The new Samsung folding They are starting to hit stores and represent a new way of consuming content on the big screen, without having to carry a smartphone that is too large in your pocket.
A few weeks ago we analyzed the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 –analysis– which, in our opinion, is the most disruptive of the brand for combining a 6.2 inch screen with one of 7.6 inch when deployed.
This means carrying a device similar in size to a smartphone in your pocket and, when you need it, using a useful screen closer to that of a tablet.
We have been able to test the first accessories that the South Korean brand has designed for this Galaxy Z Fold 3. We tell you if they are worth it and improve the experience of using this peculiar smartphone, or on the contrary, it worsens it.
Flip Cover: This is the case in charge of protecting the Galaxy Z Fold 3
Many users are reluctant to protect their mobiles with covers or covers, either to preserve their aesthetics or for simple comfort, since these cases tend to increase in size.
However, when it comes to a smartphone with a so high price Like the Galaxy Z Fold 3, protecting that investment takes another turn.
The peculiar folding design of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 makes it not easy to protect all its components by greatly conditioning the shape and style of the case.
In essence, the Flip Cover It consists of a rigid base that is anchored to the back of the mobile, covers the hinge with a flexible area in which the space is used to anchor the S-Pen and ends with a rigid cover that covers the Galaxy Z Fold 3 outer screen.
In addition to its obvious function of protecting the back and the front glass from incidental little scratches from day to day, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 case it also compensates for the protrusion of the camera module.
This means that, when used on a table or flat surface, the mobile stops moving with each press while protecting the glass of the camera lenses away from the contact surface.
As the brand’s folding mobile has been designed, this case is a Essential accessory to keep the S-Pen close to the mobile without losing it. However, it does not offer the best ergonomics to use it and presents some problems that Samsung should solve.
The first of these is that, when you open the screen with the case on, the front cover moves out of the left side of the Galaxy Z Fold. This moves the edge of the phone away from the user’s hand, making it difficult to hold and making it more unstableEspecially if you are right-handed and using the S-Pen.
Samsung has lost a golden opportunity by integrating a magnetic system in the cover of the case that covers the outer screen, so that it is not loose when the smartphone is folded and opens with some ease as it happens with this model.
Furthermore, the flexibility of the hinge part could also have been used to turn the case into a stand to keep the smartphone in an upright or slightly inclined position, as some book-type cases like this already get Flip Cover for Galaxy Z Fold 3.
In short, it is still a useful option to keep the S-Pen close to the mobile, but it does not stand out especially for a design that provides additional functionalities.
S-Pen Fold Edition, a more delicate S-Pen specific for folding mobiles
The folding mobile screen exposes the touch panel and they do not have the extra protection of a rigid armored glass like the rest of smartphones.
This means that, until the arrival of the Galaxy Z Fold 3, digital pens could not be used on them since there was a risk of damaging the screen.
One of the novelties of the new folding of the South Korean company has been to incorporate a Stronger display with Samsung’s Ultra Thin Glass coating, which has allowed it to have support for use the S-Pen Fold Edition in the first instance, and the arrival of the S Pen Pro shortly.
The only nuance is that, as it is a screen without armored glass, it is necessary to use a specially adapted S-Pen with a more flexible and retractable rubber tip that absorbs the pressure when writing on the screen preventing it from being marked.
Except for that, the S -Pen is a digital pen exactly the same as the S-Pen that already existed for the phones of the Samsung Note range, activating some automatic functions when placed near the screen.
The S-Pen is a key ally in the user experience, far beyond what it was supposed to use in the Galaxy Note range due to the increase in productivity that implies being able to write and select by hand on a 7.6-inch screen like the one that this device mounts.
The most obvious advantage is the ease of taking notes, notes or creating diagrams quickly, as well as entertaining yourself by drawing as you would in a notebook, but without having to worry about digitizing it to share it with others.
Just hold the stylus close to the screen, press the S-Pen button, or tap on the icon. Air Command that appears on the right side of the screen.
On the other hand, the S-Pen can completely replace the conventional keyboard writing the searches and texts in your own hand. The Galaxy Z Fold 3’s handwriting recognition system recognizes handwriting and converts it into editable text that can be used in apps.
Another aspect that we liked about the Galaxy Z Fold 3 use experience With the S-Pen it has been the management of the multi-window, one of the great improvements that the new version of One UI 3.0 has brought, which allows the windows to be adapted to the internal screen of the Samsung folding.
By having a finer tip, the S-Pen allows you to move, zoom and adjust windows more precisely than by doing it with your fingers, and considerably speeding up the efficiency when using several windows simultaneously on the screen.
In this sense the experience of using the Galaxy Z Fold 3 with the S-Pen wins many integers, but I would have gained many more if both the pen and the smartphone had magnetic areas to leave the pencil at hand while not in use.
Yes, the Flip Cover features a receptacle for the S-Pen It may be suitable for transport, but it is located on the back and out of the user’s view, which makes the first instinct when you have already been using it is to look for it next to the smartphone.
Definitely, both accessories add advantages to the user experience, although not to the same extent. In the case of the S-Pen, the improvement is more noticeable, improving precision when interacting with the screen and providing that intuitive touch that handwriting provides.
However, Samsung has lacked that integration that we saw in models like the Samsung Galaxy Note, where the S-Pen, literally, was an extension of the smartphone.
The protective Flip Cover is useful to compensate for the lack of integration of the S-Pen that we mentioned, providing a stand to carry the stylus safely while protecting the smartphone, but it has not been Samsung’s brightest design and has room for improvement.