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Close up with the Galaxy Fold's original screen, notch and hinge

Here's what you got with Samsung's original foldable phone design.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt
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1 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Love it or hate it, the Galaxy Fold is a remarkable phone. Samsung has now updated the design after major issues. This gallery takes you on a tour of the Fold's first design.

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2 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

As the world's first major foldable phone with a bendable screen, it's definitely sticking its neck out.

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3 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

You can use it open like a tablet or closed like a typical phone.

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4 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

Opening and closing the Fold is satisfying.

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5 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Using the foldable phone also feels remarkably natural.

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6 of 60 James Martin/CNET

Although early screen issues have caused Samsung to delay its sale, we got to use a working Fold for a week.

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7 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

We've come to know its strengths and weaknesses well.

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8 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

For example, the Fold's 7.3-inch screen is great for watching videos.

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9 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

It's also adept at looking at anything without squinting or hovering over the display to see better.

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10 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

And you can multitask with up to three active windows open at a time.

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11 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

Google has partnered with Samsung in particular to support this.

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12 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Gaming, too, is better on a larger display. 

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13 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

When you're done using the Fold, it snaps closed and fits into tall, narrow pockets.

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14 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Wireless power sharing means you can top up other devices using the Fold's 4,380-mAh joint battery capacity (there's a battery on each side).

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15 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

It's harder to position a phone on top to charge. The Galaxy S10 Plus is wider, so it kept slipping off the Fold's back.

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16 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

Closed up, the Fold is great for taking calls. It reminds me of candy bar phones of the past. 

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17 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Opened up, calls are a different story. I look and feel ridiculous.

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18 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

The real issue is the screen. See that plastic film around the edges?

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19 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

There it is again if you peer past the plastic bezel. Don't peel this off. When two reviewers did, their Folds stopped working. Samsung is going to make sure that message is clear.

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20 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

Before we worried about screens fizzling out, we wondered how much that crease down the center got in the way. You can see it, but it causes fewer problems than you might think.

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21 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

The hinge is large, which causes the Galaxy Fold's "wings" to be fairly narrow.

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22 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

The hinge mechanism is smooth. 

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23 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

But moving parts have a higher tendency to trap lint and dust.

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24 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

There are some other design flaws, like no headphone jack, so you'll have to use a dongle if you don't use the Galaxy Buds that come in the box.

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25 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

Navigating on that 4.6-inch exterior screen is hard. Icons are tiny.

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26 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

And typing? Forget it. My hands are small and even I found it almost unusable.

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27 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung's default keyboard also doesn't support word tracing, which means that you have to hunt and peck. If you're walking, good luck making sense.

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28 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Careful. The Galaxy Fold isn't water-resistant.

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29 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

And the big notch on the interior screen can get in the way when you're watching videos.

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30 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

The notch is over an inch long.

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31 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Why is it so big? You can see that the two cameras lenses and sensors don't actually take up that much space. Likely Samsung wanted to center the cameras as much as possible.

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32 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Closed up, the Fold looks like two phones stacked on top of one another. That makes it harder to unlock the phone when it's closed.

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33 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Multitasking is also a little hard to pick up at first. You have to open apps for the side panel a different way than you open your main app.

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34 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Not all apps are optimized to work on the side panel, which can be frustrating and cause you to juggle around your screen more than you might want.

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35 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Taking photos with the Fold closed up is fast and easy.

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36 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Open it up to fine tune the shot. I admit, I felt silly taking photos with a tablet-size device.

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37 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

There are six cameras all told: three on the back, one on the "cover" (closed) and two inside. 

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38 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

When the Fold is closed, there is a bit of a gap toward the hinge end. You can peer through it to see a sliver of orange behind it.

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39 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

I was able to slide in a credit card, which held in place, mainly because of the magnetic closure on the edges.

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40 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

You can actually open and close the Fold one-handed, but it takes some practice. 

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41 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

Until you snap it fully open, it looks like this.

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42 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Samsung envisions that you'll use it open most of the time.

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43 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

A two-part case and Samsung Galaxy Buds come in the box.

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44 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

The Galaxy Fold's exterior is made of glass, and comes in four colors: Cosmo Black, Space Silver, Martian Green and Astro Blue.   

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45 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

You can customize a silver or gold hinge color for the blue and green models.

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46 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET

Here are some more Galaxy Fold photos for your enjoyment.

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47 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET
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48 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET
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49 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET
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50 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET
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51 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET
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52 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET
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53 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET
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55 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET
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56 of 60 Sarah Tew/CNET
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57 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET
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58 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET
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59 of 60 James Martin/CNET
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60 of 60 Angela Lang/CNET

Read all the good and bad in our Galaxy Fold review, and see what's changed with the new Fold.

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