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How does everyone here feel about foldable phones?

Previously on Lemmy:

Past Discussions:

Well, as promised, we are talking foldable this week. The excitement is palpable, and it looks like the rest of our mod team have already started the conversation here. Go check it out.

I honestly don’t know very much about foldable phones, so I’ll let the rest of our (very smart and knowledgeable) mod team handle this one this week. :)

Last thing for future reference at the end of the week, we also have a great thread discussing foldables here too, go check it out if you want more great discussions.

AnonymousLlama ,
@AnonymousLlama@kbin.social avatar

I'm still not sold on the displays. Every time I've seen one the promise has always been "the screen is better", but when eventually I get hands on with them all I see is a massive crease in the middle and I can't unsee it

Purplexingg ,

Some points you can’t really refute are cost and repairability. Yes, they’re expensive and yes, they’re quite difficult to repair, there’s no getting around that. One thing you don’t have to worry about is the screen though. I’m not sure what people have told you about it being “better,” because at this point most phone screens are pretty incredible; great brightness, contrast, oled, 120hz. Where foldables do shine is content consumption. I use my phone A LOT. And trust me when I say that the experience is pretty unparalleled. Multitasking, large video streams, gaming, browsing Reddit and now Lemmy were all absolutely incredible experiences and I can never go back to a slab phone. I bought both the 14 pro max and the pixel 7 pro to try to come back but it’s just not the same at all.

And the crease thing 100% disappears after 1 hour of using it. A lot of people hear about the crease, decide they don’t like it, try to have a hands on, see the crease and focus solely on it the whole time saying to themselves, I hate the crease, why would anyone buy this. It’s analogous to when apple did the notch; tech people were like what the fuck is apple doing, why are they making phones so ugly, I use that part of the screen, Samsung made mocking ads about it. And now every phone on the market has some variant of it because people learned it’s really not a big deal. Your fingers never go in the middle of the screen to feel it and as long as you have your phone on like 10% brightness it will wash out the crease from being apparent if you look at it dead on.

Trust, next time you’re at best buy check out Google or Samsung’s offerings. The phones are incredible.

Mr_Dr_Oink ,

I actually find it quite nice to fidget with the crease. Like when im scrolling in portrait mode ill use my index finger and move up the crease. Its one of those weird things people do. I like caressing the crease 😜

BananaTrifleViolin ,

I used to have a clam phone when I was a kid and I love the idea of a foldable phone now.

But I wouldn't buy one any time soon - the idea of a hinged phone and screen just sounds far to vulnerable to wear and tear. As soon as you start adding moving parts you increase the risk of failure.

It's a great concept but at the moment it's a superfluous luxury and as they're so expensive then the cost of a breakage is just too much to tolerate. As the technology and manufacturing improves and/or becomes cheaper I might get one. But at present I don't want to risk buying a very expensive phone that could break in such a basic way as a hinged phone and folding screen could.

breakerfall ,

I have a Surface Duo 1 and I really think they got the form factor right, as opposed to the folding glass one-big-screen types. The SD also folds backwards so you don’t need (to pay for) three screens. Also, most of the functionality of the Pixel Fold is shown off as multitasking two apps side by side, which is exactly the power user use case the SD was made for.

IMO two-screen side-by-side folders could be down to $1K at this point if they didn’t all employ fragile bending glass and superfluous outer displays.

Also, I like the idea of a Flip… again, without a big outer display. Give me e-ink on the outside or something for the clock and message previews – I’ll open the phone if I need to anyway.

WhoRoger ,
@WhoRoger@lemmy.world avatar

IMO two-screen side-by-side folders could be down to $400 at this point

FTFY

MangoPenguin ,
@MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

I like the idea, but they’re way out of my price range and easier to break too.

Longmactoppedup ,

Partner has the z flip4 and is very happy with it.

Although the folding mechanism on the first one seized up. When it was forced open, the pixels on the crease turned off.

Took it back to the retailer and they swapped it on the spot. They were out of 256GB versions, so they provided the 512GB one instead. As the price of them had dropped a lot since purchase, the store gave $250 cash back for the difference.

Purplexingg ,

I fucking love foldables and think everyone should have one. I truly believe they are the next step in phone technology and cannot wait for when they solve the crease “problem” so people can stop complaining about it. Also getting the price to $999 is pretty key too. Or apple jumping on board.

WhoRoger ,
@WhoRoger@lemmy.world avatar

It’s one bandwagon I’d like Apple to jump on. Whenever Apple makes something, everyone else has to do the same (only better and cheaper). So once there’s an iFold for 4000 $€£ or something, a year later every noname brand will have a 300 $€£ foldable.

jaden ,

Mine broke too easily, and I made the mistake of buying the immature product used. Replacement parts were only $50 cheaper than buying another one used.

ljdawson ,
@ljdawson@lemmy.world avatar

After my flip 3 broke not so positive.

MargotRobbie OP ,
@MargotRobbie@lemmy.world avatar

Hi LJ!

ljdawson ,
@ljdawson@lemmy.world avatar

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/366214e3-d583-4fd8-ae47-4ee64befbb5e.mp4

clueless_stoner , (edited )
@clueless_stoner@lemmy.world avatar

How’d it broke? I have a flip 3 since it came out and its upper case fell out, but phone’s not broken yet lol

ljdawson ,
@ljdawson@lemmy.world avatar

Whenever you open and close the screen flickers. Half the time when you open it doesn’t realise…

Rooki ,
@Rooki@lemmy.world avatar

And you probably cant get it repaired. As those are declared most of the time as “Prototype” or similar.

