this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2023
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Every person I've known who has owned a foldable has had it eventually break because of the fold. We try to keep moving mechanical parts out of tech for a reason. I've never had a smartphone 'suddenly break' like a printer or car.
This might be a bias. I've had a foldable for two and a bit years now, no issues aside from I hate the camera, but that's always been a constant
The glass "runs out" of flexs.
I've had 2 for a year each and no major issues. Now that this one is just out of warranty and working towards year 2 guess I'll see. I love the sheer size of the screen so much.
There's a superthin glass under the layer of plastic, it's what cracks and breaks and gets all crunchy when you see broken ones with a rainbow in the middle. Jerryrigeverything has great teardown of em for how durable/fragile they really can be.
There is glass. Just very thin.
A 30 micron layer of "some SiO2 but mostly polycarbonate" is not what I'd call glass... But whatever makes Samsung investors sleep better at night, I guess.
My Fold4 still looks new, and it's been a year now since I bought it. I use mine both as phone and a laptop replacement.. Sure inner screen is more fragile but also more protected when closed. You do have to set your expectations right. Definitely not a phone for people who don't take care of their own devices. But at the same time, device doesn't break by opening and closing it.
How do you use it as a laptop replacement? What tasks are you doing on it that would otherwise be done on a laptop? I feel like its too small, it would only replace phone tasks for me.
I'm assuming dex
The best thing to do when people are victimized by vendors selling junk is to shame them, clearly.
Whilst i might be biased, my samsung fold 3 has been fine for 2 years. My mum and step dad have had the flip 2 and 4, a colleague at work has a gold 4 and two colleagues at qork have a fold 5 each.
No issues at all.
I would argue that you have also formed a bias based on people you know who perhaps dont take care of their insanely expensive phones.
Although saying that, I've dropped mine multiple times, onto wood flooring, ceramic tiles, and tarmac (i practically threw it onto the tarmac when something scared me). Amd all it auffered was a few scratches and dents on the edges. Both screens are absolutely fine.
The plural of "anecdote" is not "data".
Who said anything about data?
I gifted my mom my Flip 3 when I migrated off (I couldn't tolerate the cameras on it). She only broke it once early on by dropping it with the screen open, but that's what the accidental protection is for. Other than that, she uses it daily and it still is going strong.
Other than the novelty of it, I don't see the attraction of folding devices. Other than folding it doesn't do anything that my non-folding smartphone doesn't.
Bigger screen with a constrained form factor. If you don't need a bigger screen, you're just not the target, but that doesn't mean it's totally useless.
Main camera selfies look amazing, multitasking with apps are usable, works as a kickstand, can easily fit in a clutch, big screen for videos, etc
I used mine to help put on my license plates in the dark. I get a surprising amount of use out of the ability to fold the screen to point the flashlight wherever
They should put a little WearOS watch screen on the back of a regular-ass smartphone for that.
And help one of the 5 benefits they listed?
Ever try to stuff a modern phone into a small purse?
Form factor has been a complaint since the HTC EVO.
Yes, it’s why I got an iphone 12 mini. Super small! I don’t know how people deal with the huge ones that are practically a small tablet.
Right, but the fold has the benefit of a small form factor that can become a small tablet when desired!
Oh I know! I knew a guy that had one, it was pretty cool! I especially liked that you could fold it so that people you’re taking a picture of can see the camera view same as you.
They fit in a pocket.
I would kill for a smaller sized phone at an affordable price and good/decent spec.
They look super thick though. I can't imagine that being very comfortable in a pocket.
No thicker than a wallet.
Not really noticeable unless you wear super tight clothing and you get used to the weight.
Not sure about the flip phone shown in image but my Fold4 was bought in attempt to replace my laptop which I have to lug around with me constantly due to work. So far it's able to do around 85% of my work, which is good enough. Definitely not a phone for everyone, but for what I use it, it does the job pretty well. There are downsides of course, but benefits as well. Bigger screen does come handy but not as often, unless used as laptop with bluetooth keyboard and similar. I have used it on few occasions as sketchpad, because I have a pen and a huge screen.
Yes, it doesn't. Noone needs one of these, and that's ok. The 4:3 ratio is irritating, but getting two rows of videos on youtube is soooo nice when just looking for a video.
I am typing this on my pristine Fold 3.
Purchased it on day one and had it for a more than two years by now. The phone is as spotless as the day I got it. I open and close it constantly.
Stop spreading FUD.
I've had my fold 3 for over two years and it's still perfectly fine and I've dropped it quite a bit. I even dropped it hard once on asphalt while biking full speed. Tbh I got lucky with that last one, but still, these phones are plenty durable.