First use of the Samsung Galaxy Fold: a folding, attractive but delicate smartphone | campus.sg

by Léa Dérédjian

This new kind of mobile phone, with a foldable screen, will be released by Samsung in two weeks at a price of $1,980.

At first sight, Galaxy Fold seems curiously tight, but when we unfold it as a book, it reveals an impressive internal screen, worthy of a little tablet. This strange phone was to become the first folding phone to be sold worldwide on April 26th, but its launch was postponed, plagued with issues surrounding its fragile screen. It has since announced the cancelling of its pre-orders if they don’t ship by 31st May, but Samsung has confirmed it won’t been cancelled altogether.

We can also consider Fold as a radical attempt to redefine an object of mass consumption.

A kind of ‘pioneering’ before models of other brands that will succeed, and which manufacturing costs are expected to gradually decrease.

So much so that this technology may end up competing with our most popular smartphones today, but is the future imagined by Samsung credible? Some journalists had the chance to handle/manipulate the Samsung Fold for a while, and on the face of it, this vision seems rather sensible. However, we can clearly question its durability.

Is it really useful ?

The Fold’s main asset is obviously its 7.3-inch internal display. Few applications are able to take full advantage of this large space, but the improvement is really spectacular when we work on A4 documents, when we consult photos, videos, games, magazines, etc.

Various comparisons were made between the display of the Fold and the Samsung S10, a relatively large smartphone. The difference speaks for itself:

This visual comfort is a little spoiled by the huge notch cut at the top of the Fold’s screen.

It contains a selfie camera and various sensors.

Even more disturbing, the middle of the screen is marked by a huge fold that can be unpleasant to the eye. Under some lighting, it is either invisible or discreet enough to be forgotten, but when the sun falls from some angles, and the background of the screen is black, it becomes obvious. Only experience will tell us if we will get used to it.

Is it convenient to use?

The Fold’s external display is small (4.6-inches), but it’s not a problem at all; it’s even an asset. It can be handled with one hand particularly quickly, since an average person can touch all its areas without having to slide the mobile in hand. Unfortunately, this is a pleasure lost on recent smartphones.

The functioning of the Fold os easy to understand. The external and internal sides each have their own display. The external screen displays a calendar, and when opened, the inner screen displays a double-wide screen.

Some apps are spread across both screens, while some can be simultaneously used with another app side by side on the large inner screen.

One regret : some applications may need to be redesigned to take advantage of the increased screen width.

Is it fragile ?

Unfortunately yes, and that is the main threat to its future. Samsung has distributed some Galaxy Fold samples to the American press, and some journalists have immediately broken the screen simply by removing its protective layer.

Even more worrying, two journalists from The Verge and CNBC saw their screens break after using them normally for a day or two.

It seems doubtful that Samsung will be able to correct these problems before the release of its smartphone: its first buyers will have to live with this risk. In a pocket, or in a bag, care should be taken to separate the Fold from key rings, jewellery, or any metal object. This is because the two parts of the Fold, once folded, do not stick perfectly together. An earring could slip into the gap. It is also important to avoid contact with water, because unlike other top-of-the-range Samsung products, the Fold is not waterproof.