Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 Review: Foldable Smartphone To Buy In 2020

‘Foldable Smartphones’ are a long way from being a mainstream but that doesn’t stop smartphone manufacturers from launching new and improved iterations. At present, Samsung has the widest portfolio of foldable smartphones with three devices available for purchase in the Indian market, i.e. Galaxy Z Fold, Galaxy Z Flip and the new Galaxy Z Fold […]

PROS

Innovative Foldable Display Premium Aesthetics & Sturdy Design Bigger & Better Cover Display Joyful Multitasking Experience Capable Cameras Good Audio Performance Swift Performance

CONS

No IP-Rating For Water-Dust Protection Expensive Camera Lacks Optical Zoom Third-Party Apps Lack Optimizations For New Screen Type Motorola offers two devices but both lack flagship specs and mostly play on the nostalgia factor, thus offering very less value for the fortune you pay. Huawei and Microsoft are also in the race but there's no scope and sense of buying their foldable smartphones in the Indian market for various reasons, but that's a topic for another day. Today, we are focusing on the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the second-generation foldable device from the house of Samsung which costs a whopping Rs. 1,49,999. Here's how it performed in our review.

Bigger And Better Cover Display

The first gen Galaxy Z Fold lacked a big cover screen which made things difficult in daily routine because you just cannot use a foldable phone in its unfold state all the time. You have to have a good front display which should serve all important tasks of a modern smartphone. That said, I am glad to see a full-blown workable display on the front of the new Galaxy Fold 2 device. It's a big 6.23-inch full HD+ AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2260 x 816 pixels and a rather unconventional 25:9 aspect ratio. The odd aspect ratio means the screen is extremely tall and it requires some efforts to reach corners. Also, you might take some time to get used to the odd form-factor due to app-scaling issues which will only be rectified with time. Nevertheless, it works just fine and is going to be your go-to screen for most of the phone related tasks. With a new bigger and taller front screen, you can scroll your Facebook and Twitter timeline, browse web pages, capture full-screen selfies, and perform all phone-related jobs in a much efficient manner. The front screen can also be used to watch videos on YouTube and OTT apps in cinematic aspect ratio in any given angle as the sturdy hinge holds the phone firmly in its position. 7.6-Inch Foldable AMOLED Display, 120 Hz Refresh Rate, 1768 x 2208 Resolution The ‘Foldables' are all about big hidden displays that come alive when you need them. Samsung being the pioneer in the respective space has done a great job. The second-generation Galaxy Z Fold flaunts a 7.6-inch tablet-size Super AMOLED no-notch screen to meet all your multimedia requirements. I had a great time watching videos, browsing the internet and playing games on this device despite some shortcomings, which are mostly induced by the software part. For instance, the videos in YouTube plays with thick black bars on top and bottom and you cannot pinch in/out to fill the spaces. Same is the problem with most of the content on other streaming applications. Honestly, you can't do much about it as foldables are introducing new aspect ratios and the most widely used apps will take some time to adapt to new form-factor.

Flagship Hardware- Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+, 12GB RAM+256GB ROM

Thee Galaxy Z Fold 2 feels snappy and super responsive with multimedia playback, multitasking with more than 5 apps running at a time on the big screen and while using the phone for usual day-to-day tasks. Playing graphics-intensive games like Asphalt 9 and COD Mobile was a joyful experience on the foldable device. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ and 12GB RAM ensures swift performance with whatever you throw at this device. I wish we could give you a long-term review of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 as such a device demands a long-term usage to evaluate the true potential. As far as battery life is concerned, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 can easily last one full day with light to moderate usage. The 25W bundled charging brick takes around 90-minute to fully refuel the 4,500 mAh battery cell from flat to 100%. I think Samsung should have offered a slightly bigger battery on the foldable as it's really hard to stop streaming videos and perform multitasking on the big-screen which takes a toll on the battery life.