Galaxy Z Fold7/Flip7

[Zito Abroad]

Massage as in sometimes you have a stuck pixel and can gently rub the screen to unstick it. It is an old remedy from back in the day for LCDs.

I started the claim process but paused...would you guys go for local repair (which I assume is a screen replacement) or opt for Samsung sending you a replacement Fold6 (which in all likelihood will be a refurb)?

I just worry about the repair person scratching up my phone in the process. And does a claim or repair affect future trade-in value? Am I better off just trading my device in now towards a Fold7? But then again, this sort of thing is what SamsungCare is for.

If you have an over the counter service available to you, and they are an actual authorized Samsung service provider, that means they use Samsung's repair tools and practices. So if they replacing the screen, they would use what Samsung uses to replace the screen. You can bet your phone will maintain it's IP rating as it will be repaired with the right parts and tools. These tools cost a lot, so anyone that is an authorized repair location, has invested a lot of time an money to get that designation. That means, there's no way they scratch your device. Unlike, unauthorized repair stores, who just pry open your screen the way you see YouTuber teardown videos do it. Using a heat gun and metal and plastic prying tools and in many cases, non OEM parts.

 

[Ludatyk]

I started the claim process but paused...would you guys go for local repair (which I assume is a screen replacement) or opt for Samsung sending you a replacement Fold6 (which in all likelihood will be a refurb)?

If you have a local authorized shop nearby... I'll always chose that. And see if they can repair it or do some diagnostic on the spot even if you have to leave it with them (for a couple of days), because too many variables can go wrong if you ship it off to them.

I just worry about the repair person scratching up my phone in the process. And does a claim or repair affect future trade-in value?

If they screw up in the process... it would be on them fix the damages. And I don't see how repairing will affect future trade-in. I don't believe Samsung is looking at the serial number to determine if there were any repairs that took place... they only care about the condition.

Am I better off just trading my device in now towards a Fold7? But then again, this sort of thing is what SamsungCare is for.

I'd certainly try to get it repaired before pursuing a trade it in.

 

[Harthag]

I think what I like best about the Fold 7 is it showed me how much nicer OneUI is compared to iOS. I don't have to worry about email notification bubbles not going away even after I read everything. Or text/email not coming through right away because Apple decided they want to reroute them through India or something. Or being at the mercy of UI designers, another reason I got the Fold 7 was because Liquidglass was the last straw for me.

Every time I see your username I think of Ayahuasca 😂.

I have had a few foldables along with the Fold 7. The fold 7 was amazing and was the best foldable phone i have used to date. But i returned it and went back to my S25U and P9XL...and not because of the zoom. I went back to slab phones because of the outer display. That is the display I use on average 6 hours a day

I don't want to have to unfold my phone all the time for everyday uses or tasks. IMHO that is a failure of a folding device. I should be able to use a folding phone for 80-90% of what I would a slab phone completely folded.
Then when consuming media or for casual web browsing i would unfold it.

Then unfolding on the fly is not an easy thing to do....it takes 2 hands for the Fold 7. I don't use any other phone 2 handed. So i end up treating the Fold 7 completely different than my slab phones.

For me the outer display needs to be the same size as any other slab phone. Then when the task needs it....I could unfold it and have that awesome display size for what ever I need it for.

Its not all about specs or zoom or battery or the creases or any of those things. It is all about the user experience.
For my uses...the outer display on the F7 is still too narrow. It needs to be the same as the S25U. I would not mind if it was thicker to accomplish that either. Then i could truly take advantage for the full unfolded display awesomeness when the task needed it.

I know some use the F7 unfolded most of the time. That is perfect for them! I could not fit that into my uses at all.
I am excited to see what the Fold 8 has to offer though! I would love for it to have a full size outer display.

The outer screen definitely is narrow but I'm used to it now. I have skinny fingers so no typos. It's just wide enough for me to be able to use it as I normally would use a slab phone. Yesterday I unfolded the phone only a few times to watch MLB.tv. Today I have yet to unfold it. It's great to just use as a normal slab phone for most of the day.

I still like the Flip 7 more but couldn't keep it due to lack of full notifications sticking on the outer screen when locked. Had the Razr Ultra been on sale when I returned the Flip I may have gotten that, but then I'd get irritated at painfully slow updates. It's back at $1299 which is TGH for that phone.

 

[NeonNights]

Thanks for the advice, @Zito Abroad and @Ludatyk. The claim process gave me a choice of three uBreakiFix authorized locations nearby. I have an appt Monday at 10:30am. I called and confirmed they have the parts in stock and the repair should take about 3 hours. They will need the phone unlocked to conduct testing after the repair, which means I'll probably log out of all my email, bank, stock, streaming accounts, etc.

