The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: A Review of the Flagship Foldable Phone

As I held the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 in my hands, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and curiosity about this flagship foldable phone. The device's large inner display is designed to be fully maximized, with features like multi-tasking capabilities that allow users to have three windows open at a time and shortcuts to launch favorite app combinations. This is supposed to be one of the best phones that Samsung currently has on offer, and I was eager to put it through its paces.

The phone is packed with top-notch specs, including a Snapdragon 865 Plus processor, which is no surprise given Samsung's reputation for building high-performance devices. The device also comes with 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage, 12 GB of RAM, and 5G support. I was able to get 5G service from my rooftop, although the speeds were not as impressive as those I experienced during a test with the Note 20 Ultra at Bryant Park.

The phone's battery life is also noteworthy, with a 4,500 milliamp hour capacity that comes in two cells for added durability. In my day of heavy use, setting up the phone and using it out and about, I managed to get close to five hours of screen on time using its bundled charger. A 10-minute charge filled it up to 13%, while a 30-minute top-up brought the battery level to 35%. The Fold 2 supports wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, which is always a welcome feature.

Now, let's talk about the camera system, which is one of the most important aspects of any smartphone. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 features three rear cameras, starting from the top: a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a 123-degree field of view, a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera (same as the one on the S20 and S20 Plus), and finally, a 12-megapixel telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. I was curious to see how big the camera bump would be compared to other devices, and it's worth noting that while it's not monstrous like the Ultra's, it's still noticeable.

As a photographer, I love experimenting with different settings and techniques, and the Fold 2 is no exception. The wide-angle camera performed well in both bright and low light conditions, capturing vibrant colors and plenty of detail from textures to distant subjects. During my walk around Brooklyn, I shot some photos of the scenery using this camera, which resulted in excellent shots that showcased its HDR capabilities.

One of the standout features of the Fold 2's camera is its Live Focus mode, which allows for seamless background blurring. While it may not be perfect, as some users may find the cutouts a bit distracting, I found it to be a great tool for adding depth and interest to portraits. The device also supports 108-megapixel resolution, but rest assured that this doesn't affect its overall performance – the 12-megapixel sensor does an incredible job.

As I continued using the phone, I started thinking about whether or not the lack of 108-megapixels would be a noticeable issue for some users. In my day of using the device for photography, I didn't find myself wanting more; in fact, the results from this camera system were often excellent enough that they felt more than sufficient.

For now, I'll leave you with a few sample photos taken during my review process. These shots showcase the device's capabilities and will give you an idea of what to expect when the full review video is released. Be sure to subscribe to this YouTube channel and hit that bell icon so you're notified as soon as it goes live! Follow me on social media for behind-the-scenes fun stuff, including sample photos and other tidbits from my review process.

