Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Fold flexible smartphone-slash-tablet isn’t without tradeoffs. For one, it might be way thicker when folded than virtually any other modern smartphone — potentially as thick as a Nintendo Switch — while the way it folds is pretty awkward.
And like its competitor the Huawei Mate X, it has a big old crease running right through the middle of its foldable display.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/02/samsung-galaxy-s10-s10-plus-s10-e-s10-5g-range-australian-price-specs-and-release-date/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/wnio7cizyllkpb9aba6w.gif” title=”Samsung Galaxy S10 Range: Australian Price, Specs And Release Date” excerpt=”Samsung Unpacked has finally happened. No more rumours. No more speculation.
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At the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona, reporters weren’t given hands-on access to the Galaxy Fold on display. Instead, Samsung opted to showcase the device in a reflective case that, intentional or not, made it as hard to observe the crease as possible.
Crease anxiety, maybe?
If it’s a bit difficult to observe from the photos above — Gizmodo’s Sam Rutherford described the showcase as “bascially impossible” to take a good shot of “unless its from dead on” — additional photos from other angles uploaded by Phone Scoop editor-in-chief Rich Brome to Twitter make it clearer. This is a big crease!
Hmmmmmm. #GalaxyFold pic.twitter.com/b2BPUvmyTP
— Rich Brome (@rbrome) February 25, 2019
In a promotional image distributed by Samsung, no crease is visible — something more than a little reminiscent of that time Apple tried to hide the notch on its new line of iPhone X-based phones with conveniently obscuring wallpapers. In fact, Samsung appears to have chosen an illustration of a butterfly’s wings specifically arranged to avoid crossing the creased part of the device.
It’s clear that Samsung doesn’t want people obsessing over the furrow in the middle of the Galaxy Fold, which could give potential customers the impression that it will display a distorted picture. However, the Fold seen by Gizmodo at MWC 2019 looked perfectly fine when viewed directly — it’s only from acute angles (or perhaps when the light catches it) that the crease becomes obvious.
Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, fully unfolded, has a visible crease in the middle if you look at it from a certain angle. #mwc19 pic.twitter.com/svRELNP6Y9
— Stan Schroeder (@franticnews) February 25, 2019
In any case, it’s clear that a truly seamless foldable phone isn’t in the cards anytime soon. That’s to be expected, because the likeliest audience for these extremely expensive devices isn’t the mass market. It’s developers and niche consumers who really, really want a foldable device this year and aren’t likely to be put off by the expense or the pitfalls of early adoption.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/02/the-best-samsung-galaxy-s10-plans-prices-in-australia/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_lfill,w_768,q_90/cphryj45lv6ldwu0kkzf.jpg” title=”The Best Samsung Galaxy S10 Plans In Australia” excerpt=”Choosing a new phone plan can be a pain in the butt, even when you know exactly which model you’re after. Nobody wants to go to every telco site and open 400 tabs for the sake of comparisons.
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Still, please be aware that Samsung’s large, foldable son has a crease before shelling out an exorbitant amount of money.