25 Aug
Blog

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Review: The Best Foldable There Is

Open the Galaxy Z Fold 3 as seen from the front.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

RRP $ 1,799.00

"After three generations of improvements, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 offers better durability, software support and productivity features."

advantages

  • Improved screen durability and IPX8 water resistance

  • Powerful hardware and features

  • Solid rear view cameras

  • Ideal for multitasking and productivity

disadvantage

  • Still expensive

  • Poor battery life

Foldable phones are no longer an expensive toy for first-time users, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is here to prove it. Let me make it clear that the Fold 3 is still expensive at $ 1,800, but in its third generation of steady improvements, it's finally a functional device that the average consumer can use and enjoy.

Aside from the welcome improvements in durability, the Fold 3 just generally feels more polished. The hinge is less bulky, the screen creases are less obvious, and the Under Display Camera (UDC) is easier to ignore than a punch. There used to be a pretty significant tradeoff in durability and performance in flip phones when compared to mainstream flagships. That is no longer true. After using the Fold 3 as my daily driver for almost two weeks, I don't feel like I'm missing anything important compared to the Galaxy S21, although it still doesn't match the S21 Ultra.

Design and durability

The Fold 3 does not deviate radically from the design language of the Fold 2. Instead, it focuses on refinements to make it a more polished experience both visually and in the hand. In terms of footprint, the size is not drastically different. When opened, the phone measures 158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4 millimeters, with a 7.6-inch main screen – slightly larger than the Kindle Paperwhite in terms of usable screen area. It weighs in at 271 grams, so it's a fair bit heavier than most phones on the market, including the hefty S21 Ultra (227 grams), but certainly a lot lighter than a tablet.

When folded, it becomes a tall and narrow “chocolate bar” phone measuring 158.2 x 78.1 x 14.4-16 millimeters. The thickness is roughly the same as two phones stacked on top of each other, which may seem bulky, but I found it relatively easy to use one-handed as the 6.2-inch cover display is so narrow. Compared to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, reaching across the entire screen with your thumb wasn't a problem – no one-handed mode required.

Z fold 3 with screen folds.Ajay Kumar / Digital Trends

When opened, the Fold 3 is a very two-handed device. I keep coming back to the e-reader comparison because that's how you have to hold it – either with both hands or with your pinky finger holding up the lower bezel. All buttons, including the power button / fingerprint sensor and volume rocker, are on the right. This worked fine for unlocking with my thumb as I'm right handed, but I can see left handed people having issues when they can't use the sensor with their middle or index finger.

There are some durability improvements. The biggest one is the IPX8 water resistance. The Fold 3 can now withstand complete immersion in water, and in fact my test device survived a thorough rinse in the sink. This is one of the bigger premium failures that have existed with foldable products, so it's nice to see that they have been addressed. Dust can still be an issue due to the nature of the hinge, so I don't recommend taking the Fold 3 with you for a day at the beach, but Samsung has incorporated "Sweeper" bristles into the hinge so the dust can be forced out when it comes in. There's Gorilla Glass Victus on the deck screen too, and the main screen has screen protector pre-installed, which Samsung says is 80% stronger than before.

This is all welcome news. For those who have followed foldable models for a while, you'll remember that the previous models had problems with dust penetration and screen protector peeling off, causing scratches and other more serious damage to the screen.

When you first set it up, it gives you a pretty extensive list of ways to care for your phone. This includes not pressing down too hard, using only the S Pen Fold or S Pen Pro (with retractable tips), keeping keys and coins in the same pocket with the phone, and not removing the protective film. Fortunately, despite the somewhat ominous list of warnings, I never felt like I had to make it too small.

Adding a sleeve to the Fold 3 also gives it that extra bit of much-needed support and protection. After using the first-party leather case Samsung shipped with the device, I found it a lot easier to hold for gaming, browsing, and general everyday use. Other case options also have an S Pen slot, but it wasn't included.

Displays and multimedia

None of the panels on the Fold 3 is too short. When folded, the 6.2-inch cover display has a resolution of 2268 x 832. It supports a refresh rate of 120 Hz like the main screen that was not on the Fold 2. I've mainly used the cover screen to take photos with the rear camera, navigate Google Maps, take calls, and get quick notifications on the go.

The increased refresh rates make using the deck screen smoother and more responsive, even though you're mostly using the main screen for multimedia. The only thing the deck screen doesn't support is the S Pen, which makes sense since the deck screen is narrow and quite a bit smaller than the main screen. Whenever you try to type on it or tweet on it, the keyboard is cramped and most of the time I left the main screen open to do something intense.

The main screen is where all of the action takes place. When the phone is unfolded, you get a large and bright 7.6-inch screen with a resolution of 2208 x 1768, which equates to a crisp 374 pixels per inch. It's AMOLED and supports HDR10 + so the colors are saturated and saturated, with the dense, inky black the panel is known for. The phone reaches a peak brightness of 1200 nits so I could use it in the park on a bright summer day without any problems. Both the deck screen and the main screen provide excellent visibility in direct sunlight.

