Activity 2.3: HOW ARE YOU AS AN OC (OBSERVER/CRITIC) OF A NEW PRODUCT?

SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 2

Cellphones have become extremely popular over the years. They started out as being used for basic
communication such as calling others. They then started to include letters under the numbers so that we
can text. Now, cellphones are called smartphones. These phones allow consumers to do everything that
can be done on a computer, and everything that can be done on a phone. Technology is constantly
advancing, especially cellphone products, changing features every 6 months. In 2021, buying the best
phone means looking for something that should last you a few years. Smartphones’ upgrade cycles are
slowing down for a reason: even at lower prices, it’s getting harder and harder to buy a lemon. In other
words, you don’t have to spend a huge amount to get something great, as a bunch of great smartphones
are available for around battery life, and be fast enough to do all the work, social networking, and
gaming you want to pack into a day. Believe it or not, all of those things are easier than ever to find in a
phone, so picking the best one is often a matter of degrees or preferences.
Folding phones have been around for less than two years and have already seen their share of
controversies. But if you are interested in buying one and are willing to pay the hefty price required,
there’s really only one model worth considering: Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2.The Fold 2 is Samsung’s
second-generation folding phone. Its main premise is this: it is sized like a normal smartphone that fits in
your pocket, but it unfolds to reveal a tablet-sized 7.6-inch display on the inside. That inside screen makes
everything from reading books to browsing the web to watching video to playing games more enjoyable
and immersive. When you’re done using it, just fold it back up and stick it in your pocket just like any
other phone. That flexibility is unmatched by any other phone you can buy right now, but it doesn’t come
without a significant list of compromises.
Without a doubt the most impressive thing about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is how it’s built. Really,
there’s just nothing else on the market today that even approaches what Samsung has created here.
“Standard” smartphones such as the Note 20 Ultra, iPhone 12 series, and others are very well built and
have a lot of polish, but the Galaxy Z Fold 2 delivers a piece of hardware that’s doing something
incredibly futuristic while also retaining that same level of build quality. This becomes immediately
apparent from the moment you pick up the Fold 2. The brushed metal frame, the glass back, and the
surprisingly stiff hinge all come together in a wonderful way.  The Fold 2 is twice as thick when closed
compared to normal phones, and its outside screen is much smaller than what you’re probably used to. It
is also delicate; there’s no rated dust or water resistance, and its inner screen is more likely to get
damaged if you poke it too hard. Of all the manufacturers to try and create a folding smartphone with one
big tablet-sized screen inside, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the most complete package of the lot. It's a huge
improvement on the first-generation device in terms of design, but some issues remain with the flexible
display market still being relatively young. Oh, and it's really expensive. Despite needing improvement in
a few areas to make this category of products truly compelling, there are still moments where it does
things far better than a traditional smartphone. Reading ebooks or comics, or playing Mario Kart Tour
and some other games, won't be the same again if you go back to a narrow, classic smartphone
style. Regardless of its quirks like a plastic-feeling display and some app compatibility issues when
jumping between screens, the Fold 2 is simply the best folding phone on the market. It will give you the
most complete experience.
From the first generation of the Galaxy Z Fold to the second, Samsung’s focus shifted slightly because of
the change to the external screen. The first Fold’s 4.6-inch cover screen was so small that the company
felt the main, unfolded screen should default to a smartphone-style interface, even if the larger 7.3-inch
display was closer to the size of a tablet. Samsung decided this because it wanted to lower the learning
curve and ensure that the Fold met people’s expectations as a phone. With the Fold2, the combination of a
larger 6.2-inch cover screen and a 7.6-inch main screen meant that users could use the outside screen as a
traditional phone while using the larger display to experiment more with how they wanted apps to work
side by side. One early finding from the first-generation Fold is that the form factor helps people use their
gadgets less. They may go to the larger main screen when they are really serious about working or
engaging with the device for a longer period of time. The cover screen plays a similar role to a
smartwatch by allowing users to quickly glance at their notifications and take quick actions, then get back
to doing whatever they were doing. At the same time, because people are spending more time at home
during the pandemic, they can dedicate time to experimenting with the Galaxy Z Fold2 to discover how to
best use the device to get the most out of it.
The Fold 2 is not a device for the average person. It’s for people obsessed with what’s new and what’s
next. I’d recommend just about every other phone launched this year over the Fold to most people, not
because this is a bad device, but because this form factor is not fully ready. But that doesn’t mean it’s not
the future. Foldables offer a new layer to how we use our phones, adding utility and functionality. It’s
something that even five years ago seemed impossible, but with the Galaxy Z Fold 2, it really comes to
life. Many may argue that no phone is worth $2,000, but Samsung’s build quality here
legitimately feels worthy of that price tag. Fold 2 is literally twice as expensive as other high-end phones.
You’re paying a lot for the ability to fold a tablet screen in half. If you’re willing to put up with those
compromises for an experience that’s unlike anything else, though, the Fold 2 delivers. Samsung
promotes or campaigns the Samsung Z Fold 2 as ‘Your new Flexible Friend’ which probably describes
the product as a fold phone that may literally attract consumers like me but still it doesn’t change the fact
that most consumers think if it is worthy to buy or not. But still, Samsung never failed to amaze people in
their innovations.