This video is sponsored by UPDF
I know I’ve been covering a lot of the S23 Ultra recently but the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is
still very much present in my day to day.
And with the imminent launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 5…It got me thinking, what are the
things that really need to improve on the Fold 4, which is already amazing.
With everyone about to go crazy about the iPhone 15…
I personally think that’s a lot more to be excited about when it comes to the Z fold
5.
I am Alex and I do down-to-earth tech videos.
And before we go any further….
Is the Fold 4 my main device?
No, it’s not even a realistic setup here to have both the S23 Ultra AND the Fold 4
right?
I think there’s plenty of reasons to choose one over the other.
But that comparison, was another video…
In today’s video I want you and I to dream a little bit.
What can Samsung do to make the Fold even better.
Because ideally, I don’t need two massive phones!
If you know the channel you know I’ve been converted to this form factor last year…
and there’s no going back for me.
But having used this phone since launch, I do have some opinions on a few features that
could be better.
I don’t pay a lot of attention to rumours and leaks so apologies if any of this has
been “confirmed or denied” by the leakers out there.
Actually if you stick till the end I have a bit of a bombshell to share with you, some
massive channel has been stealing my content without my authorisation, but I appreciate
that you might not give a damn about that so I moved it to the end of the video.
I did try to capture some of the leaks and rumours out there..
that comes form the most trusted leakers, but in general I ignore most of it until it
becomes real.
But these are the things I’d love to see on the Z Fold 5 and let me know if you agree,
and if I missed anything.
First is a better display, and what I mean by that can be divided into two categories.
Firstly the material.
I made the mistake of removing the screen protector that it came with.
But lets… kinda gloss over that…
I actually enjoy how it feels to the touch now.
But I don’t use the S-Pen on it.
But when it comes to this material…
I can really see how people who are used to other phones… might say that this feels
a bit cheap.
And I can’t disagree on that, because it really does feel cheap.
It’s like a contrast of this classy feel on the outside and this lovely golden accent
in my case here with the Beige, but when you open it’s like this… plastic-y feeling
on the screen.
So I’d like to see a better material being used.
I am not purposely ignoring the hinge.
That deserves it’s own section so I will get onto that in a minute.
And the second category of the display…is the FRONT display.
I think it’s really useful already.
You can’t really use it for a long time, but for a quick.. .sort of.. at a glance use
or quick messages…
This is really good already.
Sometimes you don’t need to open the phone or you may be outside and just trying to use
it one handed…
But what I want to see improved… is not so much the size or the way it feels, but
is how APPS or games may use it.
Let m explain what I mean.
I can see for example…
how you could quickly use the outer display to check the score on the game you’re playing…
or some other stats, meaning you have an even more immersive experience on the game.
That’s one example.
Another one… is how you cold use that outer screen to declutter some information when
using productivity apps,
or you know, use that outer display to park some highlights for instance…
so that they can be then seen at a glance when the phone is closed.
This could be a productivity app or maybe a book or a document that you’re reading,
then later you just want to check the highlights.
And I know what you’r thinking..
.You’re probably thinking…
well, these are not really display related issues.
And I’d agree with you…
What I am saying is that…
I think there’s a lot that can be done in terms of app developers making the most of
this aspect ratio and the fact we have effectively 3 displays to work with here.
We’ve seen some great examples like YouTube app and Samsung themselves when it comes to
multitasking on these displays…
but we need more developers to do the same.
Instagram still sucks on it really, Twitter is all over the place…
In general apps are simply stretching to fit the screen, there’s not a lot out there
being creative with this foldable aspect.
I mean, it doesn’t feel like foldables are going away any time soon, so… it would be
good for developers to really adopt this fully… and make use of these incredible displays.
And I will share some of the best apps for the Fold in a separate video that I’m working
on… and before we talk about the next improvement which is the camera…
Let me share with you just this ONE fantastic app by today’s sponsors, UPDF.
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I love some of the Adobe apps and I do use them every day, but it does annoy me that
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And there’s no perpetual option - at least not as far as I know…
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As you can see here, it does pretty much everything you can do with Acrobat.
even some features that you get with UPDF are only available on the Pro version of Acrobat,
so really good value.
It always amazed me how dealing with something so simple like a PDF can be such an expensive
affair, but I love how UPDF simplified that.
