Samsung Galaxy Fold: a preliminary assessment

Samsung's F line is a sandbox for experimental models. For those devices that are

their category are pioneers who are notdesigned for mass sales. By the way, the company does not consider the foldable Galaxy Fold a flagship model; the smartphone is positioned as a model that opens a new product category. So, the consumer should not perceive the device as the company’s flagship. This is rather an image model, a separate category.

In the race for leadership in the clamshell segment withseveral manufacturers are involved in flexible displays, but it is Samsung that has some advantage and looks like a favorite. This is due to the fact that the Korean company has its own production of flexible displays. It is logical that the Koreans were the first to exhibit their version. In May, the smartphone will already appear in stores in Europe, and therefore, with us. Who is this smartphone for? For those connoisseurs of mobile technology, who want to be the first to try an innovative device that is fundamentally different from the usual smartphones. This is the first change of the form factor since the emergence of monoblock smartphones. It is clear that because of its price, this device is not to be massive, the exclusivity does not attract all people, this category is extremely small.

Design, ergonomics

The smartphone can truly be called unique,for there are no such yet. When folded, the device is quite compact, and when decomposed, it becomes, rather, a tablet, since the screen is enlarged to eight inches. In addition, the smartphone has already turned out to be a standard smartphone, which adds lightness to the device. And it is quite possible to work in the default state with the device, since it has an external additional screen. In principle, you can do without laying out the smartphone, anything, as with the usual model. True, typing will not be very convenient, the screen is still not so big. As for working with one hand, this is not very convenient, the thickness is more than usual, besides, it will not work to open the device with one hand, and in general, this device is for both hands like a regular tablet.

Build quality, small parts - all at the highestlevel, and no wonder, a premium device for such money does not have the right to be imperfect. The only moment spoils the impression (visual) - a large number of glass surfaces. The smartphone quickly gets stained with prints, and becomes not very neat looking, so you will always have to carry a rag with you. Of course, this disease is almost all the flagships who use premium glossy materials and large screens. The device is compact enough to carry it in your pocket or in a small handbag. But if there are free cards in the same place, then be prepared that they will be inside the clamshell. The screen does not suffer from this, but the card itself may be accidentally lost like this.

Stereo speakers installed in both ends, soundquite loud and legible, the vibration motor is also well felt. The bottom end holds the USB-C port. On the left side of the receiver simok (two cards). There is no support for microSD cards, since there is enough internal memory, and it is fast, UFS 3 standard.

Main screen

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There’s no point in talking about the external screen, it’s normalwithout special chips. As for the internal display, its diagonal is 7.3 ”with a SuperAMOLED resolution of 2152x1536 or QXGA + matrixes. The pixel density is 414 ppi, the brightness margin is large, the adjustment is automatic, AlwaysOn Display is supported. At the same time, AlwaysOn Display seems to be needed only as an external one, why is it inside? But as the manufacturer wanted, apparently for those who will keep the device open.

The main question of many skeptics is how many cyclesdecompose to lay down will withstand the display of the smartphone. According to Samsung, the design is designed to withstand up to two hundred cycles. That is, a day you will need to open a smartphone a hundred times, and so on for five years. Even a video about the research company recorded. According to unusual geometry, many were afraid that the interface would not fit. In reality, everything is fine, since the shell interface is optimized for the screen. The picture at the display is simply gorgeous with a brightness of 800, that is, in the bright sun everything is perfectly visible.

Camera

The main camera here is the same as the flagshipS10 +, so, it makes no sense to analyze the characteristics of the sensors. The only thing - autofocus is much faster. Maybe the processor is more powerful, the memory is faster. To start the camera, press the side button twice. Someone who got used to the big viewfinder screen when shooting is perhaps uncomfortable, and the brightness of the external display is lower, it fades in the sun. Another module on the back, a little protruding, but not creating problems.

Autonomy

The battery here has a capacity of 4380 mAh, but thisnot one battery, but two. When the smartphone is opened, then two batteries work, a small battery is involved in folded form. If you work no longer than 6 hours a day, then the smartphone lives for two days. Longer fellow flagships, because the chipset is better, the memory is faster and more energy efficient, and the external display is not so greedy for energy. In 80 minutes, both batteries are restored from scratch, high-speed charging and wireless are supported. Reverse charging is also present, that is, you can charge the device, for example, headphones.

Hardware stuffing

The basis of the iron filling - Snapdragon processor855, onboard 12 gigabytes of RAM, and the drive received fast memory format UFS 3. This bundle produces just beyond the speed of work. If you take synthetics, then the points in the tests in the tops, and there is a difference in graphics performance for different displays. And of course, their permission is different, resources are used differently.

Galaxy Fold claims to be a device that willdetermine the further development of the market. What will be released in May is a really commercial version, modified, without any jambs. The price tag, of course, while it will be quite rather big. But innovations always had to be paid for, after a while other manufacturers would catch up, and prices would surely crawl down.

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