Being the age I am, I’m just old enough to remember flip-phones.
A relatively simple concept that has been on my mind lately for reasons I’ll get to. Widely considered obsolete unless you just want a cheap phone to make calls etc., these phones featured a screen on one side, a keypad on the other, with a hinge joint between the two.
The reason that this device has been dragged back to the front of my brain in recent weeks is because I am reminded of them every time I see this:
To be clear: I’m aware that this foldable iphone is not the first foldable modern smartphone (I know Samsung released them years ago also).
But I’m also left wondering: what is the point? I think I can perfectly understand the use of flip phones as they were when they were popular, but foldable phones I just can’t see the benefit. As far as I can see, these foldable type of phones offer little to no benefit that you couldn’t get from, say a regular iPhone or Samsung phone, in terms of the consumer and how they are used in general life. I get that the hardware/software may be different, but that’s not going to be a factor in most people’s daily lives (you’re not going to care about the type of core, or the screen resolution when you make a phone call, etc.) It seems like it’s more of a gimmick from the companies making them to try and make more sales, but even if that’s the case, the product must have something unique to offer, so what is it about foldable phones that are so unique besides the gimmick of folding?
you’re not going to care about the type of core, or the screen resolution when you make a phone call…
It’s not really a phone anymore. It’s a portable pocket computer. Being able to unfold a larger screen makes sense for a portable pocket computer.
Yes, this is the answer and it’s not that hard to understand.
What is hard to understand is the value proposition. Flips are more expensive for a lower spec device, and they’re very unreliable–they’re still breaking alot; wouldn’t expect more than 2 years out of one.
For most people in the pocket computer market, their needs would be more economically served by a high end phone and a mid tablet, or a high end tablet and mid phone, both items having a naturally longer life than a flip, and will each be used less, and are individually replacable.
All-in-all, flip phones are a fine concept, but at their price point and longevity, they don’t make a ton of sense for most people. Just easier to carry a tablet or put up with the smaller screen.
…expensive for a lower spec device, and they’re very unreliable…
We’re all waiting to see what Apple brings out. Perhaps they have come up with a reliable design. Perhaps it will be junk. In any case I agree that the price is not justified for most people today even if it robust and reliable. Personally, I almost never by expensive phones as my use is not very demanding.
I think Apple is buying their screens from Samsung, so wear should be the same. And, Neo aside, Apple is not known for bringing costs down.
Flips are more expensive for a lower spec device
The hell are you talking about? They tend to have roughly the same technical specs as their single-screen counterparts, with the only exception being the camera because of physics.
First, I meant folds, not flips…
Second, you are right; I had some old but also specific information I was misapplying.
That said, it will always be true that you’re paying more for the screen; if you want to pay the same price for a foldable, you’re sacrificing on hardware…
That said, it will always be true that you’re paying more for the screen
Think of it this way, for a lot of people (myself included), a foldable serves as both a phone and a tablet. Most of the time a foldable is cheaper and more convenient than an equivalent phone and tablet combined.
I personally used to use a tablet 2-3 days per week. But it would be super annoying because I wasn’t using it often enough to charge it every night like my phone, so about half the time the battery would be dead or low. Because of that I often also had to carry a power bank and charge cable around with the tablet.
Maybe you don’t have a need to a tablet or you use one daily and don’t have this problem. But for me a foldable is a really useful compromise
Yes, my original comment was agreeing that folds are pretty durn nifty.
As for your price considerations, you are leaving out longevity. A regular phone and tablet will last you many times longer than a fold. In the long run, it will be cheaper to have both.
I also specified that either the phone or the tablet be high spec. Just as you don’t always need to have a big screen, you also don’t always need to have the latest CPU and most RAM. Buying a high end tablet and a high end phone to replace a high end fold would be overkill.