As you can see here, I am seamlessly working between my Fold 4 and my MacBook Pro, two
completely different OSs, but a very consistent experience.
Love that.
Honestly, they could probably improve the interface a little bit, some of the UI can
do with an uplift, but functionality-wise it’s pretty complete.
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And thank you so much UPDF for sponsoring this video.
The most obvious improvement I’d like to see on the Fold, and I’m pretty sure you
might be thinking the same, is the camera.
I know the Fold is more geared towards multitasking and entertainment usage…
At least I think that’s what they’re targeting…
But it’s 2023 and having a decent camera on a smartphone is a MUST these days.
I am not saying the Fold 4 cameras aren’t good, but when I see what I am able to produce
with the S23 Ultra I think man….
We need this on the Fold.
ASAP!
We will talk about the front facing camera in a minute but surely it’s not much of
a stretch to want the S23 Ultra’s camera (or even a better one) on the Fold 5, right?
I can see how it might be a challenge due to sheer size of the camera on the S23 Ultra,
but if anyone can deliver on this, is Samsung right?
They’re really not afraid to innovate.
>Front facing camera When it comes to the front facing camera…
well, the bar is quite low.
Literally a potato might do a better job.
Samsung people if you’re watching..
I’m just being honest.
And the same goes for the camera that’s hidden under the display.
Personally I’d be quite happy for it to be completely removed, if that means getting
a better MAIN camera.
Right now, it’s just on the verge of being acceptable to run a couple of meetings if
I am out and about… but it’s nothing to write home about right now.
Before we talk about the hinge…which is such an important aspect…just a quick reminder
that this Youtube thing is really hard work you know.
And as you will see later in the video, there are some issues that we have to deal with…
This is not my full time job and I still do pretty much everything myself.
I CREATE everything myself.
From scratch.
And I LOVE doing this.
So if you are enjoying this video so far, a thumbs up goes a long way.
It really does you know, it helps me get the channel discovered out there.
Ultimately the more people watching my videos, the better the sponsors which means I can
get more help,.. and have time to create more videos for you.
I am not going to ask you to subscribe for no reason, but after this video take a look
at the channel and if you like my stuff, it would be awesome if you subscribed.
Now another aspect that is quite an obvious one is the hinge.
In two different ways…
Firstly this infamous CREASE that we see on the display, as I mentioned earlier, it could
be that improving the display material might help reduce that.
I think this would be a very important update, because I know some Apple users might be tempted
by a foldable…
And if this CREASE was a bit more discrete, this could sway some Apple customers over.
Which reminds me…
It would be interesting to see how Google deals with that on the Pixel Fold but I honestly
have more confidence in Samsung right now.
According to IceUniverse - whoever these people are without a real name… Samsung is working
on a droplet hinge and will support IPX8 level waterproof which is insane.
There’s some other bits that were mentioned about weight reduction but what caught my
eye was this “new touch screen technology”
This could mean that they are using a new material for the screen which…
(hopefully) reduces the effect of the crease, you know.. this bumpiness of it.
Doesn’t actually bother me to much but I know a lot of people who commented on my videos
before… that this is a major deal breaker for them.
The second aspect of the hinge, is… that it scratches too easily for me.
I really look after this phone.
I very rarely take it outside with me.
And when I do, it does go in a case.
I will talk about accessories for it in a moment, but I’m really surprised that it
got this scratch on the hinge here because like I said, I treat this with so much care.
It’s not that deep of a scratch but annoying enough, given how expensive this was when
new.
And talking about cases, something that I feel is really lacking… is the accessories
for the Fold.
I mean, Samsung sells a couple of options but case manufacturers haven’t really done
a lot for the Fold.
And I can see why…
It’s a challenging design and it’s very easy to make this extremely bulky…
But I do feel that the manufacturers that have produced Fold cases, haven’t done enough.
And I’ve reviewed a couple here.
Some look great…
and actually don’t add a lot of bulk but they are not very flexible.
Especially if you’re like me and want to change cases from time to time.
For now…I’ve got a skin on the back of it and I am pretty happy with that.
Is it gonna protect my phone against a drop?
No.
But until a decent case comes out that’s what I will use.
Another one is chargers and car mounts.
It’s incredible how many wireless chargers and car mount manufactures just…
don’t seem to be GETTING this form factor you know?
The best car mount I found is awesome when you’re using the Fold open.
