It’s not a made up problem. As a woman my experience is that a lot of clothing pockets and smaller purse pockets don’t accommodate larger iPhones well, which is why I bought an iPhone SE for on the go use in the summer despite already owning an iPhone 11 I quite like. What I prefer to own and use would be something along the size of an iPhone Pro Max. What I prefer to carry would be something considerably shorter. The Z Flip phones would be my choice…if they ran iOS. I do use Android, but not on my primary phone that’s always with me.
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Hands-On With Samsung's Latest Foldable Smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip
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Exactly. The same folks that don’t like folded phones still won’t like them, but quite a large number of people that currently ignore the whole folding thing (because it’s not an iPhone) will begin to weigh in and may end up outnumbering those that have never liked folding phones.
That’s the kind of thinking you arrive at when you realize that any group is still just a bunch of individuals.
I can totally understand how 1.5 lbs would be considered heavy by some people. I‘m thinking my personal definition of “heavy” starts closer to 5 pounds.
I've owned countless cell/smart phones since 1997 and I've never had one, not one, fail due to lack of dust resistance. And yes, all of these phones were used outdoors countless times.
Oh, they’re definitely doing some R&D. And patents have shown that they have interest and/or designs brewing. But they’re not gonna put out 2 or 3 years of devices that are basically test devices when other companies (Samsung) are already spending money to produce said testable devices and get them out in the market.
Apple is usually smart in this area. Not wasting money on testing tech in the market just cause it’s popular at the time. They wait till something has matured and they find a way do it as good, or better before they release it.
Copied ideas? Of course, sometimes. But it’s also a really smart strategy for putting out quality products with the least amount of blowback as possible. Like antennagate, bendgate, etc…
JMO 🤓
That was my main concern when I ordered my Flip 4 yesterday. But I'm a fairly light user (I use my watch as a gatekeeper of importance so I'm not on my phone half the day) who takes great care of my devices, so I decided to give one a shot. We'll see how it goes!
It's great that you've found a solution that works for you by wearing specific clothing or accessories but I think it's far more impressive that I have a 2 in 1 device (Z Fold 3) that I can comfortably put in any pocket of any pair of pants, slacks, pj bottoms, or shorts that I own.
Yeah all this talk about dust just makes me realise that the problems for electronics seem to be very different depending on where you live. I may drop my phone in the snow or have it get wet when raining or snowing but dust isn't an issue where I live, so water protection is important.
Spot-on. While I'm curious about foldable phones, the last thing I want in my pocket is a thicker phone, or one with compromised battery life. Having to manipulate/unfold it would be another daily irritation.
I suppose some company could develop a foldable toaster, but I'd likely never purchase one of those, either.
People suggesting Apple doesn't have the smarts to create one and bring it to market is so laughable. Fortunately, they've likely made at least a dozen prototypes going back at least 5-10 years, to suss out market viability, and have decided to pass. Smart move.
Well, given that various research firms peg Foldable sales (Flip and Fold types) at between 7.1M and 10M units in 2021, and Samsung having ~60-80% of those sales depending on quarter, that’s not a very large number of sales overall worldwide. Part of the issue is of course price and Samsung themselves say 70% Flip and 30% Fold purchases. So that works out to:
4.26M min to 8M max sold by Samsung.
Flip 3M min to 5.6M max sales
Fold 1.3M min to 2.4M max sales
Neither of these sales numbers is mind boggling but they do approach replacing the Note series sales of 2019’s 5M low and 10M Note heyday highest.
I’m not confident that just because Flip type feature phones are popular in Asia that that translates into sales of much much more expensive Z Flip smartphones.
Uh, here are the relative weights of the devices in question compared to your iPhone 13 Pro, which you say is “at my limits” for holding, large heavy phones being “too heavy for me to hold”, “osteoporosis”, and “heavy phones hurt like hell to hold”. All you said is completely understandable and believable because many of my former patients and my mom have the same problems due to osteoporosis and other physical limitations.
Relative weights, exclusive of any cases.
iPhone 13 Pro 7.19 oz, 204 gms
iPhone 13 Pro Max 8.47 oz, 240 gms
Samsung Z Fold 4 9.28 oz, 263 gms
Samsung Z Fold 3 9.56 oz, 271 gms
The slightly lighter Z Fold 4 is 23 gms or 0.81 oz heavier than the iPhone 13 Max, and 59 gms or 2.1 oz heavier than the iPhone 13 Pro, that’s 0.13 pounds heavier!
