I am a fan of what they are trying to accomplish. But this is definitely still on the level of a working prototype and something that should not be released to customers at nosebleed prices. It should be field tested by employees until it’s not so ridiculously fragile and niche.
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Hands-On With Samsung's New Galaxy Fold
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Course the Apple Card vid is about keeping it looking good. The Samsung bid is about trying to keep it from breaking. More important, if futile.
Kudos to Samsung and other brands for pushing the tech and coming to market with these. Not something I am interested in personally, however this tech applied to a tablet that can turn into a 32 inch monitor during travel (think 2nd monitor), or, 15" laptop with a screen that can unfold to 32" or larger, Yes please!
The tech has a use, I just don't need it for my mobile devices personally.
The tech has a use, I just don't need it for my mobile devices personally.
Think about it, instead of carrying a phone with a large footprint like those phablets which are getting ridiculous in size, you can carry a 5" screen phone that enlarges into a 10" screen tablet and back again whenever you want. That is convenience at its best. Right now the idea/concept is there, but the execution is lacking. BTW who is Simone?
I think a stretchable smartphone can be better which can adjust to any screen size up to 11” and that is what the customer will like to see.
Looks terrible to me. Weird hardware and software. As I have always said, the tech is cool (folding screen), but there isn't a practical use for it today. Small phone screen, small tablet screen with no apps, and neither are better than what we already have today. Samsung forced tech they have been working on for 6 years into a case with no value proposition.
Trying to be objective, I see this design producing a lot of user frustration with minimal benefit.
Apple has it right (for now). Great phones and great tablets. For different purposes, in different use situations. No doubt learning from producing a dozen or two folding phone lab prototypes over the years.
Apple has it right (for now). Great phones and great tablets. For different purposes, in different use situations. No doubt learning from producing a dozen or two folding phone lab prototypes over the years.
Are we forgetting that Samsung is still a major supplier of parts used in Apple devices? 🤔
I'm right with you there. The actual folding OLED panel itself is a thing of wonder (besides the obvious crease when open) but the device itself is rubbish. I get that people think it's innovative, and in a prototype lab it would be, but pushing it out to consumers as a finished product is just mugging people off.
innovation is not doing something just because it can be done.
Man I hope Apple never creates one of these. What a stupid device!
Have you *ever* bought a product while saying to yourself “at least they’re trying something new”?
Agreed. Looks like a real Frankenstein's monster. Too many compromises. As a phone, tiny display in a bulky package. As a tablet, expensive and bulky product with only a 7.3 inch display. All for $2K!
I understand the point is to have a tablet and phone in one package, but I would much rather own an iPhone 11 ($699) plus an iPad Air ($499) and save $800.
Sure, the notch and the camera bump are literally design compromises. But how much do either of them bug you in everyday use?
Meanwhile, the hinge mechanism is both critical to the Fold's unique selling point and also a big mechanical weakness.
Yup. Apple should be having prototype folding devices in a lab somewhere, and they probably do.
But Samsung decided this was good enough to ship, and they deserve different scrutiny for that.
I don't think a brilliant hinge mechanism will come about in two years' time. Maybe five, probably ten or more.
This device is more like Apple Newton or Palm Pilot levels away from the iPhone.
Were they, though?
The idea of "what if you could unfold the screen to reveal a bigger screen" isn't new.
Merely being the first to push something to a product doesn't deserve the credit of having done so well. There were 3G phones in the early 2000s, half a decade because the iPhone had it, and they had big marketing promises including video calling. As you might imagine, in practice, a 2003 phone doing video calls was actually an absolute garbage product.
It took iOS and Android in the late 2000s to actually make good use of 3G by introducing fuller-featured browsers and apps.
What Samsung is doing here is starting with the technology (they can fold OLED) and then believing the hard part is done; "all that's left" is to put it on a device. In reality, the practical applications of a foldable device are far outweighed, for now, by how utterly awkward and unreliable the mechanics and applications are.
Don't start with the technology.
Apple isn't interested in selling technology for the sake of technology. When they did have the ATG in the early 90s, that was mostly a bad idea.
Uh, have you seen the notch in the Fold? Large, off center, and it doesn’t even blend in with the rest of the screen. They even drew attention to it by “highlighting” it with a “trim ring” around it.
The notch on this is not only massive, but it has its own bezels for crying out loud!
The notch on this is not only massive, but it has its own bezels for crying out loud!
That’s the word I was looking for in my post above. It’s early in the morning.....
I mostly agree with you, and I haven't read this whole thread so maybe someone else has already made this point, but I think the screen sizes are actually nice. The front screen is like an iPhone SE, and the main screen is like an iPad Mini. Ask around and you'll find lots of people think those are the perfect sizes for a phone and a tablet, while the common "phablet" phone sizes are often considered an awkward compromise, and the full-size tablets are said to be too big for comfortable one-handed tablet uses like reading or watching videos.
That said, I would never want to own this device. It will be years before it becomes compelling to the masses (cheaper, more durable, less bulky, etc.), but I believe eventually it might.
Um, it’s the design. It’s not anecdotal that the bend is visible. Watch ANY video review and you can see it.
I referenced a source for the hinge getting dirty, despite the improvements.
Being thick, heavy, expensive, and made of plastic also aren’t anecdotal...they are facts.
I never said I don’t give my opinion, but I’m certainly not alone in saying this is an awkward design with many more problems than solutions. You think that front screen is amazing innovation? It's crap.
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