Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Hands-On With Samsung's New $1,800 Galaxy Z Fold 3

Abazigal said:
I was just playing with the phone for a while at an electronics store yesterday. Build quality feels solid, I suppose the front part of the phone suffices for basic stuff like messaging and calling where you don’t care so much about screen estate. When unfolded, the larger display is nice for viewing an entire calendar, map or spreadsheet. I didn’t get to play with the multitasking features.

I think it can become a viable product if the front phone portion is closer to the typical proportions of a normal smartphone, and you can unfold it to get an even larger tablet. The first step would be about making people indifferent between using the galaxy fold and a normal smartphone, with the unfolding option as a pure bonus.

The crease admittedly doesn’t bother me at all. I hardly noticed it at all while interacting with apps.

It’s still thicker than I would care to put in my pants pocket (probably won’t matter for women who just toss it into their handbag). I suspect the constant folding is something that will start to grate on me over time (I concede that I won’t own a Fold long enough to see if this truly is the case or not).

I don’t know if these can ever be engineered away (anything that can make the fold thinner would also go towards making normal smartphones thinner, and it will always need that armoured frame to protect the fragile display), but yeah, that’s that.
Click to expand...

I agree, the front panel needs to be a more normal aspect ratio, 24.5:9 is a really weird ratio.

If you’ve ever seen Black Mirror, the episode where the two guys have sex with each other as video game charecters, they have phones that fold, I know that tech is a long while away, but that would be an ideal set up. Very thin, a practical front screen that is usable for short interactions, and folds open to a phone size that is about the size of the Pro Max.
 
Abazigal said:
For quick calls and messages, perhaps, but are people really going to be okay using the phone portion of the Fold for extended periods of time? I feel it’s too tall, too narrow, and too thick, and if I were chatting with my friend for more than a few texts, I would be better off using a normal smartphone with more “normal” dimensions.

I suppose calls can be handwaved away by simply saying that everyone relies on wireless headsets these days, so the actual form factor of your device doesn’t matter.

But when I am on the go, I wouldn’t want to be messaging on a device with a tablet form factor either. That’s where I believe the irritation from the constant folding / unfolding part kicks in.

This is also why I feel that even in its current (third) incarnation, the messaging behind the device is at odds with how people will likely end up using it. To me, it’s (still) not a smartphone that happens to unfold into a larger device.

Rather, it’s a small tablet that folds in half so that it can fit in your pocket. This is a completely different product experience than what Samsung is currently marketing. What we are left with is a device which doesn’t feel practical as a smartphone, and is still too small for a tablet.

And this is why I feel that most people are better off just carrying a better smartphone, than a small tablet that folds into a suboptimal smartphone. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t people who will derive great value from this product, it just means that this belongs more in the bucket of curved displays (design trends that won’t catch on) vs phablets (trend that end up reinventing the whole market).
Click to expand...
I understand what you're saying, but, in my usage of a smartphone, I don't think there is much I can't do on a day to day basis in unfolded mode. I may be an atypical user, but. I do not own an Ipad. I have a Note 8 and a MacBook Pro that are my daily devices. Many, many times, when I'm out and want to check something on the internet, I give up because even the Note 8 screen is a little small for me to consume media. I would love to be able to unfold it at those times, but, I'm not doing that all the time. If you are, then I can see this being a problem. Even at home, when using my phone, I will sometimes switch to the laptop just go get more screen real estate. This is just me, so I understand that others may see it differently.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheSapient and kodos
There are a whole host of us who love this form factor. I am getting more and more used to the outer display. I like it the more I use it.

And the inner tablet is about perfect. It suits me for reading and browsing and doing multitasking. That I can take this with me in my pocket? Game changing.

I really do not like using my iPhone 11 Pro Max now. But I do find Android is not as polished as iOS. Though I like its flexibility a bit more.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: ibirmingham, TheSapient, M3gatron and 1 other person
I think I will go for the Fold 4 next year and hang on to my S21 Ultra until then, was originally going to wait a couple more generation’s before getting one, but the more I use the Fold 3 demo at work the more i want one. :)

I hope Samsung next years Fold improve on a few things, camera being the main one bring it in line with the S series on quality, IP68 find a way to stop dust & dirt getting into the hinge & a wider front screen.

