Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 - 2 Months Later! By Shane Symonds

So, it's been two months since I first got my hands on Samsung's Galaxy Z, fold, 2. , Samsung's, most expensive, yet most exciting smartphone. In this video. I want to talk to you about some new experiences. I've had with Samsung's foldable phone over the past two months. Show you how it is held up from a durability.

Standpoint, explain how it fits into my real-life day-to-day use case and, lastly, find out whether I can recommend the z-fold 2 to those of you who may be interested in getting one. Let's get started so, starting with what I feel needs to be addressed right away. Since I already said this is Samsung's the most expensive phone price at the time of this video, the Galaxy Z, fold 2, which comes in mystic bronze or this mystic black color here with additional options to get a colored hinge and packed with 12 gigabytes of ram and 256 gigabytes of storage retails for two thousand dollars. The reason I say retails at two thousand 000 is because, regardless of when you're watching this video, there are many ways to get your hands on the fold for much less than this price, which I'll explain in further detail towards the end of this video. But what is it that makes the z fold 2 Samsung's the most exciting phone, yet the 7.6 inch foldable inner display is, of course, the star of the show here, which turns this candy bar sized phone into what is essentially the size of an iPad Mini and, once you add up all the other specifications of this screen, such as the smooth 120hz refresh rate, a screen resolution of 2208 by 1768, with HDR video support and the ability to watch YouTube videos at 1440p and, of course, the deep blacks and vibrant colors of AMOLED. We come to expect from most Samsung phones, some up to make what is, without a doubt the most impressive display Samsung has ever made.

But how well does all of this amazing and innovative folding display technology translate into real-life day-to-day use for the average consumer, starting with just that folding, the folding and unfolding experience on the z-fold 2 is extremely smooth, as you will not hear any creaking or clicking when doing so, and that smoothness is equally paired up with a sturdiness and rigidity. That's easy to notice. Once you take a look at Samsung's last generation galaxy fold which had a seemingly loose and free-flying hinge after two months of daily usage, consisting of opening and closing this phone at least 50 times a day. This important aspect of the phone is functioning the same way. It did straight out of the box, and it makes me confident that this can truly withstand the hundreds of thousands of folds that Samsung claims it can, but an area that I think more people are lacking.

Confidence in on a phone like this is the amount of durability it has given that the inner display is made of plastic. Samsung has thrown a hefty amount of warnings at us about even a fingernail being able to permanently impair this screen. But after two months of daily usage, I have zero marks or scratches on my inner display and another useful reference. Here is my Galaxy Z flip, which has the same type of display as on the fold two and after using that phone for eight months, with a use case of running my fingernail against the screen. Thousands of times to open and close, it also has zero scratches or marks on that display.

The actual area of concern for me on the z-fold 2's durability is the outside of the phone when closed. While the outside has your standard aluminum sidings alongside a very sturdy feeling hinge and a stronger Vitus glass on the front, this is still susceptible to scratches, due to Samsung's lack of finding a solution to protect the front of the phone. Samsung's official cases only cover the back of the phone leaving the front exposed and, as you can see here, my fold 2 has scratches on the front corners due to the way the fold sits on a tabletop when unfolded the awkward positioning of the fold with a case on. Only half of the phone makes for a wobbly interaction with the screen, and this does result in scratches Samsung does provide a pre-installed screen protector on that front display, which I recommend keeping on because of this issue. I took mine off straight out of the box and probably could have avoided this issue altogether.

If I kept it on, there are some cases out on the market that attempt to protect the front half that Samsung fails to, but a lot of these cases cannot properly attach and get in the way of the outer display. So for now I have to resort to half of my expensive investment being exposed to the wear and tear of daily use. Another area that isn't daily use friendly is the lack of certification for water and dust resistance for an all-in-one device that can handle everything you do no matter where you are. It is unfortunate that you have to think about whether it's safe to take this phone out of the house with you. Should you get caught in the rain or, if you're taking it somewhere, where it could be compromised? But with a couple compromises aside, the z-fold 2 in day-to-day use has been phenomenal and the best way to describe the user experience is.

There are no compromises, starting with the inner display anything you can think of doing on this 7.6-inch screen. You can do it, and it will exceed your expectations watching YouTube videos watching sports with YouTube TV and watching movies on Netflix has been excellent. The official Samsung case with a built-in stand, while expensive, is a must-have accessory for this phone. If you are looking to watch a lot of video or movies, my personal recommendation, though, is to get something like this. Cheap six dollar stand-off of Amazon that folds into the size of a credit card.

The z fold, 2, is even better for gaming, as your games will fill the entire display and games that support 120 hertz will take full advantage of the screen and certainly won't disappoint. My favorite and frequent use case is taking my mobile controller, which perfectly fits the z fold 2 and playing games. Like star dew valley and Minecraft makes for what is my definition of the best mobile gaming experience at the time of making this video. If this isn't your preferred way to play, you can, of course, use on-screen controls which work and feel great too, and for those of you missing or wanting a stylist to go with this phone could possibly get by with a cheap stylus like this one. I recently found on Amazon.

