Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 – to buy or not to buy.
After learning from the bad reviews of the first Z Fold, Samsung launched and released the new and improved Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 in September 2020. In this post, we’ll share our thoughts on the Z Fold 2, weighing both its pros and cons. Hopefully this will help you decide whether or not it is the right time to purchase a foldable phone.
Right off the back, being priced at around RM7,000, this is definitely not a phone for everyone. Nevertheless, let’s go ahead and take a closer look at this phone
Specifications:
| OS | Android 10, upgradable to Android 11, One UI 3.0 |
| Processor | Snapdragon 865+ |
| RAM /ROM | 12GB Ram + 5126GB Rom |
| Display size, resolution | Cover: 6.2″ HD+ Super AMOLED (2260 x 816, 25:9)Main: 7.6” QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (2208 x 1768, 22.5:18, 120Hz) |
| Rear Camera | 12MP F2.2 ultrawide12MP F1.8 wide Dual Pixel, OIS12MP F2.4 2x optical zoom ,(telephoto) OIS |
| Front Camera | 10MP F2.2 |
| Cover camera: | 10MP F2.2 |
| Battery | 4,500mAh (support wireless charging ) |
| Weight | 282g |
| Price | ~RM6,990 |
As we all know, one of the biggest selling points of this device is the foldable screen. With this foldable design, you can instantly turn your phone into a large screen tablet in just 1 second. It makes you feel like you own a smartphone from the future
#1 Reason to buy: Elegant design
At first glance, we were really impressed by the Galaxy Fold’s elegant design. With its streamlined and simple mirror design, the look and feel of the device is very high-end. Thanks to the improved hinge, the folding and unfolding experience is much better than the Fold. Samsung says it’s good for 200,000 folds. It is a solid device – never once did we feel it was fragile.
We imagined the Galaxy Fold to be a lot bigger. However, when it was placed in our hands, it felt just right. The only downside as one can expect is the slight thickness when folded. At ~16.8mm, it is a little over double the thickness of any regular smartphones in the market.
Nevertheless, the extremely narrow body and 21:9 ratio 6.23″ external screen make it easy to operate with one hand. In our opinion, the thickness of the phone is more of a concern for portability rather than usability.
As a side note, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor works well in this design too.
#2 Reason to buy 2: Display
For the outer display, it has been upgraded from 4.6 inches in the previous generation to a full 6.2 inches. The screen is a 25:9 ratio Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2260 x 816 and built with the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for added durability.
As for the inner display, the main screen size is upgraded from 7.3″ of Fold to 7.6″, with an infinity-O full screen design. The screen resolution is 2208 x 1768 and it adopts Samsung’s top Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, which supports 120Hz screen update frequency and dynamic display. The surface is covered with UTG ultra-thin foldable glass which making it more durable and giving it a more refined feel.
In terms of usage, the seam barely noticeable for the most part when in tablet mode, colours are sharp and vibrant, and the screen does a good job at keeping light reflection at a bare minimum. The screen is also responsive and has little to no lag even when swiping between the panels.
#3 Reason to buy: A device that combines smartphone and a tablet
Z Fold 2 also combines the design of a smartphone and a tablet, allowing users to switch between modes whenever needed. With the advanced multi-active window, users can run up to three apps at once in the same frame. Having said that, it means you can watch videos, look up information and messages at the same time.
Multi-tasking is made even more convenient with the drag and drop and split-screen capture features, allowing you to seamlessly transfer text, images, and documents from one app to another.
It is important to note that while the Z Fold 2 allows for most tablet functions, the overall display at 7.6″ is still about 3 inches smaller than most tablets in the market.
#4 Reason to buy: Flagship performance
According to the official specifications, the Z Fold 2 shares almost identical hardware as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra with 7nm Qualcomm S865+ processor and 12G Ram. Ranked as top 10 best processor, the Z Fold 2 is in no way shy of being a high performance device.
For fellow Malaysians, perhaps the best part is that you’ll be enjoying the Snapdragon 865+ processor rather than the Exynos 990 even when purchasing a MY set.
#1 Reason not to buy: Lack of app support
Perhaps not so much of an issue unique to the Z Fold 2 but rather for all convertible phones moving forward is the lacking of optimized apps. With a rather unique aspect ratio of 22.5:18 and 25:9, one may discover that many apps are not properly optimized.
Even with the multi-tasking feature available, only a few select apps properly supports this feature. As such, fully utilizing the Z Fold 2 is still relatively limited based on app optimizations.
It is also important to note that the slightly narrower screen when the device is folded will require some getting used to. We found ourselves mistapping a lot when we first tried the device. Primarily when it comes to typing on the narrow keyboard.
#2 Reason not to buy: Camera
While the camera set isn’t terrible, it definitely isn’t Samsung’s best. If compared with the Note 20 Ultra, which has a 108-megapixel sensor on its wide-angle camera, allowing for 5x optical zoom and 50x digital zoom, the Z Fold 2 definitely feels inferior.
The Z Fold 2, only comes with a 12MP triple camera on the rear. That’s right, 12MP on all three rear cameras, and 10MP on the front. For the price you have pay for the Z Fold 2, the camera is definitely a huge let down.
#3 Reason not to buy: S pen not supported
The Z Fold 2 is classified as the highest class of the flagship model. It has superb performance and almost all the most powerful hardware/ software of 2020. The most regrettable thing is that this Z Fold 2 does not support the S Pen.
We were shocked to learn that the S Pen isn’t supported by this device. We believe with the support of the S Pen, the Z Fold 2 will be able to make the tablet function more complete.
#4 Reason not to buy 4: Missing Dual Entity SIM
Lastly, even with the SIM+eSIM design, it is disappointing that such an expensive device lacks a dual physical SIM card support. Once again, considering this device is most suited for business people in Malaysia, this is another huge flaw in order to meet the needs of its target market.
Final Thoughts: Do we recommend the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2?
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Outstanding & Elegant Design | Many apps aren’t optimized for foldable devices |
| Sharp & Vibrant Display | Subpar camera set |
| 2-in-1 Tablet and Smartphone | Does not support S Pen |
| Great flagship performance | Does not support dual sim |
There is no doubt that there is indeed a space and demand for foldable smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. Though the Z Fold 2 excels in terms of hardware, design and performance, we think it falls short of being a good phone for its target market.
We think that this device suits business people best. With that said, not supporting the S Pen and dual-sim is just outright unacceptable. We hope that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 which is expected to launch in June 2021 will address these shortcomings. According to some sources, the Z Fold 3 will come complete with the S Pen but we’ll just have to wait till then to find out.
Until then, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a no-go in our books. But if you have RM7,000 loose change lying around, it is still an elegant device that will definitely get eyeballs locked in wherever you go.
