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.

Ninja9p5,

Love my Fold 4

Amazed,

Was this sent from your Fold 4?

phamanhvu01, (edited )

Quite mixed on the idea of foldable phones.

On one hand, they’re pretty cool and I especially the Z Flip/razr format for its nod to the flip phone era and the portability.

On the other, their durability is er…questionable and there’s no telling if the screen will last as long as that of traditional smartphone’s. Oh and plastic screen means scratch galore, too.

Also good idea with these post mods, I see a lot of high quality comment here! It’s starting to feel like the Reddit of old times here, well without the toxicity I suppose.

MargotRobbie,
@MargotRobbie@lemmy.world avatar

We aim for casual but high-quality discussion with a bit of fun here and there. We have a lot of smart people here, and it’s my hope that every time somebody reads through one of these threads, they learn something new.

ada,
@ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

As soon as I realised that fold phones existed, I had to own one. My preferred phone is a phablet, but the size makes them non feasible for day to day use. Fold phones solve that problem nicely. I don’t think I can go back.

erasebegin,

I’m all about the side-folders (Z-Fold), the flip folders (Z-Flip) are cool but gimmicky. Never owned one, but probably will one day!

tyvsmith,

My household has a couple folding phones. The pixel fold is great, the Samsung fold is too tall.

Alfuh,

For my own tastes (and budget) the Fold form factor isn’t too interesting to me. I like a more compact phone. So I was just looking into the Flip 5 as a possible purchase.

Unfortunately I saw the camera setup is worse than the base S23 on all fronts (main lens, no telephoto, selfie cam). I knew the battery would be a bit worse, but I’m not a heavy SOT so it didn’t bother me.

Adding in at least a bit of deserved worrying over longevity and I decided to pass. I really thought this could be the year and if the camera array was a bit better I likely would have pulled the trigger.

skullgiver,
@skullgiver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl avatar

Same as the Apple AR headset: I want one, but not for that price. I’ll wait for them to become cheaper or I’ll just never buy one I guess.

Spellbind8558,

Got myself a Motorola Razr Plus a couple weeks ago after a few years of Pixel 3aXL. Really loving the phone so far. Using the outer screen when taking selfies, changing music while working out/on the go, and sending quick messages is great. Also purchased the two year insurance plan, a first for me but given potential durability concerns a no-brainer.

Was on the fence with Pixel Fold but really liking the smaller form factor of the “flip” style compared to “fold”. Also not sure when I’d really use the tablet form.

Great to see more competition in this area. Long-standing companies making foldables like Samsung are going to need to step it up.

joel_feila,
@joel_feila@lemmy.world avatar

They protect one of their screens, thats nice. And for people that really really nned a very wide screen i can see tyem using it. As for me they are way expensive.

3migo,
@3migo@lemmy.world avatar

I’ve been using a Z Fold 4 for about a year, since launch. This is my first foldable, and it’d honestly be difficult for me to go back to a standard slab phone.

I love how multitasking is actually an enjoyable, functional experience on a foldable. I love having a large display for consuming content. The larger internal display really ups the threshold for “Okay, I need a computer for this”, since I can load desktop sites and it be usable.

Granted, it isn’t perfect. I do still have concerns about durability, despite the fact thaty Fold has taken a few nasty falls and come out unscathed, it is of course still possible to break. For the first time, I have insurance on a phone due to durability.

The outer display is functional, but it’s quite narrow. This leads to some apps not loading properly on the outer display, and a bit of a cramped keyboard. You do get used to it, but I’d prefer a larger external display like the wider display of the Pixel Fold.

The biggest short coming for foldables is apps. While most apps function just fine, some really don’t. Instagram is a great example of one that performs poorly on both the external and internal displays. Some apps have tablet interfaces that launch on the inner display, but most don’t. Most apps are just a blown up version of the standard phone interface. There are other weird app quirks like how my bank app will only let me use fingerprint to sign in when it’s launched on the external display, not the internal. The app situation I think will get better with time as foldables become more widespread, but it is a frustration for now.

The final shortcoming is the size and weight of these phones. With a case on, the Fold 4 is a pretty substantial phone on your pocket. It’s heavy, thick, and the first few weeks with it you’ll really notice the size and weight. Foldables are trending thinner and lighter, but more progress needs to be made here.

Anyways, all this to say - I ultimately love my foldable phone and have been very satisfied. It’s expensive, but if you have the means and the interest in one, I doubt you’d be disappointed. Just keep the shortcomings in mind.

to_urcite_ty_kokos,
@to_urcite_ty_kokos@lemmy.world avatar

Written on Flip 4.

The compromises hit quite hard. Battery life sucks, screen brightness in sunshine is horrible, and photo quality is not that great (as expected). I still like the toy aspect of it, can lay it anywhere I want, software is also quite good (but definitely not perfect). Fit in pocket (man) is also not perfect (as now key are under it and not next to it). Overall, I still like it, but if I got the money back, I would go back to a normal phone.

Furbag,

I feel like it’s a cool bit of tech, but not something I ever asked for in a phone or will ever have a practical use for.

pastel_de_airfryer,

I’ve been eagerly watching the foldable space ever since the first Razr was announced, but never took the plunge because I felt the tech wasn’t there yet. You would pay flagship prices for a fragile phone with bad specs.

Now I think they are finally good enough. My next one will probably be a Razr, I don’t trust Samsung.

wasney,

I’ve had the full three since launch and just pre-ordered my phone to five. For me the main draw was the fact that I wanted a tablet experience but I didn’t want to have two devices to maintain and bounce back and forth between.

I’ve only broke a phone once in my life, and that was when I was being cocky with one of the older Motorola’s that advertised it couldn’t be cracked. I’ve dropped my fold three several times, breaking three cases as well as scuffing up my hinge. Still works perfectly fine. The crease never got any worse, and I barely notice it unless I’m in a room with very bright overhead lights, or if a UI element is directly on the crease. Most of the time my fingers rarely touch that part of the screen and I couldn’t even tell there was a crease when I put 30 hours in remote play for the PS5.

I did get protection on my fold 3, it was significantly discounted during my pre-order. I also decided to do it this time around due to all the promotions and cash back resulting in it costing less than $5 a month.

Mr_Dr_Oink,

Similar experience to me.

Got the fold 3 at launch. Dropped it a few times (one time i threw it to the ground, scratchy gravel pavement as i got scared and it was fine) scuffed the hinge and one of the edges but all in all its completely fine.

Inner screen is great no complaints.

Outer screen had one protector replacement because i put a cheap case on which wasnt cut right so it pushed the edge of the screen protector away from the screen and left a bubble i couldnt get rid of so i replaced that.

Its the best phone i ever bought and i could never go back to a none foldable.

I have a full tablet folded in my pocket and i cant stress enough how useful that is.

buckykat,

The prospect of a tablet size screen folding up to fit in my pocket is appealing, but the durability and price aren’t currently acceptable. I don’t understand the appeal of flip type foldables at all.

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