Samsung Rumored to Debut First Foldable Smartphone This Year

[Chaseyoboy]

With over 2 million apps in the App Store I have no desire to install some shady apps from the dark corners of the internet. You on your device? Be my guest.
I have had no slowdowns and I don't keep a phone for generations. I upgrade every 24 months. I have friend still using iPhone 5s, 6, 6s and they are totally fine. Wish I would say the same for Android devices, if you lucky you would probably get only 1 OS update (after 6-12 months)
I wan't to watch the video. I don't care what player is playing my video as long as it does play well. Most phone users are not tech freaks.

If these are the sort of reasons you are able to bring up then yeah, terribly locked down OS lol.

For starters, you get at least 2 years on any flagship android. And yes ios is locked down. That's how they stay secure and optimized. And just because people download apps from the internet doesn't mean its from some "dark shady website". There are literally several trusted websites for downloading apk files

 

[metalsiren]

bendable screens etc are great but they need to focus on the battery tech. The tech used in batteries is outdated and one of the biggest issues moving any of technology forward (phones, Laptops, tablets, watches,etc)

 

[Chaseyoboy]

And I use both and I find their differences to be insignificant in practice. Makes me wonder what people are doing with their phones that they develop such strong preferences for or aversions to one OS. Maybe I am missing out on something. ;-)

Ya your just missing out

 

[BvizioN]

Sorry to be different from the uncritical.

Being critical is one thing, calling people sheep because they refuse to go your way or like/dislike things you like/dislike is another thing.
Enjoy whatever you use and let people enjoy whatever they like, without labeling them as sheep.
[doublepost=1536147066][/doublepost]

You know what's funny? That an article like this about Samsung gets more attention on an Apple oriented site that it gets on a general Android oriented site.
Why?

Probably is because it does not belong here.

 

[ROGmaster]

bendable screens etc are great but they need to focus on the battery tech. The tech used in batteries is outdated and one of the biggest issues moving any of technology forward (phones, Laptops, tablets, watches,etc)

They are doing that as well
https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-develops-battery-material-with-5x-faster-charging-speed

The are also developing new camera sensor technology in collaboration with Fujifilm

https://www.fujirumors.com/samsung-...nhances-light-sensitivity-and-color-fidelity/

 

[Sackofnickels]

lots of issues with doing this... screen life, folded phone thickness will be large, time to fold and unfold. To me it seems a classic case of Form over function.

It's a Start. I'd much rather see something interesting and new with potential, then the endless yearly "updates" to the same old design with the same old functions.

Use your thumb, use your face, headphone plug, no headphone plug, bezels, no bezels, big, smaller, now big again. Boring.

 

[ROGmaster]

Probably is because it does not belong here.

Well then is should be met with indifference by apple fanboys but it simply isn't.

 

[BvizioN]

And just because people download apps from the internet doesn't mean its from some "dark shady website". There are literally several trusted websites for downloading apk files

Find and dandy. If that's your thing then it sounds like Android is right for you. Both platforms have different approaches to this and I am personally fine with the way both operates. I think you may agree that is kind of hard to have both in one package (security/optimisation + options/customisation)

 

[cube]

Battery isn’t the only component...
Front casing, back casing, etc.
You’re making a good argument for “it wouldn’t be quite twice as thick, NOT “it could be the same thickness as a modern smartphone”.

If it was a couple millimiters thicker than a flagship Galaxy, it would still match modern standards, that's the point.

 

[Abazigal]

For starters, you get at least 2 years on any flagship android. And yes ios is locked down. That's how they stay secure and optimized. And just because people download apps from the internet doesn't mean its from some "dark shady website". There are literally several trusted websites for downloading apk files

I think that the latest Fortnite saga with android casts a dark cloud on this.

While Epic is unhappy having to pay Apple their 30% cut, they do so for lack of a better alternative. iOS users still got fortnite first, so I have not lost out in any way.

Conversely, because Epic could bypass the google play store, that’s precisely what they did, and users are forced to sideload the app, exposing their devices to unnecessary risks. As it stands, they can’t even choose to download the app from the play store if they do desire.

Apple’s way is not without its restrictions, but it’s still the preferred way for me. It helps weed out malware, and dramatically cuts down on the incidence of software piracy, which in turn incentivises developers to focus on iOS first. The end result is that we as consumers are still the biggest winners here.

 

[BvizioN]

Well then is should be met with indifference by apple fanboys but it simply isn't.

Why should they? They are the ones contributing on this site to exist. Members means clicks and clicks means revenue from adds (and by members I don't necessarily mean trolls)
It's Apple oriented site. Obviously they would comment on these articles, what do you expect? The real question would be, why are the fandroids lurking on a site like this?

 

[kdarling]

As others have implied, the screen will fatigue after a few hundred bends or folds and that will be the end of it.

Damage after mere hundreds of bends, was the state of flexible display technology back in 2012. It must be in the thousands by now.

Still, yes these things will likely have a finite bend cycle life. Early buyers will probably have to think of it as disposable after a few years. Or... hmmm... they might have to expect to replace just the screen part. Which isn't so silly, if you think about it like replacing a battery.

In other words, would owning / using one be worth spending X hundred dollars every couple of years to plug in a new screen? For me, you bet!

Heck, many of us already do (unexpected) display replacements. I need only think of my daughter's iPhones and all the times I've paid for replacement displays after a bad drop, just to keep her old iPhone going

 

[Abazigal]

Interestingly enough, Apple seems to be playing around with the same idea as well.

https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2...atent-hints-at-iphones-with-flexible-displays

 

[ROGmaster]

Why should they? They are the ones contributing on this site to exist. Members means clicks and clicks means revenue from adds.
It's Apple oriented site. Obviously they would comment on these article. The real question would be, why are the fandroids lurking on a site like this?

