Samsung Galaxy Fold is the first foldable smartphone from the stables of South Korean manufacturer, Samsung. As the name implies, the smartphone can fold and open to become smaller and bigger respectively. Literally, it puts together the portability of smartphones and utility of tablets in one piece. In its foldable state, it’s a smartphone, upon unfolding, it becomes an attractive tablet. It is the successor of the Galaxy Z Fold 2.
Where to Buy Samsung Galaxy Fold
Jumia Nigeria – See Offers | Jumia Kenya – See Offers | Jumia Ghana – See Offers
Samsung Galaxy Fold Key Specs & Features
- 7.3-inch, Dynamic AMOLED Capacitive Touchscreen, 1536 x 2152 pixels (414 ppi)
- 4.6 inches Super AMOLED Cover Display, 720 x 1680 pixels
- HDR10+
- Android 9.0 (Pie), 12GB RAM
- Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC
- 512GB Built-in Storage and no Support for Memory Card
- 12MP + 12MP + 16MP Triple Rear Camera
- 10MP + 8MP Dual Front Camera
- 10MP Cover Camera
- 4G LTE
- Fingerprint Sensor (Side-Mounted)
- 15W Fast Charging Capacity
- 15W Fast Wireless Charging Capacity
- 4,380mAh Non-Removable Li-Po Battery
Design
You must be wondering the technology that makes this premium smartphone fold in and out. I mean, foldable smartphones seem to be like the stuff of legends but here’s Samsung delivering it fresh.
Let’s cut to the chase, here’s what makes it click: Samsung implemented a powerful hinge mechanism with multiple interlocking gears that makes it open smoothly like a book, and close similarly with a convenient click.
However, the hinges are not visible as they have been enclosed with an aluminium frame, thus, giving a classy look.
A total of six cameras got integrated into the Samsung Galaxy Fold – three at the back, one at the front and two inside. That is, while folded, there’s a single camera at the front of the phone and three at the back.
When it gets opened to its full-screen tablet size, there are two cameras located at the top right. Still, in its full scale, the volume rocker and fingerprint scanner are placed on the right side while the SIM tray stays at the left.
It’s hard to take your eyes away from the thick bezels on the smartphone’s screen when folded. In a world of thin bezels and almost bezel-less designs, it’s hard not to notice them.
In its topmost bezel, you’ll find the camera and earpiece. The bottom region possesses bezels without any occupants. Unfolding the phone presents the ritzy display with limited bezels.
The Foldable Displays
Following the flow of this article, you must have gotten the idea that there are two displays. The first, otherwise known as the cover display, has a 4.6-inch Super AMOLED panel with HD+ resolution. This display is what you operate when the smartphone is in the folded state.
However, there’s a larger Dynamic AMOLED screen of 7.3 inches on the Samsung Galaxy Fold that delivers the main visuals. It has 1536 x 2152 pixels resolution. Here’s what you get when the phone is unfolded and converted to a tablet.
Battery and Camera
Two batteries on the device combine to churn out 4,380 mAh capacity as the sole power supply on the device. Both cells are found on either side of the sophisticated hinge, and they are non-removable.
Using the USB-C cable, the phone can rapidly charge with an input of 18W power. The Samsung Galaxy Fold also supports wireless charging up to 18W capacity.
It can double as a power bank with support for reverse charging (up to 9W). You can charge other devices wirelessly with the phone thanks to Wireless Powershare (9W capacity).
As discussed in the design segment, there are six cameras on this device. Starting with the cover display, there’s a 10 megapixels cover camera with an f/2.2 aperture for cute selfies. The primary display packs a 10MP (f/2.2) camera and an 8MP (f/1.9) depth sensor for similar purposes.
Similar to the rear camera setup of Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus, Samsung Galaxy Fold bags three cameras. Interesting enough, the camera qualities are even the same. A 12MP primary camera with variable apertures of f/1.5 – f/2.4 aperture is supported by a 12MP telephoto lens and 16MP ultra-wide sensor.
Hardware and Software
The top-tier 7nm Snapdragon 855 SoC tagged with 12GB RAM carries the smartphone’s workload. Meanwhile, there’s a mammoth 512GB UFS 3.0 storage available for saving of files.
The UFS storage allows it to load data faster and boot quicker. Sadly, no expansion is permitted on the device.
Samsung Galaxy Fold operates with the Android 9.0 Pie OS. However, it isn’t the pure form of Android Pie, which is good news for most Samsung lovers.
Some nifty features made its way into the device; App continuity and 3-way multitasking being chief of them.
App Continuity & 3-way Multitasking
One of the most dazzling features on the Samsung Galaxy Fold is the App Continuity. It allows you to synchronise app experience between the folded screen and the unfolded one.
Take, for instance, you’re using WhatsApp on the cover display, once you unfold the phone, whatsoever you’re doing is seen immediately on the main screen. To perfect this feature, Samsung joined forces with Google and Android developers.
