WHEN Apple launched its 10th anniversary phone in 2017, the iPhone X, it made sure it received all the attention worthy of a milestone device—even if it meant making their other devices, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, immediately obsolete.
In Samsung’s case, however, the new Samsung Galaxy S10 line may have headlined their Unpacked 2019 event, but it was clearly the Galaxy Fold which stole the show. Yes, the S10e, S10, and S10+ are really good phones, packed with every possible feature could imagine—but when you see a phone that folds, end of story. The Galaxy Fold, may not be the first foldable phone, but it certainly is the most interesting device from the South Korean company thus far. The Galaxy Fold features the world’s first 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display, which folds into a compact device with another cover display. Galaxy Fold offers a powerful new way to multitask, watch videos, play games, and more—bringing to life new experiences and possibilities years in the making.
Galaxy Fold is in a category of its own delivering a new kind of mobile experience and brings together material, engineering and display innovations, developed over eight years following the debut of Samsung’s first flexible display prototype in 2011.
The internal screen does not merely bend; it folds. Folding is a more intuitive motion, and a more difficult innovation to deliver. Samsung invented a new polymer layer and created a display around 50 percent thinner than the typical smartphone display. The new material makes Galaxy Fold flexible and tough, built to last. It opens smoothly and naturally, like a book, and closes flat and compact with a satisfying click. The Galaxy Fold also has a unique UX providing new ways to get the most out of your smartphone. Designed for the ultimate multitasker you can open up to three active apps simultaneously on the main display and with App Continuity, there is seamless transitions between the cover and the main displays. As Galaxy Fold opens and closes, apps will automatically show up where you leave off. When you’re ready to take a photo, make in-depth edits, or have a closer look at social-media feeds, open the display for a big screen and fuller canvas.
To ensure everything runs smoothly, even when running three apps simultaneously, the Galaxy Fold has a high-powered, next-generation AP chipset and 12GB of RAM with PC-like performance. It has a dual battery system and is also capable of charging itself and a second device simultaneously via Wireless PowerShare. As for the cameras, the Galaxy Fold has a total of six lenses—three in the back, two on the inside and one on the cover.
The Galaxy Fold will be available in the US both in LTE and 5G variants starting April 26 with a price tag starting at $1,980, or roughly P103,000. It is still uncertain if it will be available locally.
ARE YOU (FOLD)IN OR OUT?
WITH Samsung announcing the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Fold ahead of the biggest mobile show, there were those who thought the annual Mobile World Congress 2019 would be a little less exciting. But after reading all the good stuff about the event, it seems that Samsung’s absence just gave other manufacturers more opportunities to showcase their own devices.
First, of course, is Huawei. When Samsung kicked off Unpacked 2019 with the Galaxy Fold, jaws dropped and you could feel the collective sense of awe while watching the livestream.
But when Huawei showed off its own foldable, the Huawei Mate X, it again stole the spotlight and was recognized as one of the best devices at the MWC.
While the Galaxy Fold reminded people of the Nokia 9000 Communicator, which had the screen inside, the Huawei Mate X has its folding mechanism reversed so that the flexible OLED is on the outside, wrapped around the body of the device. So whether open or closed, it looked like a prop straight out of a sci-fi TV show and like nothing else on the market.
When folded out, the Huawei Mate X spreads to an 8-inch display with a resolution of 2200 x 2480 (6.6-inch display when folded). It also comes with a “sidebar handle” that houses the triple camera and fingerprint sensor. Its powered by a Kirin 980 processor, 8GB of RAM and 512GB storage. Huawei even threw in 5G, which would mean 10 times faster download speeds compared to 4G phones.
So it looks like it is going to be another tough battle between Samsung and Huawei, also considering that the Chinese giant has yet to reveal any official details about its upcoming flagship Huawei P30 and P30 Pro.
Mi 9 THE KINGSLAYER
LOOKING to slay those “flagships” is Xiaomi’s Mi 9 smartphone. Although revealed in China a week prior, Xiaomi announced that it will be coming to worldwide markets during MWC 2019.
