I haven’t met anyone yet who does and I haven’t read any good endorsements about foldable phones but I keep seeing advertisement for foldable phones.
Thanks
My wife and I both used Z Flip 4 for over a year. Mine isn’t my daily anymore but it’s still fine. Wife’s inner screen died on hers just after the warranty expired. I guess that’s mixed results. 😄
Honestly I’ve thought about going back to mine once or twice since my Pixel 8 Pro had some issues (now mostly resolved).
Why did you stick it with it for a year and then why did you give it up?
After my wife’s started dying I was concerned mine would as well. If hers hadn’t crapped out I’d probably still be using mine.
Edit: There’s always the possibility that mine would have stopped working at some point, too, had I kept using it. After switching I mainly use it when I sleep now, so there’s been much less daily wear and tear. Who knows?
Why stop using it primarily instead of using it until it breaks?
Are they better for watching videos on?
I really want a phone with front-facing speakers and a good screen, maybe I have not been giving foldables enough credit.
Haven’t even looked into them seriously. Well
I was afraid if I waited until the screen died it would make it harder to transfer to a new phone. I do cloud backups but I don’t know how hard they are to restore when going between phone brands. USB transfer seemed safest bet.
As for watching videos, I do like that you have the option to fold it like an L so you don’t need a stand or anything if you don’t have something to prop it on and you need your hands. They also have a “camcorder mode” where they work sort of like a viewfinder when recording video which I found useful. The difference is mainly how you fold and hold it.
Sound was pretty good but not great on mine, but that’s most phones I’ve had experience with if you’re not using buds/cans.
Edit: My good Tech Spurt dude did a thing recently comparing moto and sammy that you might find helpful. He may have other full reviews of the individual phones by now, too. https://youtube.com/watch?v=XFtMrPPcL00
Oh awesome I’ll check that out thanks.
You can fold it in an L like a laptop?
Geez, are foldables the future?
I’ve learned so much from you guys
I think they’re figuring it out. The hinges must have been a real engineering challenge, not to mention the flexibility and durability of the screens. Remains to be seen if they’re around long term.
Yup fold it like an L for camcorder mode or when you need a stand. Some apps switch modes when you do that. Like with YouTube it’ll put persistent controls in the lower half while it shows just the video in the upper half. Probably also good for zoom or teams or other video calls since it becomes its own stand for the camera.
Ha, wild!
Thanks, I’m doing a deep dive into these puppies now
Fold 4 daily driver. It’s easily my favorite phone since my motoX many years ago. I can’t imagine going back to a non-foldable. Looking at floorplans, videos, documents, photos, you name it is so much nicer on a small tablet vs a phone screen. I’ll absolutely be getting another foldable when I’m done with this one.
Oh that’s great to hear.
Awesome, thanks
I have the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. I absolutely adore this phone. It’s thick, but I watch a lot of shows on my phone and having a tablet sized screen to watch them on without having to carry a separate device is amazing. They’re not for everyone, I think, but if the flaws in current foldable technology aren’t a problem for you and you have the right use cases, they’re great.
This is interesting, you’re the second person who’s mentioned the screen size.
So it’s noticeably different than a smartphone? I thought they were all basically the same size as any standard pixel or whatever but just fold it in half.
Also, since you watch movies on your phone, how is the speaker quality?
I have been dying to get another front-facing speaker phone since the HTC 7 and nobody is playing ball.
It’s insane that phones don’t have front-facing speakers for human ears.
Insane to me.
The Z fold is the size of a standard phone, yes, but it unfolds in half.
Geez I literally had no idea. About as thick as two standard phones when folded?
I have to look into these now.
How are the speakers?
Can I ask, I can see the crease in that picture.
That because it’s off angle?
When I’m looking at the screen, is the crease unnoticeable to you?
The crease is noticeable in bright ambient lighting conditions like outdoors in very bright sunlight or if glare from lights hits it at certain angles. For example, imagine you have a lamp and you take the shade off of the lamp. If you stand so that the lamp is behind you while you are browsing the phone, it will glare off of any normal phone screen. On folding phones, the glaring will make the crease visible.
In addition to bright lighting conditions, it’s most noticeable when not viewing the phone from head on, like you said. Viewing the phone head on seems to minimize the opportunity for light to bounce at an angle and so the crease is often not noticeable.
If you use the phone normally (viewing head on, as in browsing content, writing a text, etc) and in normal indoor lighting conditions, the crease is often totally invisible to the user.
