Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Better luck next time, Samsung”.
Okay, okay, okay., Here it is the Galaxy Fold. Samsung actually managed to release this thing.. It still folds, it still costs $ 1980, and it’s still, I think, pretty delicate.. Look.
We reviewed this thing earlier this year before Samsung had to cancel the launch and then delay the re-launch and then “, hey Bixby, how ya doin’ ?” And then it finally launched the thing and because we had already reviewed it. I kinda wan na just look back at the original review and see what’s still true, with this slightly revised version of the Galaxy Fold and see if it holds up. The phone. I mean not the review.. Let’S take a look. Verge Galaxy Fold, review.. Ah man that intro, it still holds up.
Okay. So the first thing we need to do is talk about what Samsung has changed with the Galaxy Fold and specifically why they changed it.. There are two different issues: here.. The first is that on the front of the screen, there’s this thing that looks like a removable screen protector, but it is not removable.. Instead, it’s the layer, that’s applied with some serious adhesive and it’s basically part of the screen..
If you try to pull it off, which to be clear, seems like a totally reasonable thing to do, given how it looks, you’ll end up wrecking the hell out of this phone., All right, so Samsung doesn’t want people to rip off the screen protector on the top. So what do they do? Well, they extended the screen protector up underneath the plastic bezels here. And they also added these funny little tabs on the top and the bottom so that you couldn’t even reach it there. If you really wanted to., But this isn’t the thing that happened to me.. What happened to me was, I got some debris underneath the screen and that’s what broke the screen..
So, as you can see, the screen on our Galaxy Fold is broken.. I’Ve got a line here and a line here. And here’s what happened. Right about here under the screen last night, I noticed that I could feel a little bump under the screen when it was completely opened. When it wasn’t completely open. I didn’t feel the bump at all. And last night it wasn’t causing any problems.. It was flexing the screen out a little bit. I called it like a bulge., But when I woke up this morning opened the phone up, it had caused apparently a little bit more damage., And so it’s ruined the screen. All right.
So how did Samsung fix the debris thing? Well, they did a bunch of stuff.. They say they put an extra layer of material underneath the flexible screen.. There’S these caps again, of course, and then they also say that they’ve limited the size of the gaps so that less debris can get inside. So here and it’s even thinner when you close the thing., So maybe it’ll be less dust on the inside., So did they fix it? Man, I don’t know.. I’Ve had this thing for a few weeks now and I’ve been treating it really really carefully, because I’m so nervous about it., I mean it’s not like I’ve been living in a bubble like Joanna Stern has.. I mean actually look at this clip., So I haven’t gone that far, but yeah, I’m definitely being more careful with this than I otherwise would be with a phone, and I still have a couple of nicks and marks on the screen..
Now, if you buy this thing and you break the screen, you get a one-time, only extra $ 150 screen replacement service that you can go get. So I guess that’s a little bit of an insurance policy, but I mean what are we doing here? Are you actually gon na buy this phone? Is anybody actually gon na buy this phone? The answer is, no. Nobody should buy this phone.. This is a science experiment, but it’s an interesting science experiment.
So a better question than did Samsung fix the thing is, is the thing still interesting? Is it still useful to have a little screen on the front to open it up to a big screen, and I wan na talk about that question.. I think the answer to it starts with the software.. So let’s see what I said about the software., You can swipe over from the right and select a second app to open in split screen.. Then you can do it again to open a third app underneath that one on the right. And then you can do crazy, Samsung stuff, like open popover windows like real windows and move them around and resize them, and it’s all just kind of a lot..
And it’s okay, but it’s nowhere near as elegant as how multitasking works on an iPad., So all of that is still true.. The experience here is still a little bit weird, especially moving from the front screen to the inside of the screen. I do enjoy.
Having the single app split screen over on the right, but once you start trying to do anything more than that, it does get a little bit janky.. It feels like everything is a little bit tacked, on. And there’s also just like the standard hardware stuff like the jelly scroll is still here, which is super annoying, but I do love having this big screen..
I still love reading eBooks on it.. I still love it when I’m sitting on the couch or at a table in a meeting or whatever, but I hate it when I am walking around or I’m on the subway. And here’s. What I had to say about this last time.
Think about this thing. That happens all the time with your phone.. You pull it out to check something quick, but then all a sudden, a half hour has gone by while you were scrolling, Instagram or whatever.. It’S a real problem, but it’s a problem. I didn’t really have with the Galaxy Fold., Because when I was just using the tiny screen, I wanted to get something done and put it away really fast cause the tiny screen’s, not that good.
But then, when I unfolded it and used it, I was really using it.. I had to hold it in two hands.. It became an active thing that I chose to be doing.. It required some intentionality..
All of that is also true.. I just hate using this tiny screen and sure I’ve got a better work. Digital life balance because I’m using the phone less, but that’s not the answer.. You need to be able to use your phone when you’re walking around or on the subway or wherever – and this is just too small and awkward of a screen on too tall of a phone – that’s also too thick to fit in your pocket. And then, if you wan na use it opened up, you can’t use this when you’re walking around either. So it’s just all a little bit too awkward. ( upbeat music ). You know the more I think about it.
The problem here is honestly the folding screen, because I love the idea of having a phone that’s bigger on the inside, but all the compromises you have to make with this flexible display the durability issues. The fact that this bend makes it a lot. Thicker is the problem here.. Maybe we should give dual screen phones a try for a little while until we get this thing, better. And actually that’s happening. LG is releasing the G8X like right now and next year. Microsoft is gon na, have the Surface Duo running a Microsoft-ified version of Android, that’s in a much nicer form factor when it’s closed. Look anybody that buys the Galaxy Fold right now, after all of the drama, they know exactly what they’re getting into and as great as This experience is this: for me: I’m not into it..
Hey everybody thanks so much for watching.. What do you think Should we be jumping right into flexible screens? I mean that Huawei’s coming out next month., Or should we give dual screens a try for a while? Let me know down in the comments and if you wan na, know everything I think about the Galaxy Fold, you can watch our full video review from back in April. .