Editor's note:
Since its debut, the Galaxy Z Fold2 has been surpassed by new Galaxy Z models. We've checked the below to ensure accuracy and relevance for the time of writing, though pricing and availability will differ from when we first reviewed this device.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 Review: The Verdict
Samsung's second attempt at a foldable is a welcome evolution that builds on the fundamentals of the original while addressing almost every pain point. The $1,999 asking price means the Fold 2 still isn't a phone most people will consider, but if you can justify the purchase, it won't disappoint.
What we love
- Larger displays
- Well-thought-out software
- Improved design and hinge
What could be improved
- Very expensive
- Not as durable as your typical smartphone
- A bit heavy
The essentials
- Performance: Top-tier, no issues.
- Battery: Should comfortably last an entire day per charge.
- Screen: Both screens are great! It would be nice if the external display was a little wider, but it's a massive improvement over the original Fold. The internal display can be a little hard to read in bright light.
- Camera: Pretty good! Takes great photos in most conditions.
75/100
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is everything a sequel should be. It addresses pain points, atoning for its predecessor's sins. It's just so much better in every single way. The Fold2 builds on the initial wow factor with meaningful improvements that directly target the first generation's shortcomings. Both displays are larger, the phone feels more durable, and the design is more refined.
These are all important changes, because no matter how ambitious the original Fold was, no matter what a technical marvel, it was almost impossible to recommend. This time around, the Fold2 is merely hard to recommend. A $1,999 foldable isn't exactly the kind of phone most people should buy, but this year, nabbing yourself a Fold2 isn't anywhere near the same kind of exercise in hubris.
The More Screens, the Merrier
As a quick refresher, the Fold2 is once again ostensibly a phone that opens up to be a tablet. The original Galaxy Fold made a pretty great tablet, but fell short as a phone—mostly due to its tiny external display. The outward-facing screen measured in at just 4.6 inches and was surrounded by so much bezel it could make a feature phone blush. The Fold2 swaps that early 2000s energy for a much larger 6.2-inch display that takes up the entire exterior of the device. Not only does it look a lot more modern, it's a lot more usable.
The biggest beneficiary of the larger display is the keyboard. Banging out a message on the original Fold's external display was a tedious exercise that demanded utmost concentration to avoid typos. You couldn't really walk and text as you might be able to with most other phones. With the Fold2, typing is so much easier. The narrow screen is still a bit of adjustment, especially if you're coming from a larger phone, but it’s nowhere near the same kind of ordeal you'd face with the original. You'll still probably want to swap to the internal screen for typing anything longer than a quick message, though.
In addition to being wider than the original Fold display, the Fold2's external screen is much, much taller. It's a rather unusual aspect ratio of 25:9. You're not going to want to watch video or edit photos on it, but otherwise, most day-to-day apps do a pretty decent job at adapting to it.
When you're using the Fold2 closed, you'll certainly notice a bit of heft. It weighs in at just over 280 grams, which is roughly a third heavier than already-chunky smartphones like the Note 20 Ultra and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Personally, I don't mind the weight, but it won't be to everyone's taste.
On the inside, the display now measures in at 7.6 inches, up from 7.3 inches last year. The increase in size isn't anywhere near as notable as the external display, but Samsung has removed the cursed side notch (or "slotch") from the original and replaced it with a camera cut-out. The Fold2 looks so much cleaner. The inside display also runs at a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes everything look just that little bit smoother.
As lovely as the Fold2's internal display is, you're still dealing with the problem that Android tablet apps kinda suck. Most Android apps aren't optimized for tablets, so it can feel like you're using a phone app that has been stretched out to fill a bigger screen, rather than something that's been designed for the form-factor. (It is, however, worth noting that some apps with a tablet mode don't think the Fold2 is big enough to even warrant launching tablet mode). This doesn't always matter, especially when it comes to simpler apps like Messenger, Netflix, or Spotify.
But for every app that works, there are ones like OneNote and Twitter that should make better use of the Fold2's display. Instagram is a weirdly egregious example. Instead of taking up the entire Fold2 screen, it runs in a narrow aspect ratio with black bars on either side. It doesn't make much sense.
Thankfully, there also apps that genuinely do make use of a larger display. Lightroom runs in tablet mode on the Fold2, and having the extra space when editing photos makes a big difference.
Given the internal display's 7.6-inch size, the Fold2 is perhaps best thought of like an iPad mini. It's not angling to replace your computer - I can't really imagine using it for work. Instead, I'd call the Fold2 more of a consumption device that's great for video, reading, and games. It's not trying to be your everything.