Watching videos, playing games, and surfing the web are all a treat on the main screen. Games like Genshin Impact and Asphalt 9 looked incredible on the sleek and vibrant 120Hz display. They also filled the screen perfectly on startup, no adjustment required. The larger screen real estate was especially handy with Genshin Impact as it was much easier to use the various controls without blocking any part of the screen with my fingers.

Fold 3 Genshin Impact screenshot.

Fold 3 Genshin Impact 2.

The crease is there and visible, but it can easily be ignored when there is content on the screen. The only time I really noticed it was when the screen was off and the light was reflecting off the blank screen. The same applies to the Under Display Camera (UDC). While there is a noticeable pixelated grid, especially on a white background, it's easy to forget and a lot less annoying than a pinhole camera when it comes to drawing attention to it.

Under display camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 3Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Playing on this phone is an absolute pleasure that is enhanced by its sound. I rarely have strong feelings about phone speakers as they tend to be hit or miss, so I was blown away by the robust sound of the Fold 3's stereo speakers. They are located at the top and bottom of the control panel that contains the phone cover screen. So when you turn the phone over for games and videos in landscape mode, you can hold it so your hands aren't covering the speakers.

The result is a rich sound that is well balanced across lows, mids and highs. It's a lot noisy without being tinny and I never felt the need to reach for my headphones, which is more than can be said of most phone speakers. It won't compete with quad speakers on Samsung's own tablets like the S7 and S7 +, but it can still hold its own.

Not everything was perfect out of the box. I couldn't avoid letterboxing YouTube videos, and while it is possible to adjust the screen to force it to fill in, it does cut off content on the sides so this isn't a real solution. Despite these issues, I was still pleasantly surprised that most of the apps I used were either optimized for the Fold 3 by default or could be forced to fill the screen by enabling them in Labs (Netflix and Instagram were the main culprits).

A productive powerhouse

Much of the Fold 3's value comes from its extra screen space and the customized Android 11 software that supports it. You can have multiple apps open, run them side by side in split view, or run up to three in resizable windows. Fair warning: many of these features are considered experimental and you will need to dive into labs to enable them. So don't be surprised if it doesn't work right away.

As soon as you have put it into operation, the possible uses are many. In my case, it was possible to watch a video or livestream while taking notes or using Google Maps to navigate and still be able to text a friend when I arrived. It's even possible to pull up a keyboard on one half of the screen and type things in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, almost like an old-school slider.

By adding the taskbar and edge panel, you get something that is close to a desktop experience and gives you access to frequently used apps at all times. You can also pin them together with App Pair so that they both start together in split-screen view, drag and drop content, and move and resize windows as you wish. It comes as close to a laptop as you will get it with a phone, and since it supports Samsung DeX, you can get a true desktop experience by connecting wired or wirelessly to monitors, TVs, and laptops.

You can also choose the app behavior for the title screen and decide which apps can still be displayed when the main screen is closed. I turned it on for most apps, although it was most important for Google Maps as I could still get directions after closing the main screen. There's also Flex mode, which allows apps to adjust themselves when you bend the screen. A good example is YouTube, where bending the screen at an angle to keep it upright places your video at the top and the comments area at the bottom. All of this helped make the Fold 3 feel like a seamless device, with software designed and optimized for it.

The productivity potential is increased by using the S Pen Fold Edition or the S Pen Pro. It is important that you only use one of these options as they will have a retractable tip if you press too hard – other S Pen models will damage the screen. Although neither is included, I received an S Pen Fold with my test device and was able to use it for recording and sketching. I'm not a great artist, but being able to pull out the S Pen and seamlessly jot down a quick note, reminder, or shopping list was incredibly convenient. However, that brings me to the one disadvantage. While having a bigger screen to use the S Pen is fantastic, there is no space to plug it in after you use it. So you'll either need to put it in your pocket or buy a case that has a slot that can accommodate it.

The productivity potential is increased by using the S Pen Fold Edition or the S Pen Pro.

Or you can do what I did and take the Fold 3 to a press event to take notes but forget the S Pen at home. It's been happening more often than I'd like to admit, which is the main reason the Fold 3 doesn't offer the same experience as the Note, in my opinion, even if it's much better in terms of screen real estate. Maybe as soon as I get my hands on a Fold 3 S pen sleeve, I'll feel different.

Performance and hardware

Under the hood, the Fold 3 has hardware that matches the best flagship phones on the market. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and has 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB / 512 GB of storage. There is no microSD card slot, which is a shame. So if you're a big power user like me, you'll want the bigger memory configuration.

I ran it through several benchmark tests that you can see below and it performed brilliantly. Multitasking is fluid and responsive, there were no slowdowns or app crashes and, as mentioned, it also mastered demanding games like Genshin Impact and Asphalt 9: Legends without any problems. In terms of graphics performance, it was an average of 87% better than other devices on the market.

