• @Psythik@lemmy.world
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      23 hours ago

      I went without a foldable for two weeks once and it was incredibly frustrating. Couldn’t get used to not being able to open the phone to get a closer look at pictures and restaurant menus. The zoom-and-scroll technique on a tiny phone screen is annoying as hell once you’re used to not having to do it anymore. I can never go back to a non-foldable ever again. Thankfully used ones are pretty affordable. Just upgraded my Samsung Fold 3 to a Fold 4 for only $400.

    • @Krauerking@lemy.lol
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      05 hours ago

      My folded phone is worse in every way to a regular phone. It is a gimmick.

      May not be one day but currently not there.

      • Saik0
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        44 hours ago

        My folded phone is worse in every way to a regular phone. It is a gimmick.

        And my pixel 9 pro fold is better in every way than the Samsung galaxy S20 5g. Especially for my use-case where I remote into other computers/servers quite often. Hell my samsung fold 4 was better too. Though I like the pixel more.

        For me it’s not a gimmick. It’s significantly made me more effective at my job when bringing a laptop isn’t a valid option.

        • @Krauerking@lemy.lol
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          33 hours ago

          Neat. My signal is worse, my phone collects dust inside the hinge and I have had to replace so many screen protectors as well as deal with the fact that the front screen is narrower and thus makes typing on it worse and creates typos now a lot. And I still can’t get a phone case for the life of me or it.

          I prefer the fingerprint sensor not being under the screen for sure but that was solvable without needing it to fold.

          I’m glad you are finding a use case but as someone that also remotes into PCs I actually just prefer to pull out a laptop. And I hate how the software often doesn’t work seemlessly between open and close causing apps to restart and lose progress.

          That’s just my findings though. Didn’t want previous commentor to feel alone among others praising it when I have found issues as well. We are all basing our feelings on these off emotions anyways. That makes it a gimmick in my eyes.

          • Saik0
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            23 hours ago

            My Samsung definitely had issue with the interior screen protector… It’s lifted at least twice on me. Samsung paid for both and took about an hour each time to replace at their authorized center.

            I’ve had no issue finding cases for either phone though.

            The samsung was narrower… the pixel fold isn’t. The front screen is quite fat. almost too wide for me… but that might just have been me being used to the samsung.

            And most of the time I prefer pulling out the laptop too. But the phone has definitely save me several times where laptop wasn’t around and fixing it now could be 5 minutes vs driving an hour to get to my desktop/laptop and fixing it there.

            They’re not perfect, and not amazing for every use case… but I fit snugly into one use-case that has made them great for me. And since the pixel fold is GrapheneOS capable… I’m quite chuffed about it.

            • @Krauerking@lemy.lol
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              23 hours ago

              Yeah Samsung. So that is something we agree on.

              The case is weird I don’t want to buy a bulky one on Scamazon that pops free from the glue being cheap like the second case I tried to buy. So that is where I am at not being able to find them. I got gifted a case from Debrand and it literally wouldn’t let the phone fold enough to trigger the sensor to turn off the interior screen.

              Seems pixel is better, but I liked the Microsoft duo for being wider but that died hard.

              They just don’t feel like a permanent answer from the cell phone manufacturers.
              But I’m glad they found a home with someone that gets the most out of it. Everyone has got unique needs I feel these are still just hyper specific.

              • Saik0
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                12 hours ago

                The case is weird I don’t want to buy a bulky one on Scamazon that pops free from the glue being cheap like the second case I tried to buy.

                If you’re still searching… And don’t need significant drop protection, look and see if “Thinborne” makes a case for your fold. I don’t think they do on the older ones… but if you have a 5 or newer I think they do. I’ve had good results from them with the new pixel. And they’re very very thin.

          • Saik0
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            13 hours ago

            I’m on GrapheneOS. I harbor a deep distrust for Google overall… I couldn’t have bought the phone if it didn’t. I probably would have upgraded to the newest samsung fold if the pixel fold wasn’t supported by grapheneOS.

    • @john117@lemmy.jmsquared.net
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      13 hours ago

      I have a mini iPad in my pocket when I want a bigger screen and finally have a phone I can use with one hand. I can’t go back lol

    • @Psythik@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      One reason why I can never go back to non-foldables: restaurant menus. (Or any document/book reading, for that matter.)

      It’s amazing for videos and games too.

    • @TheFeatureCreature@lemmy.world
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      119 hours ago

      From a user perspective: A tablet that folds up to the size of a phone. Or a phone that flips to the size of a compact little square.

      From a business perspective: A phone with an extremely fragile screen that will require frequent replacement and a hinge that has limited life, ensuring customer retention and re-purchasing.

