Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 first look (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)Almost a year after the first Fold, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is also here. While the original Fold slowly pushed itself to become the pinnacle of Android luxury, the Fold2 will want to do better, both in terms of acceptance and performance. After a few hours of fiddling around with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2, here are five things that caught my eye. This is by no means a full review and is a superficial first look at the best.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 price in India: Rs 1,49,999
1. Better second screen: The Fold offers a second screen on the outside when the phone is folded. And for all practical purposes, this is the screen you will react to first, taking calls, framing pictures, and even doing a quick search. So the best new thing in the Fold2 is this cover display, which is now much bigger than before. At 6.23-inches, this is as tall as the largest smartphones, but not as wide. The Fold had a 4.6-inch display which now feels woefully inadequate in front of the new one. As expected, the new Super AMOLED display is crisp and bright and works well under the bright sun too. The front camera here is also a punch hole on the screen.
At 6.23-inches, this is as tall as the largest smartphones, but not as wide. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
2. Better folding: The fold of the Fold2 itself feels better and smoother. Samsung did have some initial hiccups with the Fold and while they were fixed, it was clear this was a new form factor to be dealt with. The Fold2 seems like a more matured design. The hinge is smoother and the folding mechanism seems far more robust. However, you still need to apply a bit of pressure to open the fold and that is a bit hard with just one hand.
The fold of the Fold2 itself feels better and smoother. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
3. Better design: The design feels more metallic and premium. The entire body now has an anodised finish which is pretty cool and again gives the feeling of a phone that is built to last. Also, such robust quality just legitimises this new form factor. The camera bump is also more akin to the S20 series and hence gels with the rest of the Samsung flagships, which is again adding to the premium look and feel.
The design feels more metallic and premium. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
4. Better cameras: The first Fold had a cut in the larger screen to hold the front-facing camera. The Fold2, uses a punch hole camera on the screen. Now, step back and take in what this means. You have a punch hole camera in a display that folds. This is a testament of the versatility of the Ultra Thin Glass as well as the confidence Samsung now has with the foldable form factor. The triple camera set up is different too and has bump like the Galaxy Note 20. It is also as good as the Note 20 and one of the best you will find on an Android phone.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 triple camera set up has bump like the Galaxy Note 20. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
5. Better usability: With the original Fold the user interface was surprisingly smooth and there was no learning involved. I got the feeling there are some tweaks that have made the Fold2 easier to use. For instance, while using the rear cameras with the phone unfolded, you can have the photos you have taken appear on the side for a preview. I really loved this feature. Also, the handover from the cover screen to the larger one inside is so smooth and seamless, especially when you decide to watch a video on the larger screen.
Samsung brings some tweaks that have made the Fold2 easier to use. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
Things to note with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2
Well, the Fold2 is better for sure. But that does not mean the crease of the folded screen has gone away. You do notice that when the screen is dark and you have light falling on it from certain angles.
The crease of the folded screen still remains. (Express photo: Nandagopal Rajan)
The Fold is slightly heavier than before. But thanks to the superb grip the folded Fold2 offers, you should not have any issues managing the phone.
No, you cannot remove the plastic cover on the inside screen and you notice it is there at times.
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