HelluvaKick ,

Flip 4 broke when I bumped the hinge in my pocket. Caused the middle of the screen to bubble, and then it cracked down the crease. Neither side would work after that.

kratoz29 ,

I like the concept, but I don’t think we have endurable hardware for that yet… And I can’t afford them anyway.

I just hope they don’t end up like many of those interesting Android promises that go nowhere.

Poob ,

I’m very interested in the ability to have a large screen when I need it. I am hesitant though. The prices are crazy, which isn’t surprising for new tech. I’m also going to wait a bit and let them iron the kinks out before I consider buying one.

I’m also pretty rough on everything I own, so it’s going to need to be as tough as a current slate phone before I look at them.

Anti_Weeb_Penguin ,
@Anti_Weeb_Penguin@lemmy.world avatar

They are terrible, i would never buy one.

Zerfallen ,

Foldables are basically the opposite of what I want: a small slab flagship phone, maybe 5" would be ideal. I don’t want it to become huge at any point.

solidgrue ,
@solidgrue@lemmy.world avatar

I’m still rocking the OP5T+LOS20 and I’m not even shopping yet. It’s everything I need in a daily driver.

Mayyybe the Fairphone 5 if the specs are there at launch. I can afford to wait.

Zerfallen ,

That’s awesome. I will need to find a new phone soon, and I’m dreading it.

BrianTheeBiscuiteer ,

I miss the Galaxy mini series of phones. When picking my last phone size was a major consideration. I was a fervent Moto supporter but they just keep getting bigger and lag too far behind other flagship phones.

foofiepie ,

Whatever happened to tiny phones? There was a glorious moment when the future promised cool miniaturisation and then everyone wanted an HD TV in their pocket. Did non-tat (I know about the cheap prison phones) mini phones progress at all?

ExtremeDullard ,
@ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

You my friend are obviously not old enough to need reading glasses or progressives. There comes an age at which bigger screens are better. You will know one day :)

Zerfallen ,

Is true, i don’t need reading glasses, and maybe one day I’d feel differently, but the OP asked for personal views on foldables, and at this moment in time, that is my view :)

Plus people of all ages did fine with smartphones with 3-5" screens for like a decade, including iPhones 1-5 i think.

30mag ,

What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5? It’s a normal size phone that folds in half.

Zerfallen ,

It’s cool technically and i love gadgets. But practically speaking, when unfolded, it’s too big, and when folded it’s too small (plus a waste of money if I’m not opening it to use, and thicc). Just a simple small slab would be so convenient.

The flip seems like all the ergonomic issues of a large phone, with the added hassle of needing to keep opening it. Still enjoy following the tech involved though.

Lord_Logjam ,

I appreciate a small phone as well. The S10e was a brilliant device. I’ve gone back to a bigger phone now as there isn’t really much of a choice.

essteeyou ,

Manufacturers are being forced to make their phones last longer with sensible things like replaceable batteries, so they’re coming up with fresh designed obsolescence by adding things that will wear and tear to keep everyone spending $1-2k every couple of years.

witx ,

My first thought exactly when I read the question. It’s just another point of failure for the phone, using people’s nostalgia for something that never was that great anyway

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA ,
@HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world avatar

I’m skeptical how well the screen holds up at the hinge, so I guess I’m not an early adopter. Show me one a year old that’s had the same cheap screen protector on the entire time - if it still looks good I might consider it. Otherwise I don’t see a reason to upgrade.

Mr_Dr_Oink ,

I guess that would be my fold 3.

Theres alot of people here that dont have a folding phone but do have alot of strong opinions about them.

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA ,
@HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world avatar

Heh. I don’t have a particularly strong opinion, but that’s because I carry a purse everywhere. I don’t need a foldy phone. My “pocket” can hold three bottles of wine so y’know (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖). It doesn’t matter all that much to me if these have a crease or line or divot or whatever jargon y’all are calling it. I think the last time I looked at a foldy phone ad was, um, 2021. No, it may have been 2019. It’s been a hot minute is all. I just think they’re cool newish tech.

It seems to me that the hinge would be a common point of failure and that the screen might get misaligned after a million flexes, but I haven’t actually handled one to see how they’re built. I really want to take one apart. That would be fun.

Mr_Dr_Oink ,

To be fair. I know i replied to your comment but i wasnt specifically aiming that at you. I apologise.

A guy on yourube “jerryrigeverything” does a grwat durability test and teardown of all the foldy phones including the fold 3. I recommend it. The hinge suprisingly is one of the strongest points on these phones.

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA ,
@HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world avatar

Oh nothing to apologize for. I figured I should probably elaborate. Thanks for the tip on the video, tho. Those look fun to watch.

MeanEYE ,
@MeanEYE@lemmy.world avatar

I have Fold4 since release. No screen protectors anywhere, I don’t use those. Device is good as new. But I would agree, it’s not a device for everyone and justifying such high price is difficult. I decided to try replacing laptop and phone, with a foldable. So far it’s a good compromise but foldable devices do have their own share of problems, mostly in form of accessories and bicycle mounts.

Chickenstalker ,

I went to the Samsung™ store and fondled their latest foldable phones lineup. Even on the demo models, you could clearly see the crease. It will only get worse as you use it. I think there is a market for folding phones but as separate screens, i.e. 2 or more panels side by side. If you gonna have a crease, might as well separate the screens.

the_vale ,

Microsoft made the surface duo some two years ago and it didn’t do great (though the screen wasn’t necessarily the reason for that). The problem I see with that approach is that you can’t have content going all the way across due to the bezel between the screens.

MeanEYE ,
@MeanEYE@lemmy.world avatar

I doesn’t get worse as you use it and you stop seeing crease after two days of use. It’s there just like camera cutout or bezel is. Just another part of device you start ignoring, just like you don’t notice your nose most of the time.

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