Galaxy Fold hands-on review: Is the folding screen easy to use?

After overcoming the controversy over screen defects, Galaxy Fold has been sold in South Korea. Many consumers have received the physical phones. As media and consumers continue to upload reviews, the mystery of the foldable phone has also been unveiled.

Folding screen test

What people are most looking forward to is naturally the actual effect of the folding screen. The Galaxy Fold folding screen successfully breaks away from the cycle of increasing the size of the mobile phone. The overall body weight has increased to 276 grams, but it is not a problem for ordinary adults. When folded, it is only 4.6 inches in size, which makes it easier to put into the pocket.

However, when folded, the resolution of the outer display only supports YouTube 720P HD+. Korean media "Korea Economy" reported that although it can still watch videos and search news, compared with current high-definition displays, the picture quality difference is still obvious, and typing is also less convenient. Overall, the outer screen is more suitable for receiving notifications, making calls and other functions.

The main display is equipped with a 7.3-inch QXGA+ screen. Since there are no similar displays on the market, it is difficult to compare, but generally speaking, the picture quality is better than FHD+. In terms of specifications, the Galaxy Fold's display is slightly inferior to the Galaxy S10 Plus and Galaxy Note10+, but the effect of watching with the naked eye is not much different.

Luxury packaging disappears

The revised Galaxy Fold is priced at 2,398,000 won, which is not much different from the price announced in the United States in April, but the appearance is very different from the one exposed in April. In the unboxing photos of Galaxy Fold exposed by American media in April, when users open the box, the mechanism will be triggered, allowing the phone to appear in front of the user like a lift, but the revised Galaxy Fold sold in South Korea is simply packed in a black paper box.

The initial stock of Galaxy Fold was limited, with only about 3,000 units in the first batch. Not only was the appearance much simpler, but the promotion was not as enthusiastic as that of Galaxy Note10. The discount for purchasing Galaxy Fold includes a special mobile phone case worth 260,000 won, 70% compensation for display damage (one-time use only), and Galaxy Fold special consulting service. Compared with other Galaxy flagship models, the mobile phone case and compensation service are basic equipment. The only bright spot is that Samsung's Bluetooth headset Galaxy Buds has become standard.

Only having 5G communication version will affect LTE network speed?

On the other hand, Galaxy Fold is only available in 5G version. The Korea Economy also pointed out that although Galaxy Fold is compatible with LTE, the actual tested download speed is only 27Mbps, which is much slower than the average download speed (150Mbps) announced by the Ministry of Science, Information and Communications of South Korea. Although it may not be felt deeply in general use, it may be quite inconvenient when downloading large-capacity games and videos.

Screen durability still needs to be observed

After the screen controversy in April, users are still most concerned about the durability of the Galaxy Fold. It is worth noting that when you open the new Galaxy Fold package, you will see three "warning instructions", including not using sharp objects such as cards and nails to pierce the phone when folding, paying attention to foreign objects when folding the screen, and not supporting waterproof and shockproof.

However, the Galaxy Fold also uses under-screen fingerprint recognition technology, which inevitably makes people worry that when the fingernails press the screen hard, the screen may be scratched by the fingernails. On the other hand, almost all mainstream flagship phones currently support waterproof functions. Although the Galaxy Fold supports daily splashing, it may be difficult to use if it rains heavily. According to the actual tests of reporters and bloggers, the Galaxy Fold has indeed fixed the screen defects, but the durability of the folding display still needs time to verify.