      I do keep a loose eye on them, especially flips as I like the idea of a phone that can fold up really small for tiny pockets. Their unfathomable prices and durability issues put me off, though. I have seen foldables that have been kept past the usual 2-year contract window and… oof. They do not age gracefully. For the $1,800-$3,200CAD asking price that is unacceptable. Does not help that the only foldables with major retail presence here are from Samsung and Samsung’s customer service and warranty support here is atrocious.

      • @0x0@infosec.pub
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        8 hours ago

        They’re not that fragile really. I work outside, think asphalt worker. My flip 5 turns 1.5 years old today, no issues whatsoever besides the original screen protector that I replaced myself, dropped at least twice a month.

        I’ve broken plenty of regular phones quicker than this have been alive now.

        And while I’m at it, fuck samsung as a company, absolut shit support but nice hardware.

        • @EngineerGaming@feddit.nl
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          36 hours ago

          You managed to break multiple phones in less than two years? That’s impressive.

          Also yeah, 1.5 years is imo too little time to judge whether something is durable.

    • @filcuk@lemmy.zip
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      15 hours ago

      I love it and would hate to go back. You have a normal sized phone that can make various otherwise awkward activities on small factor quite comfortable unfolded: note taking, film watching, reading, Internet in general.
      It is so good to be able to whip this out anytime, anywhere.

      It literally replaced 3 other devices for me that I used to drag around to cafes, work and when travelling.

      I considered this overpriced bs until I got to try my friends device. Now I just consider it overpriced.

      • @FooBarrington@lemmy.world
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        315 hours ago

        Would you say the technology is developed far enough?

        I’m definitely interested, as the phone screen size is often a bit too small. But any mechanical movement makes me nervous on a small device that should last multiple years.

        • @filcuk@lemmy.zip
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          513 hours ago

          Hinge durability is the main concern.
          I would not buy in yet unless you plan to upgrade every ~2 years.
          Make sure the manufacturers warranty is solid.

          Software-wise, I’ve not had any issues whatsoever.

        • Rikudou_SageA
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          110 hours ago

          In my opinion it’s good to go! Though some people seem to really dislike the hinge and the small dip in the screen it causes.

        • @filcuk@lemmy.zip
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          410 hours ago

          Z Fold 4 going 2 years - the hinge on this can fail early, but fold 5 should be solid and can be found £600 refurbished.
          Samsung warranty is notoriously bad though, so can’t recommend for that reason (no personal experience).

    • Rikudou_SageA
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      10 hours ago

      Writing this from my first ever large foldable I got just a few days ago: They’re cool! The large screen is great for watching videos, reading a book or playing a game! Browsing the web is also pretty sweet.

      And the Flip foldables are really great for small pockets, had one previously.

      • JohnEdwa
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        5 hours ago

        great for watching videos

        …how, exactly? Other than the models that fold like an old clamshell, none of the phones I’ve seen make the screen wider, they just make it square. But in either case, you would have the exact same screen size with a normal phone, it would just the half the thickness and wouldn’t have a seam down the middle. I guess if you a connoisseur of old 4:3 TV shows it could be nice.

    • @rumba@lemmy.zip
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      211 hours ago

      I got to buy a flip and a fold for QA purposes for work. I test drove them for a few days before handing them over.

      I daily drive an s24 ultra so I’m a fan of big phones already.

      The use case for the fold is for anything where you would rather have a tablet. Some people would rather consume media on a bigger device. The real downside to me with the fold was the thickness while folded. It was uncomfortably thick in my pocket. And then of course there’s the inability to have any decent protection on the phone, and the lack of water resistance.

      Now the flip on the other hand, I really enjoyed that device. It opened up to the same size as a decently large phone, you could fold it up and throw it in your pocket, It was protected.

      They’re both too damn expensive. You could buy the biggest baddest flagship phones with the most beautiful screens and cameras for the same price as something that just folds up a little smaller in your pocket.

    • @Blankenstejner@lemmy.world
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      616 hours ago

      For me it would be to have a single device that could work as both a phone and tablet, so compact when folded for portability while having the option for using a big screen when needed.

    • @xavier666@lemm.ee
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      316 hours ago

      The only usecase for foldables that made sense is that since phones keep on getting bigger, so having a foldable phone would save some pocket space. However, I think phones stopped growing after 6" and foldable phones have been considerably more expensive. People are just more comfortable with a normal “slab” phone.

    • @Kbobabob@lemmy.world
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      35 hours ago

      It says foldable phone in the title. Do you mean that you were unsure if it was a portable smartphone or a landline phone?

    • Rikudou_SageA
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      210 hours ago

      Were there any non-smartphone foldable makers?

        • Rikudou_SageA
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          15 hours ago

          So… they were not called foldables? Meaning there were no foldable manufacturers?