Samsung Announces Galaxy Z Flip 5G Smartphone Starting at $1,449.99

[Iconoclysm]

Really pathetic level of discourse in here.

I don’t think this phone would work for me (i don’t really trust Android or Samsung), but unless this forum is flooded with children, I’m pretty sure most of us went through having flip phones and Gameboy Pockets in our pockets. They fit. The histrionics in this thread are ridiculous. Complaining about the price point on a piece of high end technology is rich from a forum that wastes time defending apple’s $400 wheels.

The phone obviously theoretically could work for anyone who would like the benefits of a full size phone in the form factor of something much smaller and ostensibly protected when not in use.

It's great that it's "protected" but it's bad that the screens on these things need protection even from your own fingers.
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Folding phones are a solution looking for a problem. The purest expression of a gimmick and bad design.

The best use for them is to have a phone with two screens, one large and one small. It's a legitimate use case, a tablet and a phone in one...but we're far, far away from it.
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Apple fanboys hating on Samsung, shocking.

At least someone is trying something that is actually innovative instead of just adding another camera to the back of the phone.

I think it's been pointed out a million times how not innovative a clam shell design is...and so far all of these phones have been comically bad. You have to really hate Apple to buy one of these phones.
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Got news for ya....sheep people buy iPhones to.
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Don't know whether to laugh or cringe at your response. The phone is smaller. you said it yourself.
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Oh my gosh what a thread. Apple releases flawed/beta products all the time.

Yeah, no. If Apple released a phone where your fingernail would destroy the screen the world would literally implode. Flawed, maybe...complete garbage that can't survive being opened and closed when that's necessary to even use it? No. Apple doesn't even release enough products to make a statement that they release beta products all the time. You have to really twist and skew this to get to the viewpoint where Apple does the same thing.

 

[Sinequanon83]

Why would something not in use be at risk of damage?

Since the pandemic my phone doesn't get anywhere near the same use as it used to, so it sits primarily on its charger. It falls off its charger once a month. If it was a closed (stable, good) clamshell, it would be at a lot less risk of damage when that happens. Phones fall out of pockets, off desks and tables, out of bags and purses and so on all time time.

I don't want to be disrespectful but the advantages of a flip phone are pretty obvious and don't really need to be re-litigated. You were either there or you weren't. This is the first(-ish) time there's even been a semi-viable option to have the obvious and clear advantages of a flip phone in a modern device context (all touch-screen, etc), but that doesn't mean we need to act like we've never understood why flip phones are useful or could be cool. Just because this specific phone doesn't meet your needs doesn't mean the entire category of flip phones is garbage. Surely you can see how that's ridiculous?
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It's great that it's "protected" but it's bad that the screens on these things need protection even from your own fingers.

Yeah go find my first response. This is not the phone for me because Samsung and Android are things I tend to dislike. But it's another thing to claim that this form factor has no utility for people, which is the direction this thread has been going.

 

[Freida]

Its not about Apple vs Samsung. Its about buying idiotic product that makes zero sense and is DOA.

Got news for ya....sheep people buy iPhones to.
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Don't know whether to laugh or cringe at your response. The phone is smaller. you said it yourself.
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Oh my gosh what a thread. Apple releases flawed/beta products all the time.

 

[Brandhouse]

This is just so stupid the move by all phone makers to move to such an exorbitant price point. $15,000 is AU$2100. At such price points people won't be upgrading as often as they might have done previously.

 

[4jasontv]

Since the pandemic my phone doesn't get anywhere near the same use as it used to, so it sits primarily on its charger. It falls off its charger once a month. If it was a closed (stable, good) clamshell, it would be at a lot less risk of damage when that happens. Phones fall out of pockets, off desks and tables, out of bags and purses and so on all time time.

I don't want to be disrespectful but the advantages of a flip phone are pretty obvious and don't really need to be re-litigated. You were either there or you weren't. This is the first(-ish) time there's even been a semi-viable option to have the obvious and clear advantages of a flip phone in a modern device context (all touch-screen, etc), but that doesn't mean we need to act like we've never understood why flip phones are useful or could be cool. Just because this specific phone doesn't meet your needs doesn't mean the entire category of flip phones is garbage. Surely you can see how that's ridiculous?

The advantages of a flip phone are not obvious. They have more parts that can break, and they are harder to protect because they have to be able to move. The act of using them increases the chances of them breaking over a non-flip unit. If they get any sand in them they can stop working. If they fall, the hinge mechanism can jam. When they fall they are highly likely to open due to rotation during descent and the impact and, because they can't have a tempered glass screen protector, they are more likely to have a damaged screen than a reasonably protected non-flip. Heck, if you get any sand in your pocket and put your phone in it there is a higher likehood of sand getting between the unprotected glass and etching the display with your gait.

Being a flip phones doesn't make the phone more protected it just changes what can go wrong.

