Samsung Galaxy Fold history: The evolution of the ultimate foldable

Samsung Galaxy Fold

The Samsung Galaxy Fold made its grand debut in 2019 as the world's first commercially available foldable smartphone. The phone featured a revolutionary book-like folding mechanism that transformed its 7.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity Flex display into a compact 4.6-inch cover screen when folded.

The Snapdragon 855 processor, coupled with 12GB of RAM, delivered robust performance, while the triple main camera setup offered a versatile photography experience. However, the initial release faced challenges concerning the durability of the folding display and the adaptation of apps for the new form factor. Samsung even halted sales while investigated the issue.

Funnily enough, most of the durability issues were actually caused by people removing the protective polymer layer over the flexible display, mistaking it for a normal screen protector. Samsung even issued a statement clarifying that this plastic sheet shouldn't be removed and included a disclaimer in the retail packaging as well.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

Building upon the foundation laid by its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 addressed several shortcomings while introducing significant improvements. The addition of Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) on the main folding display significantly improved durability and reduced concerns regarding screen damage.

The larger 6.2-inch cover display made one-handed use more comfortable, and the Snapdragon 865+ processor provided enhanced performance. The device showcased Flex Mode, enabling users to utilize half of the unfolded display for specific tasks. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 also supported the Samsung DeX feature, offering a desktop-like experience.

The camera quality was further refined with a bigger sensor for the main camera and a larger pixel size for the ultrawide one, resulting in much better image quality compared to the OG Fold. The battery capacity was also increased to 4,500 mAh to compensate for the larger cover screen and the faster processor.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 continued the trend of innovation with some really exciting features and refinements. It introduced the world's first under-display camera (UDC) on a foldable, eliminating the need for a visible notch or punch-hole and resulting in a more immersive experience.

The addition of S Pen support brought enhanced productivity and creativity to the foldable device. With an IPX8 water resistance rating, it became the first water-resistant foldable smartphone. The device was powered by the Snapdragon 888 (or Exynos 2100) processor, boasting an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling.

Improvements to the hinge mechanism and software optimizations further enhanced multitasking and app continuity between the external and internal displays. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 paved the way for the next model, but with so little competition, would innovation still keep its momentum?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

The fourth iteration of Samsung's best foldable came with various improvements to the hinge mechanism, making it smaller and more durable. Samsung decided to play it safe, perfect, and polish what was already a pretty good device.

One of the big improvements was the new camera system taken from the Galaxy S22 series with a 50MP main sensor. This resulted in better quality photos all around, improvements in night shots, and generally flagship-grade performance when it came to the camera.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 introduced the Taskbar, a PC-like interface to help you quickly launch and switch between apps. The users could drag apps to split-screen mode, pin apps, launch them in pop-up mode, and resize the windows. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 finally started to close the gap between phones and full-fledged personal computers.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 picked up where its predecessor left off, further polishing the foldable experience. Samsung finally managed to offer an almost gapless device when folded, bringing the thickness down - something crucial in this type of phone.

The hinge mechanism was further improved, and the crease was also minimized. Samsung collaborated with Qualcomm to offer Galaxy Z Fold 5 users a slightly overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and also equipped the phone with the latest and fastest storage and RAM technologies.

On the software front, the phone offered refinements in the multitasking capabilities, allowing users to open up to four recent apps, switch between them, drag them to split-screen, and more. Samsung also redesigned the S-Pen, making it more square, mainly to fit better into the slimmer case (there is no S-Pen slot in the phone, sadly).

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 may seem like a small and incremental upgrade over its predecessor, but it brought some necessary refinements and upgrades to the most popular foldable on the market. And at the end of the day, that's what counts.

July 10, 2024 | Galaxy Z Fold 6 Review


Key features and upgrades:

• New dual rail hinge design — sturdier and slimmer.
• Crease is still visible, but a bit shallower.
• Overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor "for Galaxy"
• Slightly different, more rectangular design.
• IP48 protection against dust and water for the first time.
• Different aspect ratio on the cover and main screen.
• Improved software tailored to foldable devices.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 arrived with a slight redesign. It is shorter and a tad wider making the cover screen more comfortable to use. The hinge has been reinforced and there's a new dual-rail design that allows it to be even slimmer that the hinge of the Z Fold 5. Of course, the processor inside is the latest and greatest piece of technology available from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and it has been also optimized "for Galaxy" which means a slight overclock.

For the first time in the history of the Fold series, Samsung offers an ingress protection for the device, it's an IP48 rating, which means that the foldable is protected against solid particles that are more than 1mm in size, and can also be submerged in up to 1.5 meters (approximately 5 feet) of fresh water for about 30 minutes. 

There are some things that have remained unchanged. The battery and charging, for example, are the same as the ones in the previous generation, as well as the camera hardware. What's even more frustrating is that the starting price has been bumped to $1,899 for the 256GB mode, an unfortunate price hike. But all in all, despite the incremental upgrades and innovations, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is currently the best foldable phone Samsung has to offer.

Final Thoughts

The Samsung Galaxy Fold series has undoubtedly led the way in the evolution of foldable smartphones, pushing the boundaries of technology and design. With each iteration, Samsung has addressed challenges, refined features, and continued to innovate, bringing the concept of a foldable smartphone ever closer to mainstream adoption.