Hands-On With Samsung's New Galaxy Fold

[russell_314]

I'd poke fun at them for a video with care instructions, but Apple made a support document with care instructions for a credit card, so...

To be fair it's not a $2000 credit card that will stop working if you get dust on it. It might just not look so pretty.

This strikes me as more of a proof of concept, but I wouldn’t be surprised if in 5 years we all wonder how we ever did without folding screen devices.

I hope you're right. This is in the alpha stage. I guess Samsung couldn't afford to produce a few thousand just for testing so they sold them

 

[Justanotherfanboy]

It’s smaller than an iPad Mini when unfolded. It’s thick as heck for a phone when folded. It’s a “worst of both worlds” sort of thing.

The phone is skinny & long... about the screen real estate of an iPhone SE; & the inside is smaller than an iPad Mini (as you said!).
If those 2 devices come up to about $700, put together- I guess it’s a $1300 hinge?
Lol, this would flop at 1/2 the price, as is- it’s really cringeworthy.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Great concept. I’ll wait 2-3 years until a more refined version is released.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Not impressed. I will stick with my iPad mini 5.

 

[BigBoy2018]

the apple watch edition was the ‘douchebag detector’ of 2015. This is the douchebag detector of 2019

 

[rumplestiltskin]

If you buy one, you deserve everything that happens to it (even if that "thing" is your unintentional abuse).

 

[mariusignorello]

While it’s fun to see something that’s never done before I just don’t know if this is practical especially given the price point and amount of precautions the user must follow.

That off center notch and the off center virtual home button drives me insane however.

 

[Taipan]

That sound it made when it was closed was almost painful. I‘m convinced that‘s one of the small details that Apple would have cared for. A reassuring closing sound saying „OK, it‘s safe to pocket now“, whereas this sound says „Do this ten more times and some parts will fall out“.

 

[tranceking26]

I think the price rules me out. Blimey I could buy/insure/tax a car for a year for that!

 

[Little Endian]

Pretty intriguing and way too cool. Foldable displays as seen in the Galaxy Fold may seem like a game changer... but take a step back and really think about it. This tech will undoubtedly come with some caveats and compromises. Weight, thickness, battery life, and screen durability come to mind. Any moving part is prone to failure and I doubt this foldable polymer is as scratch reistant as the most recent incarnations of gorilla glass.

Also does this really serve a purpose? You can have a modern smart phone today that measures well under 8mm thin with a 5.5-6.8 inch screen. You can also get an iPad Pro that measures at just 5.9mm thin with a screen size as large as a whopping 12.9 inches.

With that said I don't know if folks would really put up with the compromise of having this who knows how thick device? Just how thick are we talking when folded? How heavy? and we unfold it to reveal a 7.3 inch display? 7.3 inches does give more real estate than a 6.5 inch display but heck it is still smaller than an iPad mini.

This statement from the review almost made me laugh ”The versatility of the Galaxy Fold is useful because the small 4.6-inch folded size is ideal for one-handed use”. Yeah a 4.6 inch display is ideal for one handed use on something svelte and compact like a Sony Xperia XZ1. Sticking a 4.6 inch display on a chassis that is as longer than a iphone pro max or Galaxy Note is just silly. Why would anyone want to use a 4.6 inch screen on a phone that big!! Ughh just look at the top and bottom voids on the phone when folded.


I would rather deal with two separate devices well tailored for their respective purposes. For a smartphone I want svelte and thin for the purpose of ultimate mobility. For a tablet I want a portable yet immersive experience that can serve the purpose of a laptop but with greater mobility, having 9.7 inch plus screen size is imperative for that experience.

I carry an iphone X and an iPad Pro 11 inch on a daily basis for work and this suits me just fine. I would rather deal with two devices that do what they do well rather than one Frankenstein device. Plus with two devices I have greater flexibility.

I will be truly impressed with this foldable technology when someone can build a device that is as small and thin as an iPhone 5 yet can unfold into a tablet with a 10 inch plus screen size. Till then it seems like the purpose of foladable displays will be for the awesomeness factor rather than practical or beneficial purposes.

 

[Patolino]

Samsung loves to be ashamed in public.

 

[Ds6778]

Even if I liked the Hardware design, man, One UI is crazy ugly.

 

[Abazigal]

All these sad people bashing this thing...

Samsung is trying to invent something completely new, of course the first version will be meh, but it's a start. Give it 3-4 years and it'll be great.

Samsung is doing what it is because they have no presence in wearables. They can only double down on smartphones.

I maintain that a tablet you have to unfold and fold everytime you wish to use it is not a great experience.

In addition, if it’s a larger display you want, isn’t that what Apple is doing with their rumoured AR glasses?

I agree that flexible displays have a place. I just don’t think it belongs on a phone, but instead, on wearables such as watches and glasses.

Samsung’s vision is off. In my view, Samsung is placing the wrong bets and it’s going to come back to hurt them.

 

[npmacuser5]

A product searching for a home. A couple more years will see how the finding a home develops.

 

[Rogifan]

And people think Apple’s notch is bad.

 

[NickName99]

Android tablets are awful. Apps for them are awful. This is a teensy little tablet, smaller than the iPad mini and far less powerful. You fold it into a oblong, fat, crummy Android phone that barely fits in a pocket. You get the worst phone and the worst tablet, in one, for $2,000.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

For some people, Apple Card will be vastly more expensive than the Galaxy Fold. I wouldn't have either product.

Eh, I was tempted to get the card. I pay for everything with a credit card because the rewards are great. Also, I rather have my credit card hacked then my bank account.

 

[zeesix]

It's weird to me that when it's closed it looks like a a really mediocre phone, so it's practically begging you to open it every time you want to use it. If I had to pull out my iPad Mini to "use my phone" I'd find it really annoying.

As an SE user that’s how I feel about the current iPhones.

 

[realtuner]

Android tablets are awful. Apps for them are awful. This is a teensy little tablet, smaller than the iPad mini and far less powerful. You fold it into a oblong, fat, crummy Android phone that barely fits in a pocket. You get the worst phone and the worst tablet, in one, for $2,000.

Even worse is there's an SDK from Samsung for the Fold. Given that this device will sell in tiny quantities, what incentive do developers have to make changes to their Apps to accomodate it?

They already can't be bothered to optimize for regular Android tablets, which sell in the millions.

 

[Heineken]

I predict sudden death.

 

[Ael_MR]

$149 screen replacement cost for a screen that can be permanently damaged by your fingernail!!!

The durability is shocking, another rushed to market prototype.

This was painful to watch. I won't fault Samsung for trying to innovate but this is a product that should've stayed at the prototype stage and kept behind a glass case at their shows. The tech is just not ready.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

This phone reminds me of the original MacBook Air: cool tech that allowed you to see the future, but not very practical right now.

 

[cfurlin]

Wouldn’t expect anything less from this site. Heaven forbid other companies
Are a “novelty” item but if apple brings one out in a few years you’ll will be ordering faster than you imagine

You should hang out on sites for those other products then. You’ll be much happier and less triggered.

 

[bluespark]

This is legitimately cool, and there’s no question but that other manufacturers, probably including Apple, will follow suit. But In this form it seems extremely “beta,” and maybe not even that polished. That’s okay, though. The original iPhone was similarly more of a technology demonstration than a mainstream product. The real test comes later.

 

[danny842003]

I can see where they’re going but it just seems like a prototype which you’re paying $2000 to test for Samsung.
It really just doesn’t seem close to being a finished consumer product at this point.