Did they do it right this time?

Samsung always amazes everyone with the design of their phones and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is no different. It has the same design elements as its new Flagship galaxy series device, which by the way are handsome phones, but a folding screen gives Galaxy fold 2, a distinct look. With that 6.2 inches outer screen, it looks gorgeous. I can keep on going all-day about how premium and beautiful the phone looks, but that is not all this phone is about.

Let’s talk a little bit about the old Galaxy Fold, no doubt, it was an amazing device, but it always to me was a concept phone, and the company was trying to see how people react to it, what’s their feedback, and could this become the future of the smartphone industry. it sure was a risky move for the tech giant, but they did get the positive feedback from the customers and started a trend of a foldable smartphone, which many followed but they were not as successful as Samsung.

Well, with the launch of Galaxy Fold, things did not go well for Samsung at first, because of the thin layer on the screen, which people took for a screen guard and they peeled it off, which created a whole lot of issues for the phone maker and they have to recall the devices. They extended the protective film under the bezels as a fix and they re-launched the device at a hefty $2000 price. Which was a lot for a device which was just an experiment and for me it was never a polished product and worth spending $2000, but now the Galaxy Z Fold 2 looks like a phone which makes more sense and looks like a phone worth the premium price — Still too expensive for me though and more than half of the world’s population is with me, I guess.

Picture of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
Samsung.com

Major Improvements over the last version:

Screen: Look at that 6.2 inches outer screen on the phone, which Is now usable, unlike the previous version’s tiny 4.6 inches, with a big forehead and a chin, that screen was not that functional. The only thing you could do on that was, check notifications, answer calls, but now the whole front panel is the screen, and you can use it as a smartphone when folded, you can text, play games on it, do all that you can do on a regular smartphone.

The internal screen is 7.6 inches with a variable refresh rate(11Hz-120Hz), and slightly bigger than the previous version, but no issues this time. Better for consuming media and playing games and it will give you more room to do multitasking.

Picture showing the Hinge of the new Galaxy z Fold 2
Samsung.com

Hinge:

Unlike the previous version, you can now lock the screen at various angles, which provide more flexibility and usability, you can now lay the phone on a desk and watch your favorite show or you can attend a meeting by folding the phone on a 90-degree angle, and the phone will go into the Flex mode, which lets you make a hands free video call on google duo.

Hinge color is now customizable, based on the country you live in- you will get this option. You can select the color for the hinge from various options to compliment your device.

Camera:

From a raw numbers perspective, the Z Fold 2’s camera system is somewhat less impressive than what you can get on a Galaxy S20 or Galaxy Note 20. It has the usual array of wide, ultrawide, and telephoto cameras on the back, but all three have 12-megapixel sensors. There are two selfie cameras — one for the cover screen and one for the main display — and each is 10 megapixels — The Verge.

But according to me more megapixels do not always mean better picture quality, it does sound bad is numbers, but the quality will definitely be amazing.

Samsung took mobile photography to another level with the new Hinge implementation; you can take photographhs from the different angles using the flex mode, you can use the lower portion of the screen as an extended display or a viewfinder while taking those low angle shots.

The designing team has done such a commendable job in putting this device together, that I do not see any design flaws, and the way they designed the device has opened up a plethora of opportunities. you can use both the cameras as selfie cams because of the clever design, you can set the device on the table and record a vlog. It has an Auto framing feature, which keeps the subject centered and always in focus during the video recording.

The Z Fold 2 is once again using Samsung’s dual or tri-paned interface for multitasking. You can save apps in pairs (or triplets) so they’ll open together. And when you take a screenshot of a multi-paned interface, each app’s screenshot will be stored separately. It will also still support the feature that maintains continuity between the outer and inner displays when you open the phone — The Verge.

Image showing the internal components of a Random device.
Photo by Alexandre Debiève on Unsplash

All the other Hardware is the same as the other Flagship device; Snapdragon 865 Plus processor, 256GB of storage, and 12GB of RAM. It supports wireless charging, reverses wireless charging, fast charging, and has a 4,500mAh dual battery. It will support both sub-6 and mmWave variants of 5G. The phone is unlocked with a fingerprint sensor, mounted on the side. It has stereo speakers and supports Wi-Fi 6.


Some Drawbacks:

  • Not all the 3rd party apps support the Flex mode. So basically you are spending $2000 to get a better experience of pre-installed Samsung apps or maybe some Google or Microsoft’s office suite.
  • The device is $2000, which is expensive and you can buy a tablet and phone with top specs at the same price or maybe less.
  • No S-pen support, Screen is still too soft to support the S-pen that it will scratch the surface of the screen.
  • The phone is only available in Two colors — Mystic Bronze and Black. If you do not like either of them, then you may have to look for a different device or wait till next year they may add more colors next year.

Final thoughts

It’s a great device, with amazing design, top specs, and a price that not everybody can pay, but if I have too much money then I will definitely think about buying this device. But yes, if you have too much money to spare, then go ahead and buy this device, it is an improvement over the last one and it definitely packs some astonishing features and impressive hardware. It’s launching on September 18th and If you are rich then you can pre-order it from Samsung’s website.

Canadian price of the phone nearly gave me a heart attack $3000, I’d rather build a gaming PC with Nvidia 30 series graphics card in it than buying a folding phone.

If you are not rich and want to Unfold the Future with Galaxy Z Fold 2, then make sure you do a lot of over-time and save that extra money to buy your dream phone.