Samsung wasn’t fairly able to declare the Galaxy Note lifeless. Not simply but. When we put the query to the corporate once more after this month’s Unpacked occasion, a rep informed us:
Samsung is continually evaluating its product lineup to make sure we meet the wants of customers, whereas introducing know-how that enhances customers’ cell experiences. We is not going to be launching new Galaxy Note gadgets in 2021. Instead, Samsung plans to proceed to develop the Note expertise and produce a lot of its widespread productiveness and creativity options, together with the S Pen, throughout our Galaxy ecosystem with merchandise just like the Galaxy S21 Ultra and together with to different classes like tablets and laptops. We will share extra particulars on our future portfolio as soon as we’re able to announce.
It’s not a solution, precisely, a lot as a reiteration of its earlier announcement that there might be no new Note for 2021. Asked whether or not it was merely a matter of chip shortages, Samsung despatched us a equally non-committal response:
The present volatility of the semiconductor market is being felt throughout your complete know-how trade and past. At Samsung, we’re making our greatest efforts to mitigate the influence, and can proceed to work diligently with our companions to beat provide challenges.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
It’s too early to declare the Galaxy Fold 3 the inheritor to the Note’s decade-long phablet throne. What is for sure, nonetheless, is that new options launched for the Galaxy S line and the corporate’s high-end foldable have rendered the machine pretty redundant. What appears more than likely, in the meantime, is Samsung’s wait and see method. An excellent promoting Fold 3 is as compelling an argument for the Note’s redundancy as any. But that continues to be an enormous “if.”
Samsung was good to place early Folds as thrilling experiments. It’s by no means straightforward to be among the many first to market with a brand new know-how, particularly with the types of scales Samsung tends to commerce in. The authentic Fold introduced with it some main questions, each when it comes to reliability and adoption. Without retreading the previous an excessive amount of right here (we’ve written lots about it), let’s simply say the corporate went again to the drafting board a few occasions with that first spherical.
As for the latter, the corporate revealed again in 2019 that it offered a million items that first 12 months. It was a stunning — and spectacular — determine. Obviously it might probably’t maintain a candle to the types of numbers the corporate places up with the S and Note Series, however for an unproven $2,000 machine just a few months after launch, it was actually a optimistic signal that — on the very least — early adopters have been alongside for the journey.
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The Fold 2 discovered the corporate extra immediately addressing a few of the greatest points that arrived with its predecessor, making for a extra strong and well-rounded machine. The Fold 3 isn’t a radical departure by any stretch, however there are some key updates and refinements on board right here. Top-level, right here’s what’s new:
S-Pen help
IPX8 water resistance
Slightly bigger exterior show
Under-display digital camera
Strengthened inside display protector, body and entrance glass
So what, exactly, does all of that add as much as? For Samsung, the reply is straightforward: a brand new flagship. It’s a type of phrases within the cell world with a little bit of a floating definition. Samsung, in any case, beforehand had two flagships, within the type of the S and Note collection. Whether this a tech passing second for the Note or a declaration of a 3rd flagship for the Galaxy line depends on the phrases written above. What it does sign, nonetheless, is Samsung’s said confidence that that is the second its high-end foldable goes mainstream.
The first step towards mainstreaming the product is a no brainer. Price. The Fold 3 remains to be not, by any stretch of the creativeness, an reasonably priced machine. At $1,800, it’s fittingly nonetheless the worth of two flagship telephones put collectively. But a $200 drop from its predecessor marks a substantial step in the appropriate route. One imagines/hopes issues will proceed to go down as Samsung is ready to scale the tech additional. Those looking for an “affordable” foldable needs to be taking a better take a look at the brand new Flip, which really geese beneath the $1,000 worth level. More on that in a later overview.
There are certain to be points with any new kind issue — even one from an organization with Samsung’s understand how. I’ve this visceral reminiscence of strolling round gingerly with the unique Fold for concern of breaking the factor. There’s a sure expectation of utilization through the overview course of — that you just’ll successfully deal with the machine as you’d your individual, however the earliest Fold didn’t afford that chance, leaving me a bit tense all through that I’d inadvertently injury the $2,000 cellphone.
