Samsung Claims Foldable Phones Are Going Mainstream

[twolf2919]

I'm personally looking for a smaller phone. Not a larger one.

Isn't that one of the motivating factors for a foldable phone? That you can have a smaller phone in your pocket or when checking notifications and have it be bigger during full-on use?

I'd buy a foldable iPhone in a minute IFF the folded version was basically a full iPhone 4 in terms of screen size AND the folded phone was no thicker than a current iPhone 13 AND MOST IMPORTANTLY it was reliable, which the current batch of Samsung and Huawei phones aren't. With reliable I mean the screen and folding/hinge mechanism doesn't deteriorate over a 5 year period of daily use.

 

[chrono1081]

While I appreciate what they're trying to do, I think the phones look awful. I would almost rather have two separate screens then that giant crease.

 

[syklee26]

So many Apple fanboys are in denial mode with foldables. Look, this is going to be mainstream sooner than later. Anyone who think little of the technology has never really used it. What is so bad about having a large size screen in a pocket sized phone?

Yes, they are far from perfect. Same was said about the notch. I used ZFold 2 for a year. The only reason I switched back to iPhone was due to the OS and battery. The hardware itself is remarkable, and I can’t wait for Apple to release their rendition.

This is the future. Deal with it.

 

[Ludatyk]

Mainstream does not mean market dominance, it just means that they wont be thought of as a curiosity. Obviously at some point folding phones will be thought of as just another kind of phone.

My thoughts exactly!

Because when I pull out my Galaxy Fold... there is a sense of curiosity among people who see it. They ask "Is it that foldable phone?" Followed by... "How do you like it?" But eventually that curiosity will fade.

I think iPhone users who are entrenched within Apple ecosystem specifically among their social circles... they won't switch to a foldable phone. My girlfriend who's an iPhone user along with people I know... believes my Fold is really interesting, but they prefer being among Apple ecosystem.

 

[VulchR]

So many Apple fanboys are in denial mode with foldables. Look, this is going to be mainstream sooner than later. Anyone who think little of the technology has never really used it. What is so bad about having a large size screen in a pocket sized phone?

Yes, they are far from perfect. Same was said about the notch. I used ZFold 2 for a year. The only reason I switched back to iPhone was due to the OS and battery. The hardware itself is remarkable, and I can’t wait for Apple to release their rendition.

This is the future. Deal with it.

Maybe your future, but probably not mine. To each their own.

Again, I think a ultra-precision hinge and two rigid screens might work just as well, and I would be interested in a phone that had that. You can't keep flexing electronics, be they connectors or screens, and not expect bad things to happen eventually.

 

[syklee26]

So many kids who spend little to no time will never find foldables attractive, and I personally think Samsung didn’t market zFold correctly. Samsung should’ve appealed to the professionals and market the phone as today’s iteration of Blackberry, the de facto phone for professionals back in 90s. Create an email client that had outstanding enterprise function as Blackberry email will serve them very well.

zFold was amazing when I had to read legal documents. I really hope Samsung keeps pushing for more improved screens, so Apple can incorporate them later in the future.

 

[philosopherdog]

i'm sure if they didn't totally suck apple would be shipping one.

 

[syklee26]

Maybe your future, but probably not mine. To each their own.

Again, I think a ultra-precision hinge and two rigid screens might work just as well, and I would be interested in a phone that had that. You can't keep flexing electronics, be they connectors or screens, and not expect bad things to happen eventually.

Samsung notes that you can flip open and closed approximately 200,000 times, and this is actually backed by numerous third party tests.

You can’t develop technology that quantum leaps from 1 to 10. It all takes time. If you don’t wanna use it because you have doubts about stability, that is fine, but you can’t deny where the future smartphones are heading toward.

 

[contacos]

It's a distinction without a difference.

BS. One is out of sight when u look at content. The other one is in the middle of whatever you are watching.

My main issue isn’t even the thin line on the screen, it’s the weird aspect radio itself. Those phones are to narrow. I prefer a slightly wider screen like on iPhone. I also have a Galaxy A52 and even that I find too narrow

 

[krspkbl]

i'm not against folding phones. i quite like the look of the samsung z flip. a friend has one and i was kinda impressed. however, until the screen is more durable then i'm not buying into it. it's a soft plastic screen and scratches so easily. the crease doesn't bother me. i get why the screen is the way it is because you can't fold glass. i don't know how they can make better. i'll be interested in seeing what Apple do but if the screen damages just as easily then i still won't get one even if it has the apple logo on it.

