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Don't expect to see an Exynos powered version of the Samsung Galaxy Fold
Usually, Samsung sells its flagship models in the U.S. and China with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset under the hood, and uses its own Exynos SoC to power the units elsewhere. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S10 is equipped with the Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform in those two countries, and the Exynos 9820 chipset in the rest of the world. But based on a benchmark test spotted by Sam Mobile (via Android Authority), it would appear that the foldable Samsung Galaxy Fold will not have a variant powered by Samsung's own Exynos chip.
These benchmark tests are used by smartphone fanatics and those in the industry to quantify the relative performance of hardware and software used on handsets. The Geekbench tests measure the performance of the Central Processing Unit (CPU) used to drive a smartphone, and the Samsung Galaxy Fold recently was tested on the site. While the listing confirmed that the foldable will carry 12GB of RAM, the version of the device tested, SM-F900F, also was powered by the Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform. The model number of the unit benchmarked contained an "F" at the end of the model number, which for Samsung means that the variant tested was the international version of the phone/tablet. The international versions of Sammy's top-shelf handsets, as we noted before, usually come with an Exynos chipset.
That the Galaxy Fold won't use an Exynos chipset isn't a total surprise. When Samsung unveiled the foldable device last month, it said that the phone/tablet would be equipped with a 7nm 64-bit chip. That would eliminate the Exynos 9820 since it is made using the 8nm process. The Galaxy Fold will be available in both 4G LTE and 5G versions and will launch in the U.S. and South Korea on April 26th. The company is expected to produce a limited number of units.
The Galaxy Fold will be the first foldable from a major manufacturer
The Galaxy Fold folds inward and has an external 4.6-inch Super AMOLED "cover screen" with a resolution of 840 x 1960. When the device is opened, it reveals a 7.3-inch AMOLED display with a 1536 x 2152 resolution. Besides the 12GB of memory, the phone comes with 512GB of native storage and a 4380mAh battery. A tri-camera setup is on back and includes a 12MP primary camera with a variable aperture of f/1.5-f/2.4; a 16MP ultra-wide camera with an aperture of f/2.2; and a 12MP camera with a 2X optical zoom and an f/2.4 aperture. In the front is a dual punch hole camera setup weighing in at 12MP and 10MP.
The Geekbench tests resulted in a single-core score of 3418 and a multi-core score of 9703, which are not spectacular results. Still, you can't always judge the performance of a phone by its benchmark score.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold will be the first foldable released by a major phone manufacturer. Later this year we will see other foldable model released including the outward folding Huawei Mate X. While not officially announced, Motorola is expected to bring back the RAZR as a vertical folder . Other manufacturers that could join the club later this year include Oppo, Xiaomi and TCL. Apple is reportedly working on a foldable iPhone that most likely won't hit the market until the second half of 2020.
One of the drawbacks of buying one of the first generation foldable form factor phones is the high prices that they will command for now. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Fold will be priced at $1,980 in the U.S.. While the Huawei Mate X isn't going to be offered in the U.S., it will cost the equivalent of $2,600 USD. The Motorola RAZR, not as high spec'd as the Galaxy Fold and Mate X, could be priced in the neighborhood of $1,500.
