Until 2019, the prospect of foldable smartphones was but a mere pipe dream. With the launches of the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Fold in 2019, that dream was made reality. But for all its novelty, the original Galaxy Fold ultimately proved to be a rather unwieldy device, with plenty of room for improvement.
One year later, it seems the Korean tech giant has intentions to hold to its promise of stepping up its foldable game with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. Taking lessons learned from the original Galaxy Fold, and the more recent Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung’s latest flagship foldable smartphone aims to bring much more to the table, while building on its previous successes.
Most strikingly, it sports a larger screen-to-body ratio compared to its predecessor. One of the main complaints about the Galaxy Fold was that its massive front camera took up too much space on the 7.3-inch main display, giving the overall shape an oblong look, which often got in the way of the visuals. This time, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 comes with a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity Flex Display, which gets rid of the front camera almost entirely, relegating it to a small cutout at the top corner, which gives the display the uniform shape it deserves, and gives users a much more satisfying viewing experience overall.
Building on from there, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 also comes with a much larger 6.2-inch Infinity-O cover display, as opposed to the tiny 4.6-inch one on the original. This ensures that users get the most out of one-handed usage, such as taking vertical videos and pictures, without having to sacrifice on detail.
120Hz displays are the name of the game for most smartphones in the market these days, and the one on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is no exception. In addition, it also comes with an adaptive refresh rate option that lets the phone optimise performance depending on what app it’s currently running. It’ll bump up the refresh rate to max when users are playing games or watching videos, and lower it to as low as 11Hz with light usage, such as when browsing the internet or reading ebooks.
And given its name, many will no doubt be looking forward to seeing just what Samsung has done for its folding capabilities. Taking cues from the Galaxy Z Flip, its hinge now features a third-generation sweeper technology combined with a modified magnetic support system, which lets the Galaxy Z Fold 2 open and close as smoothly as possible. This also ensures that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is secure at all times, while keeping dust and dirt out of the hinge so it remains fully-functional for as long as possible.
One of the main draws of the original Galaxy Fold was its App Continuity feature, which allowed users to boot up apps on the smaller screen while closed, and continue using said app in the phone’s open state, and vice versa. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 does one better for its App Continuity, allowing users to watch videos or create content by splitting the main display into two with Flex mode.Â
By opening the display between 80 and 160 degrees, the display will split into two, resembling that of a mini laptop or Nintendo DS, with the top half showing the main content, and the bottom half showing additional controls and UI features such as pause/play. This also means still shots, especially using night mode, can be taken more easily without the aid of a tripod, which is always a godsend for photography enthusiasts.
In the Camera app, there is the new Capture View Mode, which lets users check their shots in real-time without having to enter the Gallery app, for easier and quicker adjustments during photoshoots. When filming videos, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 uses machine learning to track the subject automatically adjust the size of the frame based on their positioning. These are just a fraction of what Flex mode can offer, and makes the Galaxy Z Fold 2 a much, much more versatile device than its predecessor.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 also makes improvements on its Multi-Active Window to take full advantage of the massive screen real estate on the tablet-like main display. Aside from opening two apps at once, this feature also lets you open multiple windows of the same app for your referencing convenience, as well as drag and drop elements of various apps (i.e. Excel, Word) into the other app for a truly seamless user experience.Â
Thanks to the new Split Screen Capture feature, users can quickly take screenshots of an app and transfer it to another, or take screenshots with up to 3 apps open at once, which displays three separate full screenshots of each app as opposed to one screenshot with multiple apps opened.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, which will launch on 18 September in Singapore and retails for S$2,888. It will be available in Mystic Bronze and Mystic Black.
Specifications
| Model | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 |
| Processor | 7nm 64-bit Octa-Core Processor |
| Memory | 12GB RAM |
| Storage: | 256GB |
| Display (Main) | Main 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity Flex Display (2,208 x 1,768) Cover 6.2-inch HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display (2,260 x 816) |
| Camera | Cover 10MP, f/2.2 Front 10MP, f/2.2 Rear 12MP Ultra Wide, f/2.2 12MP Wide Super Speed Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/1.8 12MP Telephoto,f/2.4 |
| Dual SIM | 1x eSIM 1x Nano SIM |
| Battery | 4,500mAh |
| Network | LTE / 5G |
| Dimensions | Unfolded 159.2 x 128.2 x 6.9-6.0mm Folded 159.2 x 68.0 x 16.8-13.8mm |
| Weight | 282g |
| Colour(s) | Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black |
| Price | S$2,888 |
| Availability | 18 September 2020 |
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Trinity Sun
Si Jia
Edwin Teo