If you work outdoors all day in bright sunlight, tbh you are going to notice it. But then I find most phone screens are hard to use in bright sunlight anyway because they aren’t bright enough.
Tl;Dr - There are many cases where you notice it, but there are many more cases where you don’t. It just sort of blends into the background after you use it for a few days anyway.
The whole spiel is helpful, helped me understand the conditions under which the crease might be noticeable, thanks.
Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this. There are some folding phones that fold vertically. They’re for convenience and fold out to the same size as a normal candybar phone. The Z Fold folds out horizontally and doubles the screen size. Speakers are fine – not audiophile territory, but not bad at all.
No worries, thanks for the reply.
That’s knocking my socks off, I had no idea the screen’s got that big.
I’m trying to pick one out now, it will definitely be a fold with twice the screen size.
Looks so cool, and so much more practical for a lot of my applications, I love comics and lounging around watching less visually demanding TV on my phone.
I’ll probably still prefer larger screens for something where I’m supposed to be paying attention to detail, but this is great to know.
Had a fold 3 since launch 3 years ago. It’s the best phone I’ve ever used. Software is brilliant and clearly a focus for samsung. The big inner screen is amazing for work and games as well as browsing. Well worth it.
The crease is just a non-issue. People see it from an angle and they think it looks bad and that it would bother them, but i assure you, when you are using the phone yourself and its facing you, like all phones that you are currently interacting with are facing you, you cannot see it. After using this phone for 3 years, i can honestly say i forget its even there.
Anyone complaining about the crease has almost definitely never used one of these phones. I hear the complaint and i can only drawn that conclusion. Its like saying you dont like a certain food that you have never tasted.
There are downsides to the fold phone that the flips wont have. Like the fold 3 is a bit heavier than most normal phones and it has sometimes been an issue when using my phone lying down somewhere as it can be cumbersome to hold up at arms length.
Also the strange aspect ratio means that video is too small to play on the outer screen and doesnt fill the inner screen. You get black boxes at the top and bottom, so video is always a little bit smaller than the inner screen. This doesnt affect games, it seems that 99% of games support the aspect ratio and often give you some level of advantage.
This would not be true on the flip phones as they have a normal screen size when open.
Incidentally, next week i am buying the fold 6 and locking in for another 3 years on a contact. If that is any endorsement.
Edit: reading throught the comments here i noticed a consistent pattern.
Those who have the folding phones cant recommend them enough and say they are the best phones they ever bought.
Those that dont have one but have a friend that has one are saying dont get one as they look bad.
(Of course there are some exceptions on both sides but a quick mental tally, and it seems that what im saying is true)
If you want to weigh in, then maybe own or have owned one before deciding they are good or bad. Your friend might disagree with your concerns about their phone.
Nice, definitely good to hear all the specifics, thanks.
So a flip opens into a normal size screen, but a fold would open into a double size screen?
Definitely like the idea of a fold also.
Video and comics are big for me, and after hearing it so many times, I’m not as worried about the crease itself.
Is there any big improvement for the six over the three that you have now?
Honestly, it’s not a massive difference, the outer screen is a little wider which is a nice improvment, the shape of the phone is better, the cameras are miles better and the processor is better. Otherwise its not a massive jump. But my wife wants my fold 3 so i said i would upgrade to the 6 as i get discounts with my job and she can have my old one.
You’ll love the flat and very sturdy design of the new hinges they introduced with the Fold 5. (This is the best phone I’ve ever had by miles.)
Oh, nice.
Congrats and enjoy.
I really want a fold 6, but here in my country they are prohibitively expensive. A S24 Ultra was 6k, a new Fold 6 is around 16k. Minimum wage here is 1.4k… Really like the technology, hate the price
1.4k what? A year? What currency is that?
If that’s yearly, it would be the equivalent in the uk would be the fold 6 costing the same as a 3 bedroom house. If i was earning 20k, which is give or take the minimum yearly wage here, and my house was 10x that, then yeah… 200k, about the cost of a lower mid level house.
How can a fold 6 cost mor than 10x your minimum wage? It doesnt even cost me 1 months salary and i am not in a well paid job.
Monthly. Real. Brazil.
I have a Z Flip 3, bought Dec 2021 and used as a daily driver since. I keep meaning to measure the folds I do per day, on average, but I’d guess it’s a couple dozen times, conservatively.
I’ve replaced the screen protector(s) four times; the screen itself is showing no artifacts or signs of wear.
