Samsung has defended its Galaxy Fold design choices, amid the perception the rival Huawei Mate X foldable phone offers a superior form factor.
Samsung’s book-like folding design features a smaller outer screen and folds out to reveal larger tablet on the inside. However, it doesn’t fold flat and there’s a large gap between the two parts of the handset.
Huawei’s device features a pair of outer screens that fold in to form the larger device. In many quarters, including this one, that design choice earned plenty of praise.
Related: Samsung Galaxy Fold problems
Now, in an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Samsung Mobile executive Eui-suk Chung said Samsung’s design is actually the most natural way to go about this. He said the company tried many options but it turned out the innie was better than the outtie in Samsung’s view.
He said: “We have tried so many different things… In the end we really wanted to create the best user experience, which is the infold. You open it like a book. You close it like a book. It’s much more natural than doing it the other way around, so we went for that even though it presents the harder technical challenge.”
The firm’s executive VP of R&D even addressed the concerns over that less-than-perfect fold. He added: “Our intention is to create a perfect close, but today’s technology doesn’t allow you to fold a screen like paper, 100 per cent.”
Whether it’s more natural or not, one advantage the Galaxy Fold may have over the Mate X is the ability to hide the main screen from the elements. It’s far less likely to pick up scratches when on the inside of the fold.
Which of the foldable phones do you think is taking the right design approach? Do both have their merits? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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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.