Because like you said it doesn't belong here.
Also fandroids? you are really mature, keep it up.

Anyway a recent article on Android authority about An android fanboy spending 1 week with an iphone barely got 70 comment and it's a few days old now.
A similar article on this site would get 10 times more comments easily.
This happens because some users are less mature and secure than others. But hey, fandroids! Right?

 

[Ma2k5]

Another Samsung novelty item. They'll make it, few will buy it and they'll move on.

You mean like wireless charging?

 

[cube]

You mean like wireless charging?

Wireless charging might well be the only way for a foldable phone.

 

[antonis]

Mac is not entirely open also but not the the level of iOS. I think people who use Mac (or any computer for that matter) are a bit more knowledgeable on what they do and what they don't when it comes to their computers. iOS devices on the other hand apply to a much much wider group of users that include different age groups, professions and basically many ordinary people who prefer the ease of use without messing much with their devices. Apple wants to keep things as simple as possible when it comes to use of iPhones, iPads, because when you present to many options you are also presenting potential issues. That's why there is an Android platform there. Best of both worlds. Ironically the strength of one platform is the weakness of the other one and vice versa.

That was indeed the case many years ago, when not everyone had a phone, and people that they did, just wanted a simplistic, limited device to do very basic stuff. They couldn't care less for customisation, advanced functionality etc. But this does not reflect the majority anymore. Now kids have phones. Heck, kids even write apps for the phones.

Apple tries to keep things simple, but does not always succeed. It always keep struggling between the terms 'simple' and 'limited'. Just think what it takes for you to transfer files in your iPhone (music, movies, photos, custom ringtones or anything else for that matter) and how would you do it on an android. I can't think of anyone that would actually argue to the easiness of plugging a usb-c cable on their phone and having the external filesystem available for file transferring just like that.

Come to think of it, I can connect my Pixel 2 XL to my MacBook out of the box with the included cable, but I cannot do the same with my iPad.

 

[rmoliv]

FUgly... No thanks.

 

[cube]

FUgly... No thanks.

There isn't even a product yet and you call it ugly?

 

[GaryMumford]

1. You still can't install apps on YOUR device from anywhere but the App Store

2. You still can't downgrade YOUR device OS when Apple decide to slow your device down

3. You still can't load music or videos on YOUR own device without iTunes.

Totally locked down and closed sourced.

I use a Mac. That's what Apple does right. The iPhone and iPad and Watch and TV are locked down and self respecting tech person should not use them. Only grandmas.

There are several 3rd party apps that allow you to load music or videos on an iPhone without iTunes. Try "Waltr"

 

[thasan]

Im actually VERY surprised to see this much enthusiasm for "foldable" phones.
It is a big NO NO for me, because of the practicality of the screen design will very likely make it fragile and prone to failure over regular usage.
Even the next generation materials for transparent conductors, encapsulation technology and the interfaces between the layers in displays are not yet optimised (not even in the cutting edge materials and device research centres) for consumer grade devices which may undergo tens of thousands of bends plus pokes plus temp/humidity change plus so many other factors.

 

[Bacillus]

Being critical is one thing, calling people sheep because they refuse to go your way or like/dislike things you like/dislike is another thing.
Enjoy whatever you use and let people enjoy whatever they like, without labeling them as sheep.
[doublepost=1536147066][/doublepost]

Probably is because it does not belong here.

I was referring to sheepy characters exclusively.
Their existence as part of the userbase isn’t exactly my fault, but a direct sequel of the mass deployment strategy by T. Cook
It’s free but not obligatory to anyone to feel addressed (like you do) or not.
Note: there are different stages of apologism & conformism that I can’t describe/address all here (...)

 

[thasan]

Unless they’ve managed to break the laws of physics that screen will be trashed after a few thousand folds. I’m racking my brains to think of even one product that relies on a flat to 180degree fold in ANY Material!

Paper aeroplanes

 

[DNichter]

I don't see how apple could perfect it.
They have no relevant IP and experience in developing such devices and by 2020(the year Apple is rumored to launch a foldable phone) Samsung should be at the second or third generation.

Samsung will be first because they invest a lot of money in research and development(more than Apple actually) and because they don't just assemble phones, they design, engineer and manufacture a lot of the the components that go into a phones like the Screen, camera sensors, RAM, Storage, batteries, modems, SOCs, even a new magnesium alloy which could be used to make the phone's frame etc.
I don't understand why it's so hard for apple fans to acknowledge Samsung efforts to bring new and better technology(even innovative) to the market(which is generally available to be used by other phone manufactures as well).
Why must Samsung be mocked and taunted on this site with every single occasion no matter the subject.

Realistically speaking there is no way Apple could even have any hope of developing a foldable phone without the help from display companies like Samsung or LG for example.

I don’t doubt that Samsung pushes technology forward. I think it’s the “me first” mentality that rubs people the wrong way. While advanced as it is, I think most would wait to call it innovative until it is perfected and is actually useful. Some of the “me first” features Samsung puts out are pretty gimmicky/crappy at first. Being first to market helps feed a lot of the petty comments you see on here from Samsung fans though, so I suppose it works for their base. It’s kind of all they got.

 

[Bacillus]

Interestingly enough, Apple seems to be playing around with the same idea as well.

https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2...atent-hints-at-iphones-with-flexible-displays

You know what's funny? That an article like this about Samsung gets more attention on an Apple oriented site that it gets on a general Android oriented site.
Why?

As more often, Apples attitude is “wait and see” while defensively patenting.
Most of its R&D never sees light - which is fairly disappointing for long-term customers funding it.
You may google on the “innovator’s dilemma” by Clayton Christensen.