Basically makes the navigation look like you have a Tesla…
Ok, maybe not THAT good…
But even this one, when I have the fold closed, or if I want to use a different phone, it’s
kinda limiting in the design.
Awesome idea, but feels like they are not really trying.
If you’ve come across any accessories for the Fold that you think I should be checking
out please do let me know.
Actually the car mount idea came from one of you, shout out to Paul!
The S-Pen is a funny one…
In a sense that, I don’t actually use it with the Fold, mainly because I don’t use
it for a lot of creative apps.
But now that I’ve been using the S23 Ultra as my camera and taking photos in Expert RAW
mode, I can totally see how the pen might be useful for me.
Let me explain.
Actually let me show you.
When using Adobe Lightroom, being able to change minute details about the picture like
playing around with different colour profiles, contrast, brightness, etc. the S-Pen is a
delight to use.
So when the Fold 5 comes out… and hopefully with better cameras, I will definitely be
getting it with an S-Pen.
And I’m assuming the S-Pen is still not included.
According to some of the rumours, Samsung are really focusing on weight reduction so
… that integrated S-Pen that a lot of us were expecting may not come just yet.
But as I mentioned about accessories, the S-Pen needs a decent case for it and the one
Samsung sells right now… just looks a bit odd to me and makes the Fold less elegant.
I feel.
Maybe that’s just me though…
I’d love to see someone create like a mini keyboard for it.
Imagine like a Magic Keyboard for the Fold.
There’s definitely a gap in there you know.
If any brand manufacturers wanna collab on this idea, (or any of my crazy ideas) my DMs
are open!
Love that tune.
We talked about things that need improving… but how about things that..
.DON’T need changing?
I think sometimes brands may change too much…and actually make the product worst than it was.
If that makes sense.
The one that comes to mind is the S22 Ultra.
I really thought it was a let down based on the S21 Ultra.
I hope Samsung is sensible on this one though… and gives us the refinements we’ve been
wanting… without changing some of the good stuff.
For example, the microphone and speakers.
Sure any improvement is always welcome, but please don’t change them drastically.
I love how good they sound.
Both from the speakers perspective and the microphone recording.
I mean I know this is subjective, but I did some tests recently and to me, it sounded
better than iPhone 14 Pro Max, that video is over here….
And in some scenarios even better than the S23 Ultra.
So I am hoping that they leave that alone and only give us refinements.
Another one is to do with biometrics.
I do love the under the display fingerprint scanner on the S23 Ultra, that’s always
been amazing since the S21 Ultra…
but the side button to me is just a lot more convenient
Please don’t change that.
Before I share my closing remarks, here is that little issue I had to deal with today.
It’s quite RAW still so this is a bit off the cuff.
Creating this videos sometimes means I am away from my family and I am working really
late and over the weekend to make sure that these videos get to you every week.
So when a channel like this basically steals my content and uses it for their own profit
it really made me feel robbed you know.
YouTube has a great community.
YOU watching my videos and the LOVELY comments that I get in every single video is what keeps
me inspired to create more.
And I know the channel isn’t the biggest out there.
But I am very PROUD of how far we’ve come.
Because I believe there’s no shortcuts.
Every bit of footage you see here is created with passion and hard work.
Now those videos are no longer available on his channel, but I am also aware that he only
made them private, which means, any profit he made, he’s not about to hand that back
to YouTube.
For me it’s not about the money, but the principle of it.
Funny thing is, if he asked me, hey Alex, I love that bit of footage, would you mind
sharing that with me, I will credit you.
To me that’s what YouTube is about, I’ve given my footage for free to loads of creators,
channels of all sizes.
Ultimately I see it as an opportunity for their viewers to come to my channel and vice
versa.
He missed… that opportunity.
He publicly apologised.
And I’ll move on.
Creating my own stuff.
Back to the video…
The other aspect that I don’t think needs changing… is the design itself.
I honestly don’t think that a massive change is needed here.
Which is ironic from me… right?
I’ve gotta be honest…
I am always moaning that some brands don’t innovate enough.
Here I am hoping that Samsung don’t change too much.
But I think that’s more of a reflection of how good this phone is already.
Question is…
Is it better than the S23 Ultra?
I think I’ve answered that question…
Check out on this video over here.
Or if you’ve seen that already, there’s a nice playlist I put together for you.
Hope to see you soon.