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Michael Josh

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys look what just arrived today if there's been one phone that i've been super excited to review this year it's this one the samsung galaxy z fold two so let's not waste any more time let's unbox it and take it out into the real world fancy phone fancy packaging you start by sliding this cover off and peeling both sides apart as if they were doors that swung open inside a car that says change the shape of the future let me know what you guys think is the fold to the future of phones leave me a message in the comments section below next up is this box with the user guide and sim ejector tool and if you pull on this tab you get the fold 2 with a laundry list of care instructions printed on this plastic wrap let's go over them as they are important 1. do not poke the screen with hard objects two when folding the device make sure there's nothing caught in between both screens three the device is not dust or waterproof unfortunately four do not remove the screen protector film and last but not least the phone has magnet so keep your phone away from things like credit cards or if you have them medical implants all right what else is in here a 25 watt power brick and last but not least a usb c to c cable moshi is correct to point it out the original fold came with galaxy buds in the box a pair of buds live would have been a great addition as well if you've got extra cash lying around the 3299 thumb brown edition comes with two free cases buds live galaxy watch 3 and 3 watch bands samsung also sells a leather case and an aramid standing cover separately it's not in the box but you do get membership to the galaxy z premier service which comes with on-demand concierge support one-time accidental display damage warranty a membership to founders card and access to a prepared meal from a michelin star restaurant and access to some elite golf program alright let's unwrap this phone and set it up notice the screen protector over here samsung says it can be removed and replaced but best to have it done at samsung stores and authorized service centers six hours later okie dokie now let's take a closer look at the new fold samsung has taken all the things we love about the note 20 ultra and applied it to the z-fold 2's design language not just this mystic bronze color it's more flat and angular in some places with a brushed metal finish on its frame and a frosted matte finish on its back what kind of glass well it's gorilla glass victus up front gorilla glass 6 on the back and utg or ultra thin glass on the inside justalu asks how does it feel i like how it feels in the hands and how much more elegant it looks but this form factor whether closed or unfolded takes some getting used to jacopo asks what about the crease it's still there but it's really just the nature of the material used for the inner screen but to be honest it doesn't really bother me much samsung offers the fold to in bronze and black and in some markets you can even customize the hinge with an accent color either black silver gold red and blue i've already pre-ordered mine in black and blue of course customization doesn't add to the cost of the phone but it adds a five-week delay so in case you want your phone on september 18th don't customize here in the us the phone retails for 19.99 the biggest most obvious change from the fold 1 to the fold 2 is its larger cover display unlike on the original the entire front panel is all screen measuring 6.2 inches diagonally when used this way it feels narrower and thicker compared to your average smartphone but things like texting or scrolling through instagram are totally doable now you can now watch videos on it too and if you start something on the cover display when you open the phone up you can pick up where you left off and now that we've gotten it open notice how the weird selfie camera module is gone completely all that's left is a punch hole cut out for the selfie camera the fold 2 is a tad bit shorter but wider and the bezels have also been reduced so the display is bigger too 7.6 inches diagonally perfect for things like playing some games that support this aspect ratio navigating using google maps or reading a book using the kindle app oh and like on the z flip the hinge can now stay open at a 90 degree angle flex mode it's called so you can do things like prop it up for google duo calls watching youtube videos with only half the screen or use it like you would a mini laptop what are the differences between the two displays apart from the obvious size aspect ratio and material differences the cover display is super amoled while the main display is dynamic amoled meaning it adds support for hdr10 plus and has lower blue light emissions in terms of resolution we're looking at hd plus and qxga plus respectively it's not called quad hd plus because of its squarish aspect ratio but it's definitely more high res than full hd the cover display has a 60hz refresh rate while the main display has a 120hz refresh rate at full resolution with adaptive display adjusting it based on which app you're in over the course of the next few days i look forward to being able to test both of the phone's displays i want to know if i can survive exclusively off of this cover display and if i can really fully maximize the big inner display as per usual samsung has included a whole bunch of multi-tasking features like being able to have three windows open at a time and shortcuts to launch your favorite app combinations as this is supposed to be one of the best phones that samsung currently has on offer the fold 2 is packed with top-notch specs including a snapdragon 865 plus processor no matter where you buy it yep that's right there's only one variant powered by snapdragon 865 plus there's also 256 gigabytes of ufs 3.1 storage 12 gigabytes of ram and 5g support i managed to get 5g service from my rooftop but not the speeds i enjoyed during my afternoon with the note 20 ultra at bryant park the phone packs a 4 500 milliamp hour battery actually two cells that add up to 4 500. in my day of heavy use setting up the phone and using it out and about i managed to get it to zero close to five hours of screen on time using its bundled charger a 10 minute charge filled it up to 13 a 30 minute top up got it to 35 the fold 2 supports wireless charging and reverse wireless charging more detail the battery and charging tests to come in my review video the galaxy z fold 2 has three rear