Also, the phone’s UI is developed to allow three apps to run simultaneously in a split-screen format. It’s a term known as the 3-way multitasking. Applications such as WhatsApp, Google, YouTube Premium and Microsoft Office have been specially designed for this feature out of the box.
Samsung Galaxy Fold Price and Availability
Samsung Galaxy Fold price starts at around $1,150 at leading global online stores. In Nigeria, price starts at around 598,500 Naira. You can now buy the smartphone at leading online stores in the country.
Compare Prices
The first set of Samsung Galaxy Fold units were supposed to have been launched on April 26, 2019 for a price of $1980 (₦712,800). However, the launched was rolled back due to some issues.
The original unit had 5G, but in the revised iteration Samsung is now offering two units – one offering 4G and the other aptly named Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G offers 5G.
Also, Samsung promises to offer concierge service to buyers of this premium device. Asides from the special treatment, there’ll be a pair of Galaxy buds freebie for buyers.
Samsung Galaxy Fold Specs
Here are a few specs of the Samsung Galaxy Fold:
General Features
- Platform: Android 9 (Pie), Samsung DeX
- Processor: Octa Core Processor, 2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 2.4 GHz Tri-core Kryo 485 & 1.7 GHz Quad-core Kryo 485 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 855)
- GPU: Adreno 640
- Memory: 12GB RAM
- Colours: Space Silver, Cosmos Black, Martian Green, Astro Blue
- Dimension: 160.9 x 117.9 x 6.9 mm (unfolded), 160.9 x 62.9 x 15.5 mm (folded)
- Weight: 263 g
- SIM Type: Nano-SIM
Display
- Display: 7.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED Capacitive Touchscreen, 1536 x 2152 pixels (414 ppi)
- Cover Display: 4.6 inches Super AMOLED, 720 x 1680 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio
- Foldable Display: Yes
Camera
- Rear Camera: 12MP (wide) + 12MP (Telephoto) + 16MP (ultrawide)
- Rear Camera Features: LED Flash, Auto-HDR, Panorama, Autofocus (Telephoto), 2x Optical Zoom (Telephoto), f/2.4 (Telephoto), OIS (wide & Telephoto), f/1.5-2.4 (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF (wide), 2160p@60fps, 1080p@240fps, 720p@960fps, video HDR, Dual-Video Recording
- Front Camera: Dual 10MP Camera, f/1.9, Dual Pixel PDAF + 8MP (f/1.9)
- Cover Camera: 10 MP Camera, f/2.2
Storage
- Built-in Storage: 512GB UFS 3.0
- Memory Card Support: No
- Bundled Cloud Storage: –
Network Support
- 2G GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
- 2G CDMA 1X: 800 / 1900 MHz (optional)
- 3G WCDMA: 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 MHz
- 3G CDMA EVDO: Yes (optional)
- 4G LTE: LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 13(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 28(700), 32(1500), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500), 66(1700/2100) – Global; 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 13(700), 14(700), 17(700), 18(800), 19(800), 20(800), 25(1900), 26(850), 28(700), 29(700), 30(2300), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500), 46, 66(1700/2100), 71(600) – USA
- 5G: No
Internet & Connectivity
- GPRS: Yes
- EDGE: Yes
- 3G/WCDMA/HSPA: Yes
- HSPA+: Yes
- CDMA EVDO: Yes (optional)
- 4G LTE: Yes, up to 2000 Mbps (download)
- 5G: No
- WLAN: –
- Wi-Fi Hotspot: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX
- NFC: Yes
- Infrared Blaster: –
- USB Port: Yes, USB Type C (USB 3.1)
Messaging
- SMS/MMS: Yes
- Instant Messaging: Yes
- Push Emails: Yes
- Email Protocol: –
Entertainment
- Music Player: Yes
- Video Player: Yes
- FM Radio: Yes (optional)
- Loudspeaker: Yes, Stereo Speakers, Dolby Atmos/AKG Sound
- 3.5mm Jack: No
Navigation
- Navigation: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
- Maps: Yes
Sensors & Control
- Digital Compass: Yes
- Accelerometer: Yes
- Proximity Sensor: Yes
- Light Sensor: Yes
- Barometer: Yes
- SpO2: Yes
- Pedometer: –
- Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
- Gyroscope: Yes
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes (Side)
- Iris Scanner: No
- Face Unlock: No
- Intelligent Digital Assistant: Yes, Bixby
- Motion Sensing / Gesture Control: –
- Voice Control: Yes
Other Features
- Video Streaming: Yes
- Active Noise Cancellation: Yes
- Wireless Charging: Yes (Fast Wireless Charging)
- Built-in Mobile Payment: Yes
- Water Resistant: –
- Dust Resistant: –
- Image Editor: Yes
- Video Editor: Yes
- Document Viewer: Yes
- Document Editor: Yes
Battery
- Battery: 4,380 mAh Li-Po Battery (Non-Removable)
- Talktime: –
- Wireless Powershare: Yes
- Fast Charging: Yes, 15W Fast Charging Capacity (Wired and Wireless)