BTW - I had that same exact problem with my tablet, which I used maybe once a week. Every time I’d pick it up, it would be dead or almost dead. What’s killing your battery is the radios–wifi, bluetooth or whatever. I used to have a program to automatically kill those things, but then Samsung killed access (which why I will never buy another Samsung tablet again). I started trying to remember to turn on Airplane mode, but that didn’t turn off wifi for some reason. Then I tried remembering to turn it off. But how do you confirm a tablet is off without turning it on? Maddening.
I’m using the tablet more frequently now, so it’s not as bad, but I think its helped to leave Battery Saver on full time.
For most people in the pocket computer market, their needs would be more economically served by a high end phone and a mid tablet, or a high end tablet and mid phone
Which makes it frustrating that the tablet market is so tiny compared to the phone one. And many of them have worse specs than even entry-level smartphones (Samsung is still selling the S6 Lite, which has a paltry 4GB of RAM and can barely handle running a single heavy app without crashing).
And Samsung is really quite awful in terms of locking down the OS, second only to Apple, which really has some really good tablets; though it is so damn annoying that the mini has such extreme hardware. It’s like they KNOW that’s the form factor people want, so they make it as expensive as possible.
My daily drivers are a Pixel 7, a 10+ y-o gaming PC running linux, and a mid Galaxy Tab A, mostly for browsing. The Pixel downloads my torrents, and the gaming PC runs my media server and does some AI stuff.
I think I’m happier having several mid-range devices that are adequate for the task they are put to than having fewer devices that are more capable.
Except that the bigger screen doesn’t offer more usability. It’s not the same productivity boost you get from say adding a second monitor or higher resolution screen to a desktop. For the most part the difference between my iPad and iPhone is the layout not the functionality.
I greatly disagree. If you do a significant amount of reading on your phone, it’s really useful to be able to have the larger screen for a slightly larger font (while still scrolling less) and hold it further away from your face.
Also, I’ve used the inner screen of my phone to have 2 separate apps running side-by-side, reading with one side and typing notes with the other, seamlessly. Just like I often do with a second/third monitor on a PC
Okay but you are still just describing the layout and I could have two apps running side by side on my OG Note in like 2011.
Except with the portability of a phone and screen real estate of a tablet.
Why does this need to be explained so many goddamned times?
With a crease down the middle and reduced battery life, oh and it’s not actually as big as a tablet….
Seriously… fuck off with the attitude.
With a crease down the middle
You’ve clearly never used a foldable.
And you’re the one going out of your way to shit on other people’s tastse. Just let people get phones that fit their needs. It doesn’t affect you, so why throw a temper tantrum? Grow the fuck up
I stated my opinion in a public forum. If that shits on your tastes then that is your problem. You are the one throwing a tantrum because somebody disagrees with you. You literally weren’t required to reply to my opinion that was your choice.
But if someone could simply buy a bigger phone that fits well in the pocket and is comfortable to carry around, that’s also cheaper and can do pretty much everything the foldable one can do in terms of function (which you can buy) why would you pay extra for one that folds, just because it folds?
I don’t know about you, but I can’t fit an iPad Mini in my pants pocket but I can absolutely fit a folded in half iPad mini in my pocket. That is the point of folding.
What Is an iPad mini? Is it a phone though? I thought it was a tablet? I meant more like the iPhone pro max line, or the Samsung equivalent
Is an iPad mini a phone though?
See my previous comment re: portable pocket computer
Well I was asking about phones in the post. See up top
What exactly are you not understanding about my previous comments?
iPads are not pocket computers. No iPad has ever been designed to fit in a pocket as like a phone, so I don’t understand how you’ve arrived at the comparison of a foldable phone to an iPad in terms of size and fitting it in your pocket when iPads are a tablet computer that are not designed to fit in a pocket. I’m not doubting that iPad minis are computers, they’re just not by nature portable pocket computers, so I don’t quite understand why you’re drawing the comparison given that nobody puts iPad minis in their pockets (and if they do they are using them wrong because as far as I’m aware, they’re not designed to do so)
And you were asking for honest opinions, but you turned around and started being hostile and making up bullshit arguments in the comments.
