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icwhatudidthere

macrumors 6502
Nov 3, 2019
269
427
That camera bump sucks. Unfolded, it makes it wobble if you lay it down. That said, most normal people (ie not me) use a case so hopefully that evens it out.

I've been using a Fold 4 since launch and I love it. The only issue I have is iMessage and that keeps it from being my primary. Otherwise, it makes me realize how useless the added size of my 12 Pro Max is and it makes me want a new Mini instead of going for another Max.

Back to the Fold 4, it's generally true about the crease, you stop noticing it after a while. But if you use it in landscape, your thumb will feel it as you're scrolling around and you become conscious of it again. It also makes pen use a little annoying. Could be better, but overall it's not a big deal.

I was surprised that video size isn't much better than my 12 Pro Max, mostly due to the aspect ratio. But for working on documents like spreadsheets or Word and editing images, it's a million times more useful.
 

crsh1976

macrumors 65816
Jun 13, 2011
1,290
1,169
I'm still shocked they haven't done a 2-in-1 laptop that runs Mac OS when docked and iPadOS when separated.
Why sell you a single device that serves as both a laptop and a tablet, when they can sell you two separate devices, each with different accessories, and make more money?

Product strategy isn't solely about what's technically feasible (it's unfortunate for our wallets too).
 

anthogag

macrumors 68000
Jan 15, 2015
1,693
2,760
Canada
Maybe Apple can do something with LIDAR to make a larger screen. For example, mirror the iPhone's screen as big as you want it in AR.
 

Mousse

macrumors 68040
Apr 7, 2008
3,129
5,991
Flea Bottom, King's Landing
The camera is at the center, not the corner.🥳🥳🥳
happy-dance-gif.gif
 
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compwiz1202

macrumors 604
May 20, 2010
6,908
5,182
Apple needs to do a iPhone/ iPad mini.

I do want a foldable iPhone and I don’t care about the crease.

I read a lot of reviews on YouTube that you get used to it like the fkn notch that everyone was complaining about.
I only notice it on ZFlip4 if I have it on a table and there is overhead light. I don't even feel it anymore when scrolling
 

robbietop

macrumors 6502a
Jun 7, 2017
596
814
Good Ol' US of A
I am happy for them, but I don't need a foldable, and the market has shown little to no change in growth.

Most people are fine without them, which leaves it at hobbyist niche.
 

d686546s

macrumors 6502
Jan 11, 2021
457
1,070
Frankly, the people who cannot imagine a use case for a foldable phone are the same people who couldn't see a use case for a smartphone in the mid-00s even though I agree the tech is not quite there yet, some kinks need to be ironed out, the software improved and -- most importantly -- the prices need to come way down. I do not think that foldables will replace regular smartphones in the same way as regular smartphones have replaced dumb phones, but I agree with others here that as soon as Apple releases a foldable the forum will shift its narrative.

This is basically the size of an iPhone Mini that folds out into a decent-sized mini tablet. You can read a book or browse the web on a big screen. You can message and watch a show on your commute, you can open your calendar while you do other things, open Amazon and research the products you're buying at the same time etc etc etc. These are not things like a 3D TV, it's stuff people do every day. Call it a gimmick if you want, but I remember people arguing very passionately about how no one ever would want to consume any media on a phone (gasp), yet here we are.

I would buy a foldable, even today, if the price wasn't totally out of my reach. I'm very much convinced that the primary factor inhibiting wider success of foldables, even today with all the other drawbacks such as creases and non-optimised software, is price. Bring it down and they will come.
 

Nozuka

macrumors 68040
Jul 3, 2012
3,228
5,421
IMHO still not quite there yet, but you can tell that the tech is steadily improving.
Hopefully someone fixes the crease issue someday. It is very ugly and distracting.
Also the "glass" on the fold feels very cheap to me.. but i guess it can't feel the same if it has to be able to bend.
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
15,170
16,166
US
It’s funny how people try to find issues or reasons to hate a product when it’s not made by their favorite company.
exactly....that is until their favorite company makes one then it a beloved product and better than all the rest...
 
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spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
10,835
4,652
Apple needs to do a iPhone/ iPad mini.

I do want a foldable iPhone and I don’t care about the crease.

I read a lot of reviews on YouTube that you get used to it like the fkn notch that everyone was complaining about.

