Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 official; now with larger screens and better hinge

Samsung today unveiled the next generation of its category-defining foldable device, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. Packed with enhanced refinements and meaningful innovations, the Galaxy Z Fold2 delivers new foldable experiences for those who enjoy being at the forefront of technology. With a larger Cover Screen and massive Main Screen, the Galaxy Z Fold2 combines solid design and expert craftsmanship with intuitive new features for a unique mobile experience that offers the versatility that everyday life demands.

“Our journey towards the next generation of mobile devices is full of originality and innovation,” said Dr. TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2, we closely listened to user feedback to ensure we were bringing meaningful improvements to the hardware, while also developing new innovations to enhance the user experience. Further strengthened by our industry-leading partnerships with Google and Microsoft, we’re reshaping and redefining the possibilities of the mobile device experience.”

New Refined Design
The Galaxy Z Fold2 pairs bold design with advanced engineering so you can feel confident using it every day.

  • Complete and Immersive Content Experiences – A 6.2-inch Infinity-O Cover Screen provides maximum usability so you can check email, look up directions, or even watch your favorite content without needing to unfold your device every time. When unfolded, the massive 7.6-inch Main Screen, with minimized bezels and notch-less Front Camera, immerses you with a 120Hz adaptable refresh rate for smooth scrolling and gameplay. To complete the experience, the Galaxy Z Fold2 comes with the best dynamic sound available on a Galaxy device to date, with enhanced stereo effect and clearer sound provided by high-dynamic dual speakers.
  • Solid Design and Expert Craftsmanship – The Galaxy Z Fold2 is re-engineered with a sleek, unified design that delivers a smooth, high-end feel. Samsung Ultra Thin Glass is now on the Main Screen, providing a more premium and refined feel for the display. Its design is anchored by the Hideaway Hinge, which fits seamlessly into the device body with the CAM mechanism and enables free-standing capabilities that power all-new Flex mode experiences. Galaxy Z Fold2 also employs sweeper technology, first introduced on the Galaxy Z Flip, within the gap between the body and hinge housing to repel dust and undesirable particles. As Galaxy Z Fold2 features a third-generation refined design, the space for the sweeper structure is even smaller than on the Galaxy Z Flip. To achieve this, Samsung developed new innovative sweeper technology to provide the same level of protection in a smaller space. The Galaxy Z Fold2 Hideaway Hinge features revolutionary slim cutting technology, modified fiber composition, and adjusted fiber density.

Capture and View Exactly How You Want
The innovative foldable form factor and its sophisticated design are taken to the next level with unique mobile experiences on the Galaxy Z Fold2. The Galaxy Z Fold2 pairs Flex mode with App Continuity to provide expanded usability, crossing the boundary between the Cover and Main Screen. This flexibility enables you to create or view content that is curated to your exact preferences, from folded to unfolded.

    • A Device that is as Flexible and Productive as You Are – With Flex mode, it’s now easier than ever to capture content and review in real-time. With Capture View Mode, now you won’t have to leave the Camera app. Clearly see the photo or video you just took or review up to five of your most recent captures on the bottom half of the Main Screen, and the preview of your next shot will be on the top half. You can also take your creativity one step further with Auto framing. Whether you’re jumping in on the latest social dance or showing off your cooking skills, the Galaxy Z Fold2 can record hands-free video and keep the subject in focus even when it moves.
    • Features to Support Your Creativity – Rethink content-capturing by incorporating both the photographer and subject’s perspective into getting the shot. Using the Main and Cover Screen at the same time with Dual Preview, both parties can see what’s being captured. What’s more, thanks to the Galaxy Z Fold2’s flexibility, you can now take a high-quality selfie with the rear cameras with the Cover Screen acting as the viewfinder.
    • Flagship Camera Features – The Galaxy Z Fold2’s cameras also offer flagship-level camera quality and control. With Pro Video mode, Single Take, Bright Night, and Night Mode, the Galaxy Z Fold2 helps you capture the moment in stunning quality.

