A Guide to Using the Category-Defying Galaxy Fold

When it comes to managing both our work and personal lives simultaneously, two screens are definitely better than one. With the Galaxy Fold, a category-defining device featuring both a compact cover display and a large display of 7.3 inches unfolded, you can get things done one-handed while on the go and enjoy the immersive experience and ultimate productivity when unfolded.

To help users better experience this latest category of mobile device, Samsung Newsroom has put together a guide to using the Galaxy Fold, so that from the moment of unboxing and experiencing its new form factor for the first time, the device’s innovative user experience is wholly yours.

1. First Introductions

The premium package your Galaxy Fold comes in is made entirely from eco-friendly materials, and from the moment you open the box, your experience with the device begins. The device is laid out flat for your first folding experience with your Galaxy Fold.

But ahead of getting completely hands-on with the product, be sure to check out the product usage instructions that come attached to the display. These provide you with an introduction to the Galaxy Fold’s innovative folding mechanism and outline how to make the most of the device’s groundbreaking two displays.

2. Getting a Grip

As with any mobile device, a key part of being able to enjoy your Galaxy Fold comfortably is being able to grip it properly. The Galaxy Fold has been developed with an ergonomic design that lets you easily use with one hand when folded, and is narrower than conventional smartphones – 62.8mm in width and 160.9mm in length – for maximum ease of use. An identical volume and design have been applied to all four sides of the device to provide the best grip whether you are holding it folded or unfolded.

You will notice that the volume keys, power key and fingerprint recognition sensors are located on the right side of the device for convenience. These keys can be customized according to your own usage preferences – pressing the power key twice defaults to launch camera, and long pressing the power key launches Bixby. These settings can be changed to open your preferred apps (Settings > Advanced features > Bixby). You can also register up to four fingers or thumbprints for unlocking the device for ease of use from any angle, whether you are right or left-handed.

One of the bonuses of having two displays in one device is that you can set two custom home screens for both the cover display and the main display, so that the most useful apps for one-handed use and also for multitasking use are always at your fingertips when you fold or unfold your device. The location of the screen’s navigation bar can also be set to the middle, left or right-hand side of the unfolded display for a personalized user experience (Settings > Display > My navigation bar > Adjustment).

3. Learning How to Switch Seamlessly

Once you’ve customized the Galaxy Fold’s user settings to your own needs and usage preferences, it is time to take advantage of the phone’s pioneering user experience and begin seamlessly switching apps and content from the cover display to the main display and back again.

App Continuity, part of the brand new UX developed specifically for the Galaxy Fold, means that you can check an email notification on the front screen and open up the main display to reveal a large keyboard for easier replying. This works both ways between the two displays; if you’ve read an e-book or e-mail on the cover display, you can open up the device to its unfolded, expansive main display and continue reading seamlessly. Similarly, you can take an in-depth look at a navigation app on the main display to work out directions, then fold the phone and have your route switch over without interruption to the cover display for easy reference while walking (Settings > Display > Continue apps on front screen).

4. Mastering a Versatile Camera

When it comes to taking photos with your Galaxy Fold, you are able to take great photos at any time thanks to the six cameras it has on its front, back and main display. For taking a quick selfie, the front camera on the cover display is the perfect choice, and then when you’re looking to capture a memory with a larger number of people, the dual cameras of the main display are able to capture everything and everyone in a live focus selfie – all without a selfie stick.

Furthermore, users can enjoy an expansive, immersive picture-taking experience when harnessing the Galaxy Fold’s rear triple camera thanks to the size of the viewfinder on the Galaxy Fold’s unfolded screen. For effortless picture-taking regardless of the orientation of your device, the Galaxy Fold’s shutter button will automatically move to an optimized location when you turn your device to and from portrait or landscape – you can even press and drag the button to place it somewhere else yourself.

5. Harnessing the Power of an Immersive Display

When it comes to enjoying your favorite content, be sure to test out the immersive gaming experience the Galaxy Fold provides if that’s your thing, and try out watching high-quality videos on the unfolded main display to experience just how expansive it is.

With the Galaxy Fold, your viewing experience is taken to another level thanks to the real estate of the main screen, but the device’s size is not the only thing bringing you such a cinematic dynamic experience. The Galaxy Fold features a Dynamic AMOLED Display, with HDR10+ color and Dynamic Tone Mapping for heightened contrast. Furthermore, while immersing yourself in your favorite content and games, the Galaxy Fold’s TÜV Rheinland-certified Eye Comfort display reduces blue light emissions without sacrificing picture quality.

You can make your viewing experience even more immersive by dragging down the upper notification window and switching on the Dolby Atmos feature; the Galaxy Fold provides crisp, clear sound by AKG thanks to its dual balanced stereo speakers.

6. Multitasking Like a Pro

Multitasking has become part of our daily lives as we constantly find ourselves switching between apps in order to get everything done. The Galaxy Fold lets you enjoy this experience all on one screen device thanks to its Multi-Active Window feature, which allows you to use multiple active apps simultaneously on the display for the first time on a smartphone.

By swiping the right-hand side of the main unfolded display, you can access the Multi Window Tray, which lists both your recently used apps as well as a ‘View All’ button to see all apps that support Multi Window. You can also customize your most-used apps within the Tray (Settings > Advanced features > Multi window tray). You can then drag and drop up to three apps into the desired position and order on the display, and even then toggle the size of the app’s window by pressing the handle at the top each window for further customization.

But this PC-like multitasking experience does not stop there for the busy user. As well as three Multi Windows, the Galaxy Fold also supports up to five pop-up windows, meaning that on days where there’s a lot to be done, you can work on up to eight applications simultaneously. To access these pop-up windows, open up the Multi Window Tray, drag the app you need to the center of the display. These pop-up windows can be made transparent so as not to hinder your use of the Multi-Active Windows behind it.

7. Next-Level Productivity

Now that you’ve mastered multitasking like a pro on your Galaxy Fold, there are a few other next-level features those who need to use their device for both work and play. The Galaxy Fold comes with dual messenger feature, meaning that you can keep your work and personal messages in separate windows thanks to the multi-window functionality of the Galaxy Fold.

Alarms and notifications can be customized for new windows by dragging them while multitasking, meaning that once a notification message appears at the top of the screen, you can easily and quickly drag it down into a Multi-Active Window to seamlessly reply without interrupting your other app activity (Settings > Advanced features > Smart pop-up view).

Finally, you’re sure to be able to keep multitasking as and when you need to thanks to the Galaxy Fold’s premium performance, powered by a next-generation AP chipset and 12GB of RAM for stronger computing power.

And with that, you’re set to use your Galaxy Fold like a pro and make the most of Samsung’s latest category-defining mobile device that harnesses the productivity of a PC with the usability of a smartphone – for everything you need to get done.