I dare say that with current technology, the Z Fold 4 is not going to be the lighter larger device you’re looking for, on the contrary, it’s significantly heavier and, when folded open, a bit more difficult to hold unless you use both hands. It’s even heavier than the 13 Pro Max. Of course, this is due to the bulk of the extra chassis, display, battery sufficient to give it acceptable battery, display, and CPU run time.
This is precisely why Apple is pursuing multiple fronts to address this:
1) highly power efficient A-series and M-series silicon to reduce power consumption without reducing performance. This allows for smaller battery size, less weight.
2) pushing display makers (Samsung, LG, BOE and others) to come up with more and more power efficient displays and driver chips - double the size of the display hugely increases power consumption, as does variable and high rate refresh, always on, high enough output nits, etc., let alone durability and reliability, something that Folding Flexible display have yet to really prove. These parameters have not yet met Apple’s needs of quality, quantity, reliability and reputation in a display/device they want to put out. Also, given that Samsung is the major and primary source of flexible displays so far, Apple would be at the mercy of Samsung Display (SDI) for pricing, quantity and quality (yield) limits, which causes the displays to be expensive and relatively capacity and quality constrained. If Apple wanted to have quantity numbers of say 10-15M units in the first year, you’re talking of literally doubling to possibly 1.5X the current production capacity at 100% yield where yields are unlikely even close to that high. So it becomes a costly supply chain exercise depending on one exclusive display supplier.
Apple is just not going to do that for a limited, niche product where it can’t control costs and make a profitable product that has a growing market, Apple iOS wise.
Good luck. You may wish to seek out the EU Samsung Community discussion forums, and search for Fold or Flip display or screen problems and issues. Many EU Samsung consumers (including non-English language like Italy, Spain, France, Germany) have run into problems with Samsung Flexible displays Fold 3, Flip 3, developing delamination of the factory applied display protector, cracking of the screen in normal use, cold weather, and upon opening, many of these failing within the first 6-12 months of ownership. Some claim peeling off the screen protector “doesn’t void warranty” (“it’s just a protector, not permanent”), Samsung may say otherwise. LOTS of disgruntlement when they talk to carrier or Samsung about warranty repairs only to be advised “not covered due to user abuse, user caused damage (disputed of course), and a huge lack of support from Samsung unless escalated multiple time over multiple days and calls. Of course, where’s the Samsung Store or Repair depot to be found in most of those countries?
So far, press hasn’t gotten wind of this issue, but it seems it does exist. As Foldables grow older, we’ll see if there are reliability issues with them over a normal lifetime.
I got a Flip 3 when they came out last year and I would need to charge the phone again by mid afternoon at best. Also the screen would make a crackling sound when I unfolded it. I hope this year‘s models have improved those two issues I had but I’m not willing to buy one this round after going through that.
I hope an iPhone foldable does arrive it would replace my mini. Can’t see apple having it as more of a major buy than current iphone Though
Of course I think that. It's a huge compromise between having a screen big enough to do something useful and something I can fit in my pocket. It's not just a phone, it's also a productivity tool.
Battery life is definitely a drawback for the flip, but the new 4 has a bigger battery. That's why I already pre-ordered it.
Colour me impressed - that plus other features like storage to 1TB, really good cameras. And no, actually an iPhone, iPad, Mac user from back in last century!
Samsung this week launched its fourth-generation foldable devices, the $1,000 Galaxy Z Flip and the $1,800 Galaxy Z Fold. Though there's no sign of a comparable Apple foldable device on the horizon, rumors suggest prototypes are in the works, so we thought we'd take a look at Samsung's newest smartphones to see what Apple needs to measure up to when a foldable iPhone does come out.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Samsung's early foldable devices were riddled with durability issues and hinge-related problems, but Samsung has now had several years to work out the kinks. New hinge designs and body refinements have taken care of a lot of these issues, and the fourth-generation devices look and feel more durable.
The Z Fold 4 is the bigger of Samsung's two foldable smartphones, and it folds like a book, going from a 6.2-inch display to a 7.6-inch display. The Z Flip 4 is a smaller foldable that folds vertically, top over bottom, and it has a 6.7-inch display when opened up. When closed, there's a 1.9-inch display where you can see notifications, the time, and other at-a-glance info.
