[ad_1]
The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2.
One of the clear takeaways from Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold2 5G is that this is a product made by a company at the top of its game. The phone is not only a major improvement over the original model, it is also a good phone.
I’m usually reticent when it comes to praising an experimental device, or something that I haven’t fully tested yet. And of course the usual caveats apply here. There could be some screen or hinge nightmare that hasn’t been lifted yet, as was the case with the original Galaxy Fold.
But until that happens, if it does, it’s clear that Samsung has done a pretty good job of making an unusual concept work exceptionally well.
A folding phone is one thing, but making sure the software experience lives up to the magic of flexible glass is another. Samsung has done it. Apps seamlessly switch from the deck screen to the larger indoor screen without missing a beat. You can also toggle which apps allow you to do this. It doesn’t work for everyone, like Instagram or some games. But it does so for major apps like Netflix, YouTube, Reddit, and Spotify.
New additions like flex mode, which means the screen lifts itself to any angle when folded, and the hole-punch display add that touch of class needed to a phone that’s so expensive.
There’s a lot of wow factor with the Fold 2. Access to a larger screen makes using apps like Photos and Maps a pleasure. Playing games like Dead Cells with on-screen controls is much more manageable. I am also looking forward to streaming Xbox Game Pass Ultimate games if there is an appropriate controller clip to fit the large flexible screen. Although it is a pity that there is no option to make other applications like Adobe Lightroom or Instagram in full screen.
I have questions about how realistic it is to use a phone of this size for the next several months. There are pockets of jeans that won’t fit and carrying my phone to the gym is now a distant memory. It is big and I am undecided if it is too big. I’ll know more once I thoroughly check the phone.
Elsewhere, cameras and camera options are good. But Samsung’s excessive texture smoothing and penchant for warmer images is not my bag. It’s worth noting that I just came from the Google Pixel 4’s standout AI-powered snapper, which is hard for anyone to beat.
Overall, Samsung has nailed the concept of a phone that folds into a tablet. It doesn’t feel like a proof of concept, nor does it feel like a prototype. It’s a legitimate, buy-worthy piece of technology with more wow factor than I’ve experienced with a phone in years. No one else is doing this right now. Only Motorola is competing in this space with the Razr, but its mid-range specs don’t quite match up. Huawei’s foldable Mate range does not have access to vital Google services, so for now it is not a serious competitor.
Google is turning its attention to the low-end, and rightly so, and we haven’t seen any concrete news about Apple’s future folding plans. I don’t see Apple releasing such a big and heavy phone. So until the technology is more advanced and the company has an Apple-exclusive form factor to work with, I doubt the iPhone maker will be much of a threat to Samsung’s foldable devices for a while. Only Microsoft’s Duo is a worthy competitor, but it’s quite a different phone and it doesn’t come with high-end specs like the Fold 2.
The Galaxy maker has a clear career and is building a very strong case not only to buy folding, but also to buy Samsung foldable. The Korean company is making its mistakes early and rectifying them, while honing technology and expertise, long before any other serious competitor is even close to launching something similar. That is a great advantage.
This is also the second time in as many months that Samsung has impressed me with one of its innovative products. The last time was with the Galaxy Buds Live. In my review I said that “Samsung has genuinely innovated in a space where it is difficult to be creative.” This is due to its unusual bean shape, which fits perfectly in your ears while offering excellent audio reproduction.
This year I have used the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra 5G, both great phones in their own right. Particularly in the display department. But Fold 2 and Galaxy Buds Live are in a different league of ingenuity. Samsung is propelling the industry forward with these devices and it is doing so without the gimmicks that have plagued its past, or the technical glitches of the devices that it sometimes falls victim to.
There are also the extras. The Korean company has added another year of support for the Android operating system for its phones, bringing the total to three years for current Galaxy devices. Long-term OS support is true value for money, and while it’s not Apple’s unofficial five years, at least Samsung is on the right track. Then there’s the partnership with Microsoft that offers three free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the game streaming service currently known as Project xCloud, with certain Galaxy phone purchases.
I can’t really think of many better smartphones I’d like to use for streaming games than the Fold2. The 7.6-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate makes it ideal. It’s the same for the S20 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra displays. There aren’t many better starts for a new game streaming service than a few months free with the best hardware available.
Samsung is succeeding in innovation and quality right, which is not easy to do. The global drop in sales doesn’t look good for the company, as is the case for most manufacturers, but in terms of hardware production, Samsung is at the top of its game. If you can maintain this level of quality, then the competition could struggle when they finally enter the folding arena.
More about Forbes
Forget the Apple Watch or the Samsung Galaxy, this is a serious new rival
Google Pixel Bud Owners Are Angry About Continued Issues Despite The Update
