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Don't really see the appeal tbh. More fragile, more expensive, and for what? A bigger phone? I have big hands, and my Pixel 4a is about the max size that's practical for me to use one handed.
I hopped off the "upgrade to a new phone every year or two" train about 6 years ago in favor of buying a cheaper phone outright and going prepaid. I don't see any need to drop $1k+ on a phone, especially for what I view as a gimmick
Not a fan tbh.
The drawbacks outweigh the benefits for me.
More expensive, more fragile, smaller battery, and I don't really care to have a large screen on me at all times.
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.
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.
Just remembered one cool thing about the Nintendo DS. Thanks to its dual screens and the stylus there were lots of "games" that made it serve as an electronic Japanese dictionary and Kanji learning tool and many Japanese learners used it for that exact purpose (I bought mine just for Kirby Canvas Curse though 🙃):
There were also lots of games exploiting that setting and they offered unique gameplays that you couldn't find on other hardware.
What would be really cool is if we had a similar software offering on Android that exploits the foldable nature of those phones in a similar way to the Nintendo DS, that would definitely win me over.
But, what would you need a foldable phone for that purpouse? You can do the same with a regular phone in portrait mode.
I'd say for the same reason you'd prefer a writing tablet on your lap or on your desk while the screen is in front of you, and it'd feel more like an electronic dictionary:
That price tag though...
I constantly drop my phone, the kid knocks it off the dinner table, it gets rained on, etc etc etc... I have an iphone 12 pro (coming up on three years old) with no screen protector, just a regular case (albeit a really good case: Peak Design) and it's still going strong to this day with zero malfunctions or visible wear even. I think I do need to replace the case. But anyway ... I don't think any kind of foldable / flippable phone could survive that kind of life.
I'm curious but hesitant about full screen foldables. I've had my dual screen LG V60 for over 3 years now. I keep it in the dual screen case all the time and I use the 2nd screen daily. It's convenient to have the extra screen removable for repair/replace purposes and the mechanical gear is somewhat user accessible. I wish LG hadn't exited the mobile space.
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.
With the release of the fold5 I was considering trading in my S22 Ultra to get one, but even with that and all the promotions, it would still cost more than 1k € that I'd have to pay up front, which I'd rather not do.
I had the Razr 5G and now am on the Razr+ I love this phone and love the form factor! Even with heavy use I get a day out of my battery. But I am usually around some form of a charger or power so I don't worry about battery life.
I had to replace my 5G two times but those were all my fault. I practically threw my phone across a concrete floor two days into having it and shattered both the back and front glass. Honestly, it fared a lot better than my previous OnePlus (same fate). Inside screen was perfect. Same fate with the second (I'm a klutz and always have insurance).
With that said, the increased width on the Razr+ and vegan leather back have proved to be very easy to hold. The screen is recessed inside the frame of the phone so phantom touches on the aidesnor when opening are not really possible. I use my phone for work and am always flipping it open to take photos. This thing is covered in grease on the regular.
For those people who dig their nails into phones. Why? It's a flexible screen of course it's plastic.
I doubt I'll ever get a flip-free phone. Perfect form factor. Durable. And Motorola has been very supportive of all my phones the past two years.
Love the Flip and will likely never switch back to a candy bar. It's the new small phone, which barely exist nowadays
I think they are the obvious next step for mobile phones. But we are not there yet, where I would pull the trigger and buy one for me. I think they are too flimsy right now
I love the concept and idea of them and could see myself utilizing the ones that unfold into a tablet with the S-Pen. But the durability of those screens made me nervous.
The passport foldable is fucking awesome imo, Regular phone screen on the outside, 7ish inch tablet on the inside, super awesome as an e-reader, for productivity, etc. And if the inside screen breaks, you will have a usable outside one.
That being said, I Def thing the tech has a ways to go, the soft screens we have today are flawed. I'd really rather see two screens where they are edgeless when the hinge is flat. We have curved screens, just curve two screens and don't use the part under the curve. Samsung was doing that for years to get edge to edge displays.
Since I need a phone that can withstand being dropped on concrete every other day and having tools, hammers, 4x2 offcuts dropped on it etc every so often I dont think a foldable is for me. My current phone has two screen protectors and a case and its still got a cracked screen
I tried the Pixel Fold because I've been using their phones since the Nexus days. I went into it very skeptically... Meaning I made sure I was thoroughly aware of the return policy.
I'm sold. Weight doesn't bother me and the benefits of being able to swap into a screen with that much real estate for viewing, multitasking, playing games, etc far outweigh a little thickness and weight. It fits in my pocket way better than I imagined and the front screen is actually more functionally sized that my 7 Pro's due to how damned tall it is! If you're not hard on your phones (I don't imagine it takes a beating as well as a regular phone) then I suggest you give it a shot. I'm definitely never going back.
EDIT: I thought it said affordable phones
I personally believe in getting the fastest new/used/refurbished phone you can get with the features you want and keep it as long as you can.
A cheap phone usually ends up being about the same performance as a 4-10 year old flagship and a lot more compromises in cameras, ram, storage, durability, etc.
I think they seem like an interesting concept. After a bunch of work from different companies (mostly samsung to my knowledge) they are actually starting to seem viable well exept for the price. But i bet you that we will be getting foldable tablets that you can turn into large screens at some point.
I like the idea, but I don't like folding screens and the crease they all have. Just give a folding phone with two screens side by side! Like Microsoft Duo, but with working firmware.
As a previous owner of an LG V60 ThinQ Dual Screen, I have to say the Fold 3 is better in almost every way. The thinness of the cover screen is one of my few major complaints.
I've had my zflip3 for a couple years now. Lots of people in the comments seem to be saying that they are fragile but I haven't had any problems with mine. Lots of drops off tables and flipping it open one handed. I really like how it fits in my pocket.
I love mine! Flip 4. But there are some areas that are lacking: camera and gaming capabilities mostly.
Also there's the whole durability issue.