As with the original Fold, the Fold2's internal display has a slight crease where it bends. While it's awfully prominent when you're looking at the device off-axis, it's one of those things you don't really notice when you're actually using the phone. You can definitely feel it when you run a finger over it, but for the most part, I found I was rarely touching that part of the screen.
Phone Fundamentals
No matter how flashy a product the Galaxy Z Fold2 is, it still needs to deliver on phone fundamentals. And for the most part, it does. It has a top-tier processor, a solid camera, and a reliable battery. What more do you need?
The Fold2 doesn't have Samsung's flashiest camera setup, and in some ways represents a step down from the Galaxy Note20 Ultra. You won't find a 108MP primary lens or long-range optical zoom. These omissions might seem weird for a phone as expensive as the Fold2, but they also come with a benefit: the Fold2 doesn't suffer from the camera issues we found when testing the Note20 Ultra.
For example, the Note20 Ultra struggled to capture sharp shots of fast-moving objects and could add blocky artifacts to lowlight images. Neither of these is an issue on the Fold2. There are certainly times the Note20 Ultra can take better photos, but the Fold2 has the more reliable camera overall.
In terms of battery, the Fold2 isn't going to win any endurance awards, but it should comfortably last a day for most people. Screen time measurements aren't exactly the most useful figure when it comes to the Fold2, given the external and internal display have very different power requirements, but I typically found myself about to hit between 4-5 hours of screen time with both the 120Hz screen and 5G switched on—both of which are power-draining features. It's only a one-day phone, but I haven't had issues with it lasting to the end of the day. If you need a little more battery life, you could always disable 5G and 120Hz.
Handle with Care
Durability improvements are a key pillar for the Galaxy Z Fold2, with Samsung moving to ultra-thin glass for the internal display and re-engineering the phone's hinge. Both are a step in the right direction, especially considering the original Fold's troubled history.
Instead of a plastic display, the Fold2 has an ultra-thin glass screen on the inside. It's not as durable as the glass on a traditional smartphone, but it's an improvement over plastic. Of course, there's still a plastic layer on top that is still very prone to scratches, so you'll want to be careful not to dig your fingernails into the screen. You'll also find a screen protector pre-applied over both the external and internal displays as an extra safety measure. You can technically remove these, but Samsung recommends you don't do this yourself—take it to a store instead. And at the least, if your screen protector gets a bit beat up, Samsung can install another one.
The Fold2 hinge is based on the Z Flip and allows the phone to stay open at any angle. Not only does this feel more reassuring, inside is a vacuum-like "sweeper" that will prevent dirt and dust from getting trapped and ruining your device by either jamming the hinge or getting under the display.
YouTube channel JerryRigEverything tested this out by dropping a handful of dirt onto a Fold2 and found it continued to work just fine after. This wasn't the case with the original Fold. While the Fold2 doesn't have an IP rating for dust or water resistance, the change is reassuring. It's nice to not have to worry about whether pocket lint could screw up your phone.
While Samsung's durability improvements look great on paper, I've still got concerns; a foldable device simply isn't going to be as resilient as a conventional smartphone. And no matter how well you look after a phone, sometimes life happens. It might not be you dropping it, but rather a child or an animal knocking it off a table. If you're thinking about picking up a Fold2, you're going to need to handle it with more care than a conventional device.
After all, breaking a phone feels bad. Breaking a $1,999 phone would be a special kind of bad.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2—Final Thoughts
Samsung may have done its best to address the shortcomings of the original Fold, but there's one issue that hasn't changed: price. While the Fold2 is an impressive device, it's still a $1,999 phone. You can buy a lot for $1,999. If we're solely looking in the realm of gadgets, you could nab a Note20 Ultra and a Tab S6 Lite and still have leftover change. Or an iPhone 11 Pro or an iPad Air.
I like the Fold2. A lot. It will almost certainly have a spot on my "phones of the year" list. It's a big step in the right direction for what foldable devices need to achieve if they're going to break out of the "weird flex" phase and move into the mainstream—but it all comes back to price. A $1,999 phone isn't a rational purchase, no matter the engineering marvel.
Of course, not all purchases have to be rational. The Fold 2 is genuinely a good device, one that carries far fewer caveats than the original. It works equally well as both a phone and a tablet. It looks more premium. It's more deserving of the sky-high price tag, even if it's not necessarily a good value device in the traditional sense. If you can justify spending $1,999 on a phone, the Galaxy Z Fold2 won't disappoint. Grabbing a Fold2 isn't the reckless endeavor that investing in the original was.
Most of us should continue to wait for foldable technology to mature, however. The leap between the first and second generation Fold was massive. The Fold2 is a world apart from what we saw last year, and we're only going to continue to see improvements, even if they're not as significant.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 Camera Samples
Alex Choros
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