Samsung's foldable smartphone. Introduced in the fall of 2019 and initially available only from AT&T, the Galaxy Fold uses a flexible OLED screen. When closed, the Fold is a thick smartphone but opens up to a small tablet, enabling apps to be viewed side-by-side. It includes three main cameras from 12 to 200MP and up to 1TB of internal storage. There is no microSD card slot. Folds are as expensive as a top-end laptop computer, ranging from Folds have ranged from $1800 to $2000.
Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition (SE)
Introduced in October 2024, the SE has slightly larger screens (8" vs. 7.6" and 6.5" vs. 6.3"); however, it is actually a tiny bit lighter and thinner. The SE has a 200MP camera vs. 50MP, but because the screen uses Ultra Flexible Glass (UFG), the Samsung S Pen is not usable as it is on the Fold6. The SE supports Wi-Fi 7 versus Wi-Fi 6E.
Galaxy Z Fold6
Introduced in July 2024, the Fold6 is a bit shorter, wider, thinner, lighter and stronger than the Fold5, although the overall layout is pretty much the same. When the phone is closed, fingerprint login can be used. All in all, a huge departure from the first Fold four years earlier.
Galaxy Z Fold5
The Fold5, introduced in 2023, is a bit thinner and lighter than the Fold4 with an improved hinge. The screen is the same size; however, the S Pen is thinner and fits in the case better.
Galaxy Z Fold4
In 2022, the latest Fold weighs a little over nine ounces and features a much larger phone screen, flatter hinge and improvements to the on-screen keyboard. As in a desktop computer, a taskbar on the bottom of the unfolded 7.6" screen makes switching apps faster. The fingerprint reader is on the side.
Fold, Z Fold2 and Z Fold3
In 2020, the second Fold debuted with a redesigned hinge and a "Z" in the name like the Galaxy Z Flip. The Fold2 is slightly larger at 7.6" vs. 7.3", and the outside phone screen jumped to 6.2". Video refresh increased from 60Hz to 120Hz.
In 2021, the Z Fold3 is similar to the Z Fold2; however, the Fold3 supports the Samsung S Pen and includes Qualcomm's newer chip (Snapdragon 888 vs. 865). Both models are 5G capable. See Galaxy Z Flip, foldable iPhone, FOLED, Galaxy S, Galaxy A and Galaxy C.
It's a Phone; It's a Tablet
When closed, the Fold is a rather thick smartphone but when opened, it offers the convenience of a 7" tablet. (Images courtesy of PCMag.com.)