4 Reasons to Love the Galaxy Fold

When I first received the original Galaxy Fold from Samsung back in April, I couldn’t wait to try it. This time, when the new-and-improved model arrived, I couldn’t wait to have it.

Why? Because I can’t remember the last time a new product – nay, a new product category – got me so excited. It wasn’t the tablet, certainly. Maybe the smartphone? It might have, save for the quality of cellular service at the time, which dampened my enthusiasm. Maybe … the George Foreman Grill?

Like the vast majority of evaluators and reviewers, I experienced no quality or reliability issues with the original Fold’s display. Though now that the revised model has arrived, I do see how the minor enhancements help make the Fold more durable. And the increased guidance inside the box will no doubt help to ensure a pleasurable experience. Ditto for the concierge service Samsung included with the device.

Normally, as you know, I try to home in on features and usage models my primarily b2b audience will care about. And I will do that. Promise. But for the moment – and at least until the Fold is generally available come Friday – please indulge the consumer in me. 

Bringing us back to equilibrium

I’ve said for years – since before the advent of the tablet and smartphone – that equilibrium for personal devices is two: one in the pocket and one in the bag. (Read: phone and laptop.) When a third crops up, it’s because there is a deficiency in one or both the main actors.

In 2010, in fact, just such an equilibrium gave rise to the tablet. But ever since, the tablet has been squeezed from above by laptops, which have gotten sleeker and more responsive. And from below by smartphones, which have marched higher with more performance, better battery life and larger displays.

And yet, as hard as this is for me to admit, I still carry a tablet. I do. I use it to watch videos, read the paper and play games on the plane, saving laptop battery life and avoiding the occasional confrontation with flight attendants who won’t take “it’s a tablet” for an answer.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways

1)     The un-Folded display is outright beautiful – and large enough to handle tablet duties. From a device compact enough to fit in the back pocket of my jeans. (Be warned: the Fold is markedly heavier than a smartphone. So if you do intend to stash it in your pants, please wear a belt. You’re welcome.)

2)     The Fold is flat-out the best reader I’ve ever used. When I’m on the elliptical, I’m much happier reading the news on the Fold than either a smartphone or tablet. The tablet is larger, yes. But the Fold is plenty big. And bright. And the newspapers I subscribe to all treat the Fold as a smaller device, which means they deliver content in the single-story, infinite-feed format as opposed to newsprint layout, which I find to be too busy for tablets and even laptops.

3)     The Fold is the ideal commuter device. What a great way to spend time on a bus or train – even if you’re standing. The Fold’s compact, tablet-like display is always there when you want it. Just like your smartphone. Because in the case of this device, your tablet is actually folded up inside your smartphone.

4)     I love the small display on the outside, available when the device is folded. I call it my “first-responder” screen. I’ve loaded it up with apps I need to access quickly, like text, IM and phone dialer. So the size in this case is not a bug. It’s a feature. We don’t need a full-size smartphone display for those things. We need everything easily accessible with our thumb, like when we get a text when we’re carrying groceries.

Keep in mind, though, the Fold is not a smartphone. So you can’t treat it like one. It’s heavier, for one thing. Which means it might not sustain a fall that your smartphone would brush off. Neither is this device a tablet.

The Fold is the first in a new foldable category. One that will help get us back to equilibrium – and in a far more pleasurable way than I’d ever imagined.

So should you buy one when it comes available in the US on Friday? If you’ve read what I’ve written so far and haven’t thought to ask about the price, then the answer is an emphatic yes. You will absolutely love it. And you will bask in the attention this electronic puppy of a device undoubtedly will attract.

For the rest of you, many of whom are still getting used to the idea of a $1,000 smartphone, the Fold’s $2,000 price tag will give you pause. It might sound more palatable if you happen to be in the market for both a phone and a tablet. But you’ll still have to talk yourself into it.

Even if you don’t decide to buy, do yourself a favor and check one out. If not at the store, then at the park. Or a coffee shop. You’ll have plenty of opportunity. Because the folks who do pick one up will be only too happy to show you. And they won’t be hard to spot. Trust me on that.