Battery is meh, about the same as my previous Pixel. If I’m not on it all day, watching YouTube and getting stuck in Lemmy, I charge it once a day. If I use it heavily, lots of video binging, I sometimes charge it 3 times a day.
I’ll probably try the RAZR next, just because Samsung’s bloatware is truly obscene, and I read that Motorola’s isn’t as bad. But, otherwise, I probably won’t ever go back to a non-foldable phone, unless they release some newer tech like roll-out screens.
Very interesting, thanks for answering.
Why won’t you ever go back to an unfoldable phone, because of the screen size?
How are the speakers?
Thanks!
I like small phones, or, rather, I hate carrying around a quasi-tablet in my jeans. Folding phones reduce the size for carrying, while allowing good screen size for use.
The speakers are fine, but I’ll admit I don’t use them for music - only calls, or short YT clips. When I’m listening to music, I use either my earbuds, or an external BT speaker. I wouldn’t, like, use the built-in speakers to play music at a party, for instance. I can’t say I’ve met a phone yet that I would.
Okay, cool. I enjoyed the HTC 7 front facing speakers so much and never understood why that extremely successful experiment was not repeated en masse.
I do like the idea of carrying around a smaller screen that I can unfold.
I wonder if the next thing is just to carry around a tiny foldable screen that can unfold like 48 times into a giant screen you can just slap all the wall and connect your phone to to play a movie for friends.
Thanks
LOL that would be awesome!
Lots of positive comments here, I can back those up. Will say I think my hinge is getting slightly weaker, but I literally close it whenever I’m not looking at the screen. Z Flip 4.
I’m definitely a lot closer to buying one then I was before I asked the question.
I could definitely see myself getting one of the flips that now has a fully functional screen on the front.
Yeah, i didn’t realize how good these screens on the front are now.
I use a Samsung Flip 4 since almost a year ago. It’s pretty good, nice having a phone with a large screen that can easily fit in my pocket. Everything still works well, no problems with the hinge, but I’ve never dropped it or anything. As for negatives, the camera is meh (coming from a Pixel) and so is the battery life. Definitely needed my powerbank on my most recent vacation to the UK, where I used it a lot. I hope when it dies, there’s something like a Pixel Flip that’s durable and has good battery life. Otherwise not sure if I’ll go for another flip phone.
I need to watch a full review on the Motorola razr+ (U.S. name - I forget what it’s called in Europe). I saw some preliminary info that compared favorably to the latest Samsung, plus it runs closer to stock Android. Definitely going to take a closer look.
I’ll pick a Moto over a Samsung anyday.
Samsung has the worst battery life of all smartphones, period. Not to mention half the apps you get with the phone are bloat ware that can’t be deleted.
With the older Moto models, what stopped me from getting them was the hinge reportedly being much more fragile and prone to failure and the camera being even worse than the Flip’s. The current models seem like quite a decent improvement though.
When you mentioned a large screen, are these screens noticeably larger than a non-foldable phone? Is that the draw?
With the Flip, I’d say the size when flipped open is similar to many other smartphones on the larger side. However, I think that regular phones of that size are quite inconvenient though, so the draw for me is having that large screen size but being able to fold it to something much more compact that isn’t annoying to carry around.
Do you still have to open it to use the screen?
Or is there some kind of outer screen?
It has a small outer screen for notifications and the like. The newer models from the Flip 5 onwards have a full outer screen that can be used for pretty much everything though.
Dang, that is some nifty shit I didn’t know about
Lot of comments omin this thread! So this will prob get buried but here goes!
A couple years ago my phone suddenly died of old age. I had seen a YouTuber who had a folding phone (unrelated to the topic of the video) which I thought was wild looking. I found out that it was called a Z Flip 4 and bought it on a whim…hoping to have a phone that finally fit in my pocket. I loved the thing. It’s gimmicky, sure, but fun. And I loved how a modern phone could finally fit in women’s pockets.
I had it just under a year before I had a crazy deal to upgrade to the Z Flip 5. I have had this one around a year now and I have been really enjoying it. It was such a massive improvement over the 4 due to the huge cover screen when folded as opposed to just having a tiny screen only useful for briefly checking notifications. I’m not upgrading this year though. Planning to stick with the 5 for a bit I think!
It’s silly…but it’s fun to see some people’s reactions when I pull out my phone in public.
Battery life is not the best in the market, but still perfectly serviceable imo. The Z Flip 6 is being released soon with a bigger battery.
