The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G feels like something right out the future. It looks like something that would be incredibly gimmicky—not to mention breakable. Though it may look like a lot of things, it really comes down to being useful, well-performing, and kind of awesome.
Obviously this smartphone is interesting to look at. There are extra screens, it bends, and you can spend a lot of your time wondering how it works, and what will happen if you drop it. The good news is, I did a drop test—unintentionally—and it holds up surprisingly well. Nothing scratched or broken, though it makes an awful noise when it hits the floor.
The Z Fold2 comes in Mystic Bronze and Mystic Black, and both are stylish, with the bronze having a bit of a rose gold finish to it. It seems bulky, but no more than a normal smartphone with a decent case on it, and when open it is thinner than any phone I’ve used. The front screen is a 6.2inch display diagonally, and the inner screen is a 7.6-inch foldable display with Dynamic AMOLED 2X and is made from Samsung Ultra Thin Glass.
The front screen I found I very rarely used unless looking something up quickly, or checking my notifications. It’s almost like the front screen itself was the “Always On Display”, and the inner screen was where the real magic happened. The keyboard on this screen was too small to do much of anything comfortably, and I’m a pretty small person.
“The display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G became something between a phone and a tablet”
The Inner screen, however, was what sold me on this device. The display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G became something between a phone and a tablet, which made watching TikTok in bed a whole new experience. Viewing photos, videos and websites on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G made it hard to go back to a normal smartphone sized screen. They looked great, and because the screen is larger than your typical phone, everything was more clear and vibrant. The ability to switch between the two seamlessly without having to change devices is a game changer.
I have heard people gripe about a line down the middle of the Z Fold2’s inner screen, and I will say it’s there, though I barely noticed it, and only when looking at an angle. Which, by the way, there are many to look at. You can fold this phone and watch it in so many different ways, I even slightly bent it during a video call, so I could watch on the bigger screen and have it stand on its own, though the folded screen did make my partner look like a Muppet.
The camera on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G leaves something to be desired, especially if you’re coming from a higher quality phone like the Samsung S20 Ultra 5G. I found the photos on the front and back camera just couldn’t hold a candle to my current device. Though, if you’re someone who doesn’t rely on photos for their colour and clarity properties, then this won’t be an issue for you.
A phone like this has to come with some fun features, and Samsung delivered. The Z Fold2 has a Dual Preview function, meaning you can preview something on both sides of the device at the same time, a perfect idea when you need to take a group photo of some fussy friends. Everyone can check it out at once and give the thumbs up when the picture is just so. The phone also allows you to switch between screens mostly seamlessly, though Instagram crashed almost every time.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G had a battery with superpowers, as by the end of the day after heavy screen usage I still somehow had 58% battery life left, only to have the device completely crash after, implying that the battery display was inaccurate. Though I didn’t come upon this issue again in testing, it should be noted. I didn’t find the smartphone died any faster than your standard device, and like I said, I was a big fan of using the bigger screen.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G is definitely the gimmicky device you think it will be, but it happens to meet your expectations in a smartphone as well. People will talk about this phone wherever you bring it, and it is a sharp looking piece of technology, so they should. The Z Fold2 5G was functionally a pleasant surprise, with a touch of glamour that everyone could use.
