iPhone 17 Pro Max iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Fold 8

[SpitUK]

I was quite excited about the iPhone Ultra but after playing with the Fold 8 I’ve gone right off the idea. The phone itself feels very small, and with my 51-year-old eyes, it just seems too small to be comfortable for me. I feel quite constrained with the outer screen. I’m really missing the height of my 17 Pro Max, and I don’t think I could adapt to it very easily.
When I type on WhatsApp, the keyboard takes up most of the screen and you just cannot see much going on above the keyboard any text or images, etc. So I found myself opening the phone up more than I thought, just to do basic functions such as messaging and email, etc. I do love my camera on my phone, so I think the compromises in that part would really start to annoy me fast. I don’t think the slightly larger unfolded screen over the 17 Pro Max would be enough to make me lose those camera features. I am glad I’ve experienced the fold eight, so it means I think I’ll be going for the 18 Pro Max instead of the iPhone Ultra.

 

[Meedoss]

Wouldn’t be giving Samsung $3kAUD for anything, especially a phone.

 

[Tsepz]

I was quite excited about the iPhone Ultra but after playing with the Fold 8 I’ve gone right off the idea. The phone itself feels very small, and with my 51-year-old eyes, it just seems too small to be comfortable for me. I feel quite constrained with the outer screen. I’m really missing the height of my 17 Pro Max, and I don’t think I could adapt to it very easily.
When I type on WhatsApp, the keyboard takes up most of the screen and you just cannot see much going on above the keyboard any text or images, etc. So I found myself opening the phone up more than I thought, just to do basic functions such as messaging and email, etc. I do love my camera on my phone, so I think the compromises in that part would really start to annoy me fast. I don’t think the slightly larger unfolded screen over the 17 Pro Max would be enough to make me lose those camera features. I am glad I’ve experienced the fold eight, so it means I think I’ll be going for the 18 Pro Max instead of the iPhone Ultra.

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Yep, I had a good play with Z Fold 8 at the Samsung event here in South Africa, and my conclusion was that the outer screen is for quick actions and consuming short form content like YouTube Shorts, Instagram and TikTok videos.
For most other things it’s best to open it up, I found the screen inside when flipped to portrait is amazing for reading articles, web browsing etc…While in landscape it is great for watching long form video content while on the move.
Overall I think this is a great type of foldable form factor, but not totally for me.

I definitely prefer the 18:9 type foldables.
When it comes to something like Z Fold 8 Ultra the narrow outer screen is not ideal, but the Chinese manufacturers like Honor have created the perfect foldable in this category as many of them have wider screens akin to a iPhone Air sized outer screen, which you can use 100% of the time for all needs BUT if you want more screen real-estate then you open it up, I like the fact that you don’t have to open it unless you want to, here’s a good example:
The Honor Magic V6

 

[1rottenapple]

I really like the outer screen size and shape. I would love it if apple comes out with another iPhone design w/o a fold.

 

[subjonas]

I was quite excited about the iPhone Ultra but after playing with the Fold 8 I’ve gone right off the idea. The phone itself feels very small, and with my 51-year-old eyes, it just seems too small to be comfortable for me. I feel quite constrained with the outer screen. I’m really missing the height of my 17 Pro Max, and I don’t think I could adapt to it very easily.
When I type on WhatsApp, the keyboard takes up most of the screen and you just cannot see much going on above the keyboard any text or images, etc. So I found myself opening the phone up more than I thought, just to do basic functions such as messaging and email, etc. I do love my camera on my phone, so I think the compromises in that part would really start to annoy me fast. I don’t think the slightly larger unfolded screen over the 17 Pro Max would be enough to make me lose those camera features. I am glad I’ve experienced the fold eight, so it means I think I’ll be going for the 18 Pro Max instead of the iPhone Ultra.

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It looks very much like Whatsapp wasn't optimized for the display size/ratio at all. It looks like the UI keyboard was made for narrow tall phone displays and they just enlarged it to fit the width of the Fold 8, making the buttons and space between them too big, and the height of the keyboard way too tall. How is the keyboard for one of the native Samsung apps (I assume they were optimized for the display but possibly not)?

 

[M5RahuL]

Have you tried resizing the KB for more viewing real estate ?

I'm sticking with my ZF7 because I use flex mode way too often..

 

[SpitUK]

I am sure Apple will have slicker software implementation than Samsung but the small size of the outer screen is just not something I can get over.