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Review: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G – Truly amazing but destined for managers

Review: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G is truly an amazing device and invention in mobile technology but will it be useful for personal use? A big question.
4.5/5 - (20 votes)

We have been keeping you inform that many companies are gaining to launch foldable Smartphones in 2021 including Samsung. So Samsung launched its Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G. I had the opportunity to get acquainted with the phone in recent days. Right at the beginning, I will reveal that this is the first really usable foldable smartphone that will last. See how it turned out.

We tried the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

We must say at the outset that this is not a phone for everyone, and rather I think it is only for a small group of users . But let’s get started.

The dimensions of the device when folded are 68 x 159.2 x 16.8 mm. When unfolded, it grows to 128.2 x 159.2 x 6.9 mm. These are quite large devices, both in the folded and unfolded state. Among other things, the device weighs 282 grams, which is also smell . So far, I’ve been a supporter that you need to “feel” your phone when you have it in your pocket. However, the weight of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 device is a bit higher and it made me feel like I was carrying a small “brick” in my pocket. This feeling multiplied mainly in the pocket of his jacket, when he had more freedom and “flew” freely.

Top construction

From the point of view of construction, I must say that the device, unlike its predecessor, has undergone several changes for the better . In the past, when I worked with a Mate X device from Huawei, or with the first generation Galaxy Fold, I had the feeling that I could “break” my smartphone without much effort. In this case, I no longer felt that way.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

At the same time, I must emphasize that the company has used metallic materials that add not only a sense of luxury, but also greater durability. I must also say that the hinge of the opening mechanism is quite difficult to open with one hand. The company itself recommends that it be opened with two hands . This is because when opened with one hand, you may inadvertently damage the internal display with your fingernail if you press harder. Here, however, we must add that the display is noticeably more resistant to other displays of collapsible devices, and you have to use extra force to damage it. By the way, the hinge is equipped with small whisks hidden in the structure , which leads to its constant cleaning, while at the same time preventing the ingress of dirt.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

As for the layout of the individual elements and controls, the rear wall hides the three cameras together with the flash. In the side edges of the smartphone we find the volume control together with the fingerprint scanner and the output for the SIM card. In the lower part of the device, in addition to the USB Type-C output, we also find a speaker. By the way, we can also find the speaker in the upper part of the device .

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

Smartphone display in the main role

The device, as you could see from the previews above, has 2 displays . One outer and the other inner. The outer one is Super AMOLED with a 60Hz display frequency. The display resolution is 2260 x 816 pixels and large is 6.2 veľký. As follows from the resolution, it is a display that is elongated in shape . It is fully sufficient for social networks, writing off messages or fast internet browsing. It can work fully with it, while also supporting the Always-on function. However, I admit that in most cases I actively used the display in an exploded state.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

If you unfold the display, the display is 7.6 “large and offers a resolution of 2208 x 1768 pixels . The aspect ratio is 22.5 to 18 and the display frequency is 120Hz. Here I would pause at Hz, the reason is that you can feel the difference and immediately see the differences in the comfort of using a device with a higher display frequency, which are huge compared to a 60Hz display. By the way, the display has technology that adjusts the Hz and FPS according to what you are doing . In practice, this means that when you read messages, for example, the display refreshes at a lower frequency, while when watching movies or series, the frequency is higher. The advantage of this is that, thanks to this technology, the image is smoother. It also saves the device’s battery.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

The internal display is different on the first touch compared to the external. While the outer one can be compared to a conventional display , the inner one is covered with a special layer that resembles a finely rubberized surface to the touch, which is a little less slippery. At the same time, you can see the fold in the middle part , which is visible, but after a few minutes you will stop noticing it.  By the way, the internal bendable display uses Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology. The maximum brightness of the display is 900 nits, which is 100 nits more than in the case of the first generation smartphone. As for the display of colors and sharpness of the display, I have nothing to blame Samsung. Image processing is simply top notch. At the same time, it does not allow me not to say that you certainly did not miss the fact that in the case of the first generation, it was possible to damage the display of the device by quite gentle scratching with a fingernail. Also in this case, the display is more prone to damage, but the durability is significantly higher. I admit that I did not treat the smartphone in any special gloves and I did not notice any damage.

The system interface is perfectly adapted

Below you can see what the smartphone interface looks like in an exploded state, including the interface of selected applications.

In general, I must say that I did not come across an application that would not be able to optimize for the size of the display . More or less everything worked as it should. At the same time, the user has the option of setting the preferred form of displaying applications – ie display in smartphone mode or in tablet mode.