cameras from top to bottom a 12 megapixel ultra wide angle camera with a 123 degree field of view a 12 megapixel wide angle camera same as the one on the s20 and s20 plus and finally a 12 megapixel telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom gavin phillips asks how big is the camera bump bigger than on the note 20 but not as monstrous as on the ultra i know you want to see camera comparisons but you'll have to wait for our full review in the meantime take a look at some photos we shot around brooklyn today we start with the sun overhead nothing is overexposed colors are vibrant the sky is blue and that depth of field oh so creamy this is the same wide angle camera that's on the s20 and s20 plus so expect the results to be nothing short of excellent in the shade it's equally as good capturing plenty of detail from the texture of the brick buildings paint chipping off the steel frames of the elevated train track and the cars and shop houses off in the distance when a phone can reliably take great photos it allows you to experiment and be artsy i love how both of these photos turned out we took a walk in the park and shot these photos of chai the full body portrait was shot using the wide angle camera showing off its hdr abilities that kicked in and compensated for this against the light framing we switch on live focus to blur out her background using the telephoto lens the cutouts aren't so bad here's another set of portraits of chai shot against a colorful backdrop the first photo uses the wide angle lens the second the 2x zoom lens and the third using live focus mode which photo is your favorite dusk sets in and i shot this moody photo of the jmz train stop using the telephoto camera we make a side trip to the supermarket this next sample was shot indoors with no natural light and despite light bulbs of varying color temperatures white balance is pretty spot on it's finally dark out time for some night shots this first one doesn't even use night mode but is still pretty impressive as are these night mode samples from my roof deck one using wide angle and ultra wide angle cameras respectively finally my favorite extreme low light test or the easiest one to do these shelves of my dark bathroom would only spill over light from my living room as a light source while i can't wait to go out and shoot more comparison photos with the z-fold 2 i will say that in my day of using the phone for photos i really didn't find myself wanting anymore which brings me to ilpo heyglass question there's no 108 megapixels does it matter nope the 12 megapixel sensor does an amazing job so is the galaxy default to your gadget match as you probably guessed as soon as the cameras stop rolling i will go back to reviewing this phone and that video should be ready real soon but as always i want you to be a part of it i know you have questions so leave them for me in the comments section below subscribe to this youtube channel and hit that bell icon so that you get notified as soon as we post that review video and many more like it follow me on social media for all the behind the scenes fun stuff i'll be posting sample photos and other tidbits from my review process on twitter and on instagram and as always make gadgetmash.com your daily habit until the next video i'm michael josh thanks for dropping by youhey guys look what just arrived today if there's been one phone that i've been super excited to review this year it's this one the samsung galaxy z fold two so let's not waste any more time let's unbox it and take it out into the real world fancy phone fancy packaging you start by sliding this cover off and peeling both sides apart as if they were doors that swung open inside a car that says change the shape of the future let me know what you guys think is the fold to the future of phones leave me a message in the comments section below next up is this box with the user guide and sim ejector tool and if you pull on this tab you get the fold 2 with a laundry list of care instructions printed on this plastic wrap let's go over them as they are important 1. do not poke the screen with hard objects two when folding the device make sure there's nothing caught in between both screens three the device is not dust or waterproof unfortunately four do not remove the screen protector film and last but not least the phone has magnet so keep your phone away from things like credit cards or if you have them medical implants all right what else is in here a 25 watt power brick and last but not least a usb c to c cable moshi is correct to point it out the original fold came with galaxy buds in the box a pair of buds live would have been a great addition as well if you've got extra cash lying around the 3299 thumb brown edition comes with two free cases buds live galaxy watch 3 and 3 watch bands samsung also sells a leather case and an aramid standing cover separately it's not in the box but you do get membership to the galaxy z premier service which comes with on-demand concierge support one-time accidental display damage warranty a membership to founders card and access to a prepared meal from a michelin star restaurant and access to some elite golf program alright let's unwrap this phone and set it up notice the screen protector over here samsung says it can be removed and replaced but best to have it done at samsung stores and authorized service centers six hours later okie dokie now let's take a closer look at the new fold samsung has taken all the things we love about the note 20 ultra and applied it to the z-fold 2's design language not just this mystic bronze color it's more flat and angular in some places with a brushed metal finish on its frame and a frosted matte finish on its back what kind of glass well it's gorilla glass victus up front gorilla glass 6 on the back and utg or ultra thin glass on the inside justalu asks how does it feel i like how it feels in the hands and how much more elegant it looks but this form factor whether closed or unfolded takes some getting used to jacopo asks what about the crease it's still there but it's really just the nature of the material used for the inner screen but to be honest it doesn't really bother me much samsung offers the fold to in bronze and black and in some markets you can even customize the hinge with an accent color either black silver gold red and blue i've already pre-ordered mine in black and blue of course customization doesn't add to the cost of the phone but it adds a five-week delay so in case you want your phone on september 18th