I’ll admit it, when Samsung teased the Galaxy Fold at its Developer Conference in 2018, I wasn’t sold on the concept. Sure, the technology was impressive, but it just seemed gimmicky to me. The only benefit I could think of for folding displays would be if they made regular-sized phones smaller.
Cut to 2019, and the Galaxy Fold fiasco proved I was right to be reticent. The first-gen foldable was easily damaged and, frankly, the concept of a phone that opened to become a tablet didn’t appeal to me. Then Motorola unveiled the Razr, bringing some hope, but that soon turned sour when I heard all the complaints about its shoddy quality and overall impracticality.
On Tuesday, however, Samsung shook things up. It officially revealed the Galaxy Z Flip — a 6.7-inch phone that, like the Razr, folded in half. But Samsung managed to come up with an “Ultra-Thin Glass” that made its folding screen sturdier than alternatives we’ve seen. In doing so, the company instilled more confidence in the durability of its product. More importantly, it proves that the ultimate goal of gadgets that fold to become more compact is within reach.
The Z Flip is the first iteration of a folding smartphone that actually makes sense. The phone arrived in stores on Valentine’s day, and after testing out a sample for 24 hours, I’ve already caught feelings. While we work on our full review, here are some early thoughts.
Things I don’t like as much
As you can tell, I was blown away by the build of the Z Flip’s hinge and Dynamic AMOLED display which, by the way, was easy to see in sunlight. But a few other features give me pause.
My biggest complaint is the utility (or lack thereof) of the 1.1-inch screen on the outside of the phone. Most of the time, this just shows you the time, date and battery percentage. Swipe right and you’ll see up to three notification icons with a “+2” or however many more alerts are queued. Swipe left and you get music controls — neat. When a message comes in, a preview pops up and scrolls so you can read the whole thing (if you’re patient enough to sit through it all). But obviously you can’t reply to anything without opening the phone. If you’re taking a selfie or photo with the Z Flip closed, you can also use this sliver of a screen as a very limited viewfinder.
It’s a small gripe, since this display isn’t meant to do much more than serve up bits of information, and it doesn’t take much effort to open the phone to really get to work. But if Samsung was going to go to the length of placing a screen here, it might as well have used a bigger, more functional option. The rest of the phone’s shiny, easily-smudged case feels like an expanse of wasted space in comparison to the Razr’s. Motorola opted for a 2.7-inch touch-sensitive panel that you can swipe on to see more of your alerts, and that alone is its sole advantage over the Galaxy Z Flip.
Wrap-up
So far, my biggest takeaway is that I don’t want to give the Flip back to Samsung. I have quickly grown used to a regular-sized phone that I can fold in half and tuck away in a pocket. In general, I’d like better cameras and maybe a slightly sleeker design and more useful external screen. But as the first iteration of a device that folds this way, the Z Flip makes an extremely convincing case: This format has a ton of potential.
As Samsung continues to refine and improve on the Z Flip, I’m sure future generations will only get better. Sadly, the phone is out of stock across almost all of the US, as Samsung seems to only have shipped limited quantities to stores. That’s probably for the best — it’ll give you time to read our full review before deciding whether you should buy one. That is, if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one and don’t mind splashing $1,380 to be an early adopter.
Author: Cherlynn Low.
Source: Engadget
