Despite its flaws, the first generation of the Galaxy Fold made quite a few headlines because it marked a giant smartphone manufacturer stepping into the future of mobile hardware.

One year later, Samsung has doubled down on the same design language when they could have changed it for the better. 

Foldable devices are still in their infancy, and there are very few players in the market who play this game. And out of the player, Samsung wants to play it safe. However, this strategy is not going to work in the long-term.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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The Problems With Samsung Foldable Phones

I think that Samsung had a lot of chances that they didn't take to leave behind competitors by a fine margin. Here are few aspects Samsung's latest generation of foldable phones needs to improve. 

Expired Naming Trend 

It all starts with the name. The "Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2" is the successor of the "Samsung Galaxy Fold." They had nailed the name in the first try, but they made things a little more complicated in an attempt to gather all their foldable phones under the "Galaxy Z" umbrella.

At least they did not mess things up as bad as Sony did with their Xperia lineup. So, they added a "Z" to their name. Sadly, that was just the start. 

Twin Screen Trouble

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 also has two screens. There is a flat 6.23'' 60Hz Super AMOLED panel on the outside and a 120Hz 7.6'' flexible AMOLED panel in the fold.

This decision of including two screens affects two things. First, the user experience is inconsistent because the difference between 60Hz and 120Hz refresh rates is very pronounced. The phone feels noticeably slower on the outside screen.

Another effect is the cost of the device leaps because of the extra panel.

The Camera Complexity

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 also has five cameras. That statement in itself does not really stand out in today's smartphone market because you can't even be at the cool kids' table without at least 4. But my concern is towards the fact that it has those cameras divided across three different surfaces: the front, the back, and inside the fold. 

I wish Samsung could have avoided using that extra 6.23'' panel and could have cut down on two of the five cameras. I completely understand that things aren't as easy as I am claiming them to be.

However, it's camera placement does leave Samsung wide open to criticism. 

If they had optimized their camera, they would have got added space to fit in a larger battery, a second set of speakers, or even a 3.5mm headphone jack. Or, they could have skipped all that and just went with a smaller form factor that is more pocketable. As of now, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 looks like a brick. 

Durability Concerns

One major concern related to the phone would be the durability of the screen. A screen on the outside means that it will be more prone to scratches despite upside the phone would definitely look aesthetically pleasing.

Conclusion

The competition in the foldable phone market won't be this simple once foldable screens become mainstream.

So, I'd say that Samsung definitely missed out on a huge opportunity because Samsung could have dominated the market with better value for money with Huawei out of the picture for the foreseeable future.