Samsung Galaxy Fold: Is It Worth The $1,980 Price Tag?

Samsung has been teasing people with previews and unveiling of their prototype models. And when it finally arrives for showcase and sale, it’s bundled with a $1,980 price tag which will definitely make a lot of people think about their choices. The hype of a finally finished foldable smartphone product is tempting, but the fear of disappointment is also there.

Handling Your Samsung Galaxy Fold

Everything about a smartphone matters – design, software, hardware, interface, they all spell whether or not users will love what you sell. And people should expect a different experience with Samsung Galaxy Fold that is different from your typical smartphone.

The Galaxy Fold series is chunky to say the least. If you still remember Nokia E90 from back in those days, that’s how it feels like.

But this time, half of them is not occupied by the keyboard, but a 7.3″ AMOLED display. Unfortunately, folding the screen is not possible without leaving a narrow hollow space in between.

When we talk about ‘handheld’ phones, we certainly did not think that phones are going to get this big. It’s pretty legit to call it a tablet that folds rather than a smartphone. You don’t want to make a call when it’s open like this.

Opening and closing the Galaxy Fold is satisfying. It turns you into a kid who just loves to listen to that ‘snap’ sound it makes when you lock it in place. It feels robust, but Samsung has also addressed their concerns with the fragility around the hinge.

The display.

When you unfold the Galaxy Fold, you will be served with a beautiful 7.3″ wide of AMOLED HDR+10+ Infinity Flex display. It’s got the right punch and makes it a great place to read your favorite book or watch your favorite movies.

Upon receiving a call, you can fold the phone back and goes to the Cover Display which is only 4.6″ wide and still with super AMOLED. The small screen is to accommodate one-hand operation such as answering phone calls, receiving texts & emails or checking your notifications. It’s all good until you notice the wide bezel in between the top and bottom of the screen.

The size is right, but the look is kind of annoying. At the same time, we all realize that if it’s bezel-less on the outside as well, it won’t suffice for one-hand operation.

The software.

Samsung made sure that the product will remain a high-tech smartphone that is worth the $1,980 price tag. And they certainly did it without a fail.

A big screen is begging to have multiple tasks done on it which the Fold is capable of doing. Up to three tasks can be shown at once, fueled with 12 GB RAM that will surely deliver high-end performance.

Another lovely thing about the Fold is App Continuity feature. It has a seamless transfer of doing whatever you were on the Cover Display to the Infinity Flex screen. Several tests on different apps like Spotify, Whatsapp and Google Maps show that it is able to transfer everything without fail.

App Continuity requires app updates and so far, not so many have supported the features. Although, third-party apps like Instagram and Spotify are doing great.

And it does have a notch, which cuts out one corner of the screen. It interferes with some apps and games, but Samsung did mention they are coming with new updates to fix this.

Worth it!

Samsung Galaxy Fold is not the first adopter of a folding screen, but compared to Royole Flexpai who seemed to rush their launching, Samsung did theirs perfectly. The display spoils users and the interface was comfortable with users’ convenience in mind, the software performed extremely well and it could be both a smartphone and a tablet at the same time.

Early adopters have to pay $1,980 for the Galaxy Fold and settle with the notch for front camera as well as apps that are not yet adjusted, but with future updates coming, it’s worth it!