The crease is pretty much a non-issue for me, you stop seeing it after a few minutes the first time you use it. Sure I'd take a non-crease phone as an improvement, but the sheer utility of having your phone unfold into a tablet is well worth having the crease. Other phone makers have ditched the crease, so it's only a matter of time until Samsung follows, and most likely Apple when it's their turn.
 

H2SO4

macrumors 603
Nov 4, 2008
5,271
6,471
Foldables are nice in theory to me.

But until someone comes up with a material that can fold and unfold without leaving any noticeable crease or indent, I'd rather stick to the tried, true and boring slate form factor.
Yes, but nobody will EVER do that unless we try.
 

Phillychenzo

macrumors newbie
Dec 8, 2022
1
1
Glad to see new folding phones coming out. I hope this motivates Apple to add something to the market that is comparable. The iPhone feels a bit long in the tooth when I see new tech like this. I have to ask myself, "Are these new folding phones going to replace tablets?"
 
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spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
10,835
4,652
One thing about foldables, especially the versions like this purported Google Pixel Fold, that offer a full sized outer screen is that they’re doing so because they know the device doesn’t make sense if you have to unfold it every time in order to use it. They include the outer screen to make the device more like a current slab device that just so happens to also have a larger inner screen.

And that added screen drives up cost and reduces battery size (to fit in the added screen hardware). So they’re making two devices in one, just for the “convenience” of being able to carry a phone and mid-sized tablet in their pocket.

Like any product out there, there will be a subset of consumers who see this is exactly what they want and need for their particular use case, but I would venture to guess that it will always be a small portion of the overall market. Between the cost and fragility of the folding screen, it’s a niche product category.

I’m more than happy to carry a smaller smartphone for the quick and easy call, text, email and various web/app interactions, and have access to my iPad Pro for when I need to do work (using a physical keyboard) or for watching videos.

It's interesting that I keep hearing about how fragile today's folding phones are, but have yet to see anyone offer any sort of proof that this is truly an issue. I get that more moving parts are more prone to failure, that's just common sense, but with official reports of 200k + folds (Samsung's estimate for the ZF3, haven't found estimates for the ZF4 but they did say it was improved, other folding phone makers have said closer to 400k) estimated I think we are in good shape there. Its not like we are seeing an epidemic of broken folding phones, it's virtually a non issue. At the same time folding phones may offer better protection than slab phones in some sense, when the screen is folded closed it's much more protected than a slab phone for example. Edit: Here is the ZF4 fold estimate.

Personally I highly doubt reliability is the issue going against mass consumer adoption, it's more the pricing, although I could see the *perception* of reliability as an issue, especially when word of mouth gets it wrong as in this case. Get these down to $1k and you'll start to see much higher rates of adoption. You have a great setup with a small smartphone and an iPad Pro, no argument there, except for me that setup falls apart when I try to stuff the iPad Pro into my pocket. That's just my personal use case scenario though, we all have combinations which work for us. But personally I don't want to return to the days of putting my tablet between my back and pants, or having to wear cargo pants to maybe be able to carry an iPad mini.
 
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subjonas

macrumors 601
Feb 10, 2014
4,524
4,595
Phone when closed, tablet mini when opened. For those of us able to look beyond one brand, it seems like having both a phone and tablet in one would be a great device.

My phone and tablet (in one) is iPad Mini 6 cellular. It works great in both roles for me (buds + VOIP app for phone calls). The one thing I wish it could do is fold/roll into a pocketable size.

This thread should fill up with a massive pile of disgust and the usual pounding of something Apple doesn't sell (yet) but I bet that collective sentiment will make a remarkable flip as soon as Apple rolls one of these out. After all, "we" used to ridicule phablet-size phones to no end while Apple clung to 3.5" and then 4" as "perfection" screen sizes. This will be no different.
I still think 3.5” and 4” are perfect smartphone screen sizes. 😀
 

subjonas

macrumors 601
Feb 10, 2014
4,524
4,595
beautiful, at least google phones are not wobbling
Yeah ever since multiple lenses came out, I always wondered why the iPhone camera bump stays in one corner which causes the phone to wobble. Why not stretch it across the width of the phone like this Pixel (and I think some Samsungs), which allows it to lie stable?
 
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