 

[Cuesca]

Thanks for the advice, @Zito Abroad and @Ludatyk. The claim process gave me a choice of three uBreakiFix authorized locations nearby. I have an appt Monday at 10:30am. I called and confirmed they have the parts in stock and the repair should take about 3 hours. They will need the phone unlocked to conduct testing after the repair, which means I'll probably log out of all my email, bank, stock, streaming accounts, etc.

3 hours? Apple took two weeks to fix my MBP. I even opted for the trade in and the manager said none are available. I had to keep calling and getting the run around.

 

[NeonNights]

I know, 3 hours sounds pretty good. I am not sure why it matters but they asked what color phone I have.

The paranoid part of me wants to factory reset the phone before I take it in for them to repair. I just don't want the risk of any sensitive financial accounts getting accessed or Samsung Password manager getting retrieved somehow. It would be a hassle setting the phone back up but I'd have peace of mind that nothing was pulled from the phone.

 

[Cuesca]

Just back it up on a Windows PC before you go. The Fold 6 and even 7 have terrible transfer speeds though so it might take a while. No idea why a $2k phone has 480mb/s when the S25U or 16PM has 5GB/s.

 

[Ludatyk]

I know, 3 hours sounds pretty good. I am not sure why it matters but they asked what color phone I have.

The paranoid part of me wants to factory reset the phone before I take it in for them to repair. I just don't want the risk of any sensitive financial accounts getting accessed or Samsung Password manager getting retrieved somehow. It would be a hassle setting the phone back up but I'd have peace of mind that nothing was pulled from the phone.

If you concerned with all that... do a factory reset to feel at ease with doing the repair, but when I went in I didn't really think too much about it. I was just focus on having my Galaxy Fold repaired.

I had drove to the official Samsung Store, first time ever going there... it was a cool experience. Seemed very Apple-like, they wanted to make sure my needs were met. Not sure how long it took.. maybe 2 hours at the most, repaired my back panel (this was the Fold 2 with the glass back) and inner screen.

 

[tbayrgs]

I know, 3 hours sounds pretty good. I am not sure why it matters but they asked what color phone I have.

The paranoid part of me wants to factory reset the phone before I take it in for them to repair. I just don't want the risk of any sensitive financial accounts getting accessed or Samsung Password manager getting retrieved somehow. It would be a hassle setting the phone back up but I'd have peace of mind that nothing was pulled from the phone.

Don't you have a repair mode you can activate in settings? I know it's a different device but my Pixel 9 Pro Fold has this option in settings:

 

[Bkdodger]

Don't you have a repair mode you can activate in settings? I know it's a different device but my Pixel 9 Pro Fold has this option in settings:

View attachment 2535983

Maintenance mode

 

[NeonNights]

Thanks, @tbayrgs and @Bkdodger, Maintenance Mode fits the bill perfectly! Did not know of the option before but just tested it out. Maintenance Mode stays on, even after a reset, until you manually exit the mode. 👍

 

[SteveJUAE]

Its not all about specs or zoom or battery or the creases or any of those things. It is all about the user experience.
For my uses...the outer display on the F7 is still too narrow. It needs to be the same as the S25U. I would not mind if it was thicker to accomplish that either. Then i could truly take advantage for the full unfolded display awesomeness when the task needed it.

I know some use the F7 unfolded most of the time. That is perfect for them! I could not fit that into my uses at all.
I am excited to see what the Fold 8 has to offer though! I would love for it to have a full size outer display.

Exactly

I'm an innie not an outtie but I can relate to this

Not sure how you use your S-Pen one handed though LOL

 

[jamezr]

Exactly

I'm an innie not an outtie but I can relate to this

Not sure how you use your S-Pen one handed though LOL

I can count on one hand.....(see what i did there) how many times I have used the S-Pen the last 2 years.
If the S26 Ultra removes the S-Pen....i will not miss it.

 

[Cuesca]

I can count on one hand.....(see what i did there) how many times I have used the S-Pen the last 2 years.
If the S26 Ultra removes the S-Pen....i will not miss it.

Probably the only reason I stuck with the iPhone for so long, tried a Note like over a decade ago and hated it. Used it for a week and returned to an iPhone. If the next Ultra has no Spen I might consider it, but right now I'm happy with the Fold 7.

 

[NeonNights]

I remember seeing my friend's S24 Ultra when it first came out and was shocked how big the phone was. With 16:9 content you didn't gain much more on the Fold4 display at the time compared to the S24U. Part of me does miss the S Ultra series better cameras, better battery life, and integrated S Pen (which I do use frequent enough that it's hard to let go).

Pre-covid I took all my work meeting notes with the S Pen and loved having all the details with me at all times. Just yesterday, I helped my daughter with a homework assignment where I used the Fold6 S Pen to remove some people from a photo. I could've used my finger but it would've taken several tries to get it correct, whereas the S Pen precision was one-and-done. That's why I would only go between a Fold or S Ultra, but I've been an S Pen fan since the Note4, Note5, Note8, and Note10 Plus. It would be a shame if the S26 Ultra lost the S Pen, but I understand the extra battery life would provide more everyday benefits for the majority of users. Or maybe the reclaimed space will allow Samsung to incorporate larger camera sensors.