Benchmarks:

  • PCMark performance: 14,460
  • PCMark battery life: 9 hours, 20 minutes
  • Geekbench (single / multi-core): 1,113 / 3,431
  • GFXBench Aztec: 19fps
  • 3DMark: 5,647

All of this is great, but you will notice one spec that isn't that hot, which is the 4,400 mAh battery, which is slightly smaller than the Fold 2. The PCMark battery test took 9 hours, 20 minutes to drain 20%, which corresponds to a little more than an average working day term. I usually had to fill up in the evening to keep going. A one hour session of Genshin Impact and some surfing could easily eliminate 20% of the charge.

On the flip side, the phone supports 25 watts of fast wired charging and 11 watts of fast wireless charging, so it was easy to quickly charge using one of the many Samsung Fast Wireless charging stands and adapters I scattered around my home. These aren't included though, so you'll need to buy your own if you want to take full advantage of the speed.

Connectivity is as good as you'd expect. The Fold 3 supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6e, NFC and has Bluetooth 5.2. I had no problem taking and making calls, surfing the city on 5G, and connecting to accessories like the Galaxy Watch 4 and bluetooth headphones.

A camera on each side

The camera functions are not changed compared to the Fold 2. On the back, the phone has three 12-megapixel (MP) cameras: a primary sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), a telesensor for 2x optical zoom and OIS and an ultra-wide angle for 123-degree recordings. All three cameras take great photos. The images are sharp, have a lot of detail and minimal noise. As is typical of Samsung cameras, colors tend to be jazzed up a bit in terms of saturation, but I like this look.

The rear sensors have more challenges in low light, cloudy, and nighttime settings, but still do quite well. There is some noise with close-ups and the occasional blurring, but for the most part, things come across clearly. However, the ultrawide sensor loses some sharpness and clarity, especially in low light, and is more prone to softness and noise, likely due to the lack of OIS. This also applies to the S21 Ultra, so I won't judge the Fold 3 too harshly for that.

In comparison shots with the iPhone 12 Pro Max and even the older Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, the Fold 3 is displaced. The iPhone 12 Pro Max takes more reliable, razor-sharp and color-accurate recordings, while the S20 Ultra and its successor, the S21 Ultra, are unbeatable in terms of pure image quality, especially for telephoto and ultra-wide-angle recordings. While I would have liked a camera system comparable to the S21 Ultra or Note 20 Ultra, it's still a very good set of sensors that most people will be happy with.

The 10 MP selfie camera on the cover is also suitable for quick selfies and copes reasonably well with proper lighting. The 4MP UDC camera on the main screen, on the other hand, doesn't get as hot. Most of the pictures I took with it were muddy, pixelated, or washed out, although Samsung tried to clean up the image with post-processing.

  • 1.
    Selfie with UDC camera.
  • 2.
    10 MP selfie with cover screen camera on Fold 3.
  • 3.
    Selfie with 12MP primary sensor.

In the comparison shots above, you can see the difference between the 4MP sensor, the 10MP sensor and the 12MP rear camera for selfies. The latter is the best option if you are looking for pure quality. The 4MP UDC camera is only suitable for video chatting or when you only need it in an emergency.

Price and availability

The Fold 3 will cost you $ 1,800, which is $ 200 less than the Fold 2 originally. It's still an expensive phone, make no mistake, but the drop in price makes it easier to digest. The phone will be available on all major US carriers including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon with a variety of installment plans and offers. There are also some nice trade-in options if you have older equipment left over.

Our opinion

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the best foldable one on the market and a significant improvement over the Fold 2 in terms of durability. After three years of refinement and advancement, I am much less reluctant to recommend the phone to the average user. It offers one of the best gaming experiences I've had on a phone and offers great value for multitasking and productivity.

It offers one of the best gaming experiences I've got on a phone.

That said, it's not perfect yet, with room for improvement in battery life and camera performance. It's also still expensive at $ 1,800, though the price becomes more palatable when you consider the Fold 3 as a possible replacement for your phone, tablet, and e-reader. With that in mind, I think the Fold 3 is worth buying if you are willing to spend the money and you know you will find some value out of the screen real estate.

Is there a better alternative?

Not really. Samsung dominates the foldable market with no other competitors in sight, especially not in the US. The Fold 3's biggest competitor is Samsung's own Galaxy Z Flip 3, but there are some big differences between the two foldable devices.

For starters, the Flip 3 is smaller in both dimensions and screen size, and has a 6.7-inch screen that folds in half. The purpose of the Flip 3 is to use its compact clamshell design to reduce the phone's footprint in your pocket, rather than improve multitasking and productivity. It serves this purpose well, but isn't a real competitor to the Fold 3.

Samsung Galaxy Flip Phones.

There are rumors of a Pixel Fold in the future, and there are also the Mi Mix Fold and the Huawei Mate X2, but neither is likely to hit markets outside of China. Neither the Moto Razr nor the Surface Duo received many awards, and we had significant concerns in our testing.

Outside of the world of foldable devices, when your primary desire is a big screen and flagship specs, both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra have powerful hardware and S Pen support.