Face it, you didn’t honestly want a cordial conversation. It’s pretty clear you wanted an argument just to try to win against someone with a different opinion
My fold is narrower and fits in my pocket better while also being more or less a tablet for work. No regular phone matches its functionality.
The size of screen you get from folding phones is on par with a small tablet and doesn’t come close to fitting in pockets. And even if you could get a pocket that it could fit in, it’d be u comfortable at best and likely to be broken at worst. Folding phones get around both of those problems.
Having a folding phone is more like having a tablet with you all the time, except without the hassle of carrying an extra device around.
It’s a full color tablet that fits in your pocket. That comes with huge quality of life improvements displaying PDFs, e-books, comics, spreadsheets, charts, diagrams, videos, etc. Have you ever tried reading a PDF on a phone screen? It sucks.
I’ve had a fold for a couple years now, and I use the inner screen constantly. If you don’t read as much as I do it’s probably just a gimmick, but it’s great for me.
The foldable screen was a game changer for me. Id never had a ebook reader before and now all of the sudden I can read a book at work on my breaks. But also the coolest part is getting into graphic novels and comics for the first time in my life. Life changing.
the coolest part is getting into graphic novels and comics for the first time in my life. Life changing.
Yup, comics suck on a phone screen. I had been looking for a good color e-reader, and all things considered the portability of the fold made the decision pretty easy
Meh, people go on about productivity and whatnot but I don’t think that’s a good thing, if you need to work you use a computer, need to do both? Then use a laptop, people already have no boundaries between work and personal life, foldables are making it worse.
I do work on my phone, desktop, tablet and laptop.
I also do free time and entertainment an all 4 devices
I didn’t say anything about work or productivity. Like it is useful for that, but it’s largely for leisure reading.
This is middle tech. It is like walking is to speed walking then running. One fold is proof of concept when we get to 3 or 4 folds that’s where the magic happens. People watching a video without headphones out in public on a tiny screen, pretty annoying. We are three folds away from someone unfolding a 32" screen to watch their content anywhere also without headphones.
new folding phone concept it’s one screen but folds out 2 speakers
I wish they’d bring back slider phones with physical keyboards. Pre-smartphone days I used to have a phone (I don’t remember what it was) that was a full touch screen with a physical home and back button on the front and then you flipped it sideways and the back slid down and there was an entire physical keyboard for easy typing/texting. I’m not interested in a folding smartphone, but if they released a slider with an actual keyboard I’d buy it in a heartbeat. I loved that phone and I loved being able to type on the screen with a digital keyboard for quick stuff or flip the keyboard out and use actual keys when I wanted to type a novel of a text message.
They can squeeze out higher profit margins if they don’t have to make a physical model variation for each country/language. Think of the shareholders!
They don’t have to sell multiple variations because they don’t have to sell worldwide
The functionality of a tablet with the portability of a phone. Seems straightforward and practical to me idk
Depends how they fold. Flip folds just give you a nice small phone for pockets, second screen.
I’d rather have a phone that flips down to the size of a pocket watch. I can’t ever imagine wanting my phone to be even bigger but still less useful than a tablet but there must be a market for it I guess.
As the owner of a fold6 I can tell you that one of the reasons I got it is that it could replace the occasional tablet use when you need more space eg maps and pictures.
In that, it succeeded quite well. However, everything is now optimized toward the standard phone format so it’s nice but not really that important.
Would I buy a phone with a foldable display again? No, because after 22 months with like 1 fold a day the protection already comes off (replacing it is only 20€ if paid but I have to go on a field trip to get it made) and the price for the device is just not worth it.
So next time standard format again.