 

[NeonNights]

It's interesting you can't trade-in a Fold6 towards an S25 Ultra. The most recent foldable listed for eligible trade-in is the Fold5.

Not only that, but after the max trade-in it's only a $100 difference between an S25 Ultra versus the Fold7.

 

[TPadden]

Granted I almost never used the S24 Ultra pencil; I find I'm using a capacitive pen with my Fold 7 when open much more, but again never with the screen closed. I guess for my use it's the large screen (tablet vs phone) that almost demands a pen. Capacitive works fine for my Fold 7 use.

Tom

 

[NeonNights]

Granted I almost never used the S24 Ultra pencil; I find I'm using a capacitive pen with my Fold 7 when open much more, but again never with the screen closed. I guess for my use it's the large screen (tablet vs phone) that almost demands a pen. Capacitive works fine for my Fold 7 use.

Tom

I was the opposite, using the S Pen more regularly when I had the Note series compared to when I first switched to a foldable. The irony was that I needed the S Pen more on the Note series display because it was relatively smaller. Once I moved to the Fold 4 I carried an S Pen but noticed I didn't need the precision as often due to the larger screen.

 

[The Game 161]

And everybody use it for months we'll see it

View attachment 2535669

I've never known creases to change much over time

 

[HouseLannister]

I've never known creases to change much over time

I don’t know. The ones in my forehead definitely got more noticeable when I hit 40.

 

[Cuesca]

Not bad, survived a whole 12 hour day without needing to charge half way through. My traded 13PM would have been dead hours ago. Half the time I spent in the larger screen as well.

 

[NeonNights]

Pretty good. That is on pace for ~8.5 hours SOT with a full charge.

 

[Ludatyk]

It's interesting you can't trade-in a Fold6 towards an S25 Ultra. The most recent foldable listed for eligible trade-in is the Fold5.

Not only that, but after the max trade-in it's only a $100 difference between an S25 Ultra versus the Fold7.

Not sure what the issue with Samsung... because earlier this year I attempted to do a ZF6 for a S25U and was able to do it. Think I was only able to get $600 as a trade-in, didn't proceed with it though.

That's why I would only go between a Fold or S Ultra, but I've been an S Pen fan since the Note4, Note5, Note8, and Note10 Plus.

I dabbled with the Note in the earlier years... but i was all in with the iPhone, didn't fully commit to Android until the Note 10 Plus. But that is an interesting thought.... Deciding between the ZF7 or S25U (maybe even the S26U), not sure if i want to go back to slab phones.

 

[NeonNights]

So I dropped off the Fold6 this morning at 10am. There was a line of people with broken iPhone, iPad, infected laptop, and even someone with a Flip 7 that had some dead pixels/crease with green line. The Flip 7 was released just last month! I wonder why the lady had to go through uBreakiFix and not just get it replaced under warranty. She had one of the exclusive online colors and so couldn't just get it replaced through her carrier.

Anyways, after almost an hour in line, the tech person said they think my issue is due to a scratch on the inner screen. I hadn't noticed the scratch before and distinctively recall responding to another forum here where I said there were no scratches on my Fold 6 screen after a year, so this new scratch had to be recent. But the scratch is curved and about 3 inches in length, whereas the line of misbehaving pixels is a vertical straight 2-inches. I suggested they try to replace just the factory inner screen protector first before taking the phone apart and see if that fixes the issue (since the tech suspected the scratch is what's causing the light refraction and appearance of faulty pixels). Everything will be covered under SamsungCare+ so I am just waiting to get the phone back.

The tech rep at uBreakiFix had two foldables previously and went back to an S22 Ultra. However, he said the S22 Ultra is also susceptible to the same pixel damage by the S Pen and "that's why Samsung is moving away from the S Pen on future phones". I don't know how much truth there is to what he's saying but he was nice about it all and helpful throughout the intake process. I am kind of disappointed to have this issue crop up after 13 months on a Fold 6 that I consider to be the best of Samsung's foldables (up until the release of the Fold 7).

For the next few hours I have the SIM in an old Note8. This will give me some perspective on going back to something like an S25 Ultra.

 

[Ludatyk]

The tech rep at uBreakiFix had two foldables previously and went back to an S22 Ultra. However, he said the S22 Ultra is also susceptible to the same pixel damage by the S Pen and "that's why Samsung is moving away from the S Pen on future phones". I don't know how much truth there is to what he's saying but he was nice about it all and helpful throughout the intake process.

Yeah, I don't believe that one bit.

For the next few hours I have the SIM in an old Note8. This will give me some perspective on going back to something like an S25 Ultra.

Well, keep us updated. And when I waited... no transfer of SIM, told them contact via email when it's ready (since I carry the iPad with me).