Tic Tech: We tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 -

20 Minutes

Are you ready to spend 2,020 euros to buy a foldable screen smartphone?

With its new Galaxy Z Fold 2, Samsung is betting that some will crack - the most fortunate of course - to afford the latest in mobile telephony technology.

Failing to buy the latest toy from the South Korean firm, nothing prevents you from being interested in the terminal if you are a little

geek

.

Because after the flaws of its predecessor launched a year ago, the new Fold has good arguments to convince.

Galaxy Z Fold 2's 7.6-inch foldable screen is Super Amoled and Quad HD + - SAMSUNG

Stop being criticized

Alone in the world.

New offspring of Samsung's Galaxy Z siblings, already made up of the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip, the Z Fold 2 arrives in a world without any real competitor.

Huawei and its MateXs sold the trifle of 2,499 euros will long remain confined to the manufacturer's “showcase” products.

As for Motorola and its Razr 2020 (1,699 euros), the manufacturer has hardly convinced.

If the Galaxy Z Fold 2 remains excessively expensive, however, it ticks most of the boxes to no longer suffer the onslaught of critics.

Many remember, the release of the first Fold had been postponed because of its hinge considered too fragile by the first testers.

This time, no more

bad buzz

.

But the Fold Z 2 isn't perfect either.

The 6.2-inch screen on the front of the Galaxy Z Fold 2. - SAMSUNG

To nail the beak to Fold critics, Samsung has revised its copy with a 7.6-inch (1768 x 2208 pixels) Super Amoled QUAD HD + central screen, a 6.2-inch front screen this time covering the entire surface of the smartphone, but also a reinforced hinge, a fingerprint reader on the side, 5G, a 25 watt fast charger to recharge the Fold in just 90 minutes and impeccable finishes.

Where the Z Fold 2 still forgets to be waterproof ...

A racehorse for multimedia

In use, the great attraction is obviously the foldable screen which transforms the Z Fold 2 into a mini-tablet.

No need for a digital slate in your luggage, this smartphone fulfills this mission perfectly.

And

fissa 

: the Snapdragon 865 + processor (the most powerful of Qualcomm) cannot lend itself to criticism as for its responsiveness.

The tent mode of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 opens the field of possibilities to new uses.

- SAMSUNG

We tested the foldable smartphone to watch videos, read the press, take photos and even take selfies.

We also played with it and saw that its refresh rate of 120 Hz (compared to 60 Hz usually) gives the images more fluidity.

Be careful, however: intense use of this flexible screen harms… the autonomy of the device.

Even if it's adaptive, the refreshing of the panel at high frequency gleefully siphons the battery.

Still, it is extremely pleasant to consume multimedia content on this screen, especially as the stereo speakers on the sides deliver very decent sound, even when the volume is slightly increased.

At 25: 9, the Galaxy Z Fold 2's outer screen is long and a bit cramped.

- SAMSUNG

On the front, the Fold Z 2 screen is in 25: 9 format.

And only in HD + (816 x 2260 pixels).

It is long, but also cramped.

Suddenly, its use reveals some constraints: writing an SMS with a small keyboard is not always easy, for example.

The use of the smartphone in "tent" mode (to watch a video on a corner of the table, if necessary) compensates with real user convenience.

Photos only worthy of a good smartphone

As for the photo, Samsung takes care of its score.

The rear photo module has three 12-megapixel sensors: a main sensor, an ultra-wide-angle and a 2x telephoto lens.

The quality is there, without equaling that offered by a Galaxy Note 20, or a Huawei P40 Pro which will undoubtedly remain the photophones of the year 2020 (while perhaps waiting for the iPhones 12, announced on Tuesday, October 13).

The portraits taken as a selfie are of impeccable quality.

- CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES

When the Fold Z 2's screen is unfolded, an interior 10-megapixel sensor signs clean, detailed selfies.

The portraits that we can thus achieve (with the possibility of adjusting the blur behind the subject

a posteriori

) are impeccable.

The smartphone of tomorrow?

The arguments in favor of this new foldable smartphone are numerous.

The reserves just as much: lack of sealing;

narrow autonomy;

256 GB non-expandable memory;

thickness (the equivalent of that of two smartphones placed on top of each other);

high weight (282 g);

cannot be used with one hand, etc.

It's a clear avenue of exploration for what could look like the smartphone of tomorrow.

Samsung firmly believes in it.

It remains to be seen whether, even at a lower price for a foldable smartphone, the public will be ready to follow.

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  • Smartphone

  • Foldable smartphone

  • Samsung

  • 20 minutes video

  • High-Tech