In February, Samsung delighted fans around the world when it revealed its first ever foldable smartphone , the Galaxy Fold.
The incredible device folds open like a book, allowing you to use it either like a phone or a tablet.
While there’s still almost three weeks to go before you can get your hands on the smartphone, Mirror Online was given a sneak-peek this week.
Here’s our first impression of the Galaxy Fold.
Design
Considering this is Samsung’s first stab at a foldable phone, I was surprisingly impressed with the final product.
Despite being the size of two smartphones, the Galaxy Fold is fairly light in the hand, and when folded down, the 4.6-inch front screen is very easy to manoeuvre one-handed.
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What I wasn’t quite expecting was the amount of dead-space around the front screen. While Samsung’s previous smartphones have been moving towards an almost edgeless display, the front of the Galaxy Fold has a very chunky bezel.
When transforming the smartphone from folded to unfolded mode, the folding mechanism is slightly clunky, and it required more force than I expected to fully unfold the screen.
While Samsung says that this is to ensure the smartphone doesn’t unfold in your bag, it could be irritating when using the device on the move.
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Once open, the 7.3-inch screen is clear and bright, although there’s a fairly obvious crease running down the middle of the screen, which could be distracting on certain apps - especially those with lighter backgrounds, such as Google Maps.
In terms of colours, Samsung has been pretty brave with its choices (Space Silver, Cosmos Black, Martian Green and Astro Blue), with the additional option of a silver or gold hinge.
All four of these colour-ways are very reflective, which give the smartphone a premium look, but could also be a bit of a nightmare in terms of fingerprints!
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Camera
One of the most impressive features for the Galaxy Fold is the camera line-up.
Like the Galaxy S10, the Galaxy Fold features a triple lens rear camera, as well as dual-lens front camera when in unfolded-mode.
However, it also has the addition of a 10MP camera on the front of the smartphone when it’s folded down - ideal for selfie lovers.
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Key features
One of the features that I liked the most was the App Continuity feature, which allows you to open and close the smartphone without closing an app.
This could be really handy for using the smartphone on the go, for example, navigating on Google Maps.
Another handy feature is multi-active window feature, which lets you view and use up to three apps at the same time - ideal if like me you like watching YouTube videos while messaging your friends!
Other notable features include Wireless Powershare, allowing you to charge other products by placing them on the Galaxy Fold, as well as a subtle fingerprint sensor on the side of the smartphone.
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However, there are a few features that I wasn’t so sure on.
Because the Galaxy Fold is so new, most apps haven’t been optimised for the screen yet. This means that when using apps like Netflix , you’re left with unsightly black bars at the side of the screen.
Thankfully, this is likely to improve over time as more apps are optimised to fit the screen.
And while I only had the phone for an hour, I’d be interested to see what the battery life is like on it. While it does have a hefty 4,380 mAh dual battery system, I suspect the extra screen and features could drain the battery pretty quickly.
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Price
Brace yourselves - the Galaxy Fold has an eye-watering £1,800 price-tag!
That makes it one of the most expensive smartphones on the market, and is very likely to put most consumers off.
Overall, I was impressed with the Galaxy Fold as a concept, and it was definitely fun and quirky to use. However, I doubt it’ll be as popular as Samsung hopes, thanks to its price-tag.