Both of Samsung's foldable devices feature 120Hz OLED displays that look fantastic, and the Z Fold 4 runs a special version of Android built for foldable devices. Android L adds a dock that makes it easy to swap between apps, and there are useful multitasking capabilities.
Beyond the novelty of the folding, these two devices have your general high-end smartphone features. Multi-lens cameras, high-capacity batteries that outlast the iPhone battery, the latest Qualcomm chips, under display cameras, fingerprint sensors, 5G connectivity, and more. Make sure to watch our video up above to see the folding mechanism in action and to get a look at the rest of the feature set.
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone since 2016 when LG Display started producing foldable displays for smartphones, but so far, there have been no tangible rumors about an iPhone that folds as such a device remains in the prototyping stage.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said back in January 2021 that Apple's work on an iPhone with a foldable display was in the early stages, and that the company had not yet committed to releasing a foldable device. Other rumors have indicated that Apple is testing 8-inch and 9-inch foldable options, but we're still years off from a release.
Both display analyst Ross Young and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believe Apple has some kind of foldable iPhone in development with a launch planned for 2025 at the earliest. Apple often holds off on implementing new technology until the available hardware can meet the quality specifications that the Cupertino company demands, so it is no surprise to see Apple waiting for several years after the launch of foldable Android smartphones to launch its own.
Article Link: Hands-On With Samsung's Latest Foldable Smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip
That hinge won’t last five minutes. Terrible design and an extortionate price.
My question is: will a screen shot show that fold? I assume not.
Samsung this week launched its fourth-generation foldable devices, the $1,000 Galaxy Z Flip and the $1,800 Galaxy Z Fold. Though there's no sign of a comparable Apple foldable device on the horizon, rumors suggest prototypes are in the works, so we thought we'd take a look at Samsung's newest smartphones to see what Apple needs to measure up to when a foldable iPhone does come out.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Samsung's early foldable devices were riddled with durability issues and hinge-related problems, but Samsung has now had several years to work out the kinks. New hinge designs and body refinements have taken care of a lot of these issues, and the fourth-generation devices look and feel more durable.
The Z Fold 4 is the bigger of Samsung's two foldable smartphones, and it folds like a book, going from a 6.2-inch display to a 7.6-inch display. The Z Flip 4 is a smaller foldable that folds vertically, top over bottom, and it has a 6.7-inch display when opened up. When closed, there's a 1.9-inch display where you can see notifications, the time, and other at-a-glance info.
Both of Samsung's foldable devices feature 120Hz OLED displays that look fantastic, and the Z Fold 4 runs a special version of Android built for foldable devices. Android L adds a dock that makes it easy to swap between apps, and there are useful multitasking capabilities.
Beyond the novelty of the folding, these two devices have your general high-end smartphone features. Multi-lens cameras, high-capacity batteries that outlast the iPhone battery, the latest Qualcomm chips, under display cameras, fingerprint sensors, 5G connectivity, and more. Make sure to watch our video up above to see the folding mechanism in action and to get a look at the rest of the feature set.
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone since 2016 when LG Display started producing foldable displays for smartphones, but so far, there have been no tangible rumors about an iPhone that folds as such a device remains in the prototyping stage.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said back in January 2021 that Apple's work on an iPhone with a foldable display was in the early stages, and that the company had not yet committed to releasing a foldable device. Other rumors have indicated that Apple is testing 8-inch and 9-inch foldable options, but we're still years off from a release.
Both display analyst Ross Young and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believe Apple has some kind of foldable iPhone in development with a launch planned for 2025 at the earliest. Apple often holds off on implementing new technology until the available hardware can meet the quality specifications that the Cupertino company demands, so it is no surprise to see Apple waiting for several years after the launch of foldable Android smartphones to launch its own.
Article Link: Hands-On With Samsung's Latest Foldable Smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip
Not likely. Just like iPhone SS’s don’t show the notch.
Still annoys me that I have to choose between the OS I like (and having group chats with my family) or a phone that is actually useful for more than basic tasks like messaging. Get a move on Apple and release your foldable so I don't have to choose.
They are a solution to the problem of having to switch between a smartphone and a mini tablet all the time and the problem of not being able to fit both an iPhone and iPad Mini (or insert equivalents here) in pants/shorts front pockets, which is why I bought the Z Fold 3, sold my iPhone 12 Pro Max and gave my iPad Mini to my wife. It isn't rocket science.
My flip3 has lasted a year so far, and doesn't really cost any different than an iPhone Pro.