 

[Ludatyk]

Yes, they are far from perfect. Same was said about the notch. I used ZFold 2 for a year. The only reason I switched back to iPhone was due to the OS and battery. The hardware itself is remarkable, and I can’t wait for Apple to release their rendition.

I agree... battery life compared to the iPhone, no contest the iPhone is superior. I normally take a battery pack to help with battery life for my Galaxy Fold.

But when it comes down to OS... I refuse to go back to the iPhone primarily because for the lack of multitasking and simultaneously audio streams. However, it's all about preferences and I echo your thoughts.. can't wait for Apple to release their concept.

 

[BootsWalking]

BS. One is out of sight when u look at content. The other one is in the middle of whatever you are watching.

My main issue isn’t even the thin line on the screen, it’s the weird aspect radio itself. Those phones are to narrow. I prefer a slightly wider screen like on iPhone. I also have a Galaxy A52 and even that I find too narrow

Before the recent Safari change to move the URL to the bottom people spent quite a lot of time looking at the top of the screen where the notch resides. I would say even more than the time spent looking at the dead center of the page.

 

[Solomani]

Foldable phones will only go mainstream when Apple finally makes one and legitimatises the form factor.

Apple is just going along with that old Kenny Rogers song...

... you gotta know when to hold, know when to fold... 🎶

 

[the future]

Samsung and other companies at least try things and take risks. Apple sits back and watches

Apple tries many, many things. They just do this inside the company and don‘t release rough/unfinished stuff. Samsung et al. on the other hand don‘t seem to mind the backlash they sometimes get for letting super-early adopters pay through the nose for that stuff.

Assuming the numbers are even true (units shipped is often more than units sold, I would discount that by 40-50% to get a more accurate picture of the actual number of folding phones actually purchased by consumers), we are still looking at extremely niche territory here.

Agreed.

Early iPhone users didn't think that Phablets would go mainstream.

Non iPad people didn't think tablets would go mainstream.

Are we supposed to insert a myriad of examples of tech that was pushed/hyped to be „the next big thing“ and never went mainstream? Because we certainly could.

Meanwhile, using it the way we normally use a phone most of the time would be worse because I'd take it out of my pocket and the screen is not visible until I open it. When I do open it, I can't use it physically the way I always used a phone - mostly one handed. Think about all the times you look at your phone for just a second or a few. Do you want to unfold it each time? So with a foldable, it's one step forward for large screen content, and two steps back for most content and functions, most of the time.

Exactly!

 

[dannyyankou]

I've only seen one in the wild

 

[sparkinstx]

Personally, I don't think the tech is there - yet.

There are some really cool form factors out there, and some really interesting ideas being deveoped, but I can't see this going beyond the level of novelty until the technology behind the hardware is perfected. I think many people are bored with the same old rectangles we've been using for decades now, so these stand out when people go phone shopping.

Once they address the issues, then I do think there is real potential here to marry what we now consider smartphones and small form tablets in the one device. When that happens, I think wide-spread adoption will take off. Until then, they are interesting gadgets for tech enthusiasts ilke us, and novelty devices that catch the attention of people loking for something new.

There are two main issues, in my mind, that need to be addressed:

• The line on the fold
• The thickness of the overall device, when folded

Whoever manages to iron those out (pun absolutely intended) will be able to offer what consumers have started to want more and more in recent years... something truly new.

I know one person that owns one, and he's only ever owned Samsung smartphones. He's had his for maybe 18 months or two years. When I've seen it open, I notice a dip in the screen where it folds. And yeah, it's kinda bulky (thick when folded). I really couldn't see using one of these, considering how bulky it is.

 

[darngooddesign]

I know one person that owns one, and he's only ever owned Samsung smartphones. He's had his for maybe 18 months or two years. When I've seen it open, I notice a dip in the screen where it folds. And yeah, it's kinda bulky (thick when folded). I really couldn't see using one of these, considering how bulky it is.

I guess the real question is whether that bothers him or is he willing to accept it as the current cost of having a folding phone.