How long it will take?

Samsung has taken care to improve the durability of the Fold 3 by adding IPX8 water resistance, a more durable hinge with sweeping bristles, an improved screen protector for the main screen, retractable tips on the S Pen Fold and Pro, and Gorilla Glass Victus for. added the deck screen. Throw on a case and you won't need much to babysit the phone. If you're particularly concerned, you can invest in Samsung Care + for an extended warranty over the one-year limited warranty and accidental damage protection. The crease can get worse over time, but I would expect the phone to last at least two years, if not longer.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. The improvements to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 are big enough that I can recommend them to average consumers who aren't early adopters. There are still a few compromises made when it comes to battery and camera performance. So if you value those two things the most, you might be better off with the S21 Ultra. However, for gaming, multimedia, multitasking, and productivity, you won't do any better than the Fold 3.

Editor's recommendations



04 Jan
Blog

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Review: Dual-Screen Fever Dream

Lenovo Thinkpad x1 Fold Review Center

  • Innovative design

  • Feels robust

  • Nice OLED screen

  • Very portable

  • Tight keyboard and touchpad

  • Chunky performance

  • Accessories cost extra

This should be the year of the foldable dual screen laptop. With Microsoft Surface Neo in the pipeline and a specially developed version of Windows, we felt we were entering a new era of PC design innovation.

Then happened in 2020. Like many things we have been looking forward to, all of this has either been delayed or canceled entirely. Microsoft itself seems to be bowing out of the running.

Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Fold is still the only laptop that can be brought to market with a flexible screen. It's one of the most unique PCs ever made, and allows for some new experiences that feel really fresh. But is the ThinkPad X1 Fold, as a first-generation product, now with no competitors, too strange to look at by itself?

design

When everything is folded up, the ThinkPad X1 Fold resembles a Folio notebook. With its synthetic leather casing and small footprint, you'd never guess that it could fold into a full PC – including a keyboard and 13.3-inch screen. The professional aesthetic fits right into the ThinkPad X1 line, which was designed for a discerning and modern businessman.

All of the elements of the X1 Fold hold tightly together and it is possibly the most impressive design feature. The screen closes just as well with the keyboard as it does without. This is important because the $ 2499 base model doesn't include it.

You don't have to worry about space either. The ThinkPad X1 Fold is half the size of a standard 13-inch laptop and fits easily in a handbag or small pocket. This is the first perk of a bendable screen laptop that Lenovo uses many of them.

As a problem with many foldable devices, the ThinkPad X1 Fold cannot be as thin as other tablets or laptops when folded. It is 1.09 inches thick, closed and 0.45 inches open. Portability is the main selling point of this device and it weighs only 2.2 pounds. This makes it one of the lightest laptops you can buy.

The real magic, of course, is when you bend the screen back and see the design in all its glory. The X1 fold uses a silicone hinge and many layers of plastic to ensure that the screen can "fold" without damaging the glass. Using leather to cover the unsightly hinge on the back is awesome. The Galaxy Z Fold 2's aluminum hinge looks classy, ​​but the ThinkPad X1 Fold makes you forget it's there itself.

The foldable screen enables a number of different “modes” for using the ThinkPad X1 Fold. The first is like a Windows tablet. You can open it flat and use it as a large screen or, easily folded, as a book. This is probably the mode I have least preferred. Windows just isn't a great platform for app-driven touch-only experiences. A bendable screen won't change that. We'll have to wait for Windows 10X to support a more rugged tablet experience.

The device has a built-in leather stand that lets the screen stand on its own and offers some helpful angles for things like zoom and YouTube. I've found that I don't use it any differently than a Surface Pro or iPad, except that the ThinkPad X1 Fold can be folded in half. The kickstand still feels a bit weak, however, and the 720p webcam above isn't as good as the 1080p options found on many tablets.

All in all, Windows software limitations would be a deal killer if only tablet use were good for the ThinkPad X1 Fold. There's even more to the story thanks to the innovative keyboard implementation.

Keyboard, touchpad and pen

The keyboard is important in making the ThinkPad X1 Fold a working product. The implementation itself is pretty clever. First, it can be magnetized to fit in the bottom half of the foldable screen, mimicking a mini laptop. The magnets feel strong enough to hold the keyboard in place but loose enough to be easily removed. With just half a 13-inch screen, it comes as close to a netbook as any laptop that hit the market in the past 10 years.

The wireless keyboard connects easily via bluetooth and charges the keyboard while it is at the top of the screen. Once the keyboard is in place, the system will automatically darken half of the lower screen and resize the screen to the upper half. It's a pretty fluid transition, switching between the different modes and orientations. Lenovo also created a manual mode switch in Windows. However, if everything is working correctly, you shouldn't have to use it.

The keyboard layout is downright strange.

When developing the keyboard, it was clear that Lenovo was careful to keep the QWERTY distance known. My hands, of course, fell right on the size and shape of the keycaps, as opposed to some smaller layouts like the Surface Go 2 Type Cover. I am happy for that. The layout, however, has a major tradeoff.