Maximize Every Moment
The Galaxy Z Fold2 aligns next-generation mobile productivity with advanced multitasking capabilities thanks to new intuitive ways to interact. Get the most out of your day by tailoring the Galaxy Z Fold2’s tablet-sized Main Screen to fit in with your working style.

  • Seamless Multitasking – Use advanced Multi-Active Window to control your screen layout with more ease and flexibility. Experience more productivity now that you can open multiple files from the same app at the same time and view them side by side. With an improved Multi-Window Tray, you can open multiple apps at once with the integration of App Pair and the Edge Panel to enjoy added convenience. With drag and drop, you can simply drag text, images, and documents from one app to another for instant transfer. Now, you can also quickly screen capture in one app and transfer the captured image into another seamlessly with Split Screen Capture.
  • Optimized App Interactions to Support Your Flow – Choose the most optimized UI on the Main Screen to suit your needs. Quickly and easily switch layouts between a large screen layout or traditional phone layout in the Settings.
  • Optimized App Display– Maximize every moment in your daily life and upgrade the viewing experience of your favorite apps, including Gmail, YouTube, and Spotify. Use the Main Screen with Office apps in Microsoft 365 to mimic the tablet experience. For example, use Microsoft Outlook to its true potential by having your inbox on the left side and viewing message previews on the right side. Draft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or PowerPoint presentations with PC-like toolbar arrangements.

Galaxy Leadership Strengthened by Strategic Partnerships
Samsung has an open and collaborative approach to partnerships. Through a long-standing partnership with Google, Samsung established an open ecosystem for foldable devices. With this partnership, Samsung has fostered foldable UX innovation to realize the goal of creating the ultimate form factor. Furthermore, a trusted partnership with Microsoft, combined with the Galaxy Z Fold2’s advanced hardware and large screen experience, allows users to maximize their productivity in mobile environments.

Building on its long-standing legacy of Galaxy leadership, Samsung once again pushes the boundaries of mobile innovation and engineering. With the Galaxy Z Fold2, users can access ultra-fast speeds thanks to its full 5G band compatibility, while the 4,500mAh All Day Battery and Super Fast Charging means you can do more without worrying about your battery life. Galaxy Z Fold2 also offers Samsung DeX wireless connection for clutter-free work productivity, while UWB (Ultra Wide Band) technology is integrated into the device making it quick and easy to share files, photos, or videos with Nearby Share.

Galaxy Z Premier Service
Galaxy Z Fold2 users can access Galaxy Z Premier Service: With on-demand concierge support, it will now be easier to connect one-on-one with experts to unlock the unique experience that the Galaxy Z Fold2 enables, schedule service center door-to-door pick-ups and deliveries, and make pre-appointment bookings. Moreover, Galaxy Z Fold2 owners will automatically be enrolled to Samsung Care+, which provides one-time device protection against accidental damage within one year of the purchasing date. Galaxy Z Fold2 users will also be provided the best mobile experiences possible by supporting three generations of Android operating system (OS) upgrades.

Availability
The Galaxy Z Fold2 will be available in the Philippines in Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze on September 25, 2020 for select Samsung Online Partners and October 2, 2020 for select Authorized Samsung Stores, with pre-orders from September 12 to 24, 2020.

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Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review: The ‘almost-flagship’ phone you’d expect

12/07/2020

With its cheaper price tag, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE looks to be the “budget” model in the S20 family. But Samsung takes a different approach in configuring this model to make it more affordable. The FE in the device’s name stands for Fan Edition. This is simply the company’s way of saying that this device was created with fan-favorite features instead of just downgrading the specs of its higher-end siblings.

With so many similarities to the rest of the S20 devices, you might be wondering what would make you want to pick up the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE instead. Find out in this review if it’s the right S20 model for you.

Design

One of the major selling points of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is the number of colorways it has. With 6 different colors, it has the most variation in the S20 series. I personally love having so many color options since you’re rarely given more than 2 or 3 options for smartphones these days. Our unit came in Cloud Navy which is a great choice for a more subtle and professional look.

