Samsung Unveils New $1,980 Galaxy Fold Smartphone

[Abazigal]

https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/24/...hone-mate-x-price-release-date-specs-mwc-2019

Huawei has announced their own folding phone as well (not sure if I missed the announcement here). Seems a bit more elegant than Samsung’s own design.

 

[DNichter]

Via MSPowerUser.com:

"Samsung has posted a promotional video for the Samsung Galaxy Fold which gives us our best look at the handset yet, allowing us for example to finally see the real turn radius and also the rather odd narrowness of the handset when folded.... See the (strangely silent) video below:"
​

Note their careful choice of media and use of contrast and camera angles on the unfolded screen to continue to conceal the Samsung Butt Crease.

The front of the phone almost looks unusable. I think people are overlooking how awkward it will be to place your fingers 1-2 inches into the size of the front before hitting a touch point. Very awkward to hold and use. With the tablet, I can see the use cases, but I am wondering how easy it will close if you apply too much pressure to the back of the sides. The person in the video was very careful when holding this way. All in all, awkward, thick, doesn’t solve any problems, and looks kind of cheap.

 

[0388631]

Neither device are remotely good.
[doublepost=1551019769][/doublepost]

The front of the phone almost looks unusable. I think people are overlooking how awkward it will be to place your fingers 1-2 inches into the size of the front before hitting a touch point. Very awkward to hold and use. With the tablet, I can see the use cases, but I am wondering how easy it will close if you apply too much pressure to the back of the sides. The person in the video was very careful when holding this way. All in all, awkward, thick, doesn’t solve any problems, and looks kind of cheap.

This is one of the few times I'll agree with you. The 1-2" space got a massive "What were they thinking?" from me. It felt very much like those concept videos from the mid-late 2000s of future phone tech. I think the body and mechanism is better than what the Huawei came out with, but I suspect the Sammy's screen and whatnot will be more durable because why not.

Though mind you Huawei was recently involved in an FBI sting involving substrate materials to strengthen glass, but I suspect they may have figured out a way to do layered micro-diamond into their plastic films to prevent creasing, heat/dry caused rupture and any issues in color clarity.

The stolen and reverse-engineered material is called Miraj by a company called Akhan Semiconductor, a special type of glass meant to curb Corning's efforts because of how it's manufactured. You'll have to read up on it yourself, but the jist is they chipped or broke park of the glass sample they weren't allowed to tamper and shot a high powered laser at it effectively burning it to get an idea of what it was made out of. It was a 100 kilowatt laser and the material had to be handled carefully when it was handed of to Huawei for testing on their prototype devices or so they claimed.

It would not surprise me if they found out a way to attach man made diamond material to thin plastic sheets of film and strengthen the bonds while allowing flexibility and preventing any issues plastics might take on over time.

Though, mind you that Corning and Schott have been working on fully bendable glass for years. I wouldn't be surprised if LG or Samsung have it in the works, but there is a point in bending glass where the forces will cause a shatter at the weakest points.


IIRC there's a video or was of Corning testing out their older glass lines and it would bend between two blocks of metal to a point and then flex back.

 

[cola79]

What i ask myself is, if this fold phones will meet a realistic price point quickly or will it just die soon because people will simply not buy it?

What i mean is, it’s nice to have a bigger screen, but i think everybody could live without that fold feature, as the average phone already has 6-7 inch screens.

So if they can’t make it to drop the price below 500€, i am very sure this kind of product will not survive.

 

[Shanghaichica]

And Huawei just said hold my beer. Makes the Fold look like a cheap ugly piece of junk

https://bgr.com/2019/02/24/huawei-mate-x-release-date-specs-and-price-official-vs-galaxy-fold/

It looks good too but I think in it’s folded form it’s too big.

 

[0388631]

I'd rather have a phone with 3D motion tracking so I can set it up on a table and have it shoot a projection of a touchpad and full size keyboard I can use and type on, and it'll register my input. Now that would be cool.

 

[Genix]

Heh, I know they do. It's just that they don't test them enough. There are unacceptable flaws that should not be in X generation of any product.

What flaws are you referring to?

 

[derekamoss]

I am thinking a lot of people just don't under stand, especially after this video and seeing how quick and seamless to unfold. You are hating it on the fact its ugly in folded mode... The only time you are going to really use that is to just make calls or a quick text so who cares how it looks when all i'm doing is calling people and holding it up to my ear. For everything else, web browsing, gaming, Netflix, (which is 95% of what people are doing when actually looking at the screen) you are going to have it unfolded and not give a crap about what the folded 5% case usage there is.

https://www.techradar.com/amp/news/...-a-much-closer-look-in-eerie-music-less-video

 

[1144557]

Im not saying Id buy either or I get the how foldable is useful. But I also don't own a tablet and already own a 6.5" screen phone, so how much more useful is 7-8" really?

Let's be real that multitasking screenshot on the Fold looks goofy as hell with a few words from Hangouts visible; just because Android "can do it" for everything doesnt mean it is anywhere near a good user experience.

Even split view with the aspect ration just doesnt look like it would be a good experience versus the wide view on a traditional tablet.