I don't really care if it still has a crease next year, but if they can reduce it or get rid of it all together then brilliant.

It will be few years yet before Apple brings a foldable smartphone to the market, & when they do it will be very expensive easily around 2000 or more for the privilege, while Samsung will be on it's 5th or 6th gen foldable phone & prices should be more reasonable by then hopefully.

As for the haters...

Once Apple comes out with it's version of a foldable which will use a Samsung Screen what then!!, suddenly it becomes the best thing since sliced bread.?

It's always been the same with Apple fanfolk, any innovation is crap until Apple invent it then it's party poppers and high fives all round. :/

And i can probably put a bet on Apple will not incorporate any kind of multi tasking into the first iPhone Foldable, in fear of killing off it's iPad's to early, so when it's close you have an iPhone open it up you have an iPhone with a bigger screen ingenious, the fans will love it regardless & screaming take my money Timmy. :p
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: ibirmingham, TheSapient, Maconplasma and 1 other person
Ixon2001 said:
It's always been the same with Apple fanfolk, any innovation is crap until Apple invent it then it's party poppers and high fives all round. :/
Click to expand...
Is that like the time Apple removed the chargers from their phone boxes and Samsung made a big deal about how they still include them, yet the very next phone they removed it and then act like they're amazing for doing it?

No.... Samsung would NEVER copy Apple! 😂
 

Attachments

  • Samsung-Steals-from-Apple-Again-740x387.jpg
    Samsung-Steals-from-Apple-Again-740x387.jpg
    16.5 KB · Views: 79
  • Like
Reactions: Maconplasma
tooltalk said:
Tim Apple is no Elon Musk -- he's too busy counting beans.
Click to expand...
I think people are too focused on single personalities. I am sure they are great in inspiring and attracting the right crowd but the true progress and success is built on the shoulders of highly skilled staff who are employed by their CEOs.
 
kenaustus said:
$1,800 is a bit high. I'm thinking that sales are not going to be that great and a new sales price will come out - probably right after Christmas,
Click to expand...

It's really more palatable when you put things into perspective. You are replacing a small tablet AND a phone, so you really have to price compare it this way IMO. In that sense when you consider an iPad mini and iPhone together then the price makes more sense. Extrapolating from the iPad's sales numbers you could assume that a large chunk of iPhone owners have iPads, although I don't know what percentage would be specifically iPad minis. But that makes sense, especially with Apple's strategy of convincing users they need multiple devices.

But with that said, I do agree that the pricing is going to drop as Samsung figures out how to make these cheaper. How low? Who knows, if Apple can still sell a ton of Pro Max's for $1100 then I at least don't see the Fold series dropping to lower than that ever. But just seat of the pants I personally think something like the Fold won't ever go under $1400, a more than deserved premium over a Pro Max (But still a substantial discount over a Pro Max and an iPad mini).
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: tooltalk, M3gatron and Maconplasma
Abazigal said:
I still personally think that the idea of having to unfold and fold a tablet every time you want to use it is a fundamentally flawed one.
Click to expand...

I used mine for a year and it never bothered me, that's why the outer screen is there for. Flipping it open was no more difficult than taking my iPad mini out of my back pocket. Heck I flip the type cover off my Surface Pro every time I use it and that's not a big deal.

I think what is at the heart of your concern really boils down to is which you value more, the tablet or the smartphone part. For those of us who value the tablet part more we gladly accept the phone shortcomings. Vice versa and you are probably better off keeping your non folding smartphone. Nothing wrong with either preference.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: TheSapient, bobcomer and Maconplasma
Abazigal said:
I was just playing with the phone for a while at an electronics store yesterday. Build quality feels solid, I suppose the front part of the phone suffices for basic stuff like messaging and calling where you don’t care so much about screen estate. When unfolded, the larger display is nice for viewing an entire calendar, map or spreadsheet. I didn’t get to play with the multitasking features.

I think it can become a viable product if the front phone portion is closer to the typical proportions of a normal smartphone, and you can unfold it to get an even larger tablet. The first step would be about making people indifferent between using the galaxy fold and a normal smartphone, with the unfolding option as a pure bonus.

