cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/46649349
I’m saving up for a new phone and I’m thinking of getting a foldable one.
Are they really as good/bad as people say they are?The one I had in mind was the Pixel Fold.
I liked my Samsung fold phone, having the bigger screen was awesome. In the end I went back to sultra series from Samsung because the foldable was too heavy and caused my hands to cramp.
I’m a big gimmick guy, I LOVE a good gimmick. I liked my Surface RT with the flat touch keyboard, I liked my Surface Book with the kooky hinge and detachable screen, and I like my Samsung Fold 6.
I flip it open all the time, I like using the GameSir controller on it and turning it into a super emulator, I like watching YouTube on it with the kickstand while I cook, I like actually having one app on the left side, one app on the right.
My god phones got boring, so many dull slabs of glass, it’s just nice to have something EXCITING again.
My god phones got boring, so many dull slabs of glass, it’s just nice to have something EXCITING again.
I totally get this thought, but I’m still concerned about creases forming in the screen on these new foldable phones.
I had a Samsung Fold 3 and then upgraded to a Fold 6 which ended up costing less than half after the trade in bonuses and promotions. It’s insanely useful for me to be able to open it up for watching videos, reading books or articles, sketching ideas and more. Being able to just unfold it halfway to stand it up on a table is also pretty useful at times. It definitely enables you to do a lot more things that would’ve been a pain on a regular phone.
Durability is surprisingly much better than I had expected. I’ve dropped it a few times and it’s still pretty solid, though I’ve never dropped it while it was open.
I also like that it’s narrower than a normal phone and thicker since it really helps for one handed use which is why I’m not a fan of the Chinese ones or the rumours of the Fold 7 being much wider and thinner. Honestly, it’s an unpopular opinion but I thought the Fold 3’s width was perfect, they just needed to trim the bezels further.
So yea, I can’t go back to a regular phone anymore. Even though I spend 70% of the time folded, the 40% where is unfolded more than makes it worth it.
The 10% of the time when it’s both folded and unfolded must be sublime.
They fold it real slow so the quantum state takes up 10% of their phone time
This is exactly why I wanted one. Exactly why I then got it, and on discovering it worked exactly like I wanted, I got a better one.
If you’ve ever wished for a bigger screen on your phone…
(I love toys, gadgets and tech so for me the price point was worth it. Objectively, the higher price I don’t think is justified by the higher utility)
I have a Moto Razr. When opened, it has the form factor of a standard phone, but when closed, it’s a perfectly square little block. It’s honestly the best form factor I’ve had in a phone. It’s also a 2023 model, so I’ve had it for about a year and a half at this point, and the screen is still in perfect condition. There is a small ripple in the screen at the fold, but it’s only visible when shining direct light on it. You have to be looking for it under specific conditions.
I love mine, but I wasn’t going to pay new price for them. But used, it’s worth the money. Like you say, it folds down to a very small block and fits in the pocket well. I just make sure I put the outside screen towards my chest (shirt pocket) and never had it fall out like other phones do, since I’m pretty actively moving most days.
My old coworker came in with the Samsung Z flip. Proudly showing it off. The next week he was back to a standard glass slab because the flip was out for repairs.
Advantages:
- The screen is protected when the phone is closed
- It allows for a larger screen while maintaining portability
Disadvantages:
- The screen is plastic, instead of glass. Meaning it is very easy to scratch
- The screen has a hump where the hinge is
- The hinge can get dirt in it, at which point you start developing lots of problems
- They are very expensive
I personally buy mid-budget phones, which means these aren’t even a consideration. But, I probably wouldn’t buy one even at the same price due to the plastic screens being very easy to scratch and a larger screen not having much value for me. But, really it’s up to you what you value in your phone.
The screen is plastic, instead of glass. Meaning it is very easy to scratch
It’s actually a specially made glass that is thin and flexible
https://www.schott.com/en-us/expertise/applications/schott-utg-in-foldable-displays. You might be thinking of the factory installed screen protectors on most (all?) foldable phones that is made of plastic.I had a Galaxy ZFold 4 and there were lots of things I liked about it. The larger screen really does make a big difference for consuming content and looking at/signing documents. I ended up going back to a traditional style phone because I realized that I spent a lot of time thinking about general fragility of my phone in a way that I hadn’t before. Cases are significantly more expensive and require adhesives to stay attached. I had a few in warranty repairs from debris in the hinge as well.
It’s actually a specially made glass that is thin and flexible
The foldable screens scratch at a Mohs hardness level of 2. Glass doesn’t scratch until 6.
Wow… even a finger nail ruins that screen. Shamefully bad design decisions went into making those things if they’re THAT fragile.
Screen protectors are back in demand on these. I recently learned they’re it ended to be a wear item and are factory installed on the Samsung clam
I second this. I broke the screen on my OnePlus Open and just decided to go back to a normal phone and went with a Pixel 9. I’ve since moved to a iPhone SE 2022, it’s so nice having such on a powerful phone in such a small footprint, I just wish the battery life was better.
