OPINION: Samsung has been the most notable name producing foldable phones for nearly 5 years, yet one of the biggest issues with the first Fold device still exists with the Z Fold 6. So, why hasn’t Samsung fixed it?
Samsung has just taken the wraps off its latest slew of foldable phones (and a very familiar-looking wearable too…) at an event inside the iconic Louvre in Paris. In typical Samsung style, it was a lavish event, full of product reveals and famous faces – including actor Sydney Sweeney.
Ahead of the event in Paris, I attended a briefing session to spend some time with the vast array of devices on offer, from the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, to the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Buds Pro 3. I focussed most of my time on the foldable phones, as having reviewed every Fold device from Samsung it’s always one of the more interesting releases of the year.
Foldables aren’t exactly new anymore – Samsung launched the very first Fold in 2019 – but they haven’t quite hit the mainstream yet. They remain a category of phones where year-on-year upgrades can bring notable changes – simply as there are more issues to fix.
In the six years since the original Fold launched with numerous issues, Samsung has continually tweaked and tuned.
Durability was the biggest issue at the start, with both the phone’s body and screen far too delicate for everyday use. In 2024, this isn’t anywhere near as much of a problem, with the Z Fold 6 having an IPX8 rating for protection from water (although not dust), a tough aluminium body, a rigid hinge and tougher glass.
Other areas where the first iterations of the foldable suffered, like in general display resolution quality and camera performance, have been addressed in recent years to a point where I can easily recommend a Fold device to anyone who has become bored with the standard flagships like the S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro.
Yet, there’s one key issue that plagued the very first Galaxy Fold and remains a problem with version six, and that’s the crease.
The crease runs down the middle of the display, and is caused by the foldable nature of the device. It’s immediately noticeable, catches the light in irritating ways and feels odd when you run your finger across it.
In my review of the original Galaxy Fold, I said “You can clearly see the line down the middle of the screen where it folds and it’s a distraction – especially when you’re looking at it from an angle or in bright sun. It’s there, it’s annoying and it’s hard to get over.”
Five years and six versions of the Fold later, I still have the same criticism.
I would be less critical if the crease was just a problem associated with all foldables, but in recent years the competition have almost completely gotten rid of it, finding ways of tweaking the screen and hinge to make the annoyance a thing of the past.
OnePlus managed to release its first foldable, the OnePlus Open, with a near-creasless display. In our review of the Open, we said: “While there’s still a slightly visible dent in the display when looked at it off-angle, it’s completely imperceptible when looking at it straight on – even running your finger over the central crease will reveal slight divots rather than…canyons”. It’s a similar story Honor V2, where the crease is barely visible.
If the competition can get rid of this foldable foible, why can’t Samsung? Especially as it has released numerous iterations of the Fold and fixed most of the other issues. I’ve asked Samsung reps this question at every Fold launch, and a concrete answer never seems to appear. Occasionally it’ll be noted that the crease has been made less obvious, yet I have never really found this when reviewing the phone.
Of course, the crease is more of an annoyance than a clear issue that would stop me from recommending the Fold 6. In fact, having spent some time with it it feels like the biggest upgrade to the series in a while.
The squared-off, flat design is gorgeous and the reduction in weight makes a notable difference to how comfortable it is to use. Yet. as the overall experience of using a Samsung Fold improves year-on-year, the issue of the crease becomes even more obvious – and I hope with the Z Fold 7, trying to fix it is given top priority.
