The third time seems to be the charm for Samsung. The South Korean company has unveiled its latest folding smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G and it appears that the company’s foldables are ready for their breakthrough moment.
Caveat: This new fold still has an extremely sensitive screen when it is pried open, so, if you have younger kids or are not very careful with your devices, you may want to restrict your activity to admiring this remarkable piece of tech from afar.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2, which was launched on the 1st of September, 2020 appears to be the ‘power phone’ that the company touts it as. The new phone features a re-engineered design that allows it to actually open up flat without any jiggling. The Infinity Flex main screen, which has a massive 7.6 inches of viewing area (22.5:18 aspect ratio and 2208 x 1768 pixels) thanks to reduced bezel size and a notch-less camera, is now covered in Samsung Ultra-Thin Glass, giving it a more premium feel and minimizing creasing.
Perhaps the greatest improvement in the Galaxy Z Fold2 is its new Hideaway Hinge which fits inside the phone’s body when unfolded and is stiff enough to hold the phone at a range of 75 to 115 degrees according to Samsung, although early use suggests it is more flexible than that. This means that you do not have to open the phone fully when watching videos or carrying out other tasks. The device also employs the same sweeper technology used in the Z Flip to help repel dust and dirt particles.
Although the Galaxy Z Fold2 has the same features as its predecessor- which is a phone that can open up to a tablet – it sets itself apart with a larger external screen of 6.2 inches that makes it easier to use it in its folded position without having to flip it open all the time. It is made of Gorilla Glass Victus, giving it an overall sturdy and sleek look when folded. Its internal ultrathin glass screen is lees sturdy, and even with a factory-installed screen protector on top, you have to be extra careful to prevent damages. Its Multi-Active window more than compensates for this weakness, however, and its ability to comfortably support three apps makes it the perfect multitasking tool.
As with previous models, this new Fold is rife with cameras. There are five: two selfie cameras, one on the cover and the other on the main screen, as well as three on the back of the device, one of which can shoot 4K videos. One cool feature of the device is that it allows you take selfies with the back camera while seeing what the final shot will look like on the cover screen. There’s also adaptive auto-framing which will register if two or more people are detected in the frame. If it detects more than three people, the algorithm will automatically switch from the main camera to the ultra-wide sensor.
The Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, endowed with 256 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM, as well as an intelligent 4500mAh battery, is set to go on sale on September 18 for $1,999.99. It is available for pre-order on Samsung’s website in two colours – Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze – but, you can choose from four special hinge colours—Metallic Silver, Metallic Gold, Metallic Red and Metallic Blue—if you buy it from the site. As with the Z Flip, there will also be a limited Thom Browne edition of only 500 pieces, which includes a Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Buds Live wireless earbuds in the box for $3,299 on September 25.
Source: Robb Report