The Samsung Galaxy G Fold is the manufacturer’s response to Huawei’s tri-fold Mate XT Ultimate Design. Despite rumored pricing in the $3,000-$3,500 range, close to the Mate XT’s price tag when converted to U.S. Dollars, some looking to purchase the Galaxy G Fold are going to be disappointed by mundane specs that aren’t what you might expect for such a pricey handset. For example, the Galaxy G Fold recently surfaced on China’s 3C certification site also known as the China Compulsory Certificate site,
Devices to be sold in China must have the 3C safety and quality certification which is similar to the UL certification in the U.S. and CE certification in Europe. The 3C website reveals that Sammy’s tri-fold listed on the 3C website carries a model number SM-F9680 with the “0” indicating that this particular version of the phone will be sold in China. Reportedly, the Galaxy G Fold will be available in just two markets, Samsung’s home turf of South Korea, and China, the world’s largest market for smartphones.
The 10.2-inch display on the Huawei Mate XT in use. | Image credit-PhoneArena
The 3C certification also revealed that the Galaxy G Fold charges at a maximum of 25W (Wired). This might have been done because Samsung was concerned that the phone’s thin form factor would leave little room inside the phone. To prevent any risk of overheating and worse, the wired charging rate has been capped at 25W. However, Huawei’s Mate XT charges much faster with its wired and wireless charging speeds at 66W and 50W respectively. You can’t blame Samsung for having the Galaxy Note 7’s battery issue in the back of its mind.
Samsung, like Apple, has been the subject of criticism over the relatively slow battery charging speeds that the company’s handsets offer. The fastest charging speed, 45W, is offered on Galaxy S Ultra models starting with the S22 Ultra and later. The battery powering the Galaxy G Fold is rumored to weigh in at under 5000mAh compared to the 5600mAh cell on Huawei’s Mate XT.
So far, Huawei seems to have the advantage specs-wise over Samsung. The Mate XT display gives users a screen as large as 10.2 inches when fully opened. That compares to the 9.96-inch display on the Galaxy G Fold when that screen is fully open.
One key component where Samsung’s tri-fold will have an important advantage over Huawei is the application processor (AP). The Mate XT, limited by U.S. sanctions, features the 7nm Kirin 9010 AP. The Galaxy G Fold will be equipped with the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite AP built using TSMC’s 3nm process node. In case you’re curious, the Mate XT first launched domestically last September while the Galaxy G Fold could be released before the end of this coming August.
