Following the ambitious but janky,Samsung’s Galaxy Foldwas supposed to be the redeemer, a device that demonstrated the power of foldable tech. Then Samsung gave the Fold to a bunch of savages (aka tech reviewers), whopawed at it like it was a normal phone,and then theFold had to go awayfor someupgrades.
Then on September 27 th, the Fold finally, officiallywent on sale, and I’ve been using it ever since — without any cases, skins, or screen protectors. So here’s what it’s like to live with most important phone of the year after a month.
Despite taking five months to tweak and retool the Fold before bringing it back, the final device doesn’t feel that much different than the original model that had so many issues. Samsung added a steel plate behind the flexible screen to give the Fold increased rigidity. And on the software front, the biggest change is that the Android nav buttons have now been shifted to the right for better one-handed use, which doesn’t sound like much, but it actually makes a significant difference. (Don’t worry lefties, there’s a setting for moving the nav buttons to the other side of the screen too.)
But most importantly, Samsung covered up the small holes between Fold’s flexible display and its hinge to keep particles from getting inside the phone. And you know what, it worked, mostly. Because in my month with the Fold, not once have I encountered anything getting inside or under its display. And that’s even with the tiny bits of dust or lint that you often find on top of its screen after its been sitting closed for awhile.
As for the edges of the polymer film that used to be around the perimeter of the Fold’s screen, they’ve been extended so now those edges rest beneath the phone’s bezels, away from any potential prying fingers. Now, was Samsung to blame for not doing a better job of informing reviewers not to peel back the film on the original Fold, or at least keep the film hidden better? Sure, but at the same time, at least part of the blame falls on reviewers too.
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