Everything
that could be known about the new Samsung Galaxy S10 range, launched on
Wednesday in San Francisco, seems to have been known before the event.
Most predictions were spot-on, including those in Gadget (see our preview here), thanks to a series of leaks so large, they competed with the hole an iceberg made in the Titanic.
The big
surprise was that there was a big surprise. While it was widely expected that
Samsung would announce a foldable phone, few predicted what would emerge from
that announcement. About the only thing that was guessed right was the name:
Galaxy Fold.
The real
surprise was the versatility of the foldable phone, and the fact that units
were available at the launch. During the Johannesburg event, at which the San
Francisco launch was streamed live, small groups of media took turns to enter a
private Fold viewing area where photos were banned, personal phones had to be
handed in, and the Fold could be tried out under close supervision.
The first
impression is of a compact smartphone with a relatively small screen on the
front – it measures 4.6-inches – and a second layer of phone at the back. With
a click of a button, the phone folds out to reveal a 7.3-inch inside screen –
the equivalent of a mini tablet.
The fold
itself is based on a sophisticated hinge design that probably took more
engineering than the foldable display. The result is a large screen with no
visible seam.
The device
introduces the concept of “app continuity”, which means an app can be opened on
the front and, in mid-use, if the handset is folded open, continue on the
inside from where the user left off on the front. The difference is that the
app will the have far more space for viewing or other activity.
Click here to read about the app experience on the inside of the Fold.
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