Galaxy Fold: Samsung's hybrid phone-tablet is the most exciting phone we've seen in years

There are so many things I want to say about the Galaxy Fold, the collapsible phone that Samsung launched Wednesday in San Francisco, that I do not know where to start. I guess I'll start with the fact that Samsung did just showcase the Galaxy Fold on stage, without giving journalists the opportunity to see, touch or even breathe close on the hybrid phone tablet-phone, not even behind a protective glass. So I can not base my first impressions on the demo of Samsung on stage and on what I know of the specifications of the Fold (cruise at the end for all). Whatever the case may be, it has made a huge splash.

The Galaxy Fold feels like a moon shot, and that's Samsung's master shot here. We received just enough information to be intrigued, but not enough to spoil the mystique. Even if the Galaxy Fold is not in fashion, Samsung – the largest manufacturer in the world Galaxy Fold phone maker – has managed to grab the attention of everyone. The Fold may not be a device that everyone has, but from what I can say up to now, it's a viable example from a new type of phone.

At $ 1,980, the Fold costs double the starting price of the Galaxy Note 9 or the iPhone XS. When the Samsung Mobile SVO, Justin Denison, announced the price of the Galaxy Fold, the presentation room was filled with asphyxia and moaning (but not surprised). Denison did not use it, but he started the pump by calling it a "luxury device".

In the United States, the Galaxy Fold will be sold with AT & T and T-Mobile from April 26th. The global colors are Martian Green, Astro Blue, Cosmos Black and Silver Silver. There will be 4G LTE and 5G versions.

Galaxy Fold design: two screens and a magic hinge

The Galaxy Fold is composed of two screens: a 4.6 inch screen on the outside of the device when it is closed like a book, and the other a screen of 7 , 3 inches which expands inside when you open it to become a tablet.

We still do not know if this smaller screen is glass or plastic, but we know that the screen inside is the first example of Infinity Flex Display, an ultra-thin polymer ( plastic) that uses a new adhesive developed by Samsung. Plasticize the many layers of the phone's display so that it can bend and bend hundreds of thousands of times.

Samsung also had to make the Infinity Flex Display more thin than any other mobile screen. It reduces by 45% the thickness of the polarizer layer, which helps to make the screen readable.

That interests me to try because glass is usually a material of superior quality to plastic – will it be as responsive and smooth? CNET was the first to report that the company behind Gorilla Glass, Corning, was creating fine glass that can bendbut it's still in development.

We must now speak of the fold itself. Samsung said it was making a hinge with nested gears, concealed in the case. "Samsung" is engraved on the hinge. It's hard to say exactly how folded the fold is, but from what we can see, there is at least a small gap at the end of the hinge – stay at the top of the hinge. listening.

Google software is key, and we did not mean Android Pie

The Galaxy Fold runs Android Pie with Samsung's new One UI interface at the top. But what you really need to worry about is Google's specific supports foldable Android devices, which announced in November 2018.

It would be disastrous to close or open Galaxy Fold and see your applications slow down or shake when you resume them on the screen. Google's job is to ensure that the transfer is done smoothly, so that applications move instantly between the expanded view displayed on the 7.3-inch screen and the 4.6-inch screen.

To make the most of a larger screen, you can open up three separate applications at once: an article, a video and your text messaging application. Last November, we were also told that any application could also give you up to three active windows when you are in full screen. We have seen demos for Flipboard, but this feature can only be retained if Samsung manages to attract the developers of the current top. killer apps.

Six cameras in total

Samsung has placed six cameras around the Galaxy Fold: three on the back, two on the inside and one on the cover. These are the same sensors we see on Galaxy S10 phones (the Galaxy S10 5G also has six, in a slightly different configuration). But it's clear that these are selfies and portraits, landscapes, food photos and everything in between.

I am curious to know how will the flow of photos on the Galaxy Fold, because the arrangement of the cameras on the ZTE Axon M phone of 2017 had you rocking and repositioning this dual-screen camera to take pictures. It was a puzzle that Samsung has, hopefully, understood.

The six cameras of Galaxy Fold

Cover camera	10 megapixels (F2.2)
Rear cameras	Wide angle 12 megapixel double aperture with OIS (F1.5 / F2.4)
	12 megapixel telephoto lens with OIS, 2x optical zoom (2.4)
	16 Megapixel Ultra Wide Angle Lens (F2.2)
Front cameras	10 megapixels (F2.2)
	8 megapixel RGB depth camera (F1.9)

The Galaxy Fold battery does not bend

The problem with batteries is that they do not bend as well. But if you do not balance the load, you end up with a very heavy phone like the ZTE Axon Mr. Samsung said the problem was solved by putting a generally rigid lithium-ion battery on each side. The two lobes work together, like your brain, to give 4,380mAh of power to the Galaxy Fold.

Who does the $ 2,000 Galaxy Fold really serve for?

I still have no more than $ 1,000 phone, and I guess you're not either. Samsung knows that most people will not buy one. But some will do it. The Galaxy Fold will seduce the big early users who want to be at the forefront of technology.

A phone that can open a book is the ultimate status symbol because it is instantly recognizable, especially if you buy it in Martian Green.

The Fold could also interest another population, namely application developers who wish to test their programs on a folding device. Suppose you create a camera app that takes advantage of the phone's six lenses. You would need to perfect this on a foldable phone with all the frosting and splashing.

Foldable phones are the next wave

Samsung may have been the first major brand to announce a foldable phone, but the Galaxy Fold is not a separate domain. Unlike the Note family with its big screen and stylus, competing folding phones are about to be flooded.

Xiaomi and Huawei are working on one of them, as well as Alcatel and Motorola. Even Apple has filed patent applications for a foldable iPhone.

Although the trend for foldable phones is not reaching mainstream audiences, they are about to set the stage for more phones to come. Samsung had already announced last November the next challenge it presented itself: rollable and expandable screens.

Most industry analysts agree that foldable phones will become an inevitable part of the smartphone landscape in 2019 and beyond.

"This will be the best way to meet this consumer demand, but it will probably be a multi-year process before prices, software, applications and the product itself solve anything," he says. said Stephen Baker, vice president of sector analysis at NPD Group.

However, there is also the feeling that something else is coming. "It's essential to go beyond devices with folding screens as a solution to a problem," said Ben Wood, senior research scientist at CCS Insight.

Samsung's Galaxy Fold is the first solid step in this direction. Swimming or sinking is an exciting experience.

Galaxy Fold specifications we know up to now

Samsung Galaxy Fold Specifications

Display size, resolution	Super AMOLED 4.6 inches; QXGA 7.3 inch + dynamic AMOLED
Mobile Software	Android 9.0 with Samsung One UI
Camera	16 megapixels (ultra wide angle), 12 megapixels (wide angle), 12 megapixels (telephoto)
Front facing the camera	Two 3D depths of 10 megapixels and 8 megapixels
Processor	Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Storage room	512 GB
RAM	12 GB
Expandable storage	No
Drums	4,380
Fingerprint detector	Right side of the phone
Special features	Foldable display, wireless charging, fast charging
Price excluding contract (USD)	$ 1,980