Android

Cool gimmick, but I’m gonna wait till all the kinks are worked out (or at least, all the major ones). Right now, I just don’t care enough to buy an unreliable phone with a hinge.

I've owned the Samsung fold2 & 3. Personally to me they are cool phones. However they just aren't made to last, and that's not the only problem. Realistically they are heavier, bulkier and have less specs than the top end smartphones. I found that each time I was holding it, I would rather be holding a normal phone just because my arms would get tired, it felt finicky to be holding such a large screen in public situations. It has its perks when sitting down in a plane, shopping mall, train. But again you could have an even larger screen and more power of you just brought a laptop. What makes me enjoy these products is the fact I've been dreaming about foldables since I was a kid, and that never disappears.

Google's Pixel Fold is pretty much what I'd like to see in a folding phone, whereas Samsung's extremely tall aspect ratio is a bit too thin for one-handed use.

Other competitors have figured out the formula for something that works well open and closed, so for the Fold type devices I'd like to see Samsung improve on the design and squish it a little, especially because it is so thick when folded.

Flip-style devices on the other hand, those are immediately cool. If the Z Flip had similar cameras to the S23, I would have considered holding out for one. The battery life on the S23 is what won me over.

I use a Fold 4. I am autistic.

I went into it assuming I would hate the crease. But decided the upsides outweighed that potential downside. But over a year in now and I don't even hate the crease. Honestly the thing I find the most annoying would also be on most other phones; Fold 4 has an underscreen camera with lower pixel density in front of it. Bothers the shit out of me. I've taken to having a floating button for screenshots/video and place that button directly over the camera circle. So instead of whatever is in my game looking stupid and annoying in that spot, I can just pretend the icon for the camera button has a weird design.

The upside for me is having access to a nearly 4:3 aspect ratio. I do alot of emulation of older games, so it's nice to have them be full screen again. Also the charging speed is pretty nice, can have the phone completely full from empty in just under an hour at max charging speed. Which means the 25% to 75% time is just nuts. Can plug it in and not get bored just from watching the percentage tick up. Lol.

I don't really have much use for it in folded bar form though, using it like an actual phone is of course better in that shape, but I didn't buy this phone because of how often I make or receive traditional phone calls. So it's mostly just a fast, useful tablet that I can fold up and put in my pocket. Honestly if there was a version without the outside screen, I would probably get that one. The only thing I use the outside screen for is to hang up at the end of a call. And I'm sure there is an alternate option for that. Could just have a tiny little info screen that had hang-up and speaker buttons. But yeah, if the outside screen isn't costing much to include, then whatever, I could take it or leave it.

I have the hand strap case directly from Samsung, I definitely recommend it. It's got adhesive strips that stick to the phone, designed to be put on once and never removed. It doesn't need to be cleaned under. Basically as minimal as possible while having the grip to the phone necessary to trust that strap with your $2000 phones life. Although I didn't quite pay that much, I always look for an open box deal. I got it 40% off.

But yeah, the crease isn't really annoying at all. At it's worst, when looking at the phone from an uncentered angle, it is visibly darker along each side of the crease, but looking at it straight on, which you generally would be doing, you can't even tell it's there. You have to touch it to notice it, but it's smooth enough that it doesn't affect playing games or anything.

I was worried it was gonna be much worse when thinking about it before I got hands on. So when my sister got a used fold 3, I borrowed it for a couple hours to play some specific games I wanted to try out. And I wasn't worried anymore about spending so much for a fold 4.

The weight was an issue originally, took about 2 weeks to get used to it, and then about a month later I got the strap case and it would have solved it anyway. It's lighter than a hand-held gaming console, and I'm sure a few of us used to hold those for hours when we weren't as strong as we are now. The original issue was mostly when trying to hold it one-handed from one side of it. Or gripping accross the phone in folded out mode. I have decently big hands, smaller hands would have made it more than a 2 week issue. But yeah, if my hands were smaller, the problem would have remained until I got the strap case, then you hold the phone from it's center of weight and your hand is in a comfortable position while doing so. Or I just tuck one finger tip into the strap and two more on the outside of the strap and hold the phone from one side still. Comfortable and distributing the phones weight more evenly.

I like the concept, but I don't think we have endurable hardware for that yet... And I can't afford them anyway.

I just hope they don't end up like many of those interesting Android promises that go nowhere.

I would absolutely love a folding phone but, can't justify the price these days. Someday for sure

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.

I have not personally used a phone with a folding screen, but I work in customer service and I know our tech team has replaced a lot of them where the screen gets a crease in the middle or comes unlamented.

Honestly though the foldables seem kind of pointless to me. It gives a slightly larger screen that's really of no use unless your phone is the only thing you use to watch movies/game on. It's really more of a status symbol than anything else.

I'm sure someone will eventually come up with a more useful and innovative way of using foldable screen technology, but this is not it.

I think they'll be remembered a bit like 3D televisions in a few years... an interesting diversion, that ultimately went nowhere.

My non-foldable phones seem to break often enough. For the price, I'm not willing to introduce another physical feature to my phone that can break. They are certainly cool though. I'd love to have one. Not willing to risk it for the price.