The crease admittedly doesn’t bother me at all. I hardly noticed it at all while interacting with apps.

It’s still thicker than I would care to put in my pants pocket (probably won’t matter for women who just toss it into their handbag). I suspect the constant folding is something that will start to grate on me over time (I concede that I won’t own a Fold long enough to see if this truly is the case or not).

I don’t know if these can ever be engineered away (anything that can make the fold thinner would also go towards making normal smartphones thinner, and it will always need that armoured frame to protect the fragile display), but yeah, that’s that.
Click to expand...

I guess the width of a "normal" smartphone should be defined. Is it the width of an iPhone Pro Max, or of an iPhone SE? It wasn't that long ago that phones were actually much narrower than the outer screen of the Fold, really only 3 or 4 generations ago. And even today many phones are still not much wider. I don't disagree that the narrowness makes some things difficult, touch typing is frustrating (as it is on my iPhone 12), but in contrast swipe typing is actually doable one handed, where it would be impossible on a Pro Max. Not only touch typing, but navigation in general one handed is much easier. My prime example continues to be the horrible navigation scheme on iOS where sometimes you have to press a tiny tiny arrow all the way up and to the left, good luck reaching that if you are using it one handed with your right hand. Or trying to reach for the numbers/shift keys on the keyboard one handed.

Thickness: This is a valid complaint. The phone fits better in the pocket because it's narrow, especially when sitting, but at the same time can feel bulky. I think the weight is a much bigger issue though, it's a heavy phone. If I don't tie my scrubs pants the Fold will slowly and surely pull them down over time.

I think the engineering will come over time. Look at the Surface Duo and how thin they got that phone. Granted it's not a folding screen, but you can almost imagine one day the folding mechanism will be able to fold over a radius that small one day. Of course there are other methods such as rollable screens which might become a better option, but the caveats with a rollable screen would be lack of protection and waiting for the screen to roll/unroll would drive people nuts.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Abazigal
M3gatron said:
I mean at most Apple will be able to buy the screen form Samsung but the rest they will need to build themselves.
Or you assume they will just buy an entire Samsung foldable smartphone and install iOS on it?
Click to expand...
Apple has several patents for foldable phones. It'll be their own hardware but the foldable display will likely come from Samsung.
 
Ixon2001 said:
I'm not on about copying all competing companies copy each other to some degree.
Click to expand...
Also that example is really amusing. So Samsung is accused of copying a fingerprint pictogram or a generic face a 4 year old could draw? LoL, how on earth Apple didn't sue them?
 
Abazigal said:
I am not opening and closing my laptop with the same frequency as I would a smartphone.
Click to expand...
Now you have bring ussage frequency into the mix. His example is brilliant and illustrates how your opinion doesn't make sense.
There's no problem with having to unfold a tablet that can also fit in a normal poket.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheSapient
M3gatron said:
Now you have bring ussage frequency into the mix. His example is brilliant and illustrates how your opinion doesn't make sense.
There's no problem with having to unfold a tablet that can also fit in a normal poket.
Click to expand...

Think about how many times you take your phone out of your pocket for a quick task over the course of a day.

Now imagine unfolding your phone to perform those tasks each time, then folding it when you want to put it away.

It’s 2 extra steps each time.
 
Abazigal said:
Think about how many times you take your phone out of your pocket for a quick task over the course of a day.

Now imagine unfolding your phone to perform those tasks each time, then folding it when you want to put it away.

It’s 2 extra steps each time.
Click to expand...
Why would you unfold it every time?! That doesn't make sense, even for the Flip 3 which has a pretty limited function outside display. The Fold has an outside screen capable of doing anything any other candy bar phone can do, and with the flip, you can answer the phone, look at notifications and weather, all without unfolding the phone. (among other stuff that I haven't tried yet)
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheSapient and M3gatron
Abazigal said:
Think about how many times you take your phone out of your pocket for a quick task over the course of a day.

Now imagine unfolding your phone to perform those tasks each time, then folding it when you want to put it away.

It’s 2 extra steps each time.
Click to expand...
You know you don’t have to use it in tablet mode every time, right? It has a fully functional display on the front for checking emails or replying to texts or quickly looking something up. When you need more screen real estate, that’s when you open it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheSapient
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back