I wish I could find a screenshot where the presenter was typing a reply text in that multitasking view, you couldnt even see what you were tying in that 1/4 inch reply box, it was just really awkward.

And the Huawei is around $2600 USD (I believe they said $2299 euros). Even more ridiculously expensive.

I agree Im not sure about the folding out decision for longevity, but the Huawei model is SO much better looking and thought out than the Fold. No notch. It folds nearly flat and is only 10.9mm thick when folded is impressive; that's 1.5 iphone XS Max thick basically. The folded screen display is actually usable at 6.6" unlike that really odd tiny display huge bezel the Fold does. Dual SIM. 5G. 4500 vs 4380mah battery. With 55w charging which is insane for a phone.

You have to give Huawei some credit here, they 100% one-upped Samsung on this.

I wish our government (US) wasn't so ignorant about Huawei with no evidence Im aware of. And ironically Microsoft sells the Matebook X in the US which makes even less sense; that is safe enough. I'd probably try out one of their phones if it could be gotten on carrier 0% financing (I never ever pay up front with 0% interest rates)

 

[jamesrick80]

Samsung has a more luxurious design, better camera specs, display protection, reverse charging, better display, more ram, better processor and gpu....vs Huawei's try

 

[DNichter]

Samsung has a more luxurious design, better camera specs, reverse charging, better display more ram,, better processor and gpu....vs Whoever else tries

I think they messed up with the tiny screen on the big front, among other things. Using that when you have to reach an inch in for a touch point is going to be pretty awkward. They may have better numbers to throw at their fans (pretty much all that matters), but the screen crease, awkward front, lack of software polish, gap when closed, angled screen, huge notch, and plastic everywhere isn’t going to feel like a premium experience. I’m honestly surprised they brought this to market.

 

[jamesrick80]

I think they messed up with the tiny screen on the big front, among other things. Using that when you have to reach an inch in for a touch point is going to be pretty awkward. They may have better numbers to throw at its fans (pretty much all that matters), but the screen crease, awkward front, lack of software polish, gap when closed, angled screen, huge notch, and plastic everywhere isn’t going to feel like a premium experience. I’m honestly surprised they brought this to market.

It's a 1st generation device..expect compromises and the later generations will continue to improve..no first generation device comes without faults....otherwise Samsung did a great job

Furthermore they have told everyone..this phone is not for widespread audiences....and the S10 exists for that audience

 

[DNichter]

It's a 1st generation device..expect compromises and the later generations will continue to improve..no first generation device comes without faults....otherwise Samsung did a great job

Furthermore they have told everyone..this phone is not for widespread audiences....and the S10 exists for that audience

While I agree that things will get better, I think they would have been better off waiting to release. This product doesn’t solve much of anything for the end user and is full of compromises that will make for a bad experience. The Huawei version as is doesn’t have a gap, has a full front screen, and provides similar specs to the Samsung version. I’m surprised this is the best Samsung could come up with after 6 years of development.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Samsung has a more luxurious design, better camera specs, display protection, reverse charging, better display, more ram, better processor and gpu....vs Huawei's try

A more luxurious design? Seriously? Have you taken a look at it?

As the saying goes, there is someone for everyone. I'm sure you'll find Susan Boyle of a more luxurious design as well

 

[mi7chy]

I think they messed up with the tiny screen on the big front, among other things.

4.6" is still less of a mistake than iPhone 3.5". You wouldn't be using a copycat phablet if it wasn't for other companies. Personally, bang for the buck and use case aren't there for me but at least they're trying something new instead of copying phablet and OLED years late.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

4.6" is still less of a mistake than iPhone 3.5". You wouldn't be using a copycat phablet if it wasn't for other companies. Personally, bang for the buck and use case aren't there for me but at least they're trying something new instead of copying phablet and OLED years late.

Trying something new? Really? So what about Xiaomi or Huwea? I really don't get all these people attributing Samsung with trying something new when they clearly didn't...

 

[DNichter]

4.6" is still less of a mistake than iPhone 3.5". You wouldn't be using a copycat phablet if it wasn't for other companies. Personally, bang for the buck and use case aren't there for me but at least they're trying something new instead of copying phablet and OLED years late.

I’m not sure what my criticism of the Fold has to do with a phone from years ago, but whatever argument makes you feel better. The screen itself on the Fold, although quite narrow isn’t the main problem, it’s the fact that the screen has huge bezels. You’ll need to hold with your hand on the outside while reaching in another 1-2 inches at least to hit a touch point. That’s going to be extremely awkward to use. I don’t see taking a foldable screen (old tech) and packaging it in plastic with screen gaps, hinges that don’t fold flat, creases down the middle of the screen, super thick dimensions and bezels, weird notches, and no real world advantages as some sort of innovation. It’s lazy and rushed and they were desperate to be the first. Unfortunately for them, they weren’t first and Huawei has already bested them.

 

[niun]

What flaws are you referring to?

Errr the butterfly keyboard failing requiring the entire machine being replaced.. That one?
Or is that a feature these days?

