Samsung Galaxy Fold Hands-On

Samsung has finally launched the Galaxy Fold in the Philippines in partnership with the country’s major telcos. Check out our hands-on and initial impressions below.

As the name suggests, the Samsung Galaxy Fold is foldable, and it does so with its Infinity Flex Display. Samsung used a polymer material for the display to make it flexible. It’s also thin, too, with a thickness of 0.65mm to minimize the stress when folded. To make sure the phone stays flexible over a long period, Samsung used its proprietary Stress Relaxation Adhesive Technology.

When opened, the 7.3-inch display switches on, and the smaller 4.7-inch front display turns off. Anything that you were working on the front display will quickly and seamlessly transfer to the bigger screen, giving you more screen real estate.

Located on the inner display are the 10MP + 8MP dual front cameras. Both sit on the top right corner of the phone.

Housed in the folded 4.7-inch display are the front speakers for calls, and the 10MP camera. Below, you can find a downward-firing speaker, a noise-canceling mic, and the USB Type-C port.

It fits nicely in the hand when folded. It’s slim enough that you can reach both ends of the device with your thumb, making one-hand operation easy. It does, however, feel bulky in the pocket with the hinge spanning 17mm thick.

On top, you can find an upward-firing speaker and a noise-canceling mic for the loudspeaker.

When folded, all buttons are on the right side while the hinge is on the left. The sim tray is located on the left flap while the volume rocker, power button, and fingerprint scanner are on the right.

On the hinge, there’s a Samsung logo embedded on the top side. Once opened, the hinge is hidden from view.

At the back, we can find the triple rear camera set up. It’s not flush, so expect it to wobble when not using a case. It also supports wireless charging via the PowerShare. You can charge your smartwatch, Samsung Galaxy buds, or any other supported device through the back of your phone.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold is hands-down, a luxurious phone with limited units coming to the country for PHP 109,990USD 1,874INR 158,892EUR 1,785CNY 13,650. Globe will reveal its postpaid plans by November 18.

Samsung Galaxy Fold specs:
7.3-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED Display (4.2:3) Infinity Flex Display, 2152 x 1536, 362ppi (Main display)
4.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED Display (21:9), 1680 x 720, 399ppi (Cover display)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Octa-Core Processor
12GB LPDDR4X RAM
512GB internal storage
10MP f/2.2 selfie camera (cover camera)
10MP f/2.2 selfie camera + 8MP RGB depth camera (front dual camera)
16MP ultra-wide + 12MP wide-angle + 12MP telephoto (rear triple camera)
eSIM and one Nano SIM
5G, LTE
Single SIM (nano)
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted)
USB Type-C 3.1
Samsung Galaxy Buds
Samsung Bixby (commands, dictation)
Samsung DeX compatible
2,135mAh + 2,245mAh dual battery for a total of 4,380mAh
Fast Charging (QC 2.0)
Wireless Charging
Samsung One UI (Android 9.0 Pie)
Cosmo Black