Samsung first teased its foldable phone back in November, and at the company’s Galaxy Unpacked event today, it’s further detailing its foldable plans. Samsung’s foldable now has a name, the Samsung Galaxy Fold, and the company is revealing more about what this unique smartphone can do. Samsung is planning to launch the Galaxy Fold on April 26th, starting at $1,980, through AT&T and T-Mobile in the US, with a free pair of Samsung’s new wireless earbuds. There will be both an LTE and 5G version of the Galaxy Fold, and Samsung is even planning on launching the device in Europe on May 3rd, starting at 2,000 euros.
Samsung is using a new 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display that allows the phone itself to have a tablet-sized screen that can be folded to fit into a pocket. The main display is QXGA+ resolution (4.2:3), and when it’s folded, a smaller 4.6-inch HD+ (12:9) display is used for the phone mode. Samsung is using 512GB of Universal Flash Storage 3.0 (eUFS) for fast speeds, alongside a Qualcomm 7nm octa-core processor and 12GB of RAM. Samsung has even built two batteries for its Galaxy Fold, that are separated by the fold but combined in the Android operating system to represent a total of 4,380 mAh.
Samsung has built a sturdy backbone to the device, with a hinge system that has multiple interlocking gears. All of these gears are hidden at the rear of the device, and allow the Galaxy Fold to transform from tablet to phone modes. Samsung says it’s able to fold at least 200,000 times, which works out to over 5 years if you fold it 100 times a day. At the rear of the device there’s also a triple-camera system that will be used for both tablet and phone modes. There’s a 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera, alongside 12-megapixel wide-angle and telephoto cameras at the rear, and a 10-megapixel cover camera for selfies. Samsung is also creating four different colors for the Galaxy Fold, but it’s the main tablet display that’s key here.
Samsung is allowing the Galaxy Fold to run three apps at once on this Android device, and it’s using an app continuity system to adjust these apps when you move between tablet and phone modes. Apps like WhatsApp, Microsoft Office, and YouTube have all been optimized for the new display and modes, and Samsung has been working with Google to ensure Android 9 Pie fully supports this display.
Samsung demonstrated a variety of apps running in this mode, and the switching from phone to tablet and vice versa. It looks rather smooth in the software right now, but it’s fair to say that the Galaxy Fold looks far better when it’s folded out than being used as a traditional phone. The phone display is clearly designed to be used with one hand, but it’s flanked by large bezels that aren’t found on the tablet mode. We’ll need to get a closer look at the Galaxy Fold to find out exactly how this impacts the device usability, though.
Samsung isn’t the only smartphone maker creating a foldable device, but it’s certainly one of the first to make it widely available. Xiaomi teased its own folding phone recently, that looked like the best concept we’ve seen so far. Huawei is also reportedly planning to release a foldable handset this year, and Lenovo has started to tease its own prototype. LG has also been developing flexible OLED displays and TVs that roll up into a box. If all these manufacturers progress toward shipping a device like Samsung, then expect to see a lot of foldable phones in 2019 and beyond. [Reply]
Originally Posted by The Franchise:
So from it looks like.....I can basically have a phone that's the size of two phones in my pocket now....for twice the cost.
Yeah....fuck no.
Check my post from yesterday.
Would you be interested in a phone that folds in half instead? [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
Check my post from yesterday.
Would you be interested in a phone that folds in half instead?
Honestly? Probably not at this point. I don't see what benefits it would give me other than saving space. And even then you're only saving space one way. Taking my current phone and folding it in half is just going to make a bulkier product for my front pocket.
I don't even get the fascination with going back to "foldable phones". What benefits am I getting out of it? [Reply]
Originally Posted by The Franchise:
Honestly? Probably not at this point. I don't see what benefits it would give me other than saving space. And even then you're only saving space one way. Taking my current phone and folding it in half is just going to make a bulkier product for my front pocket.
I don't even get the fascination with going back to "foldable phones". What benefits am I getting out of it?
Of course, it depends on design but the idea is that you could get a screen the size of an S10+ or XS Max in a phone that won't actually stick out of your pocket when you stow it. If the design is thin enough, the folded phone would be a bit smaller than a deck of cards. [Reply]
I know guys at my office that have wallets a lot thicker than a full size deck of cards, but think a foldable phone would be too thick. Whatever.
I have a iphone 6+. I could stack three of them together and it would fit just fine in my front pocket.
I don't have any interest in paying $2000 for a fragile phone, but if the technology gets more robust and affordable, I would be very interested in it.
I can understand if you walk around with your phone trying to use it one handed, you don't want it too thick and heavy, but I rarely do that. I'm almost always sitting down when I use the phone so I would use it in tablet mode. A bigger screen would be nicer than having to dig out reading glasses. [Reply]
Looks like these things are only going to be available on AT&T and T-Mobile. I have Sprint. I called Sprint today and complained about their service - also asking how much it would cost to terminate my current plan. They told me that as of April 1st they are going to be merging with T-mobile. Basically sounding like it was a done deal. The news says otherwise and that it's still an approval process.
I was wondering if anybody in the know has any idea if T-Mobile's service will become available for existing Sprint phone customers. Like will I be able to use my current phone S8+ on the T-Mobile network once the Merger is completed? T-Mobile's data coverage & availability is much better than Sprint.
The rankings for coverage availability & data speed are pretty much like this:
1) Verizon
2) T-Mobile (nipping at their heels)
3) AT&T (a little further behind)
4) Sprint (way behind) [Reply]
If you want coverage and reliability, it's Verizon and T-Mobile. Everybody else is pretty far behind in terms of 4G coverage, let alone anything new. [Reply]
Wow. That's an awesome looking phone. I'm anxious to see how the rest of the phone is. Cameras, battery life, drop tests etc. At $2k there's no way I'm buying it. Maybe eventually that will become the norm for phone design and you'll be able to get that style for a decent price.
And of course, that design will be poo poo-ed until Apple makes a folding phone, then it'll be a must have. [Reply]
Originally Posted by jjjayb:
Wow. That's an awesome looking phone. I'm anxious to see how the rest of the phone is. Cameras, battery life, drop tests etc. At $2k there's no way I'm buying it. Maybe eventually that will become the norm for phone design and you'll be able to get that style for a decent price.
And of course, that design will be poo poo-ed until Apple makes a folding phone, then it'll be a must have.
The S10+ is like $1100 isn't it? Only $800 more. I'll justify it. IDK. I use my phone more than my car. Having a screen that big is going to be awesome. And I'm going to switch from ****ing Sprint to Verizon and T-Mobile. Life is too short to have shitty service. [Reply]
throw a stylus on that bad boy and you got me hooked.
Love my Note9 but will probably have it until 2020. If the world doesn't end by that point I'll hope the Fold has improved and then make the switch. [Reply]
