Samsung’s newest Galaxy Fold4 is quite the experience. If you’ve already tried it out or own one of the previous models, you may know what I’m talking about. 

It’s exactly what has been forecast all those years ago when Samsung first teased a folding tablet. It’s a device that can switch between being a traditional smartphone into a tablet, giving it versatility. It’s multifunctional as experiences with apps change depending on the size of the screen. It does sound (and may even look) gimmicky, but my experience with it for a couple of weeks has reaffirmed to me that folding phones does have a place in the future.

When the Fold4 is, well, folded, it’s more than capable enough to deliver all the traditional phone tasks we all are familiar with. You can still watch videos on it and run various apps with no problem. I did, however, find the screen a little too narrow when holding it up, which isn’t a big deal and it’s only something I needed to get used to.

Because of its form factor, the Galaxy Fold4 is obviously a little bit thicker than most, if not all non-folding, phones out there. I expected to feel something bulkier, especially when I slipped it into my pocket. However, that wasn’t the case for me. Perhaps it was that slightly narrow build that made all the difference, and it was quite a pleasant experience. 

When the Fold4 is unfolded, you get a small tablet in the size of a 7.6-inch screen with 2K resolution and all the specs that make a great display. It should be noted, all screens have 120Hz refresh rates, so scrolling would look really slick. 

It goes without saying, but, the Samsung Galaxy Fold4 is one of the most top specced phones this year has to offer. Every photo editing and mobile game app I threw at this, the Galaxy Fold4 never slowed down, it just kept sprinting with plenty of power left to give. 

The phone-to-tablet transformation isn’t just for style. Something like that, it needs to have a purpose, more than to simply impress people with. For the Galaxy Fold4, is its system to multitask. For me, this is the Fold4’s best feature. You will be able to open and run three different apps at the same time. Open up YouTube and place it on the left side of the screen, below it can be Twitter, and on the right can be your email. The Fold4 was able to run all these apps with grace. 

To top that off, Samsung included a task bar below the screen. This would let you switch between apps more easily, less gestures and swiping. Opening App B from App A was fast and seamless. There is also an edge menu where you can add multiple apps for immediate access.

The Galaxy Fold4 has no shortage of cameras. The 4MP Under Display Camera, which is the one inside the Fold4 does a decent job at taking selfies, but it seems it’s more designed for video calls. The 10MP Cover camera is better, providing bright and colorful images. There are three cameras at the back, 12MP, 50, and 10MP, all of them are impressive, giving pictures and videos that extra Samsung “oomph.”

Samsung also introduced the Flex Mode, where you basically turn the lower portion of the Fold4 as a support. I found it useful whenever I don't have a stand nearby where I can keep the phone fully unfolded.

The Fold4 is IPX8, meaning you may submerged the phone in water for 30 minutes but only down to 1.5 meters. Samsung has advised against beach and pool use. Really, that added water resistance is just a layer of protection for the Fold4, in case you walk out in the rain, if you forgot to dry your hands after washing them in the sink, or if someone spills an entire glass of water on the phone. 

However, the Fold4 is not dust proof. So it is possible for dust to get inside the hinges. Samsung took this on by adding brushes inside to sweep off any dust. That should prolong the Fold4’s use. Again, folding tech is still quite new, so we don’t know how long this level of protection will last.

The Fold4 does support the Fold version of the S Pen. So, S Pens from Note devices won’t work here. And if you decide to get a new S Pen, the Fold4 does not have a dedicated slot for it. That would come with one of Samsung’s cases, which does have a slot for just the S Pen. And depending on what you do with the Fold4, having an S Pen around is actually pretty fun and practical in some cases.

It’s important to note that the folding devices, in general, is still quite a young segment for smartphones. But it’s getting better each year. I feel folding devices have a future. It’s the next big form factor. I don’t think they will replace traditional tablets and phone design, but there will be a bigger market for this eventually.