Now, I never said they were garbage, but this one sure looks like they took the last one and rotated it 90 degrees.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Fast forward 5 years: Apple releases a folding phone to the adoration of those currently calling it a terrible concept (not device, concept).

Because when Apple releases something there is usually a good reason other than just because they can. Remember the Edge display? People kept saying the same thing for years and Apple never adopted it. Right now the only reason for the Z flip is the compactness and selfie stand. Not really seeing much reason to adopt this for now.

 

[4jasontv]

Because when Apple releases something there is usually a good reason other than just because they can. Remember the Edge display? People kept saying the same thing for years and Apple never adopted it. Right now the only reason for the Z flip is the compactness and selfie stand. Not really seeing much reason to adopt this for now.

You mean this modern marvel? Or these?

 

[Apple_Robert]

I guess it *could* be attractive to some...but the price...NO!

It will be attractive to the teens who believe in associating self identity with having the latest tech.
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$1500 for a woman's compact? Get the F%$@ out of here!

We could all use a little blush at times.

 

[Sinequanon83]

The advantages of a flip phone are not obvious.

To you, perhaps. I’m not going to argue the utility of 20 year old technology with you.

 

[4jasontv]

To you, perhaps. I’m not going to argue the utility of 20 year old technology with you.

20 year old abandoned and obsolete technology.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

You mean this modern marvel? Or these?

Yes exactly. It looks cool in product promotions but usability wise it’s not that great.

 

[Sinequanon83]

20 year old abandoned and obsolete technology.

This is just infantile. Form factors don’t become obsolete. You have no idea what you’re talking about.

 

[4jasontv]

This is just infantile. Form factors don’t become obsolete. You have no idea what you’re talking about.

You can just press the word to see, yes they do.

 

[nicho]

This is just infantile. Form factors don’t become obsolete. You have no idea what you’re talking about.

Flip phones solved a problem that no longer exists and this phone isn't reintroducing.

 

[Abazigal]

This is just infantile. Form factors don’t become obsolete. You have no idea what you’re talking about.

They do when new technology is introduced that obsoletes the problem that a flip phone was designed to solve.

Look at how TVs today are so much thinner than the CRT TVs of old. That's because technology has improved to the point where this is now possible, and I don't think anyone would opt for the older, bulkier form factor even if the option did present itself.

Prior to the iPhone, many phones consisted of a screen in the top half and a physical keypad in the bottom. This resulted in phones being very long vertically, and so they needed to fold to stay a manageable height. Today, smartphones are giant slabs of glass because virtual keys have replaced physical keyboards. As such, they no longer need to be as tall because they no longer have to accommodate a physical keyboard, and so there is really no need for them to fold.

 

[organic bond]

Fast forward 5 years: Apple releases a folding phone to the adoration of those currently calling it a terrible concept (not device, concept).

Exactly!
Like widgets, previously part of the horrible Android, now part of iOS. Oh, they are so cool! BTW, I don't like them.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

THAT price? In this worldwide pandemic economy? I don’t think so. But perhaps only rich lawyers and Hollywood actors are their target market. Because unless that thing does holograms out of Star Wars, I’m not ever paying that much for a phone! 🙂

 

[travelsheep]

Looks like a metal casing for cigarettes, like my grandfather (alcoholic, strong smoker) used to have. The design doesn't appeal to me, but I guess people like my grandfather will be excited..

 

[scaramoosh]

I like niche phones, but these folding phones will never be mainstream unless technology changes in the future.

 

[GeoSciGuy]

If MacRumors is going to display Samsung news on its site because they’re a competitor to Apple, why not show the release of other Android smartphones?

I’d rather read the MacRumor Community’s comments on the new Asus ROG Phone 3 and how it compares to the iPhone than this obscure niche flip phone. With comments being mostly about competition and wishlists, I‘d love to see Apple and iPhone fans build ideas off of this new ROG phone so that the Apple employees paid to read MacRumor forum comments can lead Apple to implement the ideas we give them for free.

Samsung should not be getting special treatment.

 

[Klyster]

No one is going to buy one of these....

 

[Sinequanon83]

They do when new technology is introduced that obsoletes the problem that a flip phone was designed to solve.

What problem does a rectangular phone solve that a flip phone does not? Be specific.

Look at how TVs today are so much thinner than the CRT TVs of old. That's because technology has improved to the point where this is now possible, and I don't think anyone would opt for the older, bulkier form factor even if the option did present itself.

Maybe we're talking about different things. A TV has always been a large rectangular flat(ish) screen. The screens have gotten thinner (and the box and components have also gotten smaller) but TVs have only continued to optimize their form factor. For the form factor to become obsolete, something about humans would have had to change. We will always be able to view content on flat rectangles. It may not always be in our power to make the rectangle we view content on as thin as a modern flatscreen TV, but that doesn't mean if great screen technology comes along that requires a larger TV "box" that the flatscreen form factor is "obsolete". [Though yes it may mean all flat screen TVs are obsolete.]

