Many of our readers will be well aware by now that I'm a big fan of the Galaxy Fold. I've expressed my undying appreciation for the device on multiple occasions here. At its core, the reason why I like it is very simple. Foldable smartphones are indeed the future and they have a unique ability to make the experience of using a smartphone fun again.
As SamMobile's founder, I get to test dozens of Galaxy smartphones every year. I've used every Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagship for the better part of a decade. It just stopped being fun over the past few years. The devices won't really do anything “new” for me, in that they were just these slabs of metal and glass that got progressively bigger every year with slightly better cameras and software.
The mid-2010s is when we saw real innovation. New materials, better build quality, improved display technology, the works. Flagship devices have only received refinements in the past few years. It was very important for someone to come along and break this monotony, and boy am I glad that it was Samsung that stepped up.
I was among the people who received the very first batch of the Galaxy Fold, the one that ended up being recalled. While a lot of reviewers did run into issues with their unit, mine worked fine even till the day Samsung asked for it back. That's not to take away from the fact that it had some shortcomings which needed to be addressed.
Samsung took a few months to really understand the scale of the problem. It then made the required changes to ensure that its first foldable smartphone wouldn't end up being dead on arrival. The company had staked its reputation as a leader and innovator on this device, it simply couldn't afford a failure with the Galaxy Fold.
It ended up redeeming itself. The second batch was noticeably more durable and once the new review unit went back, I wasted no time in purchasing a Galaxy Fold for myself. I was convinced that it could withstand the rigors of my daily use and it has. I've taken it with me around the world, I've dropped it, I've used it in a light drizzle and I've slammed it shut more times than I care to admit. It has held up spectacularly.
After using it as my main device for more than 10 months, I am convinced that Samsung absolutely nailed it with the Galaxy Fold. It delivered on the main expectations that you can have from a foldable phone. Allow me to condense that further:
Foldable phones should be pocket friendly: ✅
They should give you the freedom of a bigger display when you need it: ✅
The folding mechanism should feel natural, like opening and closing a book: ✅
These are some of the basic reasons why I love the Galaxy Fold. I truly believe that it's a smartphone that tech lovers and early adopters will desire. What's not to like about having a display significantly larger than what you can get on a normal phone but in a smaller form factor? The cover display is there so you can get stuff done quickly when you need to but you always have the possibility to access the full screen real estate by simply opening up the phone. The entire experience is just so futuristic yet so natural. I believe I speak for all Galaxy Fold owners when I say:
WE CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT GALAXY FOLD
Excuse the excitement, but it really is the time to get pumped up. I firmly believe that most existing Galaxy Fold owners will upgrade to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 when it comes out. That's because the improvements that Samsung has reportedly made bring exactly what users have been wishing for.
The cover display will be larger which means it's going to be more useful. The foldable display is likely to see a jump from 7.3-inches to 7.7-inches. It'll get rid of the notch too and that's going to make the foldable display look even better. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is going to be an exercise in refinement and further establish Samsung as a force to be reckoned with in the foldable market.
That's not to say there won't be skeptics. Many still doubt the logic behind foldable smartphones. They believe it's a gimmick, a fad that's going to die out in a few years. Come to think of it, that's what people said about the Galaxy Note when it first came out. People had resigned phones with a stylus to the trash can of history but Samsung swam against the tide and proved everyone wrong.
Now, people who buy the Galaxy Note phablets are perhaps the most loyal Samsung customers. They swear by their Galaxy Note and upgrade every year. That's how I feel about the Galaxy Fold. I can't imagine ever going back to the phones I used before and that really is the case for many who took a chance on Samsung's first foldable phone.
This customer base has the potential of being just as loyal as the Galaxy Note loyalists, if not more. Samsung doesn't have to wow them with over-the-top features like 100x Space Zoom and cameras with crazy megapixel counts. As long as the cameras are good enough, they'll be happy with the phone. Samsung just needs to get the basics right and it'll convince them to open their wallets. I know I'm always going to be the first in line for a new Galaxy Fold.