That is definitely not normal, I had my z fold 5 for 2 years and I would say I’m a power user, unfolding it at least 10 or 20 times at minimum per day, and nothing on the phone wore out
While that’s good to hear, I definitely won’t risk it again. Anything mechanical is a high risk anyhow.
In detail what happens is that air seems to come in from the side of the fold. At first it was a very small ‘triangle’ on one side but that extended more and more until now there are larger long bubbles at the side of the (vertical) fold which stay there. A bit hard to explain.
Anyhow, normal or not I now have to deal with that and really didn’t want to.
They’re referring to the screen protector in the middle. And while I think theirs just wasn’t applied well, they have a point. The inner screen protector for mine just started losing adhesion in the crease a week ago. Not worth the effort or cost to fix imho since I have to focus to see it with the screen turned on, but I can see how others find that annoying
First off, hardly anyone under 50 uses a phone for calling any longer. It’s now a portable computer. I want a device in my pocket with a small footprint most of the time, but when I need a big screen for getting work done, I no longer need to carry around a tablet too. I can just unfold my phone and see a spreadsheet. Or take notes with a stylus. Or make some doodles. Or share a video with my wife or parents more easily that they can actually see.
So, it’s one device that has multiple functions in different forms. It also means I no longer need to have a ~$1200 phone and a ~$900 iPad mini, I can get both in a single $2000 device.
There are some companies making flip phones for the disconnected folks, if your primary need is a phone, go for it. The commodore one actually looks pretty cool.
Pretty sweeping generalization of what people use smartphones for, lol. Gotta love the “nobody but old people” take.
Maybe they meant only children want a device where the largest stress point is the middle of the screen.
hardly anyone under 50 uses a phone for calling any longer
WTF…what are those assholes screaming into their phones held 90 degrees to their mouths doing?
Ok, you got me. I forgot about those dorks.
Also, the people who use voice to text at full volume out in public. What the hell. Just type.
They think holding the phone like that is smart. All those PhD eengineers were stupid to put the mic and speakers 90 degrees off.
Well, if you’re my friend’s kid, the point is to make it super easy to accidentally shatter the screen when you close it.
Your poor friend lol
Yeah, I felt super bad cuz she had her own flip and it was a year or two old at that point, but her kid closed it on a small bit of something and that was enough, apparently.
Definitely doesn’t make me want a foldable phone, I’m too damned forgetful and would absolutely fuck up my phone like that.
I don’t understand. Do you not see that the screen doubles in size? It’s like a 2 in 1 phone/tablet. That’s the benefit.
I understand that, and yes I agree that it is a benefit for some people, but for others (myself included) it just isn’t.
As politely as I can, so you do see the point of a folding phone, you just aren’t the market for it. I agree with you that it’s not for me either, but that doesn’t mean they have no point and I recognize the larger screen use case for other people, whatever that means for them.
Absolutely I see your point, I just wondered if there were any other points (ones that might appeal to people who don’t find that particular point appealing), but it doesn’t appear that there is (unless anyone can suggest an alternative to the gimmick). If there is a point, but I don’t see any benefit of that particular point, then to me there is no point. So if there are any other points, I would consider. Idk if I explained my point of view well enough (I did try to explain I considered the folding to be a gimmick in the post above) but that’s it as best I can explain it.
So, then, you’re asking what the point of tablets are? You’ve never wanted to read on a train?
I’m asking: beside the folding space thingy point, what else do the folding phones have in terms of appeal to the consumer (specifically the consumer who doesn’t see any advantage in the space/size points?
Oh! Well there’s also the Green Lantern thing. Have you ever wanted a green spectral pet bird, for example? They do that too, but mostly it’s the size thing.
Have you ever wanted a green spectral pet bird
Erm… no. No, tbh.
I often switch to my tablet for reading something on a bigger screen
If I wouldn’t have a tablet, a folding phone would be able to provide the bigger screen.
