Seems like foldable phones are taking over (e.g. Motorola Razr making waves) and only Apple is missing an entry in this form factor now. Almost everyone who can afford one swears by it with the exception of weak build quality.
What do you think? Anyone has one?
Personally, I'm betting on rolling screens (like Oppo X 2021) which seems like the most convenient take.
Phones were already too expensive and prone to breaking without introducing foldables, so I don't see the appeal. If it wasn't so slow and expensive, I think I would have considered the original surface duo, as I prefer durability over a seamless screen. The new one with the camera bump, I don't like the look of.
Why do you think they are too expensive? I'm of a blief that phones are already extensions of ours and at 1000 USD it's still an absolute steal for the value it provides.
They might be cheaper elsewhere in the world, but here in Denmark, a Surface Duo 2 costs over 13k DKK, which is 2½ times as much as I paid for my Samsung S22 - and that was for a bundle including a Galaxy A8 tablet. I don't feel like I would get enough extra usability to justify that cost difference, and I would be too afraid of breaking it.
I agree with your statement completely, I personally like a phone that I can put a nice big fat case around for premium protection, considering that I have a labor job that I constantly have to use my phone in and I’m always dropping it, Basically, I like my phone cases like i like female booty, nice and thick
Honestly, i find them kinda dumb. But they hint at the idea of a phone you can fold into the shape of a paperplane. So im on the lookout for any breakthrough in that area.
People swear it's not that noticable but I honestly don't believe it. I change my screen protection once it gets scraches as it's just too distracting.
My biggest concern is the screen and how it’s not really glass and can be scratched by your fingernails. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the phone because I’d be worrying all the time.
I've had a Flip 3 for about a year and I honestly love the phone, but more for the style/fun factor of the flip over the actual usefulness. I was a huge fan of flip phones in the feature phone era and hated having to switch to candybar, lol, so I had to give it a try!
Pros for me:
Looks very cool, flip phone nostalgia value
I have some mobility problems and being able to set the phone on a table to use it as opposed to having the weight stressing my hands is nice
Great for reading ebooks in a 2-page view
Can see notifs, quick check music, dismiss alarms etc without opening
Fits great in small pockets
Cons:
This particular model is so ridiculously slidey on the outside that it won't even stay still on a level table so a case is 100% required, but hopefully other foldables will avoid this lol
Relatedly, not exactly a big case variety for this style of phone
worry of "what if the screen cracks" hanging over my head
It's been a fun purchase, but I'm not completely sold on the necessity or usefulness yet. If my screen is still okay by the time I'm ready for a new phone in a couple more years then I'll call it a good purchase. So far I haven't had any problems or signs of issues at the folding point, hopefully the trend continues, but I do make a point to leave the phone open most of the time when I don't specifically need the folding functions.
I haven’t had a chance yet to look into how long the screens last. That’s my biggest worry. Otherwise, I think there’s potential there to have some really compelling offerings.
Kind of entrenched in the Apple ecosystem for now, though, so until I decide to leave or they decide to make one, it’s kind of a non-issue for me I guess.
I agree. They look super cool and fun and have that nostalgic flip factor, but I feel come with too many compromises. I'm too deep in the Apple ecosystem to consider something outside the walled garden anyway.
As a clumsy person I cannot imagine them lasting long with how often I drop my phone. I'm not big on buying new phones extremely often anyways, I can still get a number of years out of my Galaxy S10 I think
As a repair technician, I would stay well away from foldables (the durability/parts availability ratio being my main concern). I have to say, though, the massive nerd in me is not happy at all…
It's really cool technology, even in the early stages. In the not too distant future though, when I see a person take a giant display, fold it up, and put it in their pocket, they'll have my undivided attention
I bought a Flip 4 last October. While I liked a lot of stuff about it I was anxious about keeping it as my main driver for the next 3-4 years.
Aside from the fear of the folding mechanism wearing down heavily over the years, I was disappointed by small quality stuff such as those plastic bumpers at the bottom bezel of the screen that fell off after a few months. Other than that, the battery was small for such a big phone, 3700 mah for a 6.7 inch phone while unfolded, so the battery life wasn't that good, the camera experience was a bit mediocre, there are only two camera lens on the back, none of which are zoom lens just doesn't do it for me. There's also the thing of having to open the phone and close it everytime which was annoying.
I didn't think I could sell it, especially when the small coverscreen was cracked or scratched (I couldn't tell which at the time) . Anyway, some retail chain offered trade ins for a list of phones including mine, while they didn't offer much for it on paper and in reality, I reckoned there's no other way I could rid of it in it's state and because it's a foldable and people would be wary of buying it used. So I took the hit, lost much of what I paid for it and traded it in for the regular S23.
As I said I liked so much stuff about it, especially the coverscreen and clutching it while folded felt nice, I also miss the sidekey fingerprint scanner but I regret buying the phone since I was clearly not the target audience, also the technology hasn't yet matured and many of the issues I mentioned may be resolved in future iterations.
Hence, after all, I should've just waited for the S23 Ultra.
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