First generation products are complicated, just ask Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy Fold was due to launch all the way back in April 2019. Before the product hit the stores it made its way into the hands of media outlets and YouTubers for early reviews, and this is where the problems started.
The Galaxy Fold has a protective layer on the inner display, which quite a few people mistakenly thought was a screen protector and decided to peel this away, resulting in the displays going totally haywire. There was also a case of debris getting into the hinge and protruding through the display. Rather than risking more Note 7 levels of hysteria, Samsung decided to delay the device for more fine tuning.
5 months later, Samsung claims these have been rectified. The protective layer now goes all the way under the bezels of the inner display so you physically can’t remove it, and the small gaps at the top and bottom of the inner display have been sealed with caps to stop dust and debris from potentially getting inside. During its time on the bench there has been some fine tuning of the software too. So how does the new Galaxy Fold fare?
Starting with the most obvious thing which makes this phone so interesting, the design. When the Fold is closed its hefty, heavy and feels solid, made of aluminium and Gorilla Glass 6. It’s also taller and slimmer than your average smartphone, it reminds me of a relay baton for some reason. Keeping it closed are a set of strong magnets, you certainly feel like you’re getting what you’ve paid for here.
On the front there is 4.6 inch Super AMOLED display. It’s crazy to think that this size display was the standard on the iPhone 6 only 4 years ago (4.7 inches, actually). But this is 2019, where 6 inch plus displays are the norm, so using the front display is awkward. I found myself doing all sorts of accidental touches and typing feels like a chore. The bezels are enormous too and I just wanted to open up the Fold to make use of the larger display the majority of the time. I found the best method is to treat the front display like you would a smart watch, great for quick glances and notifications, but not something you’re going to be using for minutes on end.
Another annoyance is when it comes to use in the car. As the build is so slim it just about fits in my car cradle securely, and using Google Maps navigation on the small front display is frustrating. If you are lucky enough to have a car that supports Android Auto however you could get around this, but as someone who uses 2 phones on the regular in the car, its just not an option for me.
Opening the Fold is an experience. You are greeted with a 7.3 inch Super AMOLED display, it looks amazing. The colours are bright and punchy and its high resolution too, 1536 x 2152 (362 pixels per inch) to be exact. Watching some high quality YouTube or Netflix video is fantastic, this would be great for those long morning commuter train journeys.
So how durable does the display feel? It’s made of a soft plastic rather than traditional glass. There is an explicit warning when you first unbox the Fold not to expose it to sharp objects, liquid or hard jabs. Its softer than a regular phone display, but I never felt I was going to damage it at any point. I would say an extra level of care would be wise when handling the Fold however.
The big question is however, “Is there a crease?” The answer is yes, but it’s really not that bad. If you look for it, you’ll see it every time, however once you’re using the Fold, watching video, scrolling through content, it simply melts away.
There really is something magical about opening and closing the Fold, almost unbelievable that this thing exists in a sense, I found myself playing with it all the time just wrap get my head around it. The hinge feels sturdy also, and it closes with a satisfying snap. The gap between the display when its closed is minimal too, without being totally flat. It really is a brilliant piece of design and engineering.
Apps seamlessly continue on each display. If you check your Instagram feed while the Fold is closed and open up the device, it will instantly be on the larger display without having to re-open the app and visa versa. This is a really nice feature, especially impressive when watching video.
The specs and feature set on offer here is top notch, falling in line with the likes of the Galaxy S10 range. Powering the Fold is the Snapdragon 855 processor, paired with 12GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. The Fold flies through anything you can throw at it, whether that is gaming, video editing, or switching to multiple apps, everything is instant. Speaking of which, you can now run 3 apps simultaneously on the inner display, which is great for checking social feeds while watching a YouTube video for example.
The camera set up is similar to the S10 range also, with a versatile triple lens set up on the rear. There is a standard wide lens, a 2x telephoto lens for close shots, and an ultra-wide lens with 123 degree field of view which is great for landscapes and group photos. You can get some really nice bokeh style portraits too using the combined lenses. The photo quality is great, on par with the S10 range, which is up there with the best cameras currently available on any smartphone. Video capture goes all the way up to 4K 60fps too and looks crisp.
Inside the Fold there is a dual 10MP and 8MP selfie camera set up which enables some bokeh style photos too. Again the quality is good. On the front of the Fold is a single 10MP sensor which is fine for some quick selfies or video calls.
The battery of the Galaxy Fold is really unique, it’s actually split in 2, with each part being housed in either side of the device, with a total combined capacity of 4380mAh. Thats up there with S10 5G levels of capacity. I have zero complaints of the battery life, easily getting through the day. The Fold supports wireless charging and wireless power sharing too, so you can charge up a phone for a friend or a wearable that supports Qi charging or the included Galaxy Buds.
Yes thats right, the Galaxy Buds come included with the Fold in the box (along with a protective case). These usually retail for around £130 and are a really solid pair of wireless ear buds with up to 6 hours battery life (and another 6 when recharged in the case) and sound decent too, good stuff.
Other things to mention about the Galaxy Fold, a side mounted fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos audio, support for Samsung DeX (you can plug it into an external monitor and use a desktop style interface), NFC, 5G capability, the list of features is impressive.
So whats the verdict on the Fold? It certainly is a polarising device. On the one hand, there is everything on offer here, a stacked set of specs and features, great battery life, fantastic cameras and it doesn’t miss a beat. But ultimately, the design is what both pushes it forward and holds it back. It’s awkward to use when it’s closed, it’s unwieldy, and more fragile than a regular smartphone, there is no water resistance or IP rating to speak of here. And then there is the price of course, weighing in at £1,900, or £119 per month for 24 months with a £50 up front cost on EE. You’re gonna need some deep deep pockets.
Even for a power user, I can’t recommend the Galaxy Fold because of these reasons. If you want the latest and greatest, I would pick something like the S10 Plus or S10 5G, which has all the features mentioned here outside of the folding design and coming in at pretty much half the price, with the added bonus of water and dust resistance too.
If you really want a folding phone, I would say, wait. This is the first generation of what is sure to be a growing category. The Huawei Mate X is on the horizon and Motorola are rumored to be launching a new folding RAZR phone. If you really want a folding phone, then right now, there isn’t another an option, and I’m sure you won’t regret your purchase.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold is available from exclusively from Samsung direct or EE now in limited quantities.