Samsung’s newly launched device offers the luxury of a larger screen on a compact phone — but it doesn’t come cheap
I’ve got a confession to make. I am a closet foldable phone fan. I don’t know why it seems something to keep secret — perhaps the price tag makes these phones an exclusive device — but I just love the idea of a regular-sized phone that folds into a smallish phablet.
There is a particular kind of usefulness foldable phones offer which may not be for everyone right now, because of their price. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 costs R38,000. But it’s the kind of thing someone like me would use when I need something larger to read on. Let’s be honest: all of us read on our phones most of the time. It’s the device we always have with us, and it’s also the easiest way to just read the news or catch up on something.
I read a lot, almost entirely news websites — the sad habits of a former news editor and practising news junkie. Invariably, the device closest to hand, and always at hand, is a mobile.
I want a larger screen, but I don’t want a larger phone. Something like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G is the sweet spot. I played with it yesterday at the Joburg launch, and it is as wondrous as it seems. What I like is that its secondary cover screen is a 6.2 inch AMOLED screen — the size of a normal phone these days. But flip it open and the beautiful Galaxy Fold 3’s main display unfurls to 7.6 inches.
Samsung calls this an Infinity Flex display, with 2,208 x 1,768 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. In English, that means a high-res screen with a fast refresh rate. How do you work out what 7.6 inches is? It’s 19.3cm — about the size of the short side of an A4 page (21cm) or the longer side of an A5 Moleskine notebook. I know, I also hate that imperial measurement is still used for smartphones and televisions. Somebody tell the Brits and Yanks we have 10 fingers please, not 12.
I’ve been testing the Fold 3, marvelling at the overall lightness and seamlessness of the fold in the screen. I ran my finger over the ridge which caused so much controversy the first time, and it really was smooth and level. A foldable screen is a thing of wonder.
Samsung’s head of mobile, Justin Hume, tells me those screens are opened and closed 200,000 times. Or one day with a toddler, my brain automatically added when he said it.
I have to admit I also have a soft spot for the Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G, in no small part because I like the idea of a normal-sized phone being smaller when not in use.
The main screen is a larger 6.7-inch Infinity Flex AMOLED display, with a resolution of 2,640 x 1,080 and the same 120Hz refresh rate. On the top lid is a rather smaller 1.9 inch Su p e r
AMOLED display, which is fine for notifications. I may be maturing into a minimalist as I grow older, but I really like the idea of a smaller device — especially enabled with Samsung Pay for the invariable times you leave your wallet at home. Don’t judge me. We all do it, admittedly some more than others.
This article first appeared in Financial Mail.