Prior to the iPhone, many phones consisted of a screen in the top half and a physical keypad in the bottom. This resulted in phones being very long vertically, and so they needed to fold to stay a manageable height. Today, smartphones are giant slabs of glass because virtual keys have replaced physical keyboards. As such, they no longer need to be as tall because they no longer have to accommodate a physical keyboard, and so there is really no need for them to fold.

Again, I don't think it's worth anyone's time to pretend that a compact/clamshell form factor has no practical utility for users. Apple releases tons of these types of products every year. They're called "laptops". They also produce giant rectangles that don't clamshell - phones and tablets, and then they produce devices, like the Magic Keyboard, that add clamshell functionality to some of their tablets that give all the obvious, known advantages that people have gotten amnesia to in this thread. *shrug*

 

[Abazigal]

Again, I don't think it's worth anyone's time to pretend that a compact/clamshell form factor has no practical utility for users. Apple releases tons of these types of products every year. They're called "laptops". They also produce giant rectangles that don't clamshell - phones and tablets, and then they produce devices, like the Magic Keyboard, that add clamshell functionality to some of their tablets that give all the obvious, known advantages that people have gotten amnesia to in this thread. *shrug*

By your analogy, clamshell form factors make sense for laptops, not for smartphones.

I am not saying that a clamshell design has no merit at all. Just that it no longer makes sense for smartphones given how we have moved to touchscreens.

 

[Sinequanon83]

By your analogy, clamshell form factors make sense for laptops, not for smartphones.

I am not saying that a clamshell design has no merit at all. Just that it no longer makes sense for smartphones given how we have moved to touchscreens.

I'm saying they may make sense because it's a useful factor to have things in. It doesn't always mean the technology will be able to support it, or that every manufacturer will pull it off well. I didn't make an analogy, either. I stated a fact. Modern suppliers produce clamshell or compact form factor designed objects all the time, because they're useful to people in a variety of ways.

edit: if you want an analogy, though, when CRT TVs came out, their form factor - a big box with a screen that sits on the floor - did not obsolete the form factor of a flat panel that you could put on a wall (like a painting or a modern flatscreen). If this was the 40s and we were having this conversation and people were calling a flat pane that is affixed to a wall “obsolete” because “look at the modern stuff” we’d be having this exact same argument.

one more analogy: if I said “well there are obvious benefits to a VR kit that is about the size and shape of a pair of regular glasses, but I don’t really like Android or Samsung so I will pass on this product, for me” would you all be arguing that a pair of glasses is obsolete because thats old tech and everyone knows that a VR headset should be enormous and bolted so another computer?

 

[SteveJUAE]

They do when new technology is introduced that obsoletes the problem that a flip phone was designed to solve.

Look at how TVs today are so much thinner than the CRT TVs of old. That's because technology has improved to the point where this is now possible, and I don't think anyone would opt for the older, bulkier form factor even if the option did present itself.

Prior to the iPhone, many phones consisted of a screen in the top half and a physical keypad in the bottom. This resulted in phones being very long vertically, and so they needed to fold to stay a manageable height. Today, smartphones are giant slabs of glass because virtual keys have replaced physical keyboards. As such, they no longer need to be as tall because they no longer have to accommodate a physical keyboard, and so there is really no need for them to fold.

Sorry Abazigal but I think your premise and assumption is completely wrong

The reason most phones even today are still relatively long is simple human ergonomics and the relationship between ear and mouth. Even though today modern mikes need not be as close, us humans mostly still prefer in general to whisper or speak in close proximity of a mike, especial in public

If we look at the very earliest phones that only had a simple strip of numbers display and a KB, that took up aspect wise a small footprint, they still flipped for the mike

Later flip phones that had tiny screens by today's standards and KB flipped open so the mike was closer to your mouth yet had a tiny footprint when closed and where only slightly longer than old fixed format phones

Even earlier larger screen phones slab types that used stylus prior to Iphone/Galaxy era were long enough for comfortable mike use, given filtering and mikes had got better

Later phones with onscreen KB just removed the mechanical keys and we all gained more real estate but length remained in the same or similar aspect ratio for mike proximity/comfort

If anything we are conditioned at times to looking at phones in elongated portrait mode simply because of the shape of our bodies yet we spend most of our hours actually looking at laptops and TV's in landscape and only revert to this mode for certain functions on our phones. The portrait habits run deep.

Your basis of flip was to facilitate KB use that is now replaced by onscreen KB was not the primary function of the flip.

Even today none of us wants to talk/shout at a match box at your ear and BT headsets of old are long gone. We all dislike the old usage of people walking around malls as if the were talking to themselves in public

The flip accomplishes 3 things, the old compact form factor that may of us liked in the 1990's, the large modern screen size of today and comfortable phone use from mike proximity when unfolded, that all flips give