The Galaxy Fold 3: A Revolutionary Upgrade to Samsung's Flagship Foldable Phone

As we explore the latest addition to Samsung's foldable phone family, it's clear that the company has taken significant steps to address durability concerns head-on with the new Galaxy Fold 3. This device is the first in its line to feature water resistance, boasting an IPX8 rating that allows it to withstand being submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes without sustaining any damage.

Samsung attributes this feat to a combination of design and engineering tweaks. Each half of the Galaxy Fold 3 is waterproof, with the hinge also designed to resist water ingress. While other models in the series have not been IP-rated, Samsung has made significant strides in enhancing durability. However, it's worth noting that none of the foldable phones currently available are dustproof.

One notable feature of the Galaxy Fold 3 is its use of strong aluminum for the frame and hinge, which provides additional strength and support. Additionally, the device boasts Gorilla Glass Victus on its entire exterior, a material that offers exceptional scratch resistance and durability. In contrast, the full display model features Gorilla Glass Victus on the front panel but Gorilla Glass 6 on the back.

Samsung's focus on durability has not come at the expense of performance or features. The Galaxy Fold 3 introduces S Pen compatibility to the phone line for the first time, with a redesigned S Pen that provides enhanced functionality and control. This is largely due to the development of a more durable inner screen. Samsung claims that the foldable panel is now 80% more resistant than its predecessor.

While the original Galaxy Fold boasted an impressive 7.3-inch inner display, subsequent models have seen a slight reduction in size, with both the full display and folded versions sporting screens measuring 7.6 inches. However, the shift towards smaller displays has come at the cost of increased pixel density, which can make it more challenging to enjoy detailed content.

The front-facing camera setup for each model varies, from the original's massive cutout on the top right to a more understated hole punch design with a single 10-megapixel sensor in the Galaxy Fold 2. In contrast, the Galaxy Fold 3 features Samsung's 4-megapixel under-display camera, intended to enhance visual fidelity and provide a more seamless user experience when viewing content in tablet mode.

Despite these improvements, not all aspects of the Galaxy Fold 3 are without compromise. When viewed side-by-side with other foldable phones available, it becomes clear that each device has its own set of unique strengths and weaknesses.

One notable aspect of the latest model is its superior brightness levels compared to previous versions, which provide a 29% brighter display. Furthermore, the foldable screen in the Galaxy Fold 3 now supports 120Hz refresh rates for both inner and outer displays. While this may not represent a significant difference from some other recent smartphones, it adds a degree of smoothness that many users have come to expect.

The Galaxy Fold 3 also boasts an improved cover screen. The phone features a 6.2-inch outer display, which represents a notable upgrade over the original model's smaller 4.6-inch panel. This larger and more vibrant screen enhances usability and visual fidelity.

The brains behind the operation are powered by Samsung's Snapdragon 888 processor, a system-on-chip that typically benefits from improved performance due to its integration of various components into one single unit.

In terms of storage capacity, the Galaxy Fold 3 offers two options: 256GB or 512GB. It is worth noting that previous models have come with varying levels of internal storage. Notably, these latest devices only offer a single configuration of 256GB.

Perhaps the most significant change from its predecessors is weight – specifically in how it compares to the Galaxy Fold 2 and original model. The latest device has an overall weight of 271 grams, which makes it more manageable for users.

