Samsung Galaxy Fold: First Look at the Folding Phone

The long-awaited folding smartphone goes on sale April 26. We got to spend some time with it first. The Galaxy Fold is a device that demands attention. The Samsung Galaxy Fold exists to occupy almost every waking moment of your life in front of screens. It’s not the first folding phone, but this foldable is made by Samsung, the world’s top-selling smartphone maker.

The Folding Display and Design

The Galaxy Fold has a display that actually bends. Starting with what looks like a thicker-than-average smartphone with a touchscreen, you crack it open like a book, and a larger second screen unfolds. That foldability is supposed to make it more versatile. It can be both your everyday phone for texting and Twittering, and your tablet for Netflix and longreads. Seeing it in action feels like a high-concept special effect: both stunningly cheesy and a brilliant hack on the laws of physics.

When it’s closed, the Galaxy Fold looks like two elongated phones pressed together, attached by a hinge on one side. It’s made of aluminum, and the front and back of the phone are constructed of Gorilla Glass. I managed to squeeze the folded-up Fold into the side pocket of one of my most fitted jackets, but it’s inelegant in this state. You can hold it in one hand, sure, but it feels like carrying a TV remote.

Engineering and Durability

Samsung has made a folding phone it says will fold over 200,000 times before it shows signs of degradation. In order to do that, it had come up with a display that could fold over on top of itself. It literally had to develop a spine. And then there are the apps, the ones that will need to work as well on a large 7.3-inch screen as they do on a 4.6-inch screen.

Pricing and Luxury Positioning

I am sure, however, that I won’t spend $1,980 on it. That’s how much the Galaxy Fold costs. This messaging explicitly paints the Fold as a luxury device. With the Fold, Samsung is acknowledging that this thing isn’t for everyone. DJ Koh, the president and chief executive of Samsung’s mobile division, was giddy about the phone. He told me he’s been using his pre-release Galaxy Fold regularly while exercising.

Key Specifications of the Galaxy Fold

Feature	Details
Price	$1,980
Main Display	7.3-inch screen
Cover Display	4.6-inch screen
Materials	Aluminum and Gorilla Glass
Release Date	April 26
Durability	Over 200,000 folds