Your Next Smartphone - The Foldables

While there are many major flagship devices out there, some of the other top-tier innovations might also be viable devices for your organization or for your personal use. Here are some of the more innovative devices on the smartphone market today.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G

Samsung’s development of foldable OLED screens has produced several great devices, including the Galaxy ZFold3 5G. This device has an aluminum frame with a Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back. While folded, the device has a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 832 x 2,268px display that refreshes at a rate of 120 hz. You can do most tasks right from the outside of the phone.

The Z Fold3 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G chip, 12 GB of RAM, and either 256 or 512 GB of built-in storage, and it can be upgraded to the Android 12 and Samsung One UI operating system right out of the box. The device has quite the impressive camera, with a 12 MP wide-angle lens with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), a 12 MP telephoto lens with 2x zoom and OIS, and a 12 MP ultra wide-angle lens. The front-facing camera on the large display is a 4 MP in-display wide-angle lens, while the cover camera is a 10 MP wide-angle lens.

Unfortunately, all of this comes at a cost, as the battery is only 4,400 mAh with 25W fast charging–a battery life of about 7.5 hours. Additionally, this device features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, iPX8 water resistance, Samsung’s DeX capability, and 5G. The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is available in Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Green, Thom Browne Edition, and an exclusive Wooyoungmi Edition. As for the price, the Galaxy Z Fold3 costs nearly $2,000 from Samsung and most major cell carriers. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
Body:  Aluminum Frame, Gorilla Glass Victus front and back, plastic large display
Display: Closed - 6.2-inch Super AMOLED 2X, 120 Hz,  832 x 2,268 (~374 ppi); Open - 7.6-inch Super AMOLED 2X, 120 Hz, 1768 x 2208
OS: Android 11; upgradable to Android 12, One UI 4.0
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
Memory: 12 GB RAM; 256-to-512 GB onboard storage
Expandable Memory: No
Cameras: Rear - 12 MP, 26mm, OIS; 12 MP 52mm 2x optical zoom OIS; 12 MP 123º ultrawide. Front of device - 10 MP 26mm; Front of folded display - 4 MP under-display
Sounds: Stereo Sound
Battery (battery endurance rating): 4,400 mAh (7.5 hours)
Security: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
Miscellaneous: Samsung DeX, IPX8 water resistant, 24W fast charging

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3

The Samsung Z Flip3 is a classic flip phone with an aluminum frame, plastic front, and a Gorilla Glass Victus back. The screen is a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,640px and a 120Hz refresh rate, and to make it even more interesting, the screen folds in half for protection. It has a 1.9-inch Super AMOLED screen for notifications, the time, and other quick-view information. This device uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G chip with 8 GB of RAM and 128 or 258 GB of storage, running the Android 11 operating system by default (it can be updated later) with Samsung’s One UI 4.0.

These features might be pretty great, but the camera suffers as a result. It only has a 12 MP wide-angle lens and a 12 MP ultrawide angle lens, so it’s not incapable, while the selfie camera is a 10 MP wide-angle lens. The battery also isn’t that great at 3,300 mAh and 15W fast charging for 69 hours of battery life. Available in a litany of colors including Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Pink, Dream White and more, the Z Flip3 runs about $1,000 from your friendly neighborhood cell carrier or from Samsung directly. 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3
Body: Aluminum frame, plastic front, Gorilla Glass Victus back
Display: 6.7-inch Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120 Hz, 1,080 x 2,640px
OS: Android 11; Upgradable to Android 12, Samsung One UI 4.0
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
Memory: 8 GB RAM; 128 GB-to- 256 GB of onboard storage
Expandable Memory: No
Cameras: Rear - 12 MP 27mm OIS; 12 MP 123º; Front - 10 MP 26mm
Sounds: Stereo sound
Battery (battery endurance rating): 3,300 (69 hours)
Security: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
Miscellaneous: IPX8 water resistant, 15 W fast charging

Microsoft Surface Duo 2

Unlike the other foldable options here, the Surface Duo 2 does not have an external display. Instead, it has  two 5.8-inch AMOLED panels that total an 8.3-inch screen when it is folded out, including some large bezels. When looking at its build quality, it’s clear that app development might produce some interesting results, particularly for the realm of productivity.

The Surface Duo 2 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G chip with 8 GB of RAM and has up to 512 GB of internal storage, along with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for security and a 4,449 mAh battery and 23W fast charging. As far as cameras go, it sports rear-mounted cameras with a 12 MP wide-angle lens with OIS, a 12 MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and OIS and a 16 MP ultra wide-angle lens. The front-facing camera is a 12 MP wide-angle lens.

Available in Glacier and Obsidian, the Microsoft Duo 2 is currently being sold for $1,500 online at microsoft.com and some other retailers.

Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Body: Plastic frame, Gorilla Glass Victus front and back
Display: 8.3-inch AMOLED, 90 hz, 1,832 x2,688 (~401 ppi)
OS: Android 11
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
Memory: 8 GB RAM; 128-to-512 GB onboard storage
Expandable Memory: No
Cameras: Rear - 12 MP 27mm OIS; 12 MP 51mm telephoto 2x optical zoom OIS; 16 MP 13 mm; Front - 12 MP 24mm
Sounds: Stereo sound
Battery (battery endurance rating): 4,449 mAh
Security: Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Miscellaneous: Stylus support

Do you think these foldable OLED options are interesting and viable for your needs? Let us know in the comments below.