The race has started. In the last week, we have seen two of the most important manufacturers on the current scene, Huawei and Samsung have presented their commitment to folding smartphones, some devices that as they go down in price, it is more than likely that they will become common among users.
Both Samsung and Huawei have had different points of view of what a folding smartphone looks like or can be. At the moment, the only thing that both terminals resemble is that they fold. Little more. Here are the main differences, beyond the aesthetics that we find in the Galaxy fold from Samsung and the Huawei Mate
Specifications comparison
[table]
, Mate X, Galaxy Fold
Operating System, Android 9.0 Pie with EMUI 9, Android 9 Pie with One UI
Display, 8 inches with a resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels (6.39 inches folded and 6.6 inches folded front), 4.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED inner screen (21:9) and a 7.3-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED Infinity Flex screen (4.2:3)
Processor, Kirin 980 with Balong 5000 as modem, Exynos 9820 / Snapdragon 855
GPU, ARM Mali-G76 MP10,-
RAM, 8 GB,12 GB
Internal Storage, 512GB,512GB UFS 3.0
Rear Camera, 40 MP wide angle + 16 MP ultra wide angle + 8 MP telephoto, 16 MP ultra wide angle f / 2.2 12 MP Dual Pixel wide angle with variable f / 1.5-f / 2.4 aperture and optical image stabilizer + 12 MP telephoto lens with two-times optical zoom and f / 2.2 aperture
Front Camera, There is no front camera if we use it in tablet mode, 10 MP f/2.2. + 8 megapixel f/1.9 depth sensor and a 10 MP f/2.2 on the cover.
Connectivity, 5G Dual Sim Bluetooth 5.0 WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac USB-C,Bluetooth 5.0 A-GPS GLONASS Wifi 802.11 ac USB-C 3.1
Other Features, NFC Fingerprint sensor on the side, Side fingerprint reader compass gyroscope NFC
Battery, 4.500 mAh with 55W Huawei SuperCharge,4.380 mAh
Dimensions, Thickness 11 mm folded (5.49 mm unfolded),-
Weight,-,200 grams
Price, 2299 euros (2.600 dollars), 1980 dollars
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[/ Table]
Galaxy fold
Samsung bets on a smartphone concept with a 4,6-inch external screen to pick up any call, quickly search or take a photo. If we want to consume content, or perform more than one task simultaneously, we can open the device and thus take advantage of the functionality that the Galaxy Fold offers us.
During the presentation of the Samsung Fold, the Korean company reported each and every one of the benefits that its first folding smartphone will offer us when it hits the market in April of this year, so we can already get an idea of ​​what what are the early adopters to be done with it: 12 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, Snapdragon 855 / Eynos 9820, 6 cameras… Specifications that will allow the device to move freely.
Furthermore, thanks to direct collaboration from Google In the development of these devices, the customization layer of the Galaxy Fold works perfectly as we could see in the presentation that the company made.
The price of the Galaxy Fold is $ 1.980. For now, we have to wait to see what the happy conversion in euros will be.
Huawei Mate X
The Asian firm offers us an outward folding smartphone, so we do not find any other screen on the outside of a smaller size that we can use to make calls or quick consultations. The main advantage that this format offers us is that we can dEnjoy a main screen with more than 6 inches of resolution, a screen big enough that it doesn't make much sense to unfold it to consume content on a larger screen.
The Asian firm Huawei has chosen to offer the same group of cameras on the rear / front of the device. That is, they are the same cameras whether the smartphone is folded or unfolded. In this way, if we want to make a video call, we will only have to do it with the smartphone folded. If we want to take a picture, we will have to turn the terminal over and make use of the back of the screen.
The price of the Huawei X is $ 2.600, 2.299 euros at the change (official price). While Samsung did venture to offer a launch date to the market, Huawei stated that it would do so throughout this year, without specifying at what time of the year it would, implying that there will probably be some modification on the way.
Which is better?
In this sense, both are great terminals. Both offer us two different concepts. While the Huawei X is more aesthetically attractive By offering us a gigantic single screen without notch that can be folded outwards, Samsung protects the inside of the screen, integrating an external screen to be able to interact quickly with the smartphone.
Samsung's functionality allows us make use of the smartphone in a folded way to take pictures, something that with the Huawei Mate X forces us to turn it over every time, a risk since in the end we can slip and end up on the ground. If we talk about video calls, this functionality can only be done if we have the Huawei Mate X folded, due to the position of the cameras, something we can do perfectly with the Galaxy Fold.
Do folding smartphones have a future?
Yes and no. If you have a tablet, most likely, if you are not pending WhatsApp all day, to be in your home use the tablet, whether to do Internet searches, consume content, respond to your emails, consult social networks ...
Foldable smartphones currently have their niche in the market and it is precisely not the user who usually uses their phone to send or receive messages, perform searches and so on. Users who are forced to go all day with a tablet or laptop from here to there in case they have the need to use it, are the ones that can really get the most out of this type of deviceas they offer an all-in-one.
Thanks to these types of devices, no need to charge all day with the tablet, in case you have the need to use it, which offers us greater versatility and comfort on a day-to-day basis. Both Samsung and Huawei have presented two different concepts of the same format, as happened years ago with VHS and Beta. Only one of them will be the one who takes the cat to the water and will triumph to become the model to be followed by the rest of the manufacturers.
At the moment, it is still too early to know what the trend will be, since none of these terminals has reached the market, although they will do so soon. Everything will depend on what the user is looking for and what is really most comfortable for him. In the case that I have mentioned as an example, between the VHS format and Beta, the latter offered a higher video quality, but finally it was the VHS format that stayed and became the king of homes.
It is still too early for folding smartphones to become a common device for use by users, if they finally do, mainly due to the price, more than 2.000 dollars in both cases.
