Samsung recently unveiled their first foldable handset after five years of teasing the technology.

We remember a time when Samsung hinted at the Galaxy S5 possessing a YOUM display — that is, a bendable or curved screen. It was just later that same year that the Galaxy Note 4 Edge launched, giving us our first look into the flexible display concept brought to life. Those days are long behind us as curved screens now taper off both sides of the handset and have become an aesthetic staple in contemporary flagship handsets. However, this implementation has never been terribly practical, and if anything, many feel that it's gimmicky and even counterproductive at best.

That's set to change with the Galaxy Fold, which isn't the first foldable handset to hit the market, but it's certainly the first well-designed phone of its kind that the world has seen. It turns out that the little-known Royole FlexPai launched in January 2019, beating out the major manufacturers. This is a surprise to us since Royole isn't exactly the first company that you'd think of while discussing high-profile smartphone companies, but as expected, their foldable concept came riddled with flimsy design factors that Samsung's refined iteration seems absent of. Naturally, there's a hefty cost involved in that. In fact, the Galaxy Fold is expected to cost considerably more than the top-tier Galaxy S10+ model, and that one is set to run for double the cost of a typical flagship device.

With that said, here's what the Fold brings to the fold:

7.3-inch 1,536 x 2,152 QXGA+ 4.2:3 Dynamic AMOLED "Infinity Flex" display when unfolded, making it larger than the smallest tablets out there

4.6-inch 840 x 1,960 HD+ 21:9 Super AMOLED display while folded

Rear triple-camera setup that's similar to the S10 and S10+: two 12 MP shooters, one with optical zoom, and a 16 MP with ultra-wide snapping

10 MP dual front-facing camera setup

A fingerprint sensor that's mounted on the side where one's thumb would rest while folded

Up to three apps can run simultaneously on the tablet display, up from the traditional two windows

Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core clocked at 2,840 MHz, which is identical to all four S10 models

12 GB RAM — just because Samsung can

A substantial 4,380 mAh juicer to power all that hardware plus the gigantic unfolded display

512 GB of inbuilt storage but no microSD support

Comes in Space Silver, Cosmos Black, Martian Green and Astro Blue

Supports fast-charging technologies as well as Qi wireless charging

Android 9.0 Pie out of the box with Samsung's One UI

The way the Fold works is like this: When you collapse it, the single display and its digitizer shut down, and when you fold it, the tablet display and its digitizer disengage. The image switches between the displays as you change forms, allowing for compact viewing in phone mode while expanding into a desktop-like view in tablet mode. The real kicker is that when you receive emails, texts and other notifications, you can preview all of this on the smaller display as you produce the phone from your pocket, and then you can decide whether to collapse the device into "productivity mode" with two-handed functionality or stick to one-handed quick-reply functions. This progression between phone and tablet modes is what Samsung calls "App Continuity".

Although Samsung's video made the whole shebang look undeniably smooth, we're not sold on the idea of a smartphone that costs more than an average gaming laptop. The problem is that foldable displays, for all their research and development, are still quite new. While Samsung's team of geeksters was probably aware of potential damage to the display along the crease or possible discoloration or cracking of the plastic from continuous form-switching, we're not confident that a first-generation foldable ("pholdable" as we're calling them) will hold up in the hands of day-to-day consumers. On the other hand, we have to admit that it looks shockingly well-designed for a first-born handset of its kind.

We must point out now that on the audio side of the fence, the Galaxy Fold features multiple speakers for improved clarity, but many didn't seem to notice the lack of a 3.5 mm headphone jack. We think that this is a sign of the times, and the Galaxy Note 10 or the S11 series may not come with a headphone jack of their own if the Fold is telling us anything. Fortunately, not all is lost: You can use an adapter to draw analog sound from the USB-C port instead. Still, if you're not thrilled about relying on an accessory for what audiophiles deem a necessity in their handset, we don't blame you.

While Royole's foldable smartphone uses an accordion-like joint for collapsing and folding the device, Samsung managed to stick with more solid materials all around. The pivot for the two halves of the phone is a solid spine, and the tablet screen is secured by solid brackets that brace it from the outer corners up to just short of the middle of the display, allowing it to flex comfortably. In fact, we don't believe that Samsung used any loose or flexible materials to hold this device together other than the tablet panel itself, which is a testament to exceptional design language in the Galaxy Fold. The whole shebang looks and feels clean and well-executed.

Bear in mind that unlike the Galaxy S10 series, there's no punch-hole for the front-facing tablet cameras; instead, Samsung stuck to a notch in the upper right corner. We don't have a problem with this in light of the overall quality of the Fold. In fact, we don't even mind the large upper bezel on the small screen, which is about as tall, lanky and candy-bar-esque as a smartphone display can be outside of Android flip phones. Concerning form factor, the important part that Samsung nailed here is the single-handed operation of phone mode and the uniformity of tablet mode, which makes it easy to hold and use this device in either mode and either hand. That was another area where Royole's FlexPai fell a little short.

Overall, we're pleased with the Galaxy Fold. It's just the price tag that's off-putting. Understandably, it'll take time for that to come down; after all, the first smartphones weren't cheap by any stretch of the imagination when they launched over a decade ago, yet just about anyone can afford one now.

In the meantime, Huawei just unveiled their own foldable, the Mate X, and Motorola has confirmed a "pholdable" in the works on their end as well. LG just announced a pseudo-foldable device that actually features two 6-inch screens — a concerning callback to the failed Kyocera Echo from years past. However, LG is selling their V50 foldable for the detachable second screen, which opens a world of possibility that's missed by the likes of the Mate X and Galaxy Fold.

Ah, the possibilities are simply exploding.