For example, your right little finger lands on the Enter key instead of the semicolon. The colon, semicolon, apostrophe, and quotation mark are blocked by the P key, which requires many keystrokes. It took some getting used to, and I would have preferred a shortened Enter key instead. It is similar with the hyphen and the plus keys.

The biggest culprit is the question mark key. It no longer has its own key, which is very inconvenient and difficult to get used to. Again, I'd be happier with a shorter shift key.

Beyond the layout, the keyboard is surprisingly easy to type. The trip is very flat but it's about what I would expect from a device like this. After all, keeping it as thin as possible is of the utmost importance. It feels a bit thick to type as a laptop because the palm rests are almost non-existent. This also means that the touchpad is very small. That is unfortunate. It's going well enough, but it feels tight.

Fortunately, once you pull the keyboard away from the screen, the device thickness problem is resolved. This is my preferred way of using the ThinkPad X1 Fold. With the screen fully open and supported by the stand, you can sit back with the keyboard and use it however you want. This is an attitude that even the Surface Pro cannot replicate. I found it ideal for getting work done thanks to the 4: 3 13-inch screen.

Of course, you'll still face the limitations of the keyboard, but the freedom of movement is excellent. If only the ThinkPad X1 Fold could act as a secondary monitor! You can of course use one of the USB-C ports to connect to an external display while the other is used for charging.

The second problem with both the keyboard and the pen, however, is that none of them are included. As with other Windows 2-in-1 devices, I would be very disappointed if I only bought the ThinkPad X1 Fold without a keyboard. This is a bummer, especially when the keyboard feels like such an essential aspect of the device.

Adding both peripherals costs an additional $ 250. This is more than what Microsoft charges for the Surface Pen and Type Cover.

Display and speaker

The foldable OLED display is the star of the show. It's a 13.3-inch screen with a resolution of 2048 x 1536. This is an aspect ratio of 4: 3 and makes the screen so different from your standard 16: 9 or 16:10 laptop. The square shape makes for a better tablet and a wonderfully large work area. Lots of space to distribute apps and display the entire length of the web pages.

The screen has a pleasantly warm tint and the color accuracy is not the strength of this laptop. Thanks to the performance limitations, you shouldn't be doing much beyond basic photo editing here anyway. With the large color spaces (100% sRGB and 97% AdobeRGB) and the striking contrast of the OLED, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is a great device for watching videos and films on the go.

The folding aspect of the screen cannot be pulled off as seamlessly as on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. In contrast to the single fold of this device, the ThinkPad X1 Fold has a double fold. This is especially noticeable when the brightness is lowered or when the touchscreen is used, similar to the Motorola Razr folding phone in this regard. Lenovo has got off to a good start with this technology, but the creases and the obvious layer of plastic on the screen feel a little cheap under your fingers. Samsung's implementation still feels higher quality. The ribs along the ThinkPad X1 Fold's bezels along the hinge don't help, and are highlighted by some of the thickest bezels you'll ever find on a product released in 2020.

But none of that takes away the cool factor of the ThinkPad X1 Fold. It feels futuristic every time you unfold this screen and it is sure to delight your friends. Do I wish Lenovo had cut off some fat and cleaned up the bezels? Sure. If we ever get a second generation of this, there is certainly room for improvement.

The speakers suck. They're labeled Dolby Atmos, but that doesn't mean much these days.

Many tablets have fantastic audio, like the iPad or the Pixel Slate. These benefit from the fact that the speakers are located at the front next to the display. The ThinkPad X1 Fold's speakers are on the sides, which is not ideal. In addition, they sound terribly thin. Unfortunately, you get richer audio with an iPhone.

performance

The ThinkPad X1 Fold is unique beyond its form factor. The processor inside is also an experiment. It is one of the first devices to run on Intel Lakefield chips. These are hybrid processors that combine elements from the mobile and desktop architecture. One “big” core for laptop-like performance and five “small” cores for tablet-like efficiency. The ThinkPad X1 Fold manages that, but in the end it feels more like a low-performance laptop.

Using PCMark 10 as a benchmark, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is about 25% slower than a standard laptop for basic tasks such as surfing the Internet and word processing. This has been tested on laptops like the HP Specter x360 and the Dell XPS 13, which are your standard class of Intel U-series Ultrabooks.

In Geekbench 5, it even loses to Core m3 laptops like Microsoft Surface Go 2 or Windows to ARM laptops like Lenovo Flex 5G. This applies to both single-core and multi-core processing. For a device valued at $ 2,499, that's not too promising.

The chunky performance was definitely felt when I used the ThinkPad X1 Fold for my daily work with web apps, multitasking, and productivity. Heavier tasks like 3D gaming or content creation are not allowed as this Lakefield chip does not benefit from Intel's improved Iris Xe graphics in 11th generation Tiger Lake.