Many years ago, I used to have huge phablet that I could only carry in the largest pockets of my jacket. It was also ridiculously thin, and made of glass, which made it very fragile. As a result, I was so worried about bending it or breaking it, that those ideas started to sneak into my dreams! Getting rid of it was a relief.
My nephew has a Pixel Fold and it’s kinda neat and all, but he barely uses the unfold feature cause he just doesn’t need a big screen most of the time so it’s mostly just a really thick-ass phone. It’s not even great for watching movies because it’s a weird aspect ratio so you have big black bars on the top and/or sides.
Also we tried folding phones before, we called them flip phones, and the hinges were always the first thing to break.
I have a clamshell “z flip 6” prior to that I also has the 3 and before that the 2.
I’m extremely clumsy and always drop my phone. Prior to these flips, my primary reason for upgrading was that I cracked the screen. I’ve never once cracked the screen on my flip because it’s always inside and the case covers the entire outside when folded.
I also haven’t observed any issues with the hinge area cracking on any of them. Not sure if I’m just lucky. But I do tend to sit there and stim opening and closing the phone repeatedly so I don’t think it’s due to my usage.
My partner is a mad keen photographer and has the fold out tablet style one and loves the big screen for viewing photos and websites, but I like the little one because it fits in my tiny pockets and purses.
I use a Galaxy fold, and honestly, you can take my folding phone from my cold dead hands, because there is no other way I’m giving them up.
In my extended circle of acquaintences and colleagues I know around eight people with folding phones. I have seen ONE of them ever use it open - even in situations where you’d think it’d be great, like sitting at the tables in the office kitchen at lunchtime browsing, almost never used unfolded.
It seems like it should be a great idea, but for the majority of people the majority of the time, it appears to be an otherwise normal phone that’s just twice as thick as it needed to be. One of the owners of these devices - who had it bought for them rather than choosing it themself - made that exact complaint to me, in fact.
That said, don’t let this put you off. If it’s a thing you think you would like, the technology has definitely progressed to the point where the more glaring issues (of reliability, mostly) have been worked out. But definitely spend some time playing with one in a store before committing if you can.
Starting with Samsung’s Flip5/Fold5 they are solid enough IMHO.
Read several test reports before you buy.
I’d watch some videos on the YouTube channel JerryRig Everything. He does destructive tests on these kinda phones.
I like it a lot but I have a clamshell. I don’t understand the purpose of the other form factors. It really isn’t much different from other phones after a while, except you forget about how nobody else’s phone closes or fits in their pocket.
I occasionally get remarks about it like “your phone is cool” but literally forget that other people are stuck with the traditional candy bar style.
Interesting, I always thought that was the pointless form factor. I guess I could see it being nice if you have really shallow pockets, although it seems like it would be uncomfortably thick compared to a normal phone when closed.
With the fold style, (especially trifold) It turns into a tablet you can carry in your pocket. Which would be worth it if it wasn’t fragile and twice the price of a phone + tablet.
Phablet style phones don’t fit comfortably in any pants I’ve ever worn. I think phones almost, mostly fit up to 5" or so, but most phones are much larger.
The razr when folded is probably less thick than a normal bifold wallet and is half the size of a candy bar phone. It fits closed in every pair of pants i own including pajama pants.
I think it depends a lot on the style and size of pants, and it’s just a personal preference.
While I prefer smaller phones for how they feel in the hand, all of my pants could easily fit a phone 7" or larger. But if normal phones don’t fit in your pockets, then a folding phone makes sense.
Also personally I’m the sort of person who dislikes how bulky traditional wallets are, and I’m bothered by my earbuds case. But point taken that a folding phone still isn’t very thick generally.
I have a slim wallet myself. It’s not just bulky phones I hate carrying around. I have a keychain that allows me to drop portions of my keys when I don’t need something. I like traveling light.
Phablets being in style at the same time as slim fit jeans felt like some kind of special curse from hell.
Another thing I like about the model year razr i bought is that it has only a small display on the outside. I can close the clamshell and disconnect from online junk for a while.
I believe the proper use cases for the candy bar folds are 2 groups: data-dense users that wish Blackberries and Palm Pilots stuck around or, alternatively, people with poor eyesight. I don’t think video consumption is the main use. Maybe Candy Crush XL or something though
A buddy of mine has a foldable Samsung and likes it. IDK what model but it’s big, looks like a full sized phone when folded, and opens out into something with 2x the screen space of a normal phone, basically a mini tablet.
I had a number of flip phones in the old days and they all broke at the hinge. So there’s that.
I personally wouldn’t. These things are like $1.5K+ USD, but the inner screen can be easily scratched. Hinge is one extra point of failure, although it supposedly last longer than the lifetime of the device, that hinge is where sand can get in and its not dust-tight.
My opinion is that these are rich people toys.
You gotta ask yourself: Do you really need that big of a screen?
