A first look at the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

One year ago I bought and reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Fold, and found it to be an engineering marvel well worth studying. Then I spent a month with The Fold before I gave it up largely due to the price of some compromises I had to make.

This morning I unpacked my new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 and I was amazed by the designs and quality improvements made by Samsung.

Samsung is clearly a company that listens to customers and with the new Galaxy Z Fold 2, there are major improvements made to this unique foldable smartphone. It's still $2000 in price, so there's a lot to consider before buying the new Z Fold 2 and with the competition from the new Microsoft Surface Duo, users are gaining two high-powered devices to help them get the work done.

ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Fold review: The most innovative phone of 2019 approaches the holy grail of a single device

The remaining details of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 were revealed earlier this week with pre-orders now available, and Samsung sent me the Z Fold 2 this morning for a 14-day review period and the timing is perfect as my Surface Duo finally arrives next week. Before that, I'll explore every aspect of the Galaxy Z Fold 2, so if there's anything you'd like me to test, please leave a comment below.

Unboxing Experience

As a professional engineer with machine design classes in my educational background, I am fascinated by Samsung engineering pieces. There is no doubt that Samsung is a leader in mobile innovation and the intricate details that the company explores to create and improve its products are impressive.

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Galaxy Z Fold 2 comes in a black box with colored elements. The outer casing slipped and a box appeared inside. Open the halves to reveal the Z Fold 2, the charger and USB cable. It was great to see the new Buds Live headphones included in such an expensive phone, just as they did with the Galaxy Buds in the first generation of the Fold.

Our Z Fold 2 tester is Mystic Bronze, and while it's not my personal preference for color, it does well on the Z Fold 2 with the hinge, bezels, and a matte glass back in that color. There is no case included this year either.

ALSO: One month with the Samsung Galaxy Fold: productivity unfolded

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 specifications

Samsung conducted market research and conducted surveys after the Galaxy Fold was released last year. It found that 34% of Fold users use two apps simultaneously compared to just 4% who use other typical smartphones. Fold users have increased their video consumption by 71% compared to use on their previous phones. This kind of video consumption shows that people have been using the fold feature in a similar way to tablet users. Game play also increased by 35%.

Also: Selling the Fold: Samsung's innovative device has room for improvement

hardware

The first thing one notices about the new Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the drastic change of the external display. The Galaxy Fold had a 4.6-inch external display with huge bezels. On the Z Fold 2 we see a large 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2260 x 816 pixels. Although I did find some use with the smaller external display, users of the Z Fold 2 will have a very similar experience to the standard smartphone.

Opening the Galaxy Z Fold 2 reveals another big improvement, which is the massive 7.6-inch main screen. The large block of sensors and camera on the top right of the fold is now gone with a small 10MP shooter on the right panel. The bezels are significantly reduced by xx% compared to the Galaxy Fold, so the Z Fold 2 offers a very modern look and feel.

Speaking of feel, the Z Fold 2 incorporates Samsung's innovative ultra-thin glass material. The glass is installed under another layer and protective cover so that the screen looks like it was last year's Galaxy Fold.

In terms of home screen appearance, Samsung now has a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate screen here, so you'll experience flawless display performance.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2: $199 for a device that made progress, but not enough

software

The hardware improvements are just what Samsung Fold users have been looking for and the only other features I'd like to see in the future are a certain level of water resistance and S Pen support. So, with nearly perfect hardware on the Z Fold 2, it's up to the software to convince me that the Z Fold 2 is worth $2000.

After using the Galaxy Fold and then two LG devices with dual screens, the LG V60 and the LG Velvet, I have many expectations for foldable devices and dual screen devices. I occasionally used multiple apps simultaneously on the Galaxy Fold, but I felt that Samsung didn't increase the productivity aspects of the software. LG's dual-screen experience is compelling with widescreen apps, one-screen keyboard, one-screen gamepad, and more. However, there are still plenty of opportunities to improve the dual screen experience out there as well.

Samsung announces Flex Mode with App Continuity for enhanced software experiences. Multi-Active Window is provided and one of the main functionality I will be experiencing is with applications that help me get work done.

Price and availability

Unlike most Samsung phones, there are very few options for the Galaxy Z Fold 2 with a single storage and RAM model. There are two colors, Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze, priced at $1,999. Customers get to choose the color of the hinge with four options available.

Original Galaxy Fold and Z Flip users can trade in their existing devices for up to $800. You can save up to $650 on other devices, too. Samsung also has a Guaranteed Buyback program where you pay 50% in 20 payments and then get 50% back once the device is returned.

A Thom Browne model is also available, as part of a larger package that includes the Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Buds Live, and custom accessories in Thom Browne design and colors. Pricing and availability for this package will be revealed soon.

Initial usage experiences

Last year I traveled eight hours back and forth to buy my first invisible Galaxy Fold. I actually regret getting rid of this device because it was almost perfect for my life as an engineer and mobile technology reviewer as it was a smartphone and tablet all in one. It would be less expensive to buy a tablet like the Galaxy Tab S7 and a phone, but the engineering that went into Samsung's foldable phones is hard for me to ignore.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to test this year's Z Fold 2 before launch and one day after I might hit the pre-order button this week. I'll be spending a couple of weeks with the Z Fold 2, but so far it looks to be a great upgrade to the Fold.

I have 2 weeks with the Z Fold 2, unless I make my own buying decision. Feel free to interact with me here or on Twitter as I create a comprehensive review of this unique and expensive phone.