Galaxy Z Fold 2 has basically solved the pain points of the first generation. Samsung said foldable may become a pillar business

At the Unpacked event the day before yesterday, Samsung's introduction of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 was more about how to fix the flaws of the original Fold, rather than emphasizing how to make the foldable flagship even greater. While spending so much effort to convince customers that it had done things right this time, Samsung also revealed the company's bright future vision for foldable phones. After the event, Federico Casalegno, Samsung Electronics' global executive senior vice president, said: "In the future, 5G and foldable phones will become Samsung's pillar businesses"

As a trial product, the first generation Galaxy Fold had many problems, including poor battery life, poor video game experience, and limited application support. After the media's initial reviews gave many negative reviews, Samsung had to postpone the release of the new consumer-grade phone for several months.

Even the $1,980 foldable phone, which has been revised and re-released, is still so fragile that Samsung advises customers to avoid even tapping the screen too hard. There is still a risk of debris getting inside the hinge and damaging the screen from the back.

Fortunately, these problems have been properly solved on the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Samsung played a review of the original Fold screen by well-known digital blogger Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) at the Unpacked conference, and a subsequent video also showed MKBHD and The Verge editor Dieter Bohn's review of the improved design of the Z Fold 2.

And at the press conference, a video from JerryRigEverything was shown, showing the actual effect of pouring dirt and gravel on the phone, indicating that Samsung has made significant improvements in this regard.

Instead of being a dangerously fragile piece of plastic, the display uses Samsung's ultra-thin glass technology, which debuted on the Galaxy Z Flip earlier this year, promising to be more durable. Although for protection, the glass component here is still covered by a plastic cover that can get scratched. Despite this upgrade, it's still much more fragile than the tough Gorilla Glass on regular smartphones that most of us are used to.

Samsung also redesigned the Z Fold 2's hinge. It's able to stay in place at a wider range of angles, allowing it to be propped up on a table. It uses a stronger force to keep the phone open when it's unfolded, and it also uses additional springs for a smoother opening experience.

Samsung is also using similar "robot vacuuming" technology that it first debuted with the Z Flip to brush out any dust or dirt. The new system is actually a multiple refinement of the Z Flip's method to account for the smaller hinge, with shorter fibers and tweaks to the brush's elasticity to ensure everything works just as well despite the smaller size.