Give it three-odd years and folding phones will become ubiquitous — seen as much during commutes as you will find them in cafes and even workplaces. I have been using the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 for a few days, working on the review, which will take a few more days, but here are a few quick thoughts on the importance of the category and how Samsung is leading the way.
Samsung has made a clever move by working with the best in the industry — primarily Google and Microsoft. Google is, of course, behind Android, which powers the new Fold but one also has to remember that at the moment Google doesn’t have a folding phone of its own while Samsung has just delivered its fourth in the series. The South Korean company has an upper-hand because of the way it’s showing how multitasking can be achieved with a little help from Google.
When it comes to Microsoft, there is the ever-popular Office 365 suite, which finds excellent integration on the Fold. Be it Word, Powerpoint or Excel, never has it been easier to work on these applications with the screen unfolded. I can finally see a full Excel sheet on a phone.
Unfolded screen also means multitasking. One can obviously launch apps side by side which is helpful to work on two things at the same time. Further, you can drag and drop items between two windows. What I am finding more inspiring is the new smart taskbar at the bottom of the screen, giving the Fold a PC-like feel. And it works just the way it does on a computer, making the multi-window dream appear a step closer.
Throw into all of this the power of the S Pen or stylus. It works flawlessly, allowing you to annotate easily as well as drag and drop things.
You can even get more out of chatting in Microsoft Teams or Google Duo. When it comes to explaining something complicated, it always makes sense to visualise the idea through a simple chart or drawing, which you can with a couple of taps of the S Pen on the digital whiteboard. It’s a massive screen and you have enough space to get things done.
The review is on but in case you are wondering where it’s headed this year with the Fold, I can assure you there is plenty of software magic, doing justice to the top-notch hardware.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
The TelegraphIf you are planning to buy it…
You can pre-book Galaxy Z series to avail benefits up to Rs 45,999. Available in Bora Purple, Graphite and Pink Gold colours, Galaxy Z Flip4 is priced at Rs 89,999 for 8GB+128GB variant. Available in Greygreen, Beige and Phantom Black colours, Galaxy Z Fold4 is priced at Rs 154,999. Customers who pre-book Galaxy Z Fold4 will get Galaxy Watch4 Classic 46mm BT worth Rs 34,999 at just Rs 2,999. Additionally, customers can get Rs 8,000 cashback using HDFC credit or debit cards or can avail Upgrade Bonus of Rs 8,000.