The Mi 9 has a triple camera setup, consisting of a 48MP main camera, 16MP ultra-wide and 12MP telephoto lens, partnered with a 20MP selfie cam. It has a curved back as opposed to most handsets which have flat rears making it more comfortable to hold. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, with a Game Turbo mode which boosts performance and framerate while playing mobile games, and a 3,300mAh battery backed by a 20W wireless charging system. Like the Mi 8, there is also a semi transparent Explore Edition “Alita,” which gives users an idea of the internals of the Mi 9. And like other Xiaomi devices, it has a “killer” price tag of around $500, or below P30,000 when converted.
Next up is one of the most leaked phones for the past year—the Nokia 9 PureView. It claims to take smartphone photography to a whole other level, with its five lenses on the back, as well as a time of flight (ToF) sensor. They’re all 12MP f/1.8 lenses and two shoot in color while three are black-and-white that combine all these images into one seriously detailed shot. The Nokia 9 PureView has a sharp 5.99-inch 1440 x 2880 P-OLED screen, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, and a glass and metal build.
But its stuck with a top-end 2018 Snapdragon 845 chipset, which probably explains why it also has a lower price tag of $699.
Another worthy mention is the Sony Xperia 1—not a foldable, but with the first 4K HDR OLED screen on a phone. So if you really want the best Netflix and chill experience, the Xperia 1 may be the one for you. It has a 21:9 aspect ratio which looks better when watching video in landscape orientation. As for the specs, it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB of RAM and a powerful triple-lens rear camera.
And finally there’s the smartphone from Energizer—yes, the battery manufacturer. Its far from being the best, and it’s certainly one of the most bizarre. While most companies are trying to come out with phones with bigger screens but slimmer profiles, Energizer seems to have different plans.
Enter the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop. It’s isn’t just thick, it’s fat with an eye-popping 18mm (almost a quarter of an inch) thickness. It’s almost like three smartphones have been piled on top of each other and looks more like a power bank with a built-in phone.
The Power Max P18K Pop has a ginormous battery—you guessed, it has an 18,000mAh pack which is said to last for 200 hours of video playback, 90 hours of calls or 50 days of standby time. The device supports fast charging which is a good thing as the phone will take eight to nine hours to reach full charge. The rest of the specs, however, aren’t too “powerful.” It has a 6.2-inch display and a Mediatek Helio P70 processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a microSD card slot. It has a rear-facing triple camera (12 megapixels, 5 megapixels and 2 megapixels), a pop-up dual selfie camera, and runs on Android Pie. And despite its thickness, Energizer still decided to ditch the headphone jack.
‘GET CLOSER’ WITH OPPO
Oppo made its debut at the MWC sharing some exciting announcements on the innovation behind its advancements in mobile technologies in 2019, such as a world-first 10x lossless zoom technology and 5G technology.
Oppo brought the 5G era closer with the announcement of its first 5G smartphone and the Oppo 5G Landing Project. In this initiative, Oppo proposed and committed to bring into full play the capability of carrier partners like Swisscom, Telstra, and Optus, and more in-depth collaboration with potential partners like Singtel to promote the implementation of 5G products and services, so that consumers can experience new levels of performance and efficiency that will empower new use cases and connect new industries.
Oppo has been anticipating and preparing for the arrival of 5G since 2015, and has invested in design and technology to ensure the production of a desirable phone. The hotly anticipated arrival of its first 5G smartphone looks set to revolutionize consumers’ lives through 4K, 8K video download/upload/cloud-play, 3D video calling, 5G cloud gaming and multiplayer AR/VR gaming, in-store navigation, AR shopping, immersive entertainment everywhere, and more
Oppo likewise presented the world’s first 10x lossless zoom technology. 10x lossless zoom is a new technology created with industry-leading camera specifications including a triple-lens camera structure consisting of a telephoto lens, ultrawide angle lens, and main camera. To provide further value to users, Oppo also introduced Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) on both the main camera and the telephoto lens to achieve higher, anti-shake accuracy that brings people closer to the world around them so that they never miss the unmissable.