new samsung smartphone: innovation hinges on folding screen
LONDON —
When Samsung announced this year that it will launch a smartphone with a folding screen, the biggest problem is whether this innovation is what people really want or need.
Is the Galaxy Fold a gimmick to help sell more smartphones in the event of a slowdown, or will it change the way we use our devices?
In recent years, major manufacturers have largely updated their smartphones, but there are not many improvements, such as better camera and facial scanning technologies, which are highly suspected.
South Korean electronics provided a copy to the media this week.
In the preview before the release of the United StatesS.
This month, the first impression is that folding the screen can be a useful innovation in some cases --
But for nearly $2,000 it will soon not be a mass market product. ——
Why is the foldable screen?
As people use mobile phones more and more to do data
Samsung says the hungry task of viewing photos on Instagram and watching movies or TV shows on YouTube or Netflix has become clear: people want bigger screens, but they also want a mobile phone that they can carry with them.
Skeptical people may say folding phones is a sign that the smartphone industry is no longer in a good idea and is stuck in innovation.
Samsung is not alone.
Little-known Royole began selling its FlexPai phones in China last year, while Chinese tech giant Huawei announced its fold a few days after Samsung announced the news. ——
On and off, the Galaxy fold is about 6.
3 centimeters wide, 16 centimeters long (2. 5 by 6. 3 inches).
The feeling of holding the TV remote control, but heavier.
The two panels of the phone are stuck with the magnet, so it takes a little power to open.
I was able to do this with a little practice --
Use your thumb to clip between the two parts and separate them.
Samsung has spent nearly five years developing more than 1,000 products.
It uses gears and gears to give it a smooth feel with two open positions.
First, it expands to 140 degrees.
For example, it\'s convenient if you want to put it on the table but still need to adjust a part of the screen for a video call.
Bend it further and the screen opens quietly and firmly to a flat position.
To turn off the phone, click it from the open location and close the side. ——
The screen opens on time, and there is a lot of real estate on the main screen of Galaxy Fold, measured by 7. 3 inches (18. 5 centimetres)diagonally.
It would be great if you wanted to take and comment on photos, watch videos or read emails
Book without squintingMulti-
Opening up to three applications at the same time can also complete tasks.
The tablet feels more like a small tablet than a smartphone, suggesting that a possible market is for people who want both devices but don\'t want to buy both.
Like anything folded, there is a crease.
It runs along the center of the screen and is visible at some angles, although I didn\'t really notice it when using the app.
Samsung has developed a new type of adhesive that binds composite polymer screens together and promises that it can withstand 200,000 turns on and off, or 100 times a day, within five years.
A folded external panel has a second screen, a long and narrow display, so you can continue to use the app when you turn it off.
I tried it a few times.
YouTube and racing game \"asphalt \"-
Seamlessly convert between two screens.
For example, it might be useful to consult Google Maps in detail on the big screen before departure, then put it in your pocket and quickly check the route.
But I still don\'t believe that \"app continuity\" is what I need.
The phone\'s specs have been available to app makers for some time, and the company says most phones only need to make some adjustments to run properly on the Android operating system.
Hundreds of apps have been \"optimized\", but Samsung won\'t say much until it\'s released. ——
There are no less than six cameras folded in the camera and more galaxies.
There are three lenses at the back, and there is another lens on the cover next to the second screen, which also has two lenses, including the selfie camera.
There is a fingerprint scanner on the right, which can be used when turned on and off.
Inside, the battery is divided into two pieces, one for each panel, and it has enough power to charge another device wirelessly, such as the included wireless headset.
It is not clear whether the larger screen needs more power.
Samsung did not give any estimates of battery life, just saying it might be different. ——
When the Galaxy folding plan was released in the United StatesS.
Pricing was $1,980 in April 26.
It went public in some European markets in May 3.