 

[PeteS1963]

It’s hard to make any valid comments about these couple of foldable phones when all we’ve seen are some scripted demos in carefully controlled lighting and some rather weird videos.

As far as I can tell no one outside the manufacturers themselves has actually held one of these things let alone used one. To me it suggests that they are far from finished products. I’ll wait and see what reviewers and real users have to say.

 

[skaertus]

Quite interesting to see. While Apple is playing Samsung’s game (offering the best and marketing as such), Samsung is now playing Apple’s game (offering something new and marketing it as revolutionary). Much of this is just marketing and word play, but still.

To have a small phone to fit on the pocket and be used with one hand only, while still having a large screen, would be the sweet spot for any portable device. A mixture of iPhone and iPad. A foldable phone could be a smart way of achieving this.

The video is great, but I wonder how practical it is in real life. I mean, I have a Samsung S8, and my iPhone X is miles ahead of it in terms of software. Samsung’s software is cluttered, slow and buggy, a pain to use, very bad experience indeed. Samsung would have to improve this a lot before convincing me to buy something like this. I will definitely not spend USD2,000 on a device running TouchWiz, which I despise.

And of course I will not fork USD2,000 (or whatever it comes to cost here in Brazil, more likely in the range of USD4,000-5,000) on a smartphone. Crime rates here are high, and cell phones, expensive as they are, are one of the preferred targets to be stolen. I will not take such a valuable device with me all the time to use it on the streets. Just like you don’t go out to work with your diamond ring.

 

[Abazigal]

It’s hard to make any valid comments about these couple of foldable phones when all we’ve seen are some scripted demos in carefully controlled lighting and some rather weird videos.

As far as I can tell no one outside the manufacturers themselves has actually held one of these things let alone used one. To me it suggests that they are far from finished products. I’ll wait and see what reviewers and real users have to say.

This.

I have a feeling everyone here will be singing a much different tune a few months later when the device actually gets into the hands of buyers and the flaws and limitations become apparent for all to see.

This isn’t even a Gen 0 product. It’s Gen negative.

 

[1144557]

I mean, I have a Samsung S8, and my iPhone X is miles ahead of it in terms of software. Samsung’s software is cluttered, slow and buggy, a pain to use, very bad experience indeed. Samsung would have to improve this a lot before convincing me to buy something like this.

This is the #1 non-starter. Android is a CRAP tablet experience. I dont think anyone out there can even deny that, even Android fans. Heck Google themselves haven't made an Android tablet themselves in years and years; what 2014 the Nexus 9? They are backing Chrome OS.

There is a reason only maybe 2 or 3 lines of mainstream mid to high-end Android tablets (not the $100-200 Chinese/lenovo/no name ones) are sold. Samsun and Huawei, that's about all I can name (I guess the Kindle maybe could be mid-range?).

They just dont sell as they were really poor experiences and the apps never updated for a tablet.

Android has a long long way to go to make a "Tablet" mode even be worth it before even considering if a folding tablet is worth it.

 

[skaertus]

This is the #1 non-starter. Android is a CRAP tablet experience. I dont think anyone out there can even deny that, even Android fans. Heck Google themselves haven't made an Android tablet themselves in years and years; what 2014 the Nexus 9? They are backing Chrome OS.

There is a reason only maybe 2 or 3 lines of mainstream mid to high-end Android tablets (not the $100-200 Chinese/lenovo/no name ones) are sold. Samsun and Huawei, that's about all I can name (I guess the Kindle maybe could be mid-range?).

They just dont sell as they were really poor experiences and the apps never updated for a tablet.

Android has a long long way to go to make a "Tablet" mode even be worth it before even considering if a folding tablet is worth it.

I agree with you that Android provides a crappy tablet experience. But at least Android may provide a good smartphone experience and perhaps even a reasonable one with a larger foldable screen (similar to a tablet) if it gets better apps.

But Samsung’s Touch Wiz makes Android experience terrible even on a smartphone. Stock Android may not be stellar as iOS, but it is still good and usable. Touch Wiz makes it miserable. I am not paying another USD 200 to get another Touch Wiz device, let alone USD 2,000.

 

[jamesrick80]

I agree with you that Android provides a crappy tablet experience. But at least Android may provide a good smartphone experience and perhaps even a reasonable one with a larger foldable screen (similar to a tablet) if it gets better apps.

But Samsung’s Touch Wiz makes Android experience terrible even on a smartphone. Stock Android may not be stellar as iOS, but it is still good and usable. Touch Wiz makes it miserable. I am not paying another USD 200 to get another Touch Wiz device, let alone USD 2,000.

TouchWiz hasn't existed for over 2 years on Samsung flagships...you are hilarious.​

 

[spacemnspiff]

I don't understand how Samsung names a product, when Samsung announced their competition to Apple, the phone was called 'Samsung' 'Galaxy' 'S' and add now 'Fold' to that, what an awkward naming convention. No one calls the whole name, its just simply S9 or S10 for the users, why not stick to that. The fold will be 'S' and 'Fold'.

iPhone was simply Apple iPhone.

Now that Mate X has been announced, Mate X looks more appealing.