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The world's first foldable phone maker is now out of business
(www.androidauthority.com)
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this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2024
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Never understood the reason of foldable smartphones, like what was their intended usecase?
I love it and would hate to go back. You have a normal sized phone that can make various otherwise awkward activities on small factor quite comfortable unfolded: note taking, film watching, reading, Internet in general.
It is so good to be able to whip this out anytime, anywhere.
It literally replaced 3 other devices for me that I used to drag around to cafes, work and when travelling.
I considered this overpriced bs until I got to try my friends device. Now I just consider it overpriced.
Would you say the technology is developed far enough?
I'm definitely interested, as the phone screen size is often a bit too small. But any mechanical movement makes me nervous on a small device that should last multiple years.
Hinge durability is the main concern.
I would not buy in yet unless you plan to upgrade every ~2 years.
Make sure the manufacturers warranty is solid.
Software-wise, I've not had any issues whatsoever.
In my opinion it's good to go! Though some people seem to really dislike the hinge and the small dip in the screen it causes.
I have one, and I plan on going back to a non foldable next phone. After 2 years of use there are a lot of minor annoyances that are adding up. The hinge is a concern, it doeant fully open flat anymore (maybe 175° now?).
The big annoyance is Apps vs screen ratio. Nearly all apps are designed for the 'standard' screen ratio, so folded is too thin width and things dont look right always, and open is too wide...same issue.
Another thing is watching stuff. The size is nice but again because of screen ratios you have massive black bars often.
At the end of the day I really like the tech for its 'new' feeling (I can fold a screen?!) but I cant justify the added cost for something with a bunch of annoyances.
Thank you for sharing your experience, those points are exactly what I'm worried about. Let's hope the situation improves over the next couple of years!
I've definitely been interested in one. What foldable device do you have? And which three devices did it replace?
Z Fold 4 going 2 years - the hinge on this can fail early, but fold 5 should be solid and can be found £600 refurbished.
Samsung warranty is notoriously bad though, so can't recommend for that reason (no personal experience).
From a user perspective: A tablet that folds up to the size of a phone. Or a phone that flips to the size of a compact little square.
From a business perspective: A phone with an extremely fragile screen that will require frequent replacement and a hinge that has limited life, ensuring customer retention and re-purchasing.
I do keep a loose eye on them, especially flips as I like the idea of a phone that can fold up really small for tiny pockets. Their unfathomable prices and durability issues put me off, though. I have seen foldables that have been kept past the usual 2-year contract window and... oof. They do not age gracefully. For the $1,800-$3,200CAD asking price that is unacceptable. Does not help that the only foldables with major retail presence here are from Samsung and Samsung's customer service and warranty support here is atrocious.
They're not that fragile really. I work outside, think asphalt worker. My flip 5 turns 1.5 years old today, no issues whatsoever besides the original screen protector that I replaced myself, dropped at least twice a month.
I've broken plenty of regular phones quicker than this have been alive now.
And while I'm at it, fuck samsung as a company, absolut shit support but nice hardware.
You managed to break multiple phones in less than two years? That's impressive.
Also yeah, 1.5 years is imo too little time to judge whether something is durable.
For me it would be to have a single device that could work as both a phone and tablet, so compact when folded for portability while having the option for using a big screen when needed.
Writing this from my first ever large foldable I got just a few days ago: They're cool! The large screen is great for watching videos, reading a book or playing a game! Browsing the web is also pretty sweet.
And the Flip foldables are really great for small pockets, had one previously.
...how, exactly? Other than the models that fold like an old clamshell, none of the phones I've seen make the screen wider, they just make it square. But in either case, you would have the exact same screen size with a normal phone, it would just the half the thickness and wouldn't have a seam down the middle. I guess if you a connoisseur of old 4:3 TV shows it could be nice.
The only usecase for foldables that made sense is that since phones keep on getting bigger, so having a foldable phone would save some pocket space. However, I think phones stopped growing after 6" and foldable phones have been considerably more expensive. People are just more comfortable with a normal "slab" phone.
I got to buy a flip and a fold for QA purposes for work. I test drove them for a few days before handing them over.
I daily drive an s24 ultra so I'm a fan of big phones already.
The use case for the fold is for anything where you would rather have a tablet. Some people would rather consume media on a bigger device. The real downside to me with the fold was the thickness while folded. It was uncomfortably thick in my pocket. And then of course there's the inability to have any decent protection on the phone, and the lack of water resistance.
Now the flip on the other hand, I really enjoyed that device. It opened up to the same size as a decently large phone, you could fold it up and throw it in your pocket, It was protected.
They're both too damn expensive. You could buy the biggest baddest flagship phones with the most beautiful screens and cameras for the same price as something that just folds up a little smaller in your pocket.
They look flash as heck.
Idk man, IMO considering og flipphones they look kinda silly
Flippers that transforms into ultra-widescreen. So hot.
I have a mini iPad in my pocket when I want a bigger screen and finally have a phone I can use with one hand. I can't go back lol
One reason why I can never go back to non-foldables: restaurant menus. (Or any document/book reading, for that matter.)
It's amazing for videos and games too.