The performance limitations seem reasonable when using the X1 Fold as a netbook or simple tablet. You probably don't want to do more than one task at a time with such a small screen. But when I was working with the keyboard unfolded, I wanted a faster processor.

My test unit came with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage, though you can upgrade that to 1TB for a whopping $ 3,099.

Battery life

The ThinkPad X1 Fold does not have a long battery life. Thanks to Android tablets and iPads, I always expect devices like the X1 Fold to have long-lasting batteries. You always disappoint.

It pales in comparison to an iPad, but also an average laptop. The ThinkPad X1 Fold lasted six hours and 13 minutes on a single charge when surfing the Internet very lightly – but with a full display and no keyboard. Get an hour and a half more in laptop mode. That's better, but still not quite as good as similar laptops or tablets.

The X1 Fold is used for a maximum of nine hours, which the device lasted for local video playback.

Our opinion

The ThinkPad X1 Fold is the kind of laptop I want to love. There were moments while using the device that I experienced the spark of innovation that makes it so unique. It remains one of the most exciting PCs to hit in 2020.

But between these exciting experiences lie moments of frustration, confusion and disappointment. Too many to make this one that can be recommended to everyone except the most adventurous early adopters.

Are there alternatives?

The ThinkPad X1 Fold is the first of its kind. However, the experience of using it is most similar to a 2-in-1 device like the Surface Pro 7, Surface Go, or even an iPad Pro. The ThinkPad X1 Fold is by far the most expensive of these devices – and the slowest.

But once you include its foldable screen, it stands alone. On the smartphone side, however, devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 or Motorola Razr could cause the same pliable screen scratch.

How long it will take?

Durability is an open question about the ThinkPad X1 Fold and not one that I can currently answer. You open and close it much less than on a smartphone, that's for sure. For what it's worth, the hinge feels sturdy enough for years to come.

The bigger problem is performance and software. The X1 Fold already feels chunky and that won't improve over time. With Microsoft's lighter Windows 10X operating system coming out next year, you might want to too

Should you buy it?

No. It's expensive, first-generation hardware that doesn't have the software support to be successful.

Editor's recommendations




14 Sep
Blog

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G Review: Fully Functional Foldable

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

"The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the best foldable device you can buy right now."

  • The foldable screen opens up new possibilities

  • Excellent hardware quality

  • Soothing hinge and screen durability

  • Very good triple camera

  • Top-end specs and core features

  • Difficult and awkward to operate with one hand

  • Many apps are not optimized for leaflets

  • Much more expensive than most phones

Foldable devices will play a role in the future of smartphones. Even if they seem expensive, fragile, and compromised right now, they won't be forever. Just the evolution of quality from the first Galaxy Fold, which got off to a terrible start, to the quality of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 shows that the industry is on the right track.

However, you are not buying a foldable phone, especially a $ 2,000 phone, as it is part of an advancement of new technology. You buy it based on what it does for you and what it offers beyond what you get from a regular smartphone. Here's everything the Galaxy Z Fold 2 brings to the table to justify its sky-high price tag.

Hardware, design and ads

The new Galaxy Z Fold 2 follows the same concept as its predecessor: a device the size of a mini tablet that is halved by a large hinge, with a folding screen on the inside and an additional "cover display" on the outside. However, it is no exaggeration to say that Samsung has touched the implementation of this concept for this generation in every way. And it's all for the better.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

Samsung knows how to make high-end phones that look and feel like they're worth the money, and that carries over to this huge device. The two-tone matte glass and shiny metal pieces add some flair to the Z Fold 2, and while I like it (you'll never be able to hide this phone anyway), black is an option too. The execution is flawless. Every angle is perfect, every gap is consistent, and all the details are spot on.

The redesigned hinge is most responsible for the Z Fold 2's rugged feel. It is no longer loose or thin at any point in its operation, as it sticks at every angle, e.g. B. a laptop screen or a Microsoft Surface stand. You can adjust the screen angle to whatever you want and it just stays there – but it retains a satisfactory lock when opened flat. With the screen open, you can hold the phone in one hand, shake it around, hold it vertically or upside down and it will not move.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

It's also relatively easy to return it to a folded position with one hand – as long as you comfortably press your thumb on the screen. It closes with a solid, satisfying "click" while the bezels snap together with magnets. Regardless of whether you open or close, hardly a sound can be heard. Of course, if you hold your ear to the screen, you'll notice the various layers unfold and the little dusty bristles in the hinge, but this is an almost silent operation.

Samsung has revised the hardware design and brought both displays to a new level.

Even if Samsung had kept the exterior design identical to that of its predecessor, I would still welcome the improved display. The cover display used to be weirdly small, but like any other smartphone, it is now 6.2 inches and has small frames. Major changes have been made inside. The 7.6-inch foldable panel is now surrounded by 25% smaller bezels and a simple pinhole camera instead of the huge notch with multiple cameras before. The edges of the bezel aren't raised nearly as much, and you hardly notice them even if you're using the Android 10's gesture navigation system.