I like the concept but I need durability.

expensive, and not worth the change from regular phones

I've gotten used to holding onto my phones longer and skipping several phone releases at a time (Nexus 6 > Pixel 2 XL > Pixel 6 XL) and I don't really feel like I can continue to do that with a foldable based on the durability questions from the main screen. The prospect of a smaller device in my pocket is the big factor in wanting one and every time a new flip device comes out I find myself doing the same research hoping there is a magic bullet that solves the screen durability or de-lamination issues.

I am currently using a Galaxy Fold 3.

I'm torn between "I can never go back to a normal phone this is amazing" and "this is fragile and has crap battery and a normal phone would be better".

Love the idea. The durability vs price ratio has not yet put this tech into an actually realistic space yet. Too much money for something too easy to break.

Never used a foldable phone. Looks cool, but too bad its not dust resistant and the curved display is very weak against scratches. A hinge in a phone just further shorten it's lifespan. I wouldn't use them until it's not only water-resistant, but also dust proof, and the hinge better outlast the lifespan of the rest of the phone. Considering the high price and also comes with so much drawbacks, they aren't for the average person. It's a rich person's toy.

I am a marine scientist and need a phone that can perform in the field. I know the new foldables are water resistant, but I would be worried about salt and grit getting up in that hinge and messing stuff up. So I don't think they're for me, though I'd really like to have one. My Note 20 Ultra is too small to comfortably jot notes on honestly.

I think they're a neat concept, but I'm also a device repair tech and they definitely seem to be more prone to damage. Had someone bring in a Z Flip 4 with the "glass" flaking away in the crease, have had people come in with snapped hinges or battery swelling popping one of the screens. The tech doesn't seem to be quite there yet imo.

I like glass screens with an anti-glare screen protector on it.

The foldables I've seen use glossy, soft plastic screens.

We're already off on a bad start.

These things are becoming softer, more fragile, and more disposable, all the while going up up up in price.

When I see a review for a device that can be permanently damaged with just a fingernail and is frail enough to snap in half if folded the wrong way - all the while costing way more than a regular phone, I don't know if I'd feel comfortable using it. I already get uncomfortable handing my "normal" phone to someone to see, especially a kid.

As with a lot of the negatives (including price), they will improve as time goes on,but to a large degree I see foldable as a fun engineering exercise to look at, but mostly pointless for the time being. I especially find it ridiculous when a foldable is 2x as thick as a regular phone and reviewers act like it's magically half the size when you close it. You're sacrificing height for thickness, but the volume is almost the exact same as a regular device.

As someone who loves the large screen of my tablet, I like the idea of a foldable, but they are a long way away from mass adoption.

Flip phones have only one advantage - they are smaller in the pocket. Folds have advantage of turning into mini tablets, but huge downsides of battery life in this mode, and thickness in the pocket. Maybe in the future, if they manage to make them even thinner.

I'm skeptical how well the screen holds up at the hinge, so I guess I'm not an early adopter. Show me one a year old that's had the same cheap screen protector on the entire time - if it still looks good I might consider it. Otherwise I don't see a reason to upgrade.

If the price was max $1k, folding vertically and not a Samsung then I would get it. I got my self a tablet because I read and watch YouTube a lot. I rather have one device than two. So when I saw the new pixel did I get hyped then I saw the price...

I do not have a need for so much real estate on my mobile device. Nor do I want to carry anything thicker than a phone in my pocket. I use my Galaxy S20 Ultra which serves me well on the go and I my laptop if I want to look at something on a larger screen while I am home.

Like ‘fetch’ they’re never going to happen

I'd love one. Preferably the opens-like-a-book style, not the vertical ribbon.

But I don't want to carry around something that costs that much. They're currently priced for someone with way more money.

Too breaky

I love the idea of them but not at that price point unfortunately

If it doesn't make a neat noise when I flip it open like a Star Trek communicator I'm not interested.

They have a certain appeal to them. I'd love to try one out though and see how it appeals to me. Main thing that keeps me from getting one, is that I work in construction. Dust and debris getting inside the screen, then me closing it is just asking for scratches. Would a screen protector even be viable with the crease being in the middle?

Old school flip phones were feasible for situations like mine. But I'm not going back to T9 texting lol.

I like the idea of them, but I've yet to see it implemented in a way that I feel is necessarily helpful.

Love my z fold 4 a year in.

There could be some interesting designs, but to take advantage of that the UI would need to adapt, I think.

Today I'd rather have user-replaceable batteries and screens.

(Context I uses to repair phones for everyone's favorite insurance company Asurion, so my perspective is more about the physical device and components)

I fucking hate them. Super fragile AND super expensive. Not to mention if you have one and the screen protector get damaged manufacturers warranty only covers 1 replacement. Fixing that inner screen out of pocket is around $600-$700 which at that point is just buying an entirely new note or S-series phone. The only nice thing I can say is that the 4 Gen flips and folds are a bit sturdier than the first generation, so they are improving over time. Maybe by the fold 7 it will be in a place where consumers can buy and repair them for reasonable prices, but right now I always advise people to stay away.