When I first got my Flip 4, I didn’t know that Motorola also had a folding phone model in this form factor. But I was jealous of their bright colors when I found out lol.
I would like to see more phone manufacturers try for models in this form factor. Personally, models that unfold out to become tablet sized are just far too chunky and expensive for me. I don’t really have a need for such a large device in my pocket all the time. Not sure why so many manufacturers are only into the phone+tablet folding phone model (ex: Google). It’s incredibly expensive and they are missing out on some of the market by limiting themselves imo.
I’m following every comment here, although I am surprised at how many people have foldable phone. I don’t know anybody that does, haha!
I’m even more surprised at the many positive reviews and I like to hear all of your stories.
But now they’re normal to me and the phone seems normal, so now I’m watching reviews and looking up different options.
I don’t even see foldable phones as a gimmick anymore, they seem pretty practical depending on the use case now to me, which I was not expecting to come around to!
Thanks
Yes, I’ve had the Samsung zFlip 4 for a year and a half. It’s great, my phones used to always fall out of my jacket pockets, but the center of gravity of the folded phone is much more stable and I don’t have that problem anymore. Can fit easily into my front overall pockets too which is nice. Screen feels much safer as well, since it’s usually closed.
(I work outdoors, with overalls a lot)
My only issue with it is the lack of a headphone jack and lack of a removable battery, and it gets overheating issues when I’m outside on hot days - but so has literally every phone I’ve had. Outdoor worklife is tough on phones.
There is a visible crease, and some friends have mentioned that the fold line would bother them. Personally it doesn’t bother me.
The snap close is especially fun, too.
And I like how I can have it propped up in the L position, nice way to have a little screen playing YouTube videos in the background while I work.
Someone mentioned you could do the L shape that’s very cool.
And the snap shut does sound cool.
And how it’s more secure in your pocket, that’s often a concern of mine.
It doesn’t feel bulky folded?
One thing to note if you get one, you will get comments on your phone 😅
Haha yea I’m anticipating that from the negative comments here. Thanks.
Not to me at all, way less bulky. It’s thinner than my wallet, and since it’s not long, it doesn’t jam into my leg when I kneel or sit down. However, I don’t have a case for it, not sure how it would feel with a case.
Cool. I’d probably go caseless too since my main concern is the screen.
My friend just switched over to the Android side and got a moto razr flip (the one with the smaller front screen) and he says he fucking loves it and it was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.
I can’t imagine a phone being the best decision someone makes … but cool
It’s a figure of speech not meant to be taken literally.
Moto Razr foldable Android user here. I’m very happy with it. They’re also very affordable when bought used.
Cool. What led you to buy a foldable phone?
How much are they now?
This question got a lot more answers than I thought.
Second on the RAZR+. Get it. Moto is still a solid company, they added some nice touches, and the exterior screen is awesome (if used less than expected). Paid ~1000 CAD on sale.
Only complaint so far is the OEM screen protector is getting a gnarly partial crease after 7 months, but it’s only noticeable on some screens and if you put your finger on it. Should be a warrantied issue I think, but unsure
I did a lot of research and personally found this to be the better option over the Samsung fold (not throwing any shade though).
Edit: also this year’s RAZR+ looks even better than last year’s
Awesome, I watched a review video with the z versus the razr and I did think the razr came out on top pretty definitively for my tastes.
I do want a larger screen though, like more of a phablet thing where I could read comics also
Yes. I’ve used the razr flip. Which was probably the best phone I’ve ever had. Glorious device. Loved the foldable screen.
I also use a pixel fold. Which is a piece of shit. Software is buggy. Hardware is poorly arranged. Generally hate using it.
Oh that’s really interesting. I watched a razr and Z comparison video and the razr looked like it came out on top to me as well, though no judgment was made by the video.
It didn’t feel bulky folded? Does the pixel fold?
I have the 2022 razr model. Which has a slightly different form factor than the newer models might have worked better for me. Larger bezels are a bit easier for me to use. As for feeling bulky no not at all. It felt a very nice and good size for one hand when folded. Then when unfolded it felt like a normal phone.
As for the pixel fold well. Folded it feels like a heavy and slightly bulky normal phone. Which is fine. Actually, I don’t mind the heaviness of it or the bulkiness of it. That said, I have a lot of problems with the phone’s design. For instance, the heaviness makes it difficult to handle confidently without pressing a button for me.
Anyways, I posted a half feverish rant on the pixel fold here https://youtu.be/WHxOosmJt_U
Thanks, in taking that review along with some other comments here to heart and will avoid the pixel fold for now.
