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.
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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.
Personally I find the current range of phone options simply too huge. Having owned a Sony Z3 Compact followed by the XZ1 Compact, I didn’t have many choices. I ended up with the Asus Zenfone 8.
I really like the formfactor of the Oppo find N where in it’s folded form it’s a really usable size and I can unfold it if I need a bigger screen. I don’t mind the Samsung Flips or the Motorola Razrs but I think the outside screen can be bigger. There’s a market for the Samsung Folds but it’s not for me.
Tl;dr - my idea of a foldable should be a good sized phone which folds down to something very compact and pocketable.
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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.
foldables are really cool but pretty fragile
My friend had a foldable and it died simply from opening and closing it too much. Not dirt, dust or water damage it just broke because the folding part of the screen wore out.
I saw somewhere that there’s a space in the middle of some foldables that causes the phone to completely break if a spec of dust gets caught in it
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.
My household has a couple folding phones. The pixel fold is great, the Samsung fold is too tall.
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.
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
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.
Had a Z Fold 4 for a couple of months now and i dont ever want to go back. It feels great in the hand when closed and it is awesome to have a much larger screen available at any time. Crease isnt very noticable on it
Had one since launch, first foldable. Zero issues with the interior screen/crease. People need to remember you’ll hear about the issues, you won’t hear about people just enjoying their device normally.
I disagree with people who say the inside screen is useless. For one, I use it to share pics with family because it’s easier for multiple people to view. I also use it for watching videos, it’s quite nice.
I am also a remote sys admin. I use the inside screen for RDP/ssh sessions to remote machines for quick weekend maintenance. I will never go back.
My husband has a zfold. Same feedback after a few months, but recently the screen has finally started having issues at the crease. He’s extremely careful with it, so this is definitely a phone thing and not just a use thing.
It’s probably something he’s already checked, but the screen protector ends up coming off inside the crease after a while. Have had to replace mine and my wife’s twice so far, but it’s an easy fix.
Oh good to know. There’s truly no telling if he checked that, so I will :p
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I am really interested in getting one, but I’m planning to hold off until the cameras improve and reach flagship levels. Right now, that’s the only drawback, and the price of course.
I am completely apathetic about them. I think they’re boring.
They’re boring in the US because basically all you have is the Samsung fold and flip. and they haven’t really changed since the fold 2 and flip respectively.
Although the pixel fold coming to the US (it may actually already be on) and that looks like an interesting device
I’m not American
I use the Fold 4 and I love it. I don’t think I could ever go back to using a nonfoldable. I never notice the crease during use unless I run my finger across it. In terms of durability, it’s been great. I dropped my phone many times onto concrete and no issues at all. The only problem I have is with the screen protector for the folding screen. Mine is already peeling after around a year of use and it’s a pain to get it replaced. You can’t really do it yourself and you need to make an appointment at a repair shop to do it. At least it’s free.
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.
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.