The display looks great. Of course, it's a Samsung display. The colors are saturated, the brightness is excellent even outdoors and there are no deviations when viewed at an angle. It even runs at a refresh rate of 120Hz, just like the S20 series, so the movement is buttery smooth. With the flexible display levels, the clarity is not on par with the glass covers of the iPhone 11 Pro Max or the Samsung Note 20 Ultra. That slight visual change aside, this display is indistinguishable from the best in the business – it's only twice that size and randomly folds in half. No compromise here.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

Let's talk about the crease. It is there and yes you will notice. Sometimes. This is most noticeable on a screen with low brightness and on a white or light background. Even so, after a few days I noticed that my eyes were ignoring it. And since you mostly use the phone in portrait orientation – the display has a very wide aspect ratio anyway – rarely touch or swipe the crease.

However, most people are more concerned about the shelf life. I only used the Z Fold 2 for this test for two weeks. So I can't say how well it will hold up over time. But I'm pretty confident, especially since we've now seen people use the original crease (well, the revised original crease) for a year with little deterioration. This new model has the Samsung display "UTG" or Ultra Thin Glass for the display and is much more resistant to scratches and bumps. There's also a pre-installed screen protector made from the typical thin flexible plastic that I'm not a huge fan of, but it's another layer of protection.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

The crease will definitely change its shape a little, and over months of folding it will absorb some aberrations. And yes, if you dig your fingernail into the screen or drop it while it's open, it will look worse for wear and tear. However, most of the phones get damaged in the latter scenario. The biggest advantage of the Z Fold 2 is that the foldable screen is closed and cannot be compromised when you are not using it. With a large foldable phone like this one, there are user-friendliness concerns, but for me they don't relate to the durability of the screen and the hinge.

With a big foldable phone

Samsung has made strides to make this hardware as slim and compact as current technology allows. However, it is still a giant compared to single non-collapsible screens. That starts with a weight of 282 grams, which is about 25% heavier than an iPhone 11 Pro Max and 35% heavier than a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. It's nearly 17mm thick, roughly twice that of a typical phone (as expected).

It adds up to a cumbersome device. It's big and heavy, and you never forget that – neither in your hand nor in your pocket. The phone is nowhere near so small that I can use it as a music source for my headphones in any kind of bag or holder. It's not waterproof either, so I wouldn't take the risk anyway.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

The weight is most noticeable when it is closed. This is how you will use it a lot. Fortunately, the new, larger cover display is big enough to get most of your chores done, and gives you full access to a typical lock screen, notifications, a home screen, and all of your apps. The screen is a bit narrow which can make typing awkward (this can be fixed with a swipe keyboard), but the main problem is getting to the top of this very tall screen while balancing out a beefy and thick phone.

The other problem you will encounter is app compatibility. Some apps just don't scale to full screen because they're so big. This is more annoying than a real usability problem, but it's there. Most of these buggy apps are the same ones that will inevitably have to be restarted if you open the phone while it is running. This is an odd odd thing about resizing Android apps (or not).

You don't use the outside display more than necessary, however, as you can open up the Z Fold 2 and get the gorgeous control panel instead. The use cases are all easy to understand. It starts with just getting more of everything. More map area, more webpage before scrolling, more photos in larger size, more of each message in a list, more book before turning the page, and so on. This is great because you never feel cramped on the Z Fold 2 – there is always enough space to do what you want.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

However, that again requires the apps that you play ball with. Many apps, including all apps from Google and Microsoft, make good use of this additional real estate when run in full screen mode. You get an additional appropriately sized panel or user interface controls, which gives you more content and less chrome. Other apps are just bad. Twitter, Seamless, Venmo, Strava, Telegram, Lyft, American Express, the list goes on. All of them just stretch out the UI and no longer offer you any content or viewing space as they were not designed for large screens. Instagram is notoriously bad at filling the screen, and now Samsung has just packed it with pillars to make it at least reasonably usable. (It's still bad.)

Samsung also uses the stiff hinge to prop the phone at an angle in "flex mode," which triggers a different user interface in a handful of apps – YouTube, Google Duo, Camera, and a few others. it's not very useful. Why cut the screen in half? I only used it for video calls when I didn't want to hold the phone or for photos where I used it as a de facto tripod.

Most of the time, you're running a single app on the Z Fold 2 and it feels clunky and like a waste of space. You really need to find and stick to the handful of apps that make good use of that space. Of course, you can also run apps side by side, which greatly improves the experience. It's instantly intuitive and extremely useful. Run Twitter while messaging, check the status of an order while viewing your credit card charge, and do a Wikipedia search while watching a YouTube video. Check your calendar while reading an email.

It is this dual app that makes the Z Fold 2 shine and really justifies its size. You can set up pairs of apps (or groups of three if you really want to) to start automatically together with the press of a button. If you already have a full screen app open, you can always drag a second, third, or floating app with a small handle on the side of the screen. About 90% of my apps ran side by side – not perfect, but close.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G

If you don't open the Z Fold 2 regularly and use multiple apps at the same time, then you really are missing the point of this phone. You don't pay that much and bother with this great device just to use the cover display or a single app inside. You need to use its features.