don't customize here in the us the phone retails for 19.99 the biggest most obvious change from the fold 1 to the fold 2 is its larger cover display unlike on the original the entire front panel is all screen measuring 6.2 inches diagonally when used this way it feels narrower and thicker compared to your average smartphone but things like texting or scrolling through instagram are totally doable now you can now watch videos on it too and if you start something on the cover display when you open the phone up you can pick up where you left off and now that we've gotten it open notice how the weird selfie camera module is gone completely all that's left is a punch hole cut out for the selfie camera the fold 2 is a tad bit shorter but wider and the bezels have also been reduced so the display is bigger too 7.6 inches diagonally perfect for things like playing some games that support this aspect ratio navigating using google maps or reading a book using the kindle app oh and like on the z flip the hinge can now stay open at a 90 degree angle flex mode it's called so you can do things like prop it up for google duo calls watching youtube videos with only half the screen or use it like you would a mini laptop what are the differences between the two displays apart from the obvious size aspect ratio and material differences the cover display is super amoled while the main display is dynamic amoled meaning it adds support for hdr10 plus and has lower blue light emissions in terms of resolution we're looking at hd plus and qxga plus respectively it's not called quad hd plus because of its squarish aspect ratio but it's definitely more high res than full hd the cover display has a 60hz refresh rate while the main display has a 120hz refresh rate at full resolution with adaptive display adjusting it based on which app you're in over the course of the next few days i look forward to being able to test both of the phone's displays i want to know if i can survive exclusively off of this cover display and if i can really fully maximize the big inner display as per usual samsung has included a whole bunch of multi-tasking features like being able to have three windows open at a time and shortcuts to launch your favorite app combinations as this is supposed to be one of the best phones that samsung currently has on offer the fold 2 is packed with top-notch specs including a snapdragon 865 plus processor no matter where you buy it yep that's right there's only one variant powered by snapdragon 865 plus there's also 256 gigabytes of ufs 3.1 storage 12 gigabytes of ram and 5g support i managed to get 5g service from my rooftop but not the speeds i enjoyed during my afternoon with the note 20 ultra at bryant park the phone packs a 4 500 milliamp hour battery actually two cells that add up to 4 500. in my day of heavy use setting up the phone and using it out and about i managed to get it to zero close to five hours of screen on time using its bundled charger a 10 minute charge filled it up to 13 a 30 minute top up got it to 35 the fold 2 supports wireless charging and reverse wireless charging more detail the battery and charging tests to come in my review video the galaxy z fold 2 has three rear cameras from top to bottom a 12 megapixel ultra wide angle camera with a 123 degree field of view a 12 megapixel wide angle camera same as the one on the s20 and s20 plus and finally a 12 megapixel telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom gavin phillips asks how big is the camera bump bigger than on the note 20 but not as monstrous as on the ultra i know you want to see camera comparisons but you'll have to wait for our full review in the meantime take a look at some photos we shot around brooklyn today we start with the sun overhead nothing is overexposed colors are vibrant the sky is blue and that depth of field oh so creamy this is the same wide angle camera that's on the s20 and s20 plus so expect the results to be nothing short of excellent in the shade it's equally as good capturing plenty of detail from the texture of the brick buildings paint chipping off the steel frames of the elevated train track and the cars and shop houses off in the distance when a phone can reliably take great photos it allows you to experiment and be artsy i love how both of these photos turned out we took a walk in the park and shot these photos of chai the full body portrait was shot using the wide angle camera showing off its hdr abilities that kicked in and compensated for this against the light framing we switch on live focus to blur out her background using the telephoto lens the cutouts aren't so bad here's another set of portraits of chai shot against a colorful backdrop the first photo uses the wide angle lens the second the 2x zoom lens and the third using live focus mode which photo is your favorite dusk sets in and i shot this moody photo of the jmz train stop using the telephoto camera we make a side trip to the supermarket this next sample was shot indoors with no natural light and despite light bulbs of varying color temperatures white balance is pretty spot on it's finally dark out time for some night shots this first one doesn't even use night mode but is still pretty impressive as are these night mode samples from my roof deck one using wide angle and ultra wide angle cameras respectively finally my favorite extreme low light test or the easiest one to do these shelves of my dark bathroom would only spill over light from my living room as a light source while i can't wait to go out and shoot more comparison photos with the z-fold 2 i will say that in my day of using the phone for photos i really didn't find myself wanting anymore which brings me to ilpo heyglass question there's no 108 megapixels does it matter nope the 12 megapixel sensor does an amazing job so is the galaxy default to your gadget match as you probably guessed as soon as the cameras stop rolling i will go back to reviewing this phone and that video should be ready real soon but as always i want you to be a part of it i know you have questions so leave them for me in the comments section below subscribe to this youtube channel and hit that bell icon so that you get notified as soon as we post that review video and many more like it follow me on social media for all the behind the scenes fun stuff i'll be posting sample photos and other tidbits from my review process on twitter and on instagram and as always make gadgetmash.com your daily habit until the next video i'm michael josh thanks for dropping by you\n"