Remember 3, the year that saw the groundbreaking launch of Apple's iPhone XNUMXG as well as its groundbreaking App Store. Suddenly, users were able to access a store full of thousands and thousands of games that could be instantly downloaded to their device, essentially giving them a mobile phone / gaming device that they could take with them at any time (and not in a Nokia N-gauge channel).
Like quite a few people, I jumped into this new gaming landscape with sheer enthusiasm, and over the next few years I took the opportunity to whip out my phone and play a speedy game of Doodle Jump, Real Racing, or Monument Valley whenever I had a moment. free. .
Of course, that enthusiasm would occasionally fade, leading me to forsake mobile gaming altogether. A large part of this was due to the restrictions of on-screen controls on small mobile screens, as well as belligerent commercial exploitation that would make mobile gaming an unbearable chore for those unwilling to indulge in microtransactions.
So believe me when I say that I'm particularly surprised to return to mobile gaming in a big way in XNUMX, something that probably never would have happened without the launch of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold XNUMX.
Suddenly, I felt compelled to take advantage of the foldable device's huge internal screen and terrible specs, in pursuit of the most visually amazing games to play; I even purchased a third-party bluetooth game controller dedicated solely to smartphones, so there's no going back now.
So, without further ado, here are the top reasons Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold XNUMX made me love mobile gaming again.
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Its large screen of seven with six inches is unbeatable
I may be in the minority here, but I find it roughly impossible to get excited about Nintendo's OLED Switch incremental update when I already have access to the (effectively expensive) Samsung Galaxy Z Fold. with Nintendo's meager 3p offering.
Now, I can't possibly play Metroid Dread on the Z Fold XNUMX, but I can play many other games that offer cleaner graphics and smoother frame rates. It's no exaggeration to say that the Nintendo Switch's much-hyped OLED screen doesn't keep a flickering anniversary candle on the Z Fold XNUMX's screen.
Its internal 1440-inch OLED screen not only gives a larger screen than the OLED switch, but also offers XNUMXp resolution and support for super-smooth XNUMXHz refresh rates. Other than that, it also boasts of being impressively bright, it offers blue-light restriction modes and other visibility enhancements, and lets you change the color intensity and white count to your liking.
It should also be said that the Z Fold 20's squarer aspect ratio works exaggeratedly well on a screen of this size, although the normal 21:11.2 aspect ratio of phones like the Galaxy SXNUMX Ultra is supposed to evoke the feeling. Big screen TV. , the Galaxy Z Fold XNUMX's internal display more closely resembles the extended IMAX equivalent (coincidentally, Zack Snyder's Justice League fits almost perfectly on the Z Fold XNUMX's XNUMX:XNUMX display).
its specs make it a gaming beast
From a performance standpoint, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 12 is at the top of the Android smartphone pack. Its specs read like a list of the best free components these days, with Qualcomm's best-in-class Snapdragon XNUMX chipset powering the device and XNUMXGB of RAM to go along with it.
All the games we tested with customizable settings played fantastically on the Z Fold XNUMX, with titles like CoD Mobile, Fortnite, PUBG, and the lavish loot shooter Shadowgun Legends running smoothly at sixtyfps on settings. Ultra/Max, and options like real-time anti-Aliasing and shadows enabled. Certain games, like CoD Mobile and Demon Immortal beta, have loads of downloadable textures, which make their visuals even more amazing, as long as you have extra storage space.
It's also worth noting that the device is 5G-enabled, meaning gamers with phone plans that offer access to 5G speeds enjoy faster, smoother online gaming when they're away from a game. WiFi network.
A bigger screen means better on-screen controls
There is also no doubt that the device's larger screen has given this writer a competitive edge while playing CoD Mobile. Opponents were larger and easier to spot on the battlefield, and the on-screen controls were more comfortable to use, as they were now further out.
