Samsung thrilled us by unveiling the keenly anticipated Galaxy Fold this week, showing us a device that’s truly different to every other mainstream handset on the market.
However, great as it is to see something genuinely new, there are already some big question marks hanging over the Fold, as these highly entertaining tweets prove. These are our biggest concerns about the smartphone/tablet hybrid.
Read more: 5G phones
That outer display
The Samsung Galaxy Fold rocks two screens, but it’s the 4.6-inch outer display that has raised alarm bells. Just look at it:
It’s almost comically small, and is surrounded by what might just be the thickest bezels we’ve ever seen on a smartphone. They’re hard to make out in Samsung’s promotional shots of the Fold, but screenshots from the company’s Unpacked 2019 presentation give it away. Not the slickest look.
- Read our Samsung Galaxy Fold review: hands on
It doesn’t fold flat
One of our biggest concerns about the Fold ahead of its unveiling was whether or not it would fold flat, and tellingly, at no point during the handset’s unveiling did Samsung claim it would.
Take another look at the screengrab (above) from the reveal video. It appears to show a significant gap between the two parts of the handset – the gap is at its widest along the hinge.
Further confirmation (above) came when Samsung CEO DJ Koh pulled the Fold out of his pocket. Which brings us to…
How tough is it?
Fragility was another worry we had ahead of the Fold’s unveiling, and we won’t know how tough the handset is until we actually get to use it for an extended period of time. What we do know is there are a lot of potential weak spots here.
According to Samsung, the Fold can withstand “hundreds of thousands of folds”, which is great news − but does the fact that it’s hinged make it more vulnerable to serious damage when it’s dropped? Will that gap protect the inner screen or put it in even greater danger?
These are major questions that won’t be answered until the Fold hits the market.
Thickness
Skinny jeans wearers, the Galaxy Fold might not be the smartphone for you.
When it’s closed, it essentially looks like two regular smartphones stuck together. In other words, it’s thick − very thick − though Samsung is yet to reveal its actual dimensions.
The notch
Samsung has had a bit of fun over recent months ridiculing its rivals for embracing the notch − and it’s picked up plenty of praise for resisting the trend.
But the South Korean firm has now joined the club. And in emphatic fashion too, with the Fold featuring what might be the biggest notch we’ve seen to date.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it wasn’t mentioned during Samsung’s presentation this week, but it stuck out like a sore thumb during the demonstrations, especially when the company fired up Google Maps.
Price
Samsung introduced the Fold as a “luxury” device, and its price absolutely tallies with that description.
$1980 (~£1520) is much more than most people would be willing to pay for a top-of-the-line smartphone that provides an excellent user experience, let alone an experimental smartphone-cum-tablet that serves more as a taster of what we can look forward to in the future, rather than a slick device in its own right.
However, there are plenty of people out there who’d be willing to pay a premium to be one of the first to lay hands on the flashiest tech in town, and the Galaxy Fold is certainly that.
What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy Fold? Let us know on Twitter @TrustedReviews.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