Color options aside, the build is solid and is actually a bit heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20+. The back is made of polycarbonate plastic instead of glass which helped in making it more affordable. Despite that, it still feels durable and the rounded corners and edges provide a good, comfortable grip as well.

The back sports a matte finish that emits a subtle sheen when light hits it. The design is simple, making it appealing to all kinds of users. Despite having a matte back, we found it attracts smudges often and needs more than a quick wipe to keep it clean. The smudges aren’t actually noticeable from afar but are very obvious up close or in bright light.

As for buttons and ports, you can find the power button and volume rocker well within reach on the right side of the device. The dual SIM card tray is found at the top while the speakers and Type-C charging port are at the bottom. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack on the device.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE offers a very basic design that’s made interesting by the array of colors it offers. Compromise comes in the form of the plastic back but this isn’t a big deal unless you’re particular to glass. Additionally, it has IP68 water resistance meaning you won’t have to worry about it getting wet or even falling into water.

Display and Multimedia

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE houses a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display making it larger than the S20. The resolution has been lowered on this phone to just 2400×1080. But even so, that resolution is more than enough for the average user. Bezels are not as thin as the other S20 devices but remain hardly noticeable.

The Galaxy S20 FE was able to adopt a 120Hz high refresh rate which we personally appreciate. And not only is the screen fast, but it’s also very responsive. Taps and gestures registered immediately which made navigation a breeze. But as expected, having the 120Hz screen activated consumes more battery but you are given the option to manually set the refresh rate to just 60Hz. But personally, we found the 120Hz screen just looks so good that we decided to keep it on all the time.

Visually, we personally don’t have too many gripes. Colors are vivid and beautiful as expected of an AMOLED screen. The display is also able to consistently produce good and sharp images. Brightness is also more than sufficient with the display remaining visible even in bright conditions.

Watching or consuming content on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is enjoyable as well. The stereo speakers aren’t the most impressive but they are able to fill up a small room. Pairing that with the HDR-capable display makes for a good overall entertainment experience. Our only complaint is the position of the selfie camera which becomes a bit obtrusive when watching on full screen.

While the S20 FE’s display does deliver in producing great images, we find it falls short with the in-display fingerprint sensor. Unlike the other S20 device, it has an optical scanner instead of an ultrasonic one. This resulted in occasional unreliable readings.

We found that the best way to make the scanner work is to intentionally press your thumb flat down on the screen. This isn’t all too efficient especially if you’re working with one hand but thankfully there are other security options such as PIN unlock and camera face unlock.

Performance

Powering the Samsung S20 FE is an octa-core Exynos 990 processor matched with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Storage can be expanded up to 1TB by sacrificing one of the SIM card slots for a microSD card.

As expected, we personally didn’t experience any noticeable hiccups in using the device. Apps opened quickly and were very responsive. Even with multiple apps open and running, the phone didn’t exhibit any detectable drops in performance.

We did have an odd issue with its Wi-Fi. The device often had trouble connecting automatically to previously joined networks. There were many instances where it wouldn’t connect to our home network even if it knew the password. It’s not really a big problem nor does it really affect overall performance, but it is inconvenient and a tad bit frustrating to have to connect every time the phone goes to sleep.

Looking at the bigger picture, the top-tier performance still carries over in handling more power-hungry apps or games as well. The gameplay was fluid on games like Asphalt 9 or Wild Rift. It also handled Genshin Impact fairly well but couldn’t steadily accommodate the game’s highest settings. At times, it also had trouble rendering the game’s motion blur. However, lowering the settings down to mid or mid-high settings made for a smoother gaming experience.

After an hour or two, we noticed the phone starts getting hot. It’s definitely something to consider if you’re a user who likes to play for extended hours as the heat can get uncomfortable without any case on.