My motorola razr 2025 is a flip smart phone, and as a lady, it actually fits in the pockets of all my pants. My old non-flip phone did not fit in my pockets. It is common for ladies pockets (if pants even have them) to be less than 1/2 the size of pockets found in mens pants.
I own a Motorola razer 2020, absolutely love this phone! It’s five years old. Love that it folds and fits in my hand, pockets, cup holders and the like. When I’m ready I will most definitely get the new Razor.
Cool, but I gotta ask… cup holders? May I ask in what context is one storing their phone in a cup holder?
Driving?
In the context of people who use their phone while driving because they selfishly don’t care about the lives of people around them and can’t just wait a few minutes before responding to messages and watching videos.
The iPhone Duo (pictured above) makes a good case. It’s a 5.4" phone and iPhone users have been calling for a sub-6" phone for years. Now they can get one, albeit at $1999 to start. Then it opens up to a tablet-sized device for media consumption. So it’s convenient.
I think there’s a greater point to be made here, and it’s the folding screen itself. I think it’s a modern marvel of technology, and it would not advance like it has without mass adoption. Folding phones are pushing that, so the tech is getting better. I don’t really see much of a point for it, but I’m glad it exists and a mass market product is driving costs down, and R&D up.
There are a lot of neat things the Duo does, but none of them are essential to what I do, and certainly not for the cost. For example, I do use StandBy, the iPhone feature where if it’s charging and it’s on its side, it turns into a clock. The Duo does it in “tent” mode, which means it’s open halfway and it’s standing on its sides, with its hinge up in the air. The outer screen displays the clock face. Problem is, a regular iPhone can do the same thing with a FlyGrip, a PopSocket, or a $1 picture frame or plate holder you got at Goodwill. I have a $9 phone stand I use at my bedside.
I think it’s funny that Samsung and other Android OEMs have been making them for years, but now that Apple is also making them, people are starting to ask questions. Maybe they had the questions before, but they weren’t worth the time to ask when their brand wasn’t making them. And that’s fair. Unlike Android, iOS doesn’t exist to vacuum up all your personal data and sell it to advertisers. So it’s perfectly reasonable to be skeeved out by the advertising company that makes phones and the phone OS everyone else uses. Samsung isn’t an ad company, but they have to include all the data collecting bits. Gods forbid they make their own OS. Oh wait, they did, it was called Tizen and nobody wanted it.
I think it’s funny that Samsung and other Android OEMs have been making them for years, but now that Apple is also making them, people are starting to ask questions
To be fair, I did have questions back then, I just didn’t have Lemmy lol. Thanks for your share.
My (adult) son has had a Samsung Fold for several years now and really likes it.
For him, it’s basically a phone and tablet combined, and he no longer uses a separate tablet.
It’s also good for running two apps side by side, and I see him doing that a lot (you can setup app groups that automatically launch together on each half of the inside screen).
They break faster than non-folding phones, giving manufacturers an endless source of new revenue.
Except they don’t. I’ve had my Samsung flip for years.
They fail faster on average. Just because someone out there is still driving an AMC Gremlin doesn’t make it a good car
They fail faster on average.
Maybe the original designs, but not the new screens. The “failures” on old screens were mostly from idiots trying to peel off the plastic layer. It’s difficult for engineers to underestimate the public.
Of course, Apple bots feed Lemmy and Reddit, so now that Apple sells Samsung screens, I’m sure reliability will magically increase.
That is interesting. I admit I don’t keep up with the state of the art on foldable devices because they didn’t appeal to me (whenever I need a big screen, I also need a keyboard).
Someone else said they use their foldable phone to read PDFs; I can see how that would be useful.
Realistically, could a foldable phone last 5 years of daily use? (5yr is my minimum durability standard. I actually use my phones longer)
Same here! That’s exactly why I buy foldable phones!
My Z Fold is rated for 5 years at 100 folds per day. I’ve had it for 2 years and while I don’t fold it nearly that often it’s still going strong
Let me know in 3 years how it is holding up