 

[ilikewhey]

Apple no longer has the luxury of being first because Apple users will never accept the teething pains which come from actually being innovative. Even the slightest issue, gets #gate nickname that lasts a decade. Samsung had to stop the Fold-1's launch because of the hinge/screen problems; just think about how deafening the internet response would be if that were Apple instead. The world is full of crappy PC laptop keyboards, but we're still living in the hate-shadow of Apple's butterfly one. Twenty years ago Apple ditched legacy connectors and went USB-A only and the change was welcome despite needing new cables or dongles; Apple did the same thing seven years ago with USB-C and we are still hearing about how awful it was to need new cables or adapters. Apple users are simply less tolerant of innovative or forward thinking changes.

Apple couldn't release OLED until they could guarantee no burn in. Apple couldn't release night-mode until their movement-artifact removable was better than Google (which it was because Apple's night mode combined different exposure lengths). That and Apple doesn't manufacture screens so they have to wait until someone can build a folding panel which meets their requirements.

TL-DR: Samsung can release the Z-Fold-1, Apple has to release the Z-Fold-5.

exactly, thats why apple is no longer the trend setter, they have to wait for these tech to mature and be brought up to production big enough before apple can jump on it.

 

[Rafterman]

exactly, thats why apple is no longer the trend setter, they have to wait for these tech to mature and be brought up to production big enough before apple can jump on it.

Notches and Apple Pencils sticking out of the bottom of an iPad to charge it.

So, let's not pretend that Apple always waits "for the tech to mature." If that was true, the Macbook's notches would not have seen the light of day. They wanted to imorove the camera, so instead of waiting for the tech to mature, we got the Macbook (and iPhone) notch. Just like Samsung wanted foldables, so we got the crease. And the second the tech does mature, the notch will be Apple history. It's not there by choice.

 

[IIGS User]

Folding phones are a gimmick.

You either get a standard sized phone and hold it to your ear and get a tablet to use for other things, or get a "max" sized phone and use hands free/Bluetooth/or Car Play.

I've seen the folding phones on display at the kiosks in the mall from 2 of the major wireless players (Verizon and AT&T) and they all look like garbage just from being played with at the kiosks.

Samsung says the future is folding phones because Samsung is MAKING folding phones. If they made flip phones, that would be the future.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

No thanks, until we have transparent aluminum I don't think the screens will ever hold up to daily phone abuse. Furthermore I haven't seen a case for them yet. (yes I know they did it, just go with the joke).

The iPhone screen is covered in aluminosilicate glass. Transparent aluminum already exists.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

a 300% increase without apple is samsung bringing it mainstream already... if they continue that pace its a staggering number after just 1-2 years.

That increase only looks impressive when you’re not looking at the entire Smart phone market and simply just foldables.
Sure, if those were the only type of phones around, going from about 2 million a year to 10 million a year seems extremely impressive.
In the landscape where over 1 billion phones are sold every year, it’s tiny.
Less than 1% of phones sold in 2021 were foldables.

 

[darngooddesign]

Notches and Apple Pencils sticking out of the bottom of an iPad to charge it.

Do you think that an iPad is the only way you can charge the Pencil 1? The Pencil 1 was actually pretty good idea at the time because the sides of the iPad were still curved. You could charge it normally with a cable, or if you left that at home you could charge it from your iPad. The Pencil 2 wasn't possible until the iPad design changed.

So, let's not pretend that Apple always waits "for the tech to mature." If that was true, the Macbook's notches would not have seen the light of day. They wanted to imorove the camera, so instead of waiting for the tech to mature, we got the Macbook (and iPhone) notch. Just like Samsung wanted foldables, so we got the crease. And the second the tech does mature, the notch will be Apple history. It's not there by choice.

Not sure what your point was, but every mature technology eventually gets replaced by newer technology. Apple's sensor array was pretty mature by the time it was included in the MBs; even if you consider mature to be "accustomed to it". The notch will go away once under screen sensor and camera tech has matured to the point of having zero distortions, and we're not there yet; until then Apple knows that if there are any distortions affecting the menu bar text, or wallpaper for that matter, it will result in more something-gate whining.

 

[icanhazmac]

The iPhone screen is covered in aluminosilicate glass. Transparent aluminum already exists.

Did you bother to read my post? (yes I know they did it, just go with the joke) /sigh /smh

 

[TheLinkster]

I have one and i love it will upgrade to the Fold 4 already reserved to get my 200 dollars in credit we always say until apple does it isn't that like a scavenger you sit back and wait i switch between my iPhone 13 pro max and my Fold 3 i love them both because i love technology and both companies are pushing it forward.

Jesus, learn how to use punctuation, man.