As previously mentioned, I got so into FPS gaming on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 that I ended up buying a third-party bluetooth game controller. After some research, I opted for the GameSir XXNUMX Bluetooth mobile game controller as its flat-sided design and expandable stand made it easy for me to fit the larger Z Fold three into its clamps. On top of this, its Bluetooth functionality meant that it didn't require the supervisor to line up precisely with the Z Fold XNUMX's USB Type-C port.
Talk about a gameplay improvement! While the on-screen controls worked pretty well, I now had actual triggers, buttons, and thumbsticks, giving me Xbox-like responsiveness in gameplay. Coupled with the benefit of the foldable's huge inner screen, I've become an unstoppable force in each and every ranked match I've played since then.
Access to a suite of gaming features
In addition to the ability to simply play graphics-intensive games, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold XNUMX also offers a set of Game Booster tools that can be accessed simply by swiping up from the bottom edge of the phone's screen when pressed. is running a game.
In addition to letting you monitor your device's temperature and memory usage, Game Booster also lets you activate the perfect priority mode, which is meant to block distractions like incoming calls and notifications. It will also close background applications that are using your network connection to prevent your online games from being obstructed.
Additionally, you can sign in to Discord through the Game Booster section, and you can also access controls that let you set touch protection, lock the navigation button, take screenshots, record videos, download game plugins, and more.
It has powerful stereo speakers.
While most phones are happy to offer you a small speaker as well as their charging ports, the Galaxy Z Fold 2's larger frame leaves XNUMX fairly large speakers, giving you surprisingly powerful sound from anywhere in your life. device (when playing in landscape mode).
We all know that good sound is enough to give you a competitive edge when gaming online, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold XNUMX fully delivers on that, even managing to mimic spatial audio through on-device Dolby Atmos functionality.
Don't get me wrong, the effect isn't quite as punchy as having convenient backs and ups, but it completely helps you gauge the direction attacks are coming from in the heat of the moment.
It is ideal to emulate
While emulation can hardly be considered an official selling point of the device, since emulators and ROMs are frowned upon by most game publishers and console manufacturers, let us tell you (wisely) that the Galaxy Z Fold three is a completely excellent device for that. . unique use, especially when playing older games with an aspect ratio of 4:XNUMX.
Plus, the Z Fold XNUMX's ability to fold in the middle, as well as its built-in stylus support, make it perfectly suited for playing games for that certain dual-screen handheld gaming device of the past that's going to go unnoticed (it hasn't). fact) I heard this from us, but the DraStic Android app still lets you import skins that can make your screen virtually identical to the device in question).
Paired with a Bluetooth monitor, we found the Galaxy Z Fold XNUMX to excel at emulating games from the XNUMX-bit and XNUMX-bit era, and even do well with other games from the generation of consoles that followed soon after. Many emulators let you change graphics settings like resolution and anti-aliasing, which makes certain titles even better than they were originally.
That said, there is room for improvement.
So far every single title we've played on the Z Fold XNUMX has fitted its aspect ratio to the device without issue, however one issue we did find is with switching between outdoor and outdoor displays. inside while a game is already running.
PUBG, for example, sometimes stretched or squashed between screens, but really, how often would someone choose to play a game on the outer screen anyway? Can we understand the appeal of ultra-large, yet ultra-small gameplay? Not that much.
It's also worth noting that not every single game looks better on a big screen. The most compelling games are the ones that offer scalable graphics settings, as they are really designed to take advantage of powerful phones. Luckily, each and every one of the biggest free games on mobile devices, like Fortnite, PUBG and CoD Mobile, are among these titles.
Unfortunately, there are still many games that have not been optimized for large screen devices. We booted up EA's Need For Speed: No Limits only to find that it looked honestly ugly on the Z Fold three. We would also be disappointed to discover that the hugely popular Genshin Impact seemed to suffer from frequency issues. the preceding reading. on the Samsung Galaxy Note twenty Ultra.
With that said, we envision the future...