And, effectively, I did. And I actually wasn’t the primary. There have been sufficient points to warrant reinforcing the machine earlier than sending it out into the broader world. It was the appropriate transfer, to make sure. I don’t suppose anybody was anticipating the Fold can be indestructible, however, once more, there’s that expectation of ordinary utilization that the earliest unit didn’t dwell as much as.
The major repair was two-fold: extending the protecting movie to the perimeters after the primary seemed far too much like the detachable display protectors Samsung (and different) telephones ship with, and second, the corporate added a brush mechanism to the inside of the hinge mechanism that might nonetheless permit some particles in, however would sweep it away by the method of opening the product. That would take away it earlier than it had a chance to break the display.
The second technology upgraded to a extra sturdy foldable glass. The new model extends these protections additional. It is, notably, the primary model of the Fold that doesn’t greet you with a laundry checklist of restrictions the second you open the field. That’s a superb signal. As a rule, I’d say customers ought to most likely adhere to an analogous “normal usage.” And most likely spend money on a type of instances. It’s an $1,800 cellphone, in any case.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
The most notable addition on the sturdiness entrance is the IPX8 score. That’s water resistance for as much as 1.5 meters for so long as 30 minutes. The firm’s foldables line was a bit gradual on the uptake when it comes to the kind of waterproofing/water resistance that has grow to be practically normal for premium telephones — and understandably so, given the advanced mechanisms required. The “X” within the score, nonetheless, signifies that there’s no dustproofing right here, for the easy purpose that the hinge is definitely designed to let particles in (as famous above).
The back and front of the machine are actually lined with Gorilla Glass Victus — Corning’s newest. Per Corning, “In our lab tests, Gorilla Glass Victus survived drops onto hard, rough surfaces from up to 2 meters. Competitive aluminosilicate glasses, from other manufacturers, typically fail when dropped from 0.8 meters. Additionally, the scratch resistance of Gorilla Glass Victus is up to 4x better than competitive aluminosilicate.” The cellphone’s physique and hinge, in the meantime, are constructed out of alloy Samsung calls “Armor aluminum, which it claims is “the strongest aluminum used in modern smartphones.”
Perhaps most necessary of all is the inclusion of a stronger bolstered display protector that extends additional to the edges, making it much more tough and fewer tempting to attempt to peel it off. The added safety is important each for normal utilization (you actually don’t need a cellphone that’s going to get broken from an excessive amount of tapping) and opens it up for S Pen performance. The firm now has three traces that make the most of its stylus and the entire productiveness options contained therein.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
In addition to the S Pen Pro, the corporate launched a Fold-specific mannequin. The $50 stylus is smaller and encompasses a retractable tip, particularly designed to minimize the strain on the display. I performed round with each styli and didn’t discover a dramatic distinction between the 2, and whereas Samsung doesn’t explicitly warn towards utilizing the Pro, I’d go for the Fold Edition out of an abundance of warning. (The system additionally points a warning should you try to make use of an older model of the S-Pen.)
The firm supplied TechSwitch the next assertion on stylus compatibility:
Only the newest S Pen Fold Edition and S Pen Pro are suitable as they’re set to a distinct frequency than normal S Pens. However, S Pen Pro is suitable with different S Pen-enabled gadgets—equivalent to Samsung Galaxy tablets, Chromebooks, and smartphones. Users can swap the frequency of the S Pen Pro utilizing the swap on the high.
The 7.6-inch canvas lends itself effectively to S-Pen performance. Of course, the Fold — like different foldables — nonetheless has a visual crease within the heart. That takes some getting used to, in comparison with the Note. But should you’re a stylus devotee, the performance matches in effectively with a rising suite of productiveness instruments like a number of lively home windows and app cut up view. Samsung has compiled fairly a productiveness workhouse right here.
Of course, not like the Note (and just like the S line), the Fold doesn’t characteristic a built-in slot for the S Pen. It appears doubtless there could have been some structural integrity points barring its inclusion — or, on the very least, it most likely would have added much more thickness to what’s already a reasonably skinny machine when folded up. Samsung does provide up an S Pen case for these critical about taking their stylus with them — and are in any other case fearful about dropping it.