The Samsung S20 FE is shipped with One UI 2.5 which was made available just this year. The new version added gesture navigation which we love since this is our preferred way to move around the phone. A couple of other features added include built-in screen recording with the interchangeable audio source, improvements to the Samsung Keyboard, shareable Wi-Fi passwords through QR codes, among others.

One of the most prominent additions for this update includes DeX. This feature allows the phone to switch to a desktop view for use with a keyboard and mouse. Additionally, you can mirror your phone’s screen to a TV on the same network and use the phone for navigation by using gestures.

Cameras

The Samsung S20 FE’s cameras may not match up to the members of its family but it still houses a highly capable triple rear camera system. It carries a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, 12-megapixel wide range, and an 8-megapixel telephoto. The cameras perform just how you expect Samsung cameras would. Photos are clear, sharp, and saturated and will be able to please almost everyone.

We personally find that while it does perform well about the majority of the time, it sometimes produces images that are too saturated for our liking. This is an entirely personal preference though because, saturated colors or not, the image quality is still good. It also works very well in low light. The cameras are able to bring out details while maintaining fairly sharp details.

Samsung also added a 3x optical zoom and 30x Space Zoom on the telephoto camera. On a bright sunny day, the 30x optical zoom is able to produce acceptable photos. Edges are still a bit muddy but the overall photo is still something you’d be proud to post.

30x SuperZoom

Around the front is a 32-megapixel camera which is higher than what the Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus have. Considering its younger target market, offering a better front-facing camera just makes sense. It also offers a wide lens option so you can take group photos as well.

The lens is indeed sharp and performs exceptionally in bright light. Selfies are clear and crisp with just the right amount of saturation. There looks to be a bit of skin smoothing as well but it’s not at all obvious. There were times, though, some photos would look a little oversharpened.

Apart from your regular shooting mode, there are also other camera features including Live Focus, panorama, super slow motion, hyper-lapse, and more. It also has the Single Take feature found on its siblings that captures both photo and video on a single tap of the shutter button.

Bottom line, the Samsung S20 FE can capture really good, sharp, and colorful photos. Personal preference does come into play on how the images are processed but the phone does deliver on its promise of post-worthy photos right out of the camera.

Battery

The Galaxy S20 FE comes with a 4500mAh battery that supports fast charging with the 25W Super Fast Charger. It’s also equipped with Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 and Wireless PowerShare for charging other devices.

The 4500mAh battery can be good or bad depending on the kind of user you are. Again, since we prefer the look of a 120Hz screen, the battery was quick to drain. We had the device fully charged in the morning and we needed to charge again in the late afternoon even if we were just using it intermittently.

Switching to a 60Hz refresh rate showed a noticeable increase in the S20 FE’s battery life. The device survives a full day of average use that included social media surging, quick gaming sessions, taking photos, and more. If you’re the kind of person who wants a phone that lasts all day, you may have to compromise some settings to get that with the Samsung S20 FE.

Creature Feature

As always, in our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in devices that make them worth having — something that gives a certain product an edge from its peers. And for the Samsung S20 FE, it would have to be the way its internals are mixed and matched.

The Samsung S20 FE gives reliable, high-end performance expected from a member of the S20 family. Despite having a lower price, the S20 FE adopts similar specs and, therefore, similar performance to the company’s current flagships.

Final Thoughts

In our time with the Samsung S20 FE, we would ask ourselves why would you buy this phone. There are a number of reasons but we found that the Samsung S20 FE is simply a perfect device for those looking for the best of Samsung’s features but aren’t willing to shell too much money.

All in all, the Samsung S20 FE does very well in choosing which features to keep and which to downgrade. You do have to settle for things like having a plastic back and optical fingerprint sensor but these are very sensible compromises to make. In turn, you get impressive performance, a good set of cameras, a high refresh rate, a really great UI, and a whole lot more useful features.

At PhP 35,990, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is more than just Samsung’s most affordable S20 device. It stands well on its own and is able to keep the features that matter. It’s great for those looking to get a taste of what Samsung flagships offer but aren’t ready to invest a lot of money just yet.

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