Samsung offers the Z Fold 2 more than enough power to run three apps at the same time. You don't have to think for a moment that the phone has a Snapdragon 865+, 12GB of RAM, or 5GB – it all works like any high-end phone should and will do for years to come. However, you will appreciate the 256GB of storage as well as the useful features like stereo speakers, fast charging, fast wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging. There are no compromises in terms of technical data and functions compared to non-foldable telephones, which is currently not a matter of course for foldable telephones.

Unless you regularly use multiple apps at the same time, then you really lack the point of this phone.

Battery life is almost the same as leading single monitors, but how long it lasts depends a lot on how you use them. With a lot of main screen use and multitasking, you can chew through the 4,500mAh battery (like the Note 20 Ultra) before you know it. It's not surprising that allowing yourself to watch videos more often and keep two apps running all the time will drain your resources. In my typical use, where I put what I normally do on the bigger screen, I lasted a full day on 10 to 20% battery life.

Cameras

In contrast to the Microsoft Surface Duo, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 fortunately does not have any major compromises when it comes to the camera. You get a triumvirate of cameras loosely based on the Galaxy S20: the same 12 megapixel main camera with OIS (optical image stabilization) is combined with two smaller 12MP sensors for zoom and ultrawide applications.

It's a little disappointing that this $ 2,000 phone doesn't include a copy of the Galaxy S20 + (or Note 20 Ultra) camera setup. But where things matter most, the main camera, you get an identical experience. These photos speak for themselves folks: this is a really good camera.

Just like Samsung's 2020 flagships, the Z Fold 2 takes expressive, colorful, and engaging photos. I've never taken a really bad shot, and the camera is completely reliable and consistent every time I hit the power button twice to start it. There tends to be too much saturation and sometimes the sky can be blown out or strong halos around objects, but these are minor issues.

The zoom camera is a bit of a let down as it is a smaller sensor and there is no OIS in the main camera (and in the zoom camera on the Galaxy S20). You can easily see that zoom shots are softer than the main camera even if the resolution is only 2x, and in low light conditions the software switches back completely to the main sensor. This zoom camera dates back to the Galaxy S10 series and today's midrange phones, and that's not a good thing to see at this price point. The ultrawide camera absolutely does the job, even if it's not exactly the same as that of the S20 and Note 20 series.

Regardless of the camera chosen, shooting with a huge viewfinder with the screen open is even better than a typical phone.

Perhaps the biggest camera win of all is for selfies. You can flip the Z-fold 2 over and use the rear camera as a selfie shooter with the cover display as the viewfinder. Whether you want a high quality main camera shot or an ultrawide shot for a group of friends (or a backdrop for yourself), that typical front camera will blow away – especially in low light.

Our opinion

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a huge evolution of the original. The hardware is perfectly made and exudes quality, while the functionality of the screens and the hinge has been dramatically improved. All of this without compromising the core smartphone experience – you get good cameras and most of the nice-to-have features of a regular phone.

The downsides are ease of use, size, and price. The Z Fold 2 is huge, which makes it difficult to operate with one hand at times – and if you don't use that large display all the time, it's a chore to carry this massive device around with you. At the same time, many of the software experiences when you have this screen open leave much to be desired. And then there is the price. At $ 2,000, you need a lot of cash to spend twice as much money as a typical high-end phone, but not twice as many functions or features.

This is an amazing technological feat, but it still requires understanding that you are buying a collapsible smartphone that is on the cutting edge of innovation. That means there is compromise, and that's not what most people want (or need).

Is there a better alternative?

There really isn't a direct alternative to the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Some will say the Microsoft Surface Duo is a loose competitor, but really offers a different experience with its separate displays – and ultimately the Surface Duo falls far short of the mark in terms of smartphone functionality and usability.

Elsewhere in the foldable space you have a choice Samsung's own Galaxy Z Flip or the upcoming Motorola Razr, both of which offer completely different experiences. Realistically, your choice is: Are you doing this? Buy a Galaxy Z Fold 2or spend top dollars on a "traditional" high-end phone like this Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or upcoming iPhone 12 Pro Max? It's a personal choice.

How long it will take?

I'm not particularly concerned about the long-term durability of the Z Fold 2's hinge and display. Samsung clearly put a lot of work into fixing early hardware bugs, and even last year's Fold has proven to be quite durable over time. Samsung also offers good warranty protection and screen replacement if necessary. The Z Fold 2 also receives at least two major software upgrades and regular security patches that keep it going for about as long as someone actually uses the phone.

Should you buy it?

Yes. People will make fun of the $ 2,000 price tag for the Z Fold 2, and rightly so. However, if you are ready to part with that huge sum of money on the latest technology, then you are probably also interested in being an early adopter of foldable phones. The Z Fold 2 is currently the best foldable one on the (small) market.

However, if you do buy it, please do not fund the phone for more than four years as Samsung suggests on its website.

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