Photo Credit: Samsung
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip foldable smartphone is getting a unique YouTube experience.
Samsung partnered with Google to create a new user experience for the YouTube app. It takes advantage of the clamshell form-factor of the Galaxy Z Flip. Other Google Suite apps may soon get the same treatment.
Flex Mode allows users to fold the phone and watch YouTube hands-free. It puts the video on the top half of the screen, while comments are on the bottom. Flex Mode creates an even split into two 4-inch displays, so the overall size is smaller. This seems like an excellent idea for activities like watching guitar tutorial videos while playing along.
Google and Samsung engineers worked together to redesign the YouTube for the Galaxy Z Flip. Work also included integration to bring Flex Mode to other third-party services. Galaxy Z Flip owners can download the YouTube app from the Google Play Store. They also get four months of free YouTube Premium, including ad-free playback, offline play, and background play.
The Galaxy Z Flip is just one of Samsung’s experimental foldable smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy Fold splits in half hot-dog style and may not be ready for prime-time. The Galaxy Fold starts at $1,500 – but the inner screen is pretty fragile. Of Samsung’s two foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Flip is the more practical of the two devices.
The Galaxy Z Flip Flex Mode may soon support other third-party apps and devices.
That means the feature could expand beyond Samsung’s ecosystem and become available on other foldable smartphones. Motorola recently revived its much-loved Razr series of smartphones with a similar clamshell design.
The Galaxy Z Flip hinge feels better than any other foldable phone on the market – but these things are still very experimental.