The major show hasn’t modified a lot since final 12 months. It’s nonetheless 7.6 inches with a 120Hz refresh charge and a 2208 x 1768 decision, with help for HDR10+. The 6.2-inch entrance display doesn’t have the excessive dynamic vary format, although it has been bumped as much as 120Hz from 60Hz. The Fold 2 upgraded the outside display dimension final 12 months, and it makes an enormous distinction. There are loads of occasions you simply don’t need to take care of unfolding the factor. The side ratio remains to be a lot to skinny to depend on it more often than not, however App Continuity is a pleasant characteristic that allows you to seamlessly soar between screens on enabled apps.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
The greatest addition on the display entrance is extra of a subtraction, actually. The pinhole digital camera is gone from the primary display. In its place is an under-display digital camera — the primary on a Samsung machine. The know-how has been a longstanding holy grail for corporations. Samsung’s not the primary to supply the characteristic — corporations like Oppo and ZTE have sported the characteristic for a short while now. The Fold makes use of comparable know-how, making use of a skinny layer of pixels above the outlet punch. The spot remains to be seen, significantly when there’s a white picture on the display, however at first blush, it does provide one thing extra contiguous.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
If you observe the house in any respect, that the picture efficiency of those cameras have been lower than ultimate to this point. And Samsung suffers the identical destiny. The above photographs have been taken on the entrance 10-megapixel and under-display four-megapixels cameras respectively. There’s a haze or blur on the under-screen digital camera — actually lower than the requirements we count on from a premium smartphone in 2021.
In an earlier dialog with Samsung, the corporate was fairly candid about this — and the explanation the Fold is the primary of its telephones to sport the tech. It’s right here since you’ve received the extra possibility of the front-facing digital camera for selfies, so that you’re not reliant on a, frankly, subpar digital camera. Certainly I wouldn’t depend on it for capturing photographs — which is already admittedly awkward with the massive kind issue. I suppose it might probably work for teleconferencing in a pinch, however even then, you’re most likely higher off with the entrance one. File it as one thing Samsung can enhance on in future updates, because the underlying tech improves.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
The important digital camera system, in the meantime, is essentially unchanged for the reason that final model at:
12MP Ultra Wide. F2.2, Pixel dimension: 1.12μm, FOV: 123-degree
12MP Wide-angle. Dual Pixel AF, OIS, F1.8, Pixel dimension: 1.8μm, FOV: 83-degree
12MP Telephoto. PDAF, F2.4, OIS, Pixel dimension: 1.0μm, FOV: 45-degree
It’s a fantastic digital camera setup that shoots wonderful photographs, with the added bonus of with the ability to swap between a 7.6 and 6.2 inch viewfinder (truthfully, once more, the complete display is form of awkward for capturing in most situations, so I largely caught with the smaller one).

The battery in the meantime, takes a small hit, down from 4,500mAh to 4,400mAh, cut up between two modules behind the show halves. It’s a step within the improper route, if solely a small one. An enormous machine like this tends to be energy hungry. Depending in your utilization, you need to have the ability to get by a day. That’s not going to be large drawback as long as many people are nonetheless largely caught at dwelling, however most likely not one thing you’re going to sit down round and binge movies on all day with out plugging it in.
Naturally, the Fold sports activities the newest Snapdragon — the 888. That’s coupled with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage on the mannequin Samsung despatched us. Doubling the storage will deliver the worth tag as much as $1,900.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
It’s been spectacular to look at Samsung take the Fold from troubled early adopter tech to one thing way more secure in the midst of two generations. But whereas the corporate is able to toss round phrases like mainstream within the context of its foldables, it’s exhausting to shake the sensation that such objectives are nonetheless a protracted methods away.
The worth is on course, however the product remains to be prohibitively costly for many. I actually can’t reply the query of why you want such a product, although the benefits of a bigger display make themselves identified fairly rapidly. In many cases, the shape issue remains to be a bit cumbersome.
If the Galaxy Note is abruptly redundant, the fault lays extra with the Galaxy S collection than the Fold. And if Samsung is searching for a really mainstream foldable expertise, it could need to take an extended take a look at the Galaxy Z Flip. In phrases of dimension, worth, flexibility and attractiveness, that’s trying just like the one to beat. Review coming quickly.