I pit Samsung’s two newest phones in a 1-day battle – and Galaxy Fold actually lost to Note10 Plus, which is half the price

October 25, 2019

The Galaxy Fold (left) and the Note10 Plus (right) were worthy adversaries. But one was definitely better than the other.

Rachel Chia/Business Insider

With the recent launch of the Galaxy Fold, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note10 series, Samsung fans looking to upgrade their phones now have a slew of new devices to choose from.

At S$3,088 and S$1,598, the two biggest and most expensive Samsung phones launched in recent months are the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Note10 Plus.

I pit the two phones against each other for 24 hours to see which was the better buy – and was surprised when the more expensive Fold lost to the cheaper Note10 Plus.

Here’s how it went:

This is Samsung’s much-awaited Galaxy Fold: a S$3,000 phone with a groundbreaking foldable screen and 6 camera lenses.

caption: It has three lenses on the back, two on the foldable screen, and one on the front.
source: Samsung

Meanwhile, this is the S$1,600 Note10 Plus. It comes with 4 cameras and the largest screen possible on a Samsung phone.

caption: It’s technically a phablet (phone/tablet) and has a stylus.
source: Samsung

With both phones on loan from Samsung, I used them for 24 hours to see which was the better buy.

I compared two major areas: screen experience and camera.

caption
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

The Fold easily won the screen experience round, simply because of its luxurious 7.3-inch screen.

At 6.8 inches, the Note10 Plus’ screen was huge, too. Just not as huge.

caption: Watching videos on the bigger screen was super shiok.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

The Fold was able to open three apps at once, while the Note10 Plus could do two.

caption: It’s great if you need to multitask, but I couldn’t imagine using this feature often.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

Because of the screen size, apps like Google Maps showed more information on the Fold, which could be useful for drivers.

caption: If you can find a phone holder to fit, that is.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

The Fold offered a much bigger calendar space to get organised with.

caption: I know it’s subtle, but I rely on this app daily and loved the space upgrade.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

Surfing the internet was also way easier on the eyes on the Fold…

caption
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

… and the roomy keyboard was a blessing when replying emails.

caption: Finally, keys not made for ants!
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

Since I’m not a hardcore gamer, I stuck to playing childhood favourite Bejeweled – and enjoyed it more on the Fold’s bigger screen.

caption: Actual gamers will definitely appreciate the increased screen space.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

However, I had five things I didn’t like about about the Fold’s screen.

First: a subtle but noticeable dip across the centre, which deeply bothered a friend who begged to try out the phone.

caption: I get that it has to fold somewhere. Just know it might bother you.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

The second: how thick and clunky the Fold was when – well – folded. It stuck out of my pocket, and the weight caused my shorts to sag.

caption: The Note10 Plus was hefty too, but not quite as heavy.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

Third, although the big screen was easy on the eyes, its square shape meant a lot of space was often wasted.

caption: Most videos on YouTube and Netflix don’t fill up square screens.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

Fourth, some apps didn’t show up correctly on the cover screen when I folded the phone mid-use. The screen was supposed to seamlessly continue showing whatever was happening previously on the main screen.

caption: My Bejeweled game had parts of the interface cut off.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

(For comparison, here’s a successful demo of me switching screens for a YouTube video, though I don’t think anyone will want to watch videos on the front screen.)

caption: Unless it’s embarrassing stuff you don’t want half the MRT to watch with you.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

Last, despite the amazing screen, most videos were pixelated.

This had more to do with the video quality than the screen, but the bigger screen made the pixels more obvious.

caption: Sorry, TSwift.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

When it came to cameras, the Note10 Plus won by a narrow margin. Given it had 2 fewer lenses than the Fold, I was very surprised.

caption
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

At first, it seemed the Fold had an obvious advantage, as the large main screen made it easier to see subjects, and enjoy the pictures afterwards.

caption: Great for older people, like mums, dads, and grandparents.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

(However, the same couldn’t be said of its cover screen.)

caption: I felt like I’d gone back to the early 2000s.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

Nevertheless, both of its selfie lenses did comparably.

caption
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

For wide angle shots, the Fold produced pictures with better lighting, sharper contrast, and punchier colours than the Note10.

caption: This can, however, be fixed in an editing app.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

The same thing happened with food shots.

caption: But not everyone will be a fan of the Fold’s saturated colours.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

Both phones did similarly for medium shots…

caption
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

…night shots…

caption
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

… and low light shots.

caption: Samsung’s low light sensor was fantastic in general.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

I liked the effect from the Note10 Plus better on Pro mode, even though both phones had the exact same settings.

caption: I tried for a film-like effect.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

The biggest difference between the phones were the zoom shots. The Fold’s photos were far more blurry.

caption: Just look at those tree leaves.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

The Fold did badly with close up shots as well, which also turned out blurry.

caption: Unlike the Note10 Plus’ colour and contrast issues, this cannot be easily fixed.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

All things considered, the Fold seemed at first like the slightly better phone.

The biggest draw was definitely its huge screen, which made activities like watching videos and typing way more enjoyable. I felt like my eyes would thank me in the long run.

The downsides? A clunky and heavy device (when closed), and sub-par zoom shots.

caption: It’s definitely a great device for people who don’t own a tablet and want a bigger-than-average phone screen.
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

But once I factored the Fold’s eye-watering price tag, the Note10 Plus immediately became the more value-for-money option, especially because the camera was a tad better.

Sure, you won’t get the bragging rights of a foldable screen, but the phone was decently large, came with a stylus, and costs around half of what the Fold does.

caption
source: Rachel Chia/Business Insider

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