Seems like they haven’t figured it out yet
My wife got one of the early models and really liked it. The battery did suck though. She’s excited about getting one again that’s supposed have better battery, and more convenient dimensions.
Is the screen too big?
Or is it too wide?
I’m surprised to hear so many positive anecdotes, it’s cool to learn all of this.
I actually don’t know anyone very well right now that has a foldable, so this is all valuable information.
First one was a Samsung flip, which just folds a regular phone in half. It’s not really usable folded beyond notifications and such. It was convenient for video calls to be partially folded and set on a table. Also you could hang up on people by closing the phone, which was cool to be able to do again.
New one is a Samsung fold which is more usable as a phone when folded.
This is all fascinating, how are the speakers on these things? Or on the ones that you’ve had?
Why are you sticking with foldables instead of flat screens?
I’m still rocking an s10+, it works for me. The folding screen isn’t a huge draw for me, i don’t use my phone for enough things that benefit from increased size (my phone is already quite large though). I didn’t notice the speakers being significantly different than most any phone.
Okay, thanks. I didn’t see the draw either, so these answers have been pretty enlightening.
I’ve been using the Samsung zflip 3 since release without issues. I like that it does not take up much pocket space. I’ve always liked smaller phones like the Xperia Xz1 compact, so the unfolded screen is a bit bigger than I’d like. Sadly there are not many options for small android phones anymore.
I’ve pre-ordered the zflip6 through att since they are offering a $1100 trade in value for the 3. Looks like it’ll have a bit better battery, camera, and a dust protection rating.
Whoa! Foldable phones are that much pricier?
How much is the six?
Sorry, I’m one of the big screen folks too, although I wish I could find front-facing speaker somewhere.
I don’t understand how even tablets don’t have front facing speakers.
The 6 is $1100, so free for me with trade in. I think the flip 3 was $999 on release but I did the $999 off deal by trading in a Galaxy s10e.
I guess you could say the zflip has a front facing speaker if you open it halfway haha. In the L shaped position the speaker will face you.
Haha.
Wow, nice trade in value, congrats
I have the Fold 4, I’ve been using it as a daily driver since 2022. I love the thing, but just last night I had my first problem with it, I have a hardware failure that when I close my phone it turns it off. I am luckily still under the T-Maybe insurance; I have to go poke them with a stick later.
My partner has the flip 3, still going strong.Overall I love the device, but I recommend never having a foldable without insurance.
Which brand are those?
Thanks.
Good luck on your stick poking
Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 and Samsung Galaxy Flip 3. And thank you.
Other people have mentioned the screen size.
Is the screen size on these noticeably bigger than the average regular smartphone?
What are some specific likes for you about the foldables?
I was under the impression they were basically the same size as a regular phone, but it sounds like not?
Speaker quality?
It’s not for everyone, but I love having a real phablet in my pocket. It is basically like carrying a full computer in your pocket; be it for videos or pictures or just browsing Lemmy, I like having the bigger screen. I am more of a power user of the device and run and control my other computers using Termux shell and SSH.
The outer screen I wish was a bit wider. I wish Samsung would put the fold at 90 degrees from where it is currently, so the outer screen would be shorter and fatter, which would make it more usable.
Sound quality is quite good, or good enough for me (not much of an audiophile), it can get louder than my partner’s phone when we have volume battles. I have not heard any audio distortion from it being turned up all the way, either.
That’s super interesting. I used to like watching videos on my phone, but I absolutely can’t enjoy it without front-facing speakers, but if the speakers are louder without distortion, maybe that would make a difference.
I’m going to do a deep dive into foldables now, thank you very much for the in-depth answers.
Hey, I just wanted to get back to you with an update and a reassessment. Due to insurance issues and them giving me the run around. I would not recommend a foldable device a carrier will try to screw you at every corner if you have any issues and make you jump through hoops of flaming shit just to get a replacement device. I realized these are the perfect rich person toy, that you will need to get the upgrade every year or risk insurance claim hell.
If you get a foldable, have a backup potato phone, keep your backup stuff there and work profile.
That being said, I will likely be getting a replacement Tuesday.
I see a lot of these have 2-year accident insurance now, which I would definitely be getting if I end up with a foldable.
I’m liking the idea more for my specific use style, but I’m not sold yet.
I’m more convinced not to dismiss the concept entirely now.
Flip and foldable phones are another viable option now in my mind, instead of some impractical gimmick.
They seem practical.