Flex Mode

While we are at applications and interfaces, it does not allow me not to mention Flex mode. This is a mode where you can bend your smartphone into the shape of a laptop, with video playing at the top of the screen, for example, and controls at the bottom. However, it should be added that this mode is not currently supported by many third-party applications , it’s a shame.

Up to 3 applications simultaneously

One of the other great features offered by the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G is the ability to work with multiple windows at once . You can have up to 3 active applications on the home screen with this feature. what I don’t like is that the user has to manually click on the applications he wants to work with in this way. The function itself is then called up via the side sliding panel,

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

App Continuity

One of the other features that appealed to me is App Continuity. In essence, it is a function that allows you to continue working the running application, after opening, respectively. closing the device . However, what I don’t like in general is, as in the previous case, that you have to manually click on the applications you want to work with in this mode. By the way, the transition between applications itself is very smooth and fast.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

In general, however, I would highlight multitasking , which works excellently on a smartphone. For example, I used to watch videos on YouTube while working with emails or fine-tuning presentations in Office.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G Camera

Camera devices are undoubtedly among the best you can get on the market. The smartphone has 3 cameras located in the back wall. These are specifically three 12-megapixel sensors (wide-angle sensor, telephoto lens and ultra-wide-angle sensor).

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

Among other things, the smartphone’s camera is capable of recording videos in 4K quality at 60 fps . For videos, I have to praise the speed of focusing on subjects where the camera works perfectly. Below you can watch a sample video in the highest resolution at 60 fps.

The second video is captured in FULL HD resolution.

As a result, photos from the smartphone camera are above average. The same is true when using an object zoom, which works excellently. However, in order not to praise the smartphone camera, I must say that in the case of the zoom function at 4x zoom, the photos are very high quality, but .. with increasing zoom ratio (5x and more), the resulting photos lose quality. 

What I would like to see on the camera is the focusing of objects at a very short distance (for example, at a distance of ~ 5 centimeters), when I did not always manage to focus the subject. However, I assume that this is more of a software bug that will be fixed soon.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G Device power and battery

What about performance? Well, you would probably find it difficult to find an application or a game that the device would not succeed with. The reason is that the smartphone is currently powered by one of the most powerful processors on the market. Specifically, it is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor with 5G support, which is complemented by 12GB of RAM and 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage . However, let’s move on to the smartphone battery, which has a capacity of 4,500mAhwith support for fast charging at power up to 25W. I admit that I was positively surprised. The reason is above-average endurance. I managed to last 4 days with less demanding use of the device, while I had the display on for more than 8 hours. In the case of more demanding use of the device, ie when actively playing games, watching videos and the like, the real endurance is approximately 1 to 1.5 days. Charging the smartphone itself takes about 1.5 hours (editor’s note: to the level of 50% of the battery, you charge the device in about 30 minutes) By the way, there is also a technology of reverse charging at a power of 4.5 W.

In the case of sound, the device offers 2 stereo speakers, which with the support of AKG technology offer top sound .

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G: Summary

Galaxy Z Fold 2 is an extremely expensive smartphone (~ € 1,800), so I had the highest expectations from it. These have largely been fulfilled . It offers a top camera, a top display, where I would highlight the one that can be unfolded. I admit that during the testing period, I often preferred a smartphone to a laptop , if I wanted to look on the Internet, check articles, watch videos, play games. In other words, the Z Fold 25G has been able to largely replace several devices along with a laptop in many cases.

On the other hand, I must say that writing a longer text, or working in Excel and the like , so the device is not suitable. In general, writing longer texts or processing larger data sets is not suitable on smartphones or tablets without additional accessories. However, I can imagine that after connecting an external keyboard, including a mouse, I would be able to work like this for a few days, for example during the holidays. I really liked that during several business meetings,  I didn’t have to pull a laptop thanks to my smartphone. I was simply able to show what I wanted on the large display, and at the same time it was not “unpleasant”, as when, for example, you show a presentation to a business partner on the screen of a regular smartphone. Here I would also bridge to who the smartphone is for. The price tag of a smartphone predestines the device for people who will really use most of its features . To be “cool” and have a super smartphone, if you do not use the main features of the device 100%, in this case it would be a very expensive salvation. For me, this phone therefore belongs to the hands of managers who need to have an “office” always at hand.

Positives of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

  • Bigger cover display
  • Flex Mode adds versatility
  • Improved multitasking
  • More durable design
  • Apps make use of tablet mode

Negatives of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

  • Quite expensive
  • Relatively heavy
  • Not water resistant
  • More suitable for office use