It has a very soft tip which pairs well with the inner display, and I find it very useful for playing tap intensive games like old school RuneScape. As you can see, there is room to get creative with pairing up the z-fold 2, with some accessories to match the experience you want to get out of this phone, which I think speaks volumes to how versatile the z-fold 2 can be, which, in my opinion, is what makes a product great, almost every other aspect of the z-fold 2 from a user experience. Standpoint has been great as well as the dual firing speakers that are louder than any other phone. I have ever used a bright display, which can be seen outside in direct sunlight, good battery life. That has lasted me nearly every single day, even on days with extensive use.

Superfast charging and wireless charging technologies to take care of all of your charging needs a top of the line, snapdragon 865 plus processor, which handles anything and everything you want to throw at the fold a good camera experience with a triple lens setup for great ultra-wide standard and close-up shots. In addition to some software features like using the folds front display for selfies in order to use your primary cameras and, of course, having that fully functional 6.2 inch outer front display that I haven't even talked about. Yet this outer display is super useful for me to quickly look things up, send text, messages and emails, and mainly to scroll through social media and checking in on the news, and this is always instantly accessible thanks to the fingerprint sensor built into the power button on the side of the fold which works 100 percent of the time. But I have definitely seen and heard more criticisms than compliments given to this outer display from the mainstream reviewers, as it has a much more narrow keyboard compared to standard smartphones, like the note 20 ultra or even the more narrowly sized Galaxy Z flip, making it a bit more difficult to type quickly and effectively on the screen. But you can make this keyboard a little larger if needed, and overall, this display satisfies my needs for what it is.

As the outer display on the previous generation fold was seemingly half the size and that still got the job done. For me, this screen isn't intended to do every single task and leaves room for a reason to jump into that amazing inner display when needed and fulfilling that need for the larger display at a moment's notice is where the z-fold 2 shines. The brightest for me, when I am showing pictures to friends or family or trying to show something to anybody when I'm out and about it, is so much easier to do so than showing pictures, video or other information on a conventional smartphone, and it helps you out too. Of course, when you're away from a laptop or tablet- and you need to dive into an Excel sheet or word document, or it can help with simply navigating on a trip like I do with this wireless charging phone holder, I recently picked up for this phone. Sadly, this on the go and out and about use case, isn't much of a reality at the time of making this video, but this is, without a doubt, the primary selling point of the z-fold 2.

And, along with that, on-the-go use, is the portability aspect of this phone. And while I am super impressed by the folding technology, which allows me to have a tablet in my pocket at all times, I am still a little bothered by how bulky the phone is in the pocket. If you wear jeans often, then you won't have any problems, but if you wear any athletic shorts or sweatpants like I do they stand no chance once you pocket the z fold too, because of this I usually just end up holding the phone wherever I go instead of it weighing my pants down. I know we can't have the best of both worlds, but I really miss my clamshell Galaxy Z flip when it comes to stowing away the z-fold 2. So, with all things considered, can I recommend you to go out and spend your hard-earned money on Samsung's most exciting, yet most expensive galaxy zefor2? While I believe it is the best phone money can buy at the moment, I can realistically only recommend this phone under two circumstances.

One is that if you are like me- and you are glued to your phone and only your phone and do literally anything and everything on your phone rather than rely on an ecosystem of products to do all of your daily tasks, then the z-fold 2 is the device made specifically for you. Thanks to the software advantages of Samsung devices and, of course, the hardware advantages here of the folding tablet design. This can be the only device you need, and it will be something that you thoroughly enjoy every single day like I have over the past two months. The other circumstance is, if you find yourself a good deal on the z-fold 2, which will likely always be the case no matter when you are watching this. Video Samsung themselves provide excellent trade-in incentives for this phone, most notably the one thousand dollar traded offer for the previous generation galaxy fold or the Galaxy Z flip, which doesn't sound like a great offer, considering the retail price of these phones, but there's nothing stopping any of us to go and buy a second hand, fold or flip and trading that, in on my previous video on the z, flip, many viewers left comments, saying they got their hands on a z flip for around 700, which makes for immediate savings on the z fold, 2.

And all of us know from the first generation fold that the price will continue to decrease on this fold 2 over time. So if you can hold out longer for this phone, then there is a great chance. You can get it for even less, but to close out this video, the z-fold 2 is an extremely well refined product, with a few annoyances, like the lack of the case for half of the phone and a wobbly use case when using it on a tabletop and a lack of water and dust resistance. But with the help of a couple accessories, this phone can truly be your do-it-all device, as it has been for me for the last couple of months. If you enjoyed this video or found it helpful in any way, then let me know by leaving a like, and please consider, subscribing to the Shane Simon's YouTube channel today, as my analytics show that only about three percent of you are subscribed.

I hope to see you guys around for the next video thanks. So much for watching take care.

Source : Shane Symonds