifs se situent exactement dans la droite ligne. Utiliser des applications sur les grands et petits écrans me semblait rapide. La continuité des applications, qui mélange les applications entre les écrans intérieur et extérieur, est une astuce totalement nouvelle. Il ya donc une fraction de retard que je ne retiendrai pas contre Samsung et Google à ce stade précoce.

Ce que je vais souligner – et je sais que je ne suis pas le premier à le faire – est un effet étrange appelé "défilement de la gelée" qui fait défiler le texte à des rythmes différents de l'hémisphère gauche du repli par rapport à son côté droit. Lorsque vous faites défiler rapidement dans un sens ou l'autre, les blocs de texte semblent inclinés vers le haut ou le bas. Cela ne vous gênera pas, mais les deux côtés ne sont clairement pas alignés. Encore une chose pour la liste de choses à faire de Samsung.

Galaxy Fold contre le Huawei Mate X

Specifications

	Samsung Galaxy Fold	Huawei Mate X
Taille d'affichage, résolution	Super AMOLED de 4,6 pouces (1 680 x 720 pixels); AMOLED dynamique de 7,3 pouces (2 152 x 1 536 pixels)	6,6 pouces (2 480 x 1 148 pixels); 6,38 pouces (2 480 x 892 pixels); OLED 8 pouces (2 480 x 2 200 pixels)
Logiciel mobile	Android 9.0 avec Samsung One UI	TBA
Caméra	12 mégapixels (grand angle), 16 mégapixels (ultra grand angle), 12 mégapixels (téléobjectif)	Quatre caméras arrière
Avant face à la caméra	Deux profondeurs 3D de 10 mégapixels et de 8 mégapixels	At least one
Capture vidéo	TBA	TBA
Processor	Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855	Kirin 980 processeur
Storage room	512 Go	512 Go
RAM	12 Go	8 Go
Stockage extensible	No	No
Drums	Double batterie 4 380 mAh	Double batterie 4 500 mAh
Détecteur d'empreintes digitales	Bouton marche	Bouton marche
Connecteur	USB-C	USB-C
Prise casque	No	No
Caractéristiques spéciales	Affichage pliable, chargement sans fil, chargement rapide	Affichage pliable, charge rapide
Prix ​​hors contrat (USD)	$ 1,980	TBA, convertit à 2.600 dollars (2.299 euros)
Prix ​​(GBP)	TBA, converti à 1 500 £	TBA, convertit en £ 2 000
Prix ​​(AUD)	TBA, convertit à AU $ 2,750	TBA, convertit en AU $ 3.620

Publié à l’origine le 15 avril à 6 heures du matin et mis à jour souvent.