In terms of pricing, both the full display and base models of the Galaxy Fold have seen a reduction, with the latter launching at a price of $1,799.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthere's a new galaxy fold let's talk about the biggest differences between the z fold three the full two and the original fold i'm not going to give you a rundown of every single thing that's different about three generations if you want to see that check this out you can pause the video take screenshots and read away or you can go to cnet.com and see that info in non-video form we're just going to be talking about the most important changes first up durability samsung took on durability concerns head on with the new fold the fold 3 is the first fold with water resistance it has an ipx8 rating meaning it can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes and survive samsung gave a lot of details on how that was possible each half of the fold 3 is waterproof the hinge was treated to resist water as well the other folds are not ip rated at all none of the folds the 1 2 or 3 are dust proof samsung says that the fold 3's frame and hinge are made using the strongest aluminum used on a galaxy phone the fold 3 also has gorilla glass victis on the entire outside which is the toughest glass by corning the full 2 uses victus on the front but gorilla glass 6 on the back and don't you worry we'll be testing all of samsung's durability claims in another video the full 3 brings s pen compatibility to the phone line for the first time that's partially due to the redesigned s pen for the fold 3 and a more durable inner screen samsung says the fold 3's main screen panel is 80 percent more durable than the fold 2. how durable was the inner screen on the original fold let's not talk about that the inner screens on the full 3 and 2 are both 7.6 inches the original fold had a 7.3 inch screen you can't talk about the inner screens without talking about the front-facing camera in the first generation there was this massive cutout on the top right housing two front-facing cameras the fold 2 went with a more understated hole punch design with a single 10 megapixel shooter the fold 3 features samsung's 4 megapixel under display camera it's supposed to give you a more seamless experience when you're in tablet mode from what we've seen the under display camera area does not look as good as the rest of the display that would be because it has a lower pixel density in that area but it is what it is samsung says that the fold 3's inner screen is 29 brighter than the fold 2. the fold 3 brings 120 hertz refresh rates to both its inner and cover screens the full 2 had 120 in the inner screen 60 on the outside there was no 120 hertz option for the original fold speaking of that cover screen the folds 2 and 3 both feature a 6.2 inch outer screen the original fold had that weird 4.6 incher let's talk about the brains of the folds the original fold ran on a qualcomm snapdragon 855 which had lte built in then there was also a 5g variant the z-fold 2 used a snapdragon 865 with a separate 5g modem the 3 has a snapdragon 888 which builds in the 5g modem right into the system on a chip usually when modems are built into an soc power efficiency goes up we'll be testing that out soon the fold 3 comes in two storage options 256 gigs or 512. the two only offered one configuration of 256. the original packed in 512 gigs the new fold is the lightest one of them all it weighs in at a trim 271 grams the full 2 is 282 grams the oldest fold 276 grams and then there's the lower launch price the original fold cost of 1980 when it was introduced the full two was 19.99 the full three launched at a starting price of 17.99 those are the major changes when it comes to all the folds don't forget to check out our hands-on thoughts on the full 3. i've got to say the galaxy fold 3 looks very impressive samsung has really revised the design well over the past several years is the full three something you're going to pick up let me know i'm maya zaktar and i'll see you online i still see you hi what what's for dinner we're not having dinner all rightthere's a new galaxy fold let's talk about the biggest differences between the z fold three the full two and the original fold i'm not going to give you a rundown of every single thing that's different about three generations if you want to see that check this out you can pause the video take screenshots and read away or you can go to cnet.com and see that info in non-video form we're just going to be talking about the most important changes first up durability samsung took on durability concerns head on with the new fold the fold 3 is the first fold with water resistance it has an ipx8 rating meaning it can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes and survive samsung gave a lot of details on how that was possible each half of the fold 3 is waterproof the hinge was treated to resist water as well the other folds are not ip rated at all none of the folds the 1 2 or 3 are dust proof samsung says that the fold 3's frame and hinge are made using the strongest aluminum used on a galaxy phone the fold 3 also has gorilla glass victis on the entire outside which is the toughest glass by corning the full 2 uses victus on the front but gorilla glass 6 on the back and don't you worry we'll be testing all of samsung's durability claims in another video the full 3 brings s pen compatibility to the phone line for the first time that's partially due to the redesigned s pen for the fold 3 and a more durable inner screen samsung says the fold 3's main screen panel is 80 percent more durable than the fold 2. how durable was the inner screen on the original fold let's not talk about that the inner screens on the full 3 and 2 are both 7.6 inches the original fold had a 7.3 inch screen you can't talk about the inner screens without talking about the front-facing camera in the first generation there was this massive cutout on the top right housing two front-facing cameras the fold 2 went with a more understated hole punch design with a single 10 megapixel shooter the fold 3 features samsung's 4 megapixel under display camera it's supposed to give you a more seamless experience when you're in tablet mode from what we've seen the under display camera area does not look as good as the rest of the display that would be because it has a lower pixel density in that area but it is what it is samsung says that the fold 3's inner screen is 29 brighter than the fold 2. the fold 3 brings 120 hertz refresh rates to both its inner and cover screens the full 2 had 120 in the inner screen 60 on the outside there was no 120 hertz option for the original fold speaking of that cover screen the folds 2 and 3 both feature a 6.2 inch outer screen the original fold had that weird 4.6 incher let's talk about the brains of the folds the original fold ran on a qualcomm snapdragon 855 which had lte built in then there was also a 5g variant the z-fold 2 used a snapdragon 865 with a separate 5g modem the 3 has a snapdragon 888 which builds in the 5g modem right into the system on a chip usually when modems are built into an soc power efficiency goes up we'll be testing that out soon the fold 3 comes in two storage options 256 gigs or 512. the two only offered one configuration of 256. the original packed in 512 gigs the new fold is the lightest one of them all it weighs in at a trim 271 grams the full 2 is 282 grams the oldest fold 276 grams and then there's the lower launch price the original fold cost of 1980 when it was introduced the full two was 19.99 the full three launched at a starting price of 17.99 those are the major changes when it comes to all the folds don't forget to check out our hands-on thoughts on the full 3. i've got to say the galaxy fold 3 looks very impressive samsung has really revised the design well over the past several years is the full three something you're going to pick up let me know i'm maya zaktar and i'll see you online i